Best Vegan Ribs Recipe
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The best vegan ribs made with tender meaty jackfruit, wheat gluten and all the traditional smoky barbecue spices. These meatless ribs are sure to impress even the pickiest meat eaters, a must make on your griddle, in the oven or your outdoor grill! No oil recipe.
High Protein Vegan Ribs!
They are real, they are a thing, they are totally legit! 4th of July, Labor Day, Memorial Day, all the big barbecue days can bring it.
I made a seitan and jackfruit based recipe that unbelievably resembles tender ribs on every level. The jackfruit really helps bring the ideal shreddable texture together and keep the moisture at a perfect level.
What is seitan?
A high protein food made from vital wheat gluten with a chewy and stringy texture that resembles meat (vegan steak, chicken, or turkey anyone?). When mixed with jackfruit it delivers magical texture and flavor. The sietan ribs “dough” can be prepared in advance and refrigerated until ready to grill and slather with bbq sauce.
What is jackfruit?
A large, versatile tropical fruit with meaty texture.
When eaten ripe it has a sweet taste much like a mango and pineapple but when picked green it makes a fantastic meat substitute as it picks up whatever flavors you season it with. Jackfruit tacos anyone?! It should not be confused with “durian” a smaller fruit similar in shape but with a strong pungent odor.
These Ultimate Barbecue Jackfruit Ribs Are:
mouthwatering
smoky, savory & sticky
tender meaty texture
high in protein
super easy to make
caramelized at the edges
meatless, cruelty-free, not made from baby pigs
ultimate party food alongside vegan mac and cheese
they taste amazing
oil-free!
What to Serve With
- Olive oil mashed potatoes
- Lemon roasted broccoli
- Vegan creamed spinach
- Scalloped potatoes
- Butternut squash Mac and cheese
- Rice pilaf + green apple coleslaw
- European potato salad
- Tomato cucumber salad
- Potato pizza
- Classic vegan potato salad
- Mushroom leek pasta
- Creamed Peas
- Pickled Red Onion
- Vegan Ramen
- Dippy Vegan Eggs.
P.S. As always, if you make this recipe please come back here to rate in the comments below.
watch how to make the best vegan ribs
Best Vegan Ribs
The best barbecue vegan ribs made with tender meaty jackfruit, wheat gluten and all the traditional smoky BBQ spices
Print Recipe
Ingredients
- 20 oz canned green jackfruit (packed in water not syrup)
- 1.25 cups vital wheat gluten + more as needed
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp sweet smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- 1/2 tsp red chili flakes , or to taste
- 4 cloves garlic , grated
- 3/4 cups water (or low sodium vegetable stock)
- 3 tbsp tamari or coco aminos
- 1 cup BBQ sauce + more for dipping
- 2 leaves bay
- 1/3 cup fresh chives , for garnish
- 1 tsp liquid smoke (optional, only if you want a very smoky flavor)
- sea salt + black pepper to taste (1/2 tsp each)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375”F
- Drain and rinse the jackfruit very well then boil it with the bay leaves and a pinch of sea salt for about 20 minutes until softened. Drain and mash with a potato masher or shred with a fork. Discard any tough parts.
- In a medium bowl combine all the dry ingredients together then add the shredded jackfruit, tamari, water (or vegetable stock) and a pinch of sea salt. Mix well until a dough forms and use your hand to knead it for a good 5 minutes until the dough holds together nicely. Add a little extra sprinkling of wheat gluten if the dough seems too wet or a little more water if it feels to dry.
- Shape the dough down into a rectangle loaf about one inch thick then slice in half crosswise.
Grill & Oven Method:
- Preheat a seasoned cast iron griddle over medium flame. Grill the ribs for about 3 minutes on each side until nice grill marks form.
- Meanwhile line a 5 x1 0 rectangle shaped baking dish with parchment paper. Spread a thin layer of barbecue sauce over the bottom and place the grilled ribs on top. Spread the top with a thin layer of barbecue sauce and cover the pan with aluminum foil (or a lid) and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
- Use a pair of kitchen tongues and carefully flip the ribs. Brush with more barbecue sauce on top and bake uncovered for another 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to set for a few minutes. Using a sharp serrated knife to cut the ribs alongside the grill marks and serve on a bed of mashed potatoes with extra sauce and garnished with the fresh chives.
Easy Oven Baked Method:
- Alternatively you can skip the grilling step and bake the ribs in the oven.
- Spoon some BBQ on the bottom of the pan, place the ribs on top and brush with more BBQ sauce. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes. Allow to cool and set for a few minutes before slicing with a sharp knife.
Bone In Method:
- Soak bamboo sticks, popsicle stick or cinnamon stick in warm water for 20 minutes.
- After shaping the rib mixture into a rectangle push the soaked bones through the dough about one inch apart.
- Spread some sauce in the bottom of the pan and place the rib rack on top. Spread more barbecue sauce over the top and cover with aluminum foil. Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes.
How to Reheat the Ribs:
- To reheat the ribs preheat a cast iron griddle or fire up the grill. Cook the ribs on medium low flame for a few minutes on each side until warmed through. Remember to brush with more BBQ sauce while grilling. This method will add extra smokiness to the ribs and nice charred grilled marks.
Video
Nutrition
Calories: 444kcal | Carbohydrates: 76g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 2g | Sodium: 1527mg | Potassium: 568mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 1270IU | Vitamin C: 4.6mg | Calcium: 165mg | Iron: 4.3mg
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 444kcal
Tried it. Pretty good. Very easy to follow recipe.
Can I use the jack fruit in syrup if I thoroughly rinse through a mesh strainer?
I would not recommend that honestly, the jackfruit in syrup is sweet and would not work in this savory recipe I’m afraid.
Super easy and delicious! We used jackfruit in syrup as it’s all that was available and it worked great! Added some soy sauce to the boiling process and used a sweeter bbq sauce. Looking forward to trying with a non syrup jackfruit but definitely viable if it’s all you can find
Ok thanks for your reply.. glad I asked!
I made this recipe and it worked but the texture was a bit rubbery. The dough was a bit wet so I added extra vital wheat gluten, other than that I followed the recipe exactly. I used coco aminos but that’s a substitution in the recipe.
Anyway, thank you for posting this, my wife and I have been looking for a Morningstar riblet replacement since they quit making them.
Made these for our lunch today! The jackfruit addition was great! I have made other vegan recipes for these but not with jackfruit. I will definitely make again..
Very easy and yummy recipe! I didnt have a grill so used my air fryer for a few minutes and then baked as directed – really turned out nicely and I loved the texture- thanks for sharing!
These were amazing.
They didn’t turn out the best for me, but because I didn’t mix them well enough. I ate a piece mixed well, and it was like the real thing.
Ribs were my all time favorite food, so I was really happy with this.
This is the best “ribs” I’ve ever had. So easy to make and so delicious.
Is the 20 oz before or after draining the jackfruit?
Before, TJ’s has a 20 oz can of jackfruit packed in water that works perfectly here!
All I can taste is wheat gluten? What have I done wrong? Was I supposed to put the BBQ sauce in the mixture? Also was very rubbery, I followed the recipe exactly and did not add extra wheat gluten or water.
Hi Charlene, I’m sorry these didn’t turn out for you as great as they did for us. Depending on the brand wheat-gluten can have a stronger taste but it all gets covered in the BBQ sauce eventually. As far as the rubbery part goes it’s important to really mix and knead the dough really well for a while and make sure all the wheat gluten is completely mixed in with all the other ingredients.
Hi! I have half a bag of the jackfruit in the bag leftover from making your potato jackfruit stew. Can I use this to make these ribs? I’m excited to try this. (The potato stew was a hit!)
Definitely, this jackfruit should work just fine for the ribs too, they will just be darker in color. Report back 🙂
Hi! Where do you add the grated garlic cloves?
In the dough with the rest of the spices.
I am so excited to try this recipe! Do you know if it’s possible to fully cook them on the grill? Perhaps wrapping them in foil with the sauce and cooking for the same amount of time (or longer depending on the temperature difference). I haven’t worked much with making my own seitan.
You can definitely grill them on the outdoor grill first (instead of the cast iron skillet) then transfer to a dish with the BBQ sauce covered with foil and continue cooking on the grill in indirect heat (away from the flames) just like you would in the oven.
Looks awesome!!
Can I put the ribs in the oven in a pyrex glass dish with the glass lid instead of aluminum foil?
Trying this out on Saturday! Super excited to surprise my husband!
Yes you can!
Thank you for a quick response! I’ll report how it turned out 🙂
I’ve made the ribs and my husband loved them! It reminded me too much of meat so not for me unfortunately but my husband was obsessed with them!
Made these ribs over the weekend and they were a huge hit with vegan and non-vegans. They have a meaty texture, and great flavor. Thanks for the great recipe, I’ll be making these for our summer barbecues!