Saint Patrick’s Day is on it’s way and no better way to celebrate than some VEGAN corned beef! Both the flavor and the texture of this dish are spot on — the perfect, healthier substitute for a festive favorite.
The jackfruit portion of this dish is my doing, but the marinade is from Chez Bettay’s PERFECT Vegan Reuben Sandwiches. I’ve always made her tempeh recipe as my go-to St. Paddy’s Day dish, but in recent years started doing this jackfruit as well. The jackfruit is a favorite of the hubs (not a tempeh fan) and I just love them both.
In the past, I’ve shared some dessert recipes for Saint Patrick’s Day, if you’d like to check those out, but I’ve been wanting to share this main course with you for a while. Holidays just always sneak up so fast! This year, I made it a goal to get it out there so you all can enjoy this dish as I do.
I hope you and your family have a lovely Saint Patrick’s Day and that you all love my Air Fryer “Corned Beef” Jackfruit! Let me know by leaving a comment below, or take a pic of yours and tag me on Instagram, @veggiesattiffanis.
Air Fryer “Corned Beef” Jackfruit
Equipment
- air-fryer
- Cheesecloth
- Skillet
- Mortar and Pestle (or another tool for grinding spices)
Ingredients
- 2 cans young (green) *jackfruit, in water or brine Water is preferred.
- 2 tsp whole allspice berries
- 2 tsp mustard seeds
- 2 tsp coriander seeds
- 2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 8 whole cloves
- 2 tsp whole black peppercorns
- 2 tsp whole cardamom pods
- 2 large bay leaves
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 cup 100% beet juice
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 2/3 cup unfiltered apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup tamari
- 2 Tbsp dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- pinch cayenne
- 1 stick cinnamon broken in half
Instructions
- Add the jackfruit to a strainer and rinse well (extra well if your jackfruit is packed in brine). Carefully remove any seeds (if some seeds remain that is OK). Next, you want to remove the excess water from the jackfruit without breaking apart the pieces. Do this either by carefully squeezing the water from jackfruit pieces, or by patting them dry with a clean towel. Set the jackfruit aside.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add in the allspice berries, mustard seeds, coriander, red pepper flakes, cloves, peppercorns, and cardamom pods. DO NOT add in any oil or liquid; you want to dry toast the spices. Keep everything moving until aromatic and the mustard seeds start to pop.
- Pour the spices into your mortar and crush well. Crumble in the bay leaves and add the ginger. Give it all a little stir and then transfer the spice blend to a medium-sized mixing bowl.
- In the bowl with the spices, add the beet juice, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, tamari, dijon mustard, olive oil, and a pinch of cayenne. Whisk the mixture well and then add in the cinnamon.
- Wrap the jackfruit pieces in cheesecloth and secure it closed with a piece of string or twine. Submerge the wrapped jackfruit in the bowl with the marinade and let sit for four hours.
- After marinating, preheat the air fryer to 375ºF.
- Remove the jackfruit from the bowl, untie the cheesecloth, and transfer the jackfruit pieces to the air fryer basket (be careful, as the beet juice can stain surfaces). Air fry for 16 minutes, flipping the jackfruit over after the first eight minutes. Serve with cabbage, potatoes, and carrots — or your favorite sides. Enjoy!
I am definitely making this!! I’m Irish and can’t wait to try this!
Hi Michelle,
So glad to hear your excitement over this recipe. I hope you enjoy, and please let us know!
<3 Tiffani
This looks so fun! Wondering if there would be a way to make it without an air fryer? Do you think the oven on convection might be an option?
Thank you!
I think that would work perfectly! You may need to adjust the time, so just keep an eye on it. I hope you enjoy!
<3 Tiffani
Thank you so much for the (incredibly fast !!) reply! Looking forward to trying this this weekend!
You’re very welcome! I’d love to hear how it turns out! 🙂
Tried this this weekend for our St Patrick’s Day gathering and it was DELICIOUS! My guests and my husband and I all really enjoyed it. It really looks like the “real thing” and it is so tasty. Great flavor. I do not have an air fryer so I used my oven on convection at 400′ on the top rack for 15 minutes, flipping over once after about 8 minutes and it was perfect! Big thanks to you, Tiffani for this fantastic recipe!
Hi Aisha!
Thank you for the lovely review. I’m so glad you and your guests enjoyed this recipe! Also, thank you for the info on using a convection oven in place of an air fryer — this may be useful to others in the future.
<3 Tiffani
Delicious, beautiful, flavorful, easy! Will definitely make again!