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
Like another commenter, I miss Morningstar riblets.. this satisfies the same way and I’m wanting to see if I could do some prep work to have this available for week night meals.
Do you have any recommendations for how to partially prepare and then freeze this for cooking later?
Sure, you can definitely make the entire recipe in advance and freeze in freezer proof container then defrost in the fridge before reheating in the oven or microwave. You can reheat on a cast iron pan or grill too for extra smokiness, just keep brushing with extra bbq sauce.
Can I mix all the ingredients and make the dough rectangle rib loaf the night before I bake the ribs?
yes you can!
Hi! I’m having trouble getting the jackfruit to mix in with the wheat gluten. They don’t seem to want to bind. Have you had this issue before / know how to resolve it? Thank you!
It’s ok if the shredded jackfruit doesn’t completely mix in. Make sure to knead the sietan well and once you grill it and bake it will stick together perfectly.
Do you have the carbs without the BBQ sauce since that will be different depending on the sauce?
I do not but you can use any online nutrition calculator with the adjustments you make.
How much water should be used for boiling the jackfruit?
After boiling & draining; should jackfruit be squeezed/pressed to further eliminate absorbed water?
Just enough water to cover it by one inch or so then drain. No need to squeeze.
Help. My turned out super sticky, like a dough sticky. Could be that I used xanthum gum, as a substitute for the same amount of vital wheat gluten?
Most definitely, the recipe calls for wheat gluten a flour not an additive and thickener like xanthan gum. I strongly suggest never using that ingredient.
My vegan jackfruit seitan ribs just came out of the oven – and they are delicious! The texture was good, softer and not rubbery like seitan can be. I left my dough a little on the soft side, and happy that I did. I am not a dedicated vegan, but with results like this I could become one quickly! Excellent end result!
This makes me so happy Cathy, you can definitely do this!Stay tuned for my vegan steaks coming up next week 🙂
Can the riblets be frozen for reheating at a later time? My wife and I love the recipe and it would be so awesome if they could be frozen.
Yes, just remember to thaw out in the refrigerator before reheating.
Hi I can’t find sweet smoked paprika. I can only find one or the other. Also I only found jackfruit in brine in water. Is that ok? Thanks!
Yes the jackfruit is fine just rinse it off. By sweet smoked paprika I mean not bitter, there are a few quite bitter and spicy ones i wouldn’t suggest unless you know you love it. The smoked paprika from TJ’s is great, or you can use a tiny but of liquid smoke. Enjoy! ~ Florentina Xo’s
Delicious! This was so much better than some of the vegan steaks I’ve made that require steaming the seitan. This eliminated that step and the texture and flavor were fantastic!
Forgot to give it a 5-star rating on my written review. 🙂
Hi there! Can I cook this over the bbq grill? If so, over the flame? Or in a container?
My husband barbecues a lot and I want to have something to throw on the grill for me to eat. Your ribs look sooo delicious!
Yes you can definitely throw these on the grill over the flame!
Turned out amazing! Needed quite a bit more wheat gluten to create a dough, but it was so tasty!
Just made this for the family. It came out awesome!!! I would definitely recommend using the liquid smoke, as it gives it a really authentic flavor. I had to use 1.5 cups-1.75 of wheat gluten and I also chose Korean BBQ sauce. It’s tough taking a chance on recipes like these, but this one was 100% worth it.
these are amazing!! I’m wondering if you’ve ever subbed the jackfruit for the same amount of artichoke hearts (canned in water)? Only asking because sometimes I have one on hand & not the other & the textures seem like they’d be similar in this application! :O)
Have not subbed with artichoke hearts and I would not do that unless you only use the very tiny heart as the leaves tend to be a little tough and interfere with the texture. Let me know if you give it a go 🙂