Mexico City
Tacos al Pastor (Vegan)
Achiote-marinated jackfruit charred with sweet pineapple, served on warm corn tortillas with cilantro, onion and lime — the late-night classic, no rotating spit required.
Prep
25 min
Cook
25 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Flavor
Smoky · sweet · citrusy
The Story
Why this dish — and how it became plant-based
Tacos al pastor were born in 1960s Mexico City when Lebanese immigrants adapted shawarma to local ingredients — pork on a vertical spit, marinated in chiles and achiote, sliced thin and crowned with pineapple. The brilliance of the dish was never the pork; it was the marinade, the char, and the sweet-sour fruit hitting hot meat.
Young (unripe) jackfruit, with its stringy texture and neutral flavour, takes the marinade like nothing else. A hot skillet does the work of the trompo. Done right, the people you serve it to will be halfway through the second taco before they ask if it's really vegan.
Ingredients
What you'll need
Adobo marinade
- •3 dried guajillo chiles, stems and seeds removed
- •2 dried ancho chiles
- •2 chipotles in adobo (with 1 tbsp sauce)
- •3 tbsp pineapple juice
- •2 tbsp white vinegar
- •3 garlic cloves
- •1 tbsp achiote paste (or 1 tsp ground annatto + 1 tsp paprika)
- •1 tsp cumin · 1 tsp oregano · ½ tsp cloves
- •1 tsp salt
Filling
- •2 cans (560g each) young green jackfruit in water/brine, drained
- •2 tbsp neutral oil
- •1 small onion, sliced
- •1½ cups fresh pineapple, diced small
To serve
- •12 small corn tortillas, warmed
- •Finely diced white onion
- •Chopped cilantro
- •Lime wedges
- •Salsa verde or red salsa
Method
Step by step
- 1
Soak the dried chiles in just-boiled water for 15 minutes until soft.
- 2
Drain the jackfruit, squeeze out excess liquid, and shred with two forks — discard any hard core pieces.
- 3
Blend the soaked chiles with chipotles, pineapple juice, vinegar, garlic, achiote, spices and salt until smooth.
- 4
Toss jackfruit thoroughly in the marinade and let sit 15 minutes (or up to overnight in the fridge).
- 5
Heat oil in a wide cast iron or non-stick pan over medium-high. Add onion, cook 2 minutes until softened.
- 6
Add the marinated jackfruit and cook 10–12 minutes, pressing it into the pan to char and crisp, stirring occasionally.
- 7
Push to one side, add the pineapple to the empty side, and let it caramelise 3–4 minutes until edges blacken slightly. Toss everything together.
- 8
Warm tortillas directly over a gas flame or in a dry pan. Pile each with jackfruit-pineapple, top with onion, cilantro, salsa and a squeeze of lime. Eat immediately, ideally over the sink.
The Veganisation
Traditional → Plant-Based, swap by swap
Original
Pork (al pastor)
Plant-based
Young jackfruit, shredded
Original
Vertical trompo spit
Plant-based
Hot cast iron char
Original
Same pineapple
Plant-based
Same pineapple — don't change it
Chef Notes
Get it right the first time
- →Drying the jackfruit thoroughly before marinating is what gets you that crispy-edged texture. Wet jackfruit steams; dry jackfruit chars.
- →If you can't find achiote paste, the colour and earthiness can be approximated with paprika + a tiny pinch of turmeric.
- →Cast iron is your best friend here. Stainless steel works. Non-stick won't give you the proper char.
- →Warm the tortillas one at a time directly on a gas burner for 5 seconds per side — it transforms them.
- →Double the marinade and freeze half — it keeps for months.
Serve with
Quick pickled red onions · Mexican rice · Horchata or a cold Mexican lager
One Plate, Two Wins
Delicious tonight. Kind every night.
Every traditional dish has a plant-based soul waiting to be uncovered — you just have to listen to the spices, not the meat.
Hungry for more world flavors?
Explore another dish from our global vegan kitchen.