When spiced up, crisped in the oven, and coated in homemade barbecue sauce, shredded jackfruit becomes a deliciously meaty filling, and so an exceptionally appropriate savory center around which to base these jackfruit bbq sliders. But don’t be fooled, because despite their size, these handheld mini-sandwiches pack an incredible punch of flavor: bbq sauce, spiced jackfruit, red cabbage slaw, vegan cheese and sweet pickle thousand island dressing. So if you’re looking for an indulgent platter of vegan slider tastiness that everyone’ll love, then these vegan jackfruit bbq sliders are it!
“It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up.”
– Vince Lombardi
Jackfruit BBQ Sliders: Done More Easily
This jackfruit bbq slider recipe can be quite involved, as there are several different elements that you have to prepare before assembling the sliders themselves: the oven-baked shredded jackfruit, the homemade bbq sauce, the red cabbage slaw, the slider butter topping and the thousand island dressing.
But because I know that most people want streamlined recipes that are easy to make and relatively simple, I have included an option in the recipe itself to cut out some of the elements for a quicker preparation, all without sacrificing taste for efficiency.
– Substitute the homemade bbq sauce for a store-bought bbq sauce
This one is the easiest of the substitutions, really. Everyone has their own favorite store-bought bbq sauce brand, and you can really customize the flavor of these jackfruit bbq sliders by choosing one kind over another – from sweeter to more tart to more sour to more tangy, ect.
– Substitute the red cabbage slaw for store-bought sauerkraut
This substitution is a good one, because sauerkraut is packed with a tart flavor that’ll contrast nicely with the sweet bbq sauce and thousand island dressing. It will have less texture than the red cabbage slaw, but not by much.
There you have it: easy substitutions that’ll accelerate the creation of these jackfruit bbq sliders, and leave you with less of a mess to clean up in the kitchen, too. That way, if you do decide to substitute certain elements of these jackfruit bbq sliders for store-bought replacements, then you need only prepare the oven-baked jackfruit, the buttery slider topping, and the thousand island dressing.
“I don’t know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien
Preparing the Jackfruit
1. Open a can of young jackfruit – yes, young jackfruit! Make sure of that. Old jackfruit is sweet. – and then drain it.
2. After that, shred the chunks of jackfruit with your hands, pulling it apart until fine strands of beautiful jackfruit pile up. You can discard the ovular seeds if they don’t shred well, as well as the harder end bits of the chunks.
3. Then, rinse the shredded jackfruit well to eliminate any potential funky flavors of the canning liquid.
4. Dry the jackfruit on a paper towel, and then toss it in olive oil and the spices.
5. Spread the jackfruit out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and then bake! It should be relatively crispy by the end of the baking time, and so ready to accept the full flavor of the bbq sauce.
If you need more information about how to shred jackfruit, check out these Vegan Jackfruit Tamales!
“Barbecue may not be the road to world peace, but it’s a start.”
– Anthony Bourdain
The Layers of a Jackfruit BBQ Slider
Bottom of a Hoagie Third
Thousand Island Dressing
BBQ Jackfruit
Red Cabbage Slaw or Sauerkraut
Top of the Hoagie Third
Jackfruit Newbies
This jackfruit bbq sliders recipe is the perfect introductory venture for newbies to jackfruit.
The ingredient in general is a pretty forgiving to cook with. It takes on whatever flavors you steep it in, much like tofu or tempeh. So it comes down to imparting flavor to the jackfruit by baking it with spices and then adding a zip with bbq sauce, either homemade or store-bought.
Ultimately, this jackfruit bbq slider recipe is a wonderful way of exploring the ingredient, whilst simultaneously creating a decadent, colorful and exceptionally delicious finger food that you can set out as an appetizer, main course, or side dish for celebrations, parties, or get togethers (when those start happening again, that is).
So fear not jackfruit if you’ve never used it before; it’s an incredible ingredient, and even more incredible resource for vegans and non-vegan alike who are looking for that meaty shreddable texture along with a bbq taste, done 100% plant-based!
“Obviously, everyone’s different, but I love just settling down and having a barbecue with my friends at the house.”
– Harry Kane
BBQ Jackfruit Sliders
Equipment
- Baking sheet lined with parchment paper
- 9×13 baking dish
- 12 toothpicks
Ingredients
For the oven baked jackfruit
- 1 can young jackfruit, drained, shredded and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon liquid smoke
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
For the BBQ sauce (or use store-bought)
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 1 ½ tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vegan Worchestire sauce
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon liquid smoke
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
For the coleslaw (or use store-bought sauerkraut)
- ¼ head red cabbage, about 3 – 4 cups
- 1 large carrot, grated
- 2 tablespoons vegan mayo
- 1 ½ tablespoons red wine vinegar
- Dash salt & ground black pepper, to taste
For the thousand island dressing
- 2 tablespoons vegan mayo
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 3 – 4 sweet pickles, finely chopped
For the slider topping
- ¼ cup vegan butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons stone ground mustard
- 2 teaspoons dried chopped onion
Additional slider ingredients
- 4 vegan hoagie rolls, cut into thirds
- 3 pieces vegan cheese, one quarter slice for each slider
Instructions
- Begin by shredding the jackfruit, discarding any overly hard bits. Rinse it, dry it briefly, and then combine with the olive oil and spices. Spread evenly on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and then bake the spiced jackfruit for 20 – 25 minutes at 350°F, until moderately crispy.
- Once the jackfruit is out of the oven, make the BBQ sauce by combining all the ingredients together, and then coat the baked jackfruit with it evenly and set aside for later. Now, turn the oven to 375°F and begin preparing the other ingredients. Alternative: rather than make the BBQ sauce from scratch, you can buy a store bought sauce for a faster and equally delicious way of making these sliders.
- Finely shred the red cabbage and grate the carrot, and then combine them with the other coleslaw ingredients. Alternative: or just use store bought sauerkraut for a faster and equally delicious way of making these sliders.
- Divide 3 – 4 vegan hoagies into thirds, and separate the tops from the bottoms.
- Assemble the sliders by laying down some thousand island dressing, then a tablespoon of the bbq jackfruit, followed by a quarter slice of vegan cheese, and finally the coleslaw (or sauerkraut). Put the top on the slider, pierce it with a toothpick, and lay them neatly into a 9×13 baking dish.
- In a small bowl, melt about ¼ cup vegan butter in the microwave, and then add to that the stone ground mustard and dried chopped onions. Brush or ladle this butter mixture over the tops of the sliders until they are all well coated.
- Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil, and then bake at 375°F for 20 minutes covered, and another 5 minutes uncovered, until crispy on top and melty on the inside.
- Serve the sliders right away!
Nutrition
Did you enjoy these jackfruit bbq sliders? Leave a comment and recipe rating before you go.
May you have good food in good company,
That Vegan Nephew
These are wonderful. I’m wondering how many ways can you make a slider?
The possibilities are truly infinite!