Vegan Birria (Made With Jackfruit)

Birria is a bold and deeply flavorful meat stew that originates from Jalisco, Mexico. This vegan birria recipe uses jackfruit in place of traditional meat to give it texture while keeping it fully plant based/vegan. It’s made with a variety of dried chile peppers that range from smoky to spicy along with a blend of aromatics and spices to give it a rich and complex flavor.

A Truly Versatile Recipe: Enjoy as A Stew or Turn it into Tacos

Birria is delicious topped with a squeeze of fresh lime, chopped cilantro and diced onions and served up with toasted tortillas. It is also the base to popular birria tacos that are filled with the “meat” and quesabirria tacos which have added cheese. Both varieties of tacos are served with a side of the broth known as consomé de birria to dip in. Whether you enjoy birria as a stew or in tacos you are sure to fall in love with this take on a traditional Mexican dish.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Vegan meat alternative: Young Jackfruit, canned
• Peppers: Guajillo Peppers, Ancho Peppers, Chile de Arbol (these are spicy so adjust to your liking)
• Vegetables: Roma Tomatoes, Onion, Garlic
• Condiments: Vegan Beef or Vegetable Broth, Apple Cider Vinegar, Hight Heat Neutral Oil (Avocado or Olive Oil)
• Spices: Bay Leaves, Cinnamon Stick, Cumin powder, Garlic Powder, Thyme, Mexican Oregano, ground Ginger, ground Cloves, Black Peppercorns, Salt & Pepper.
• Additional ingredients to serve the stew with: chopped White Onion, chopped Cilantro, Lime wedges, Toasted Tortillas.

How to Make This Vegan Birria Recipe (with Step by Step Photos)

Char The Tomatoes

Char the tomatoes, garlic and onion in a dry pan on medium high heat. Keep turning the vegetables until there are dark brown spots on all sides. This will add a bit of extra flavor to the broth. Remove them from the pan and set aside.

Prepare the dried chiles And Add them to the Charred Tomatoes

Prepare the dried chiles by cutting away the stems, discarding the seeds and removing any membranes that are visible. Give the chiles a quick rinse with water before adding them to the pot along with the charred vegetables.

🌶️ Note for handling dried Chile peppers: if you have sensitive skin or just want to be cautious, wear gloves while removing the stems, seeds and membranes. If you choose not to, make sure to wash your hands well with soap before touching your skin, eyes etc.

Add Aromatics & Cook the Chiles

Add in the cinnamon stick, black peppercorns and bay leaves. Cover everything with about 3 cups water or more as needed. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and cook at a low boil for 25 minutes.

Sauté the Jackfruit

While the chiles are cooking, add the oil to a large pot on medium high heat. Drain and rinse the jackfruit and add it to the heated oil. Add in the garlic powder, 1 tsp cumin and sauté for 8-10 minutes. The jackfruit should be nicely browned and easily pull apart with a fork. Season with salt & pepper and remove the pot from the heat.

Blend the Chiles, Spices, and Tomatoes

Once the chiles and vegetables are done cooking, discard the bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the softened chiles and all other ingredients to a large blender. Add 1 cup of the cooking liquid, 1 tsp cumin powder, the oregano, thyme, ginger powder, ground cloves.

Blend until completely smooth. You may have to do this in two batches if your blender isn’t big enough. Pour the mixture through a fine strainer over the pot with the browned jackfruit.

Add The Broth And Simmer

Return the pot to the stove on medium heat and add in the vegan beef broth and apple cider vinegar. Mix well and simmer for 20- 25 minutes uncovered until the stew has reduce and thickened a bit.

Serve & Enjoy!

Serve the birria hot, with chopped cilantro, diced white onion and lime wedges. You can also enjoy the birria with toasted tortillas.

More Vegan Recipes You Might Like

If you enjoyed this Jackfruit Birria recipe, you might also like the following vegan recipes.

• Cozy & Creamy Wild Rice Soup: This vegan & gluten-free wild rice soup is the perfect cozy recipe. It’s flavorful, earthy, creamy and is hearty enough for lunch or dinner.
• Creamy Roasted Tomato Gnocchi: This super easy roasted tomato & coconut gnocchi skillet is fully vegan and made with simple ingredients. The perfect delicious weeknight dinner!
• Vegan Crab Bisque (With Mushrooms): Crab bisque is known for its smooth velvety texture, its rich flavor and subtle sweetness. This recipe has all of those same delicious characteristics but is dairy-free and completely vegan with oyster mushrooms standing in for the crab. Mushrooms are full of umami flavor and many varieties can even evoke flavors of seafood, making them perfect for this vegan crab bisque.
• Comforting Classic Split Pea Soup (Easy & Delicious): This classic split pea soup is easy to make, comforting, delicious, and all around perfect for a cozy, healthy, and satisfying meal.
• Pasta Fagioli (Easy & Comforting Italian Pasta & Bean Soup): The most comforting bowl of pasta and beans! This pasta fagioli recipe is a vegan take on the classic Italian pasta and bean soup. It’s hearty, full of flavor, and absolutely delicious.

Vegan Birria (Made with Jackfruit) – RECIPE CARD

Use this recipe card to save and/or print this recipe. For additional step by step photos, be sure to read the full article above.