Name: Vegan Gyros: With Pulled Jackfruit
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: 1/2 cucumber shredded; 1 clove garlic minced; 1/4 cup dill fresh, finely chopped; 2 tbsp mint fresh, finely chopped; 1 cup oat milk yogurt unsweetened; 1 tbsp lemon juice; salt and pepper to taste; 2 cans jackfruit tough ends trimmed, shredded; 1 tsp avocado oil; 1/2 yellow onion finely chopped; 2 cloves garlic minced; 1/2 tsp smoked paprika; 1 tsp ancho chile powder; 1/2 tsp cumin; 1 1/2 tsp oregano dried; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 1/4 cup tamari; 1 tbsp maple syrup; 1 tbsp lemon juice; 1/2 cucumber sliced; 1/2 red onion sliced thin; 3/4 cup cherry tomatoes halved; 1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives; 1/4 cup Greek Mother Raw dressing; pinch salt and fresh black pepper; 8 leaves romaine lettuce; 4 pitas

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vegan jackfruit gyros in a pita on a plate.

Are you familiar with jackfruit? If not, I highly suggest you get acquainted with it very soon! Because these vegan jackfruit gyros are not to be missed. They’re loaded with plant-based goodness from shredded and crispy jackfruit, lots of Meditteranean inspired veggies (dressed in a Greek dressing) and a delicious oat yogurt tzatziki.

This post is sponsored by Mother Raw and Yoso. I was compensated for my time, however all opinions expressed are 100% my own.

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

Easy to prepare: although it looks like a lot of ingredients, the recipe itself is quite easy to prepare.
Whole foods ingredients: no weird ingredients, just whole foods ones that taste delicious!
Packed with flavour: these vegan gyros are packed with lots of rich and umami flavours and then crisped up to perfection.
Great meatless option: this is a great meatless option to serve to anyone who may be a bit unsure about vegan food.

All About Jackfruit

Jackfruit is a species of tree native to Southwest India. Both the ripe and unripe fruit can be eaten as well as the seeds. For this recipe, we are using unripe jackfruit as this is the one that would typically be used in a meat type dish. The ripe version is much sweeter and is common in breakfast dishes.

How to Make Jackfruit Pulled Pork

Making jackfruit pulled pork is actually fairly easy. It’s definitely quicker than making real pulled pork. Look for canned jackfruit that is packed in brine, I like this one from Native Forest. Once you open up the can, you’ll see the jackfruit pieces. The first thing you want to do is trim the pointy, tough end off. From there, you can go ahead and use your hands to shred it slightly, it will do so quite easily. For these jackfruit gyros, I use two cans of jackfruit. Once that’s all done, you’re ready to cook it. I like cooking it with some onion and garlic for this recipe. Then you’ll add all the spices, tomato paste, tamari and maple syrup. It only takes about 10 minutes of cooking. Now, you’re ready to crisp it!

How to Make it Crispy

For this recipe, I really like crisping the jackfruit. It makes it feel more like jackfruit carnitas and I am SO into that. You could omit the crisping part if you want, but I find it’s worth the little bit of extra time.

To crisp it up, simply spread it out on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake the jackfruit for about 15 minutes. Then broil for about 5 minutes, until slightly browned and crispy. That’s it, that’s how you make crispy jackfruit gyros! And just look at all that browned goodness around the edges!

Which Vegetables to Use

For these vegan gyros, I loaded them up with some raw Mediterranean veggies and then added some Mother Raw Greek dressing. By using raw veggies, you get lots of crunch and contrast when you bite into these vegan gyros.

I love all of the Mother Raw dips and dressings! Not only do they taste amazing, they have such simple, wholesome ingredients. Their Greek dressing pairs perfectly with the veggies which add a ton of flavor to the pitas. You could also make extra and serve the leftover veggies on the side too. For the veggies, I use fresh cherry tomatoes, red onion, cucumber and olives.

You can read more about Mother Raw and check out their amazing products over here!

How to Make A Vegan Tzatziki

Making a vegan tzatziki is actually the exact same as making regular tzatziki, but you’ll use a dairy free yogurt. For this recipe, I used a new oat milk yogurt from Yoso. Yoso is an amazing Canadian company that is the first to bring oat milk yogurt to the Canadian market. This is great for those with nut and soy allergies. They also use certified gluten free oats, so this will work for those with Celiac or wheat allergies. I use their unsweetened oat yogurt and then load it up with finely shredded (and drained) cucumber, minced garlic, fresh dill, mint, and lemon juice. It won’t be as thick as a traditional Greek yogurt, but it still tastes amazing!

How to Assemble

make the Vegan Tzatziki

The first thing I recommend doing to make these vegan gyros is to make the vegan tzatziki. Start by shredding a cucumber (you can leave the skin on) and then drain the cucumber of excess moisture. You want to ensure you get as much liquid out as possible. I use a nut milk bag to squeeze everything out.

shredded cucumber drained of excess water

Then go ahead and mix this with your oat yogurt, and add the minced garlic, herbs and lemon juice. Give it a quick stir and then place it in the fridge where it will thicken a bit more.

Preparing the jackfruit

Next, shred the jackfruit and lay it out on a plate lined with paper towel to rid it of excess liquid.

shredded jackfruit on a plate with paper towel

Then add the onion to a medium sized dutch oven and cook that for about 5 minutes. Add in your garlic, and all the spices. Then add the tomato paste and the jackfruit and give it a good stir. Stir in the tamari, maple syrup and lemon juice. Let it simmer for about 10 to 12 minutes, until softened. You can break up the jackfruit pieces more using the back of a spoon.

Once that’s done, crisp it in the oven by baking it and then broiling it for about 5 minutes, until nicely browned and crispy.

Make the veggies

While that’s crisping, you can chop up your veggies. Add them to a bowl and drizzle with the Mother Raw Greek dressing and season with an extra pinch of salt and pepper.

Prep your jackfruit gyros

Take out your pitas and add some romaine lettuce, followed by the veggies. Then add the crispy jackfruit pulled pork and top with your vegan tzatziki.

If you want, you can serve this with some Greek fries on the side as well. I personally like adding some fries to this and having some on the side.

Check out my recipe here for delicious vegan Greek fries!

How to Store

I’d recommend storing any leftover jackfruit in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can store it either after its done cooking or after you’ve crisped it. To reheat the crispy jackfruit pulled pork, simply heat it in the oven for about 5 minutes at 350ºF. Or if you stored it just after cooking, follow the instructions for broiling and crisping.

Store vegan tzatziki in a separate container in the fridge along with the veggies for up to 5 days.

This is a great make ahead dish and the pulled jackfruit is easy to make the night before you want to serve it.

Tips

Prep the vegan tzatziki ahead of time to let it thicken more in the fridge.
Cook the jackfruit ahead of time and then crisp it up when you’re ready to eat. This will save tons of time!
When breaking apart the jackfruit, take your time to do it as it’s cooking, this is much easier to do with the back of a spoon.

Substitutions

No gluten: use a gluten-free pita or wrap, or layer it in a lettuce wrap or even on a salad for a deconstructed gyro.
Yogurt: use any type of yogurt for the tzatziki, such as unflavoured coconut yogurt (this will result in a thicker tzatziki).
No Greek dressing: if you can’t use the Mother Raw Greek dressing, use some extra virgin olive oil, lemon and some dried herbs such as oregano instead.
Ancho Chile Powder: use regular chili powder instead.
Soy-Free: use coconut aminos instead.

I hope you love these vegan jackfruit gyros as much as I do. Whether you’re plant based or just looking to include more meatless options, this is one delicious dinner.

If you make these vegan jackfruit gyros please let me know by tagging me on Instagram. Or you could leave a rating and/or review below! It truly means so much to me when I hear from you.

I was inspired by Lazy Cat Kitchen for this amazing recipe.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only share products and services I have personally used and love. Disclosure here.