These vegan Jackfruit Birria Tacos are the plant-based version of the traditional beef Birria tacos you might know. They are perfect for special occasions such as game nights or Cinco de Mayo celebrations.
If you're into Mexican food (who doesn't really?) then this recipe is for you. Enjoy these vegan Birria tacos with some spicy mango habanero salsa, homemade guacamole or cucumber pico de gallo on the side.
For more Mexican-inspired recipes check out Vegan TVP Tacos, Loaded Vegetarian Nachos.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This vegan Birria tacos are meatless yet super flavorful.
- You can easily double the recipe to feed larger crowds.
- They go with a wide variety of side dishes and salsas.
What is Birria?
Birria is a traditional Mexican dish from the state of Jalisco that usually consists of meat (traditionally goat meat) simmered in a spicy adobo sauce. Traditionally, it has been consumed as a soup or stew but in recent years become a popular taco filling.
Vegan Birria
This delicious Mexican dish has become popular among non-meat-eaters as well. Oyster mushrooms, jackfruit or TVP are popular meat substitutes to create vegetarian Birria tacos. Especially Jackfruit is a great meat replacement in this recipe because after you mash it, its texture resembles shredded meat.
Another variation of the Birria is the "quesabirria"- a taco that's filled with melted cheese as well as the hearty "meat" filling. That's also how we prepared it below.
Ingredients & Substitution Notes
- Tomatoes: Together with the guajillo chiles they form the base of the sauce. Roma tomatoes of beef tomatoes both work equally well.
- Guajillo Peppers: The dried chile peppers are responsible for most of the flavor in these tacos and cannot be omitted. If you can't find them in one of your grocery stores, they are easily available online!
- Jackfruit: Traditional Birria is made from pulled pork, beef or goat. To create vegan Birria tacos we use jackfruit as a meat replacement. Green jackfruit has a very neutral taste and its texture when mashed with a fork or potato masher resembles that of shredded meat. They do hold a lot of water though so it's important to cook it until most of the water is gone.
- Fresh Onion: Both red or white onion work for this recipes.
- Garlic Cloves: Could be replaced with garlic powder if needed.
- Spices: This recipe asks for bay leaves, dried oregano, thyme, marjoram, ground cumin, smoked paprika and black pepper. Instead of smoked paprika you could use liquid smoke. The spices are essential for creating a flavorful sauce and should not be omitted
- Vegetable Stock: Besides using the tomato-chile broth, this recipe also calls for regular vegetable broth. Could be replaced with chicken broth if you don't need this recipe to be vegan.
- Tortillas: Both corn tortillas or regular flour tortillas work perfectly well. I used big tortillas because I decided to fold them more than once but feel free to use smaller ones.
- To assemble: vegan cheese (mozzarella), homemade guacamole, fresh greens, lime wedges
How to Make Vegan Birria Tacos
Preparing these vegetarian tacos takes a bit more time than the usual recipes on our website but it's so worth it!
Step 1: Prepare spicy tomato sauce
Start by removing the seeds from the guajillo chiles. Feel free to keep them if you prefer a spicy sauce.
To prepare the Birria sauce put tomatoes, onion, bay leaves, water and salt into a large stockpot. Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 30 minutes.
Step 2: Prepare jackfruit mix
Start by prepping the jackfruit chunks. Slice off the hard-pointed part of each jackfruit piece. Then give the jackfruit chunks a good squeeze and try to squeeze out as much excess water as possible.
Continue by heating some olive oil in a large frying pan (cast iron or non-stick). Add chopped onion and garlic and fry until slightly brown and translucent.
Add jackfruit chunks and mash them with a potato masher or a fork so that they start resembling pulled meat. Fry for a couple of minutes until the jackfruit becomes crispy- don't skip this step or you'll end up with a mushy jackfruit texture.
Step 3: Blend & Combine
Drain the cooked veggies and save the broth. Transfer the veggies (without the bay leaves) to a blender, add the spices, a pinch of salt, 1 cup of the broth and ½ cup of veggie stock.
Blend until smooth, then pour the sauce onto the jackfruit mixture. Keep a small bowl of Birria on the side if you want to use it as a dipping sauce for later.
Bring to boil, then reduce heat and let simmer on low heat with a lid on for 40 minutes.
Step 4: Assemble
Fill your favorite type of taco with some marinated jackfruit chunks, (vegan) mozzarella, guacamole (or other salsa) and fresh greens such as fresh cilantro or lettuce. Fold tacos your preferred way.
Heat a little oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle on some vegan mozzarella, then place the folded tortilla on top of the cheese. Fry for about half a minute, then flip and fry the other side of the tortilla until golden brown. Continue with the remaining tortillas.
Serve with homemade mango habanero salsa or cucumber pico de gallo.
Variations & Tips
- Different Types of Dried Chile Peppers: I only used one type of dried chili peppers but many recipes also include dried Ancho peppers and dried chile de Arbol (for more spiciness). Feel free to add them for even more depth of flavor.
- Spice it up: Besides adding chile de Arbol you could also simply add some chili powder, red pepper flakes of chili flakes to make it spicy.
- Fry tortilla in Birria sauce: Alternatively to the method above that folds the tortilla 3 times and includes cheese, you could dip the tortilla into the Birria sauce and fry it on one side. Add all the filling ingredients and flip it to create a half-moon shape.
- Tortilla: I used corn tortillas but feel free to use wheat tortillas, or gluten-free tortillas instead.
- Dipping Sauce: Keep a small bowl of Birria sauce on one side if you want to use it as a dipping sauce for later.
Serving Ideas
- Homemade Guacamole: Makes an amazing filling (that's also how I used it i this recipe) but could also be used as a dipping sauce.
- Mango Habanero Salsa: Both the chunk and roasted mango habanero salsa pair really well with this taco.
- Cucumber Pico de Gallo
- Sour Cream such as vegan sour cream or plain yogurt.
- Salsa Verde
- Hot Sauce of choice
- Taco Salad
- Rice: Could either be used as an additional filling or as a side dish.
- Beans: Serve these tacos with black beans on the side.
Storage
- To store: Store leftover jackfruit Birria filling in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- To freeze: Freeze in a freezer-friendly container.
- To reheat: If frozen, let thaw on the counter overnight. Then reheat on low heat on the stovetop.
FAQs
If you can't get your hand on jackfruit, you could try using pulled king oyster mushrooms instead. Because of their meaty texture, the also make an amazing filling. The overall texture of the taco will be different though.
Traditionally they are made of pulled goat meat in a spicy tomato sauce. The recipe below is a vegan version of this popular dish using jackfruit instead of meat.
Not really, young green jackfruit has a hearty texture and is quite neutral in taste. It also soaks up flavors easily which is why it's a great alternative to shredded meat. However, it won't taste the same as meat.
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📖 Recipe
Jackfruit Birria Tacos (Vegan)
Ingredients
Birria Sauce
- 2 beef (roma) tomaotes *quartered
- ½ onion *peeled & halved
- 4 dried guajillo chiles
- 2 bay leaves
- 5 cups water
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon thyme
- ¼ teaspoon marjoram
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper (or peppercorns)
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika powder
- ½ cup vegetable broth *homemade or store-bought
Jackfruit Filling
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ onion *peeled & halved
- 3 garlic cloves *minced
- 2 20 oz cans young green jackfruit *in brine/ water
- salt & pepper to taste
To assemble
- tortillas of choice *corn, wheat or gluten-free
- (vegan) mozarella or feta *grated
- guacamole
- fresh greens (cilantro), lime
Instructions
Birria Sauce
- Start by deseeding the dried guajillo peppers (keep some if you prefer a spicy sauce).
- Place tomatoes, half the onion, chile guajillo, bay leaves and water into a large pot. Close with a lid and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and let simmer for 30 minutes.
- Drain veggies using a sieve and save the broth. Discard the bay leaves.
- Transfer the remaining veggies to a blender, add spices, a generous pinch of salt, 1 cup of the broth and ½ cup veggie broth and blend until smooth.
- Taste and adjust spices.
Jackfruit
- Drain and thoroughly rinse the jackruit chunks. Try to get rid of as much water as possible by gently squeezing each jackfruit chunk.
- Cut off the hard pointy part of every jackfruit piece and set aside.
- Heat some olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.
- Add onion and garlic and fry until translucent and slightly brown.
- Add jackfruit chunks and mash with a fork or potato masher to make the jackfruit look like "pulled meat".
- Continue to fry the jackfruit until all of the water has evaporated and you end up with a dry jackfruit mix.
- Add the Birria sauce from the blender to the jackfruit and let simmer with a lid on low heat for 20 minutes.
- Remove the lid and let simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Taste and adjust seasoning.
Assembly
- Cut down the center of your tortilla, then fill one corner with some marinated jackfruit chunks, the next one with some (vegan) mozzarella, the third one with some guacamole (or other salsa) and the last one with fresh greens such as fresh cilantro or lettuce. Then fold three times.
- Heat a little oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle on some vegan mozzarella, then place the folded tortilla on top of the cheese. Fry for about half a minute, then flip and fry the other side of the tortilla until golden brown. Continue with the remaining tortillas.
- Serve with homemade mango habanero salsa or cucumber pico de gallo on the side.
Video
Notes
- Get rid of excess water: It's really important to give the jackfruit chunks a good squeeze to get rid of as much excess water as possible.
- To store: Store leftover jackfruit Birria filling in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Different Types of Dried Chile Peppers: I only used one type of dried chili peppers but many recipes also include dried Ancho peppers and dried chile de Arbol (for more spiciness). Feel free to add them for even more depth of flavor.
- Fry tortilla in Birria sauce: Alternatively to the method above that folds the tortilla 3 times and includes cheese, you could dip the tortilla into the Birria sauce and fry it on one side. Add all the filling ingredients and flip it to create a half-moon shape.
- Dipping Sauce: Keep a small bowl of Birria sauce on one side if you want to use it as a dipping sauce for later.
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