Jackfruit Birria Tacos (Vegan)
This vegan Birria taco recipe will easily feed a large crowd and is perfect for special occasions such as game nights or Cinco de Mayo celebrations.
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Servings: big tacos or 10 smaller
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
You can find detailed step-by step-photos above the recipe card.
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.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 tortilla with fillings. | Calories: 265kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 421mg | Potassium: 296mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1196IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 215mg | Iron: 2mg
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates.
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