Vegan bao buns with pulled jackfruit

Vegan bao buns with pulled jackfruit

vegan bao buns single

My mission to veganise the foods of the world continues with Chinese vegan boa buns with pulled jackfruit ‘pork’! Have you ever tried bao buns? They are h-e-a-v-e-n-l-y! A fluffy bun hugging a succulent, meaty filling marinated in a fragrant salty-sweet marinade, adorned with crispy vegetables, crushed roasted peanuts, spring onions and fresh herbs. For me, it was love at first bite (and sight), which is funny as these were simply meant to be a means to an end.

When we lived in London and went out for dim sum, Duncan always used to order sweet pork buns known as Cha Siu Bao. Now that we are vegan and have no dim sum restaurants on our doorstep, he misses them a lot so I promised to veganise them. As I was a little intimidated by their intricate pleating, I decided to tackle easier looking fold over buns to begin with. After a few tries and some tweaking, I’ve got the feel for the dough and I look forward to making more variations. If you are an avid bread or dumpling maker, you will have no problem making these! Give them a try, they are really satisfying to make and even more so to eat. If you are short on time or not inclined to get your hands floury, make a trip to an Asian supermarket or your city’s Chinatown and purchase them ready made instead.

What inspired me to try my hand at Chinese cooking was a BBC show on the culinary delights of China we’ve been watching lately. I knew from the outset that watching the show as a vegan wasn’t going to be the easiest thing to do but I really wanted to find out more about the cuisine of this fascinating country. I was holding up fine until they cut to a scene of live frogs, fish and turtles being sold at a food market with show presenters marvelling about how locals are passionate about the freshness of their ‘ingredients’. That bit sent me a little over the edge, I’ll admit. It just seemed so unnecessarily cruel…Those poor animals treated as inanimate objects!

This dish contains no animal products of course. Its ‘pulled pork’ filling is made from young jackfruit. I’m sure you’ve heard about this clever vegan substitute as it made a massive splash in the plant-based cooking world a year or so ago. I couldn’t get it here for ages, but one of my local shops ordered it for me recently and as soon as it arrived, I already had my heart set on veganising these succulent fold over buns. It’s crazy how pork-like this thing is, it’s amazing really. Funny how changing your lifestyle forces you to get out of your comfort zone and search for alternatives. Suddenly you realise that there is a whole world of cruelty-free options you would have never known about if you never ditched meat.

vegan bao buns steamed buns

vegan bao buns jackfruit filling

vegan bao buns steamer

vegan bao buns row

vegan bao buns filled

makes
8
PREP
60 min
COOKING
12 min
makes
8
PREPARATION
60 min
COOKING
12 min
INGREDIENTS
BUNS (can be made 1 day ahead)

  • 300 g / 2½ cups bao flour OR all purpose flour
  • 2 tsp instant active yeast
  • 1½ tbsp / 20 ml vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp fine sea salt
  • 2 tsp sugar (optional)

FILLING

  • 560 g / 20 oz tin of green / young jackfruit (this is the brand I used)
  • 2 small spring onions, sliced
  • 4 tsp grated ginger
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 3-4 tsp tamari / soy sauce, adjust to taste
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 2 tbsp hoisin sauce (plus extra to serve)
  • 2 tsp brown sugar or maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil, for frying (I used peanut oil)
  • 1 heaped tsp Chinese five spice

OTHER CONDIMENTS

  • sliced fresh chilli or chilli sauce
  • ½ English cucumber, cut into matchsticks
  • ½ daikon or 1 turnip, cut into matchsticks
  • red cabbage, shredded finely
  • roasted (unsalted) peanuts, crushed or chopped
  • spring onion, sliced finely
  • fresh coriander

METHOD
BUNS

  1. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, instant yeast, sugar and salt. Add about 120 ml / ½ cup of warm (that’s important) water and 1½ tbsp of oil. Once combined roughly with a wooden spoon, start combining the dough with your hands. It will need a bit more water but it is very important to add the water in gradually, tablespoon by tablespoon. In my experience it takes another 2-3 tablespoons of water to achieve a dough that is not too dry or not too sticky. Knead it for 10 minutes with your hands until elastic and smooth. Form the dough into a ball and rub a small amount of oil on the dough’s surface to prevent drying. Place in a clean bowl covered with a kitchen towel and place it somewhere warm (but not too warm, sticking it too close to a fireplace is a bad idea, for example) for 1-2 hrs or until it doubles in size.
  2. Cut two circles (if you have a two tier bamboo steamer) of baking paper to line the steamer with. Make a lot of small holes in the circles so that the steam can get through. You can use a paper puncher for this or fold each circle in half 3 times and cut small circles out along the folded edges with a pair of scissors. Prepare also eight 5 cm / 2″ squares of baking paper and insert into the buns to prevent the two halves from sticking to each other (you could also use oil instead).
  3. After the dough has doubled in size, tip it out onto a lightly floured surface and press the air our with your fingertips. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and form small balls. Place the balls on a lightly floured surface, cover with a kitchen towel and leave for another 30 min.
  4. Using a rolling pin, roll the balls out into ½ cm / ¼” thick oval shapes. Fold each shape in half and insert a square of baking paper between the two halves. Alternatively you could also oil the buns before folding in half.
  5. Line your bamboo steamer with paper circles you’ve made earlier and place folded up buns inside for another 30 min of proving. If your steamer is too small (like mine), place four buns inside (two on each tier) and rest the remaining four on a baking paper lined and lightly dusted tray until you are ready to steam.
  6. Half fill a pot (which the steamer can comfortably sit on, of course) with water and place the steamer with the buns on top. Whack the heat to medium-high (I used setting 4 out of 6) and let the water come to a simmer – don’t be tempted to peak inside or you will ruin the buns. Once you can hear the water simmering vigorously, put the timer on to 10 mins. After the time is up, take the pot and steamer off the heat and rest the buns for another 5 minutes. This will spare the buns temperature shock and will prevent them from shrinking. After 5 minutes, lift the lid off and remove the buns gently. Cook the remaining four like you did the first four.

FILLING

  1. Open the can of jackfruit and drain it. Cut the firm, pointy ends off each triangular piece of jackfruit (you can still use them if you wish) and squash each piece of jackfruit gently so that it separates into individual strands and soaks up more of the cooking sauce. Set aside.
  2. Heat up 2 tbsp of oil in a medium size pan. Fry spring onions until softened. Add chopped garlic and ginger and fry gently until soft and fragrant.
  3. Mix in Chinese five spice and fry gently for one minute.
  4. Now add the remaining sauce ingredients: tamari / soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar and sugar. Mix them around well, allow sugar to melt. Finally add in jackfruit and mix well to allow it to warm up and soak up the maximum amount of sauce.
  5. Fill each bun with pulled jackfruit, fresh veggies, herbs, chilli, crushed peanuts and some extra hoisin sauce.

NOTES
This is the bamboo steamer I used.

Bao bun making / cooking method adapted (based on my attempts) from this recipe and that recipe.

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NUTRITIONAL INFO
calories
277
14%
sugars
4 g
4%
fats
5 g
8%
saturates
1 g
4%
proteins
5 g
11%
carbs
53 g
20%
*per bun
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5.0
17 reviews, 42 comments
REVIEWS & QUESTIONS
Tiana:
Hi, I’m getting to make these tomorrow but I need them for Friday. Are they able to be stored in the fridge overnight?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Tiana,
    I'll be honest I have not made them in advance but recommendation would be to not assemble until the day or else the buns might get too soggy. I would prep everything and store separately. Hope they will go down well. Ania
      Tiana:
      Okay, thank you!
MIMI:
Thank you for the bao recipe!! We had them for the first time a few weeks ago on our 37th wedding anniversary get away. Hub said, I Need to learn how to make these. It's awesome these have canned jack fruit, I have a few to use and I'm new to cooking with it. My first attempt was with fresh and the video I watched was not foe a beginner and it didn't taste like we had in a restaurant. So, I'm please find this and try with canned. ❤️
My quick question is would Glutenous (sp?) rice flour mixed with flour work ?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Mimi,
    Sounds like you have a nice little project to get your teeth into although it would be romantic if your husband made them with you I think ;) ! Happy Anniversary to you both. I have not tried using glutinous rice rice flour in these and I am pretty sure that it will produce a very different (sticky & chewy) texture - these are traditionally made with wheat flour so that's what I would stick to, especially if you are new to making them. Best of luck! x Ania
Pauline:
I only made the filling for these as I happened to find some frozen vegan bao buns in the supermarket (Woolworths in Australia). This was such a good flavour though so will definitely make it again. thanks
    Ania
    Ania:
    Aw thanks Pauline, I am delighted to hear that! Totally understand, if you can get ready made bao buns so easily, it totally makes sense (when I created this recipe, I lived in the middle of a small Greek island so I've had to make them out of necessity... but not sure I would bother if I could find them in shops) Oh and as always, thank you for taking the time to review. Ania
Elaine:
I've made this a bunch of times, always a hit! The hoisin I have is pretty sweet so I omit the sugar in the jackfruit.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks, Elaine! I'm delighted that you enjoyed it and really appreciate you taking the time to review, thank you! x Ania
Emma:
I’ve made these a few times now and they always come out perfect! Best bao bun recipe I’ve tried - thanks so much for sharing!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Aw, thanks Emma! So nice of you to say so! I'm delighted to hear that you enjoyed these so much and I really appreciate you taking the time to review - thank you. x Ania
Julia Jewels:
Absolutely loved this recipe! Made it for my guests last night and it was a total hit. Highly recommend <3
    Ania
    Ania:
    Yay, aw, thank you so much, Julia! I am so happy to hear that and thank you for taking the time to leave this review, I really appreciate it - it helps this recipe be seen. x Ania
Eva Lawson:
I just made these and they where so delicious! I was a bit worried about steaming the actual buns because i don’t have a bamboo steamer, but i used a regular steamer pot and covered the lid with a tea towel. They turned out perfect! Super fluffy
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you, Eva! I'm so happy to hear that they came out well. And thanks for letting me know, much appreciated. x Ania
Jennifer Jennings:
These look really good! I typically don't use any oil in cooking, but we have been wanting to make something like this. Do you think this could be made without the oil? Would I need to try subbing something else in place of oil?
Thank you for giving clear instructions, I will need it, as I have never made anything like this before.
Great blog!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Jennifer,
    I have not made the actual buns without the oil so I cannot be 100% sure - it certainly does add some elasticity but I don't think they will fail without it. I often make dumplings without oil and they work well. As for the filling, you could sauté the aromatics/jackfruit in veggie broth - I'm sure you have that down pat if you are well versed in oil-free cooking. Good luck! Ania
Vicky Law:
We've just made these Buns today. We live in Yorkshire UK . They were completely divine. Perfect detailed instructions and fun to make. Thankyou so much.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you, Vicky! I'm delighted to hear that you enjoyed them! x Ania
Aoife:
Our friend recommended this to us for Veganuary, we made it and LOVED it! Such a good combination of flavours and the textures of all the side dishes make the whole thing come together so nicely! Have since made the pulled hoisin jackfruit filling as a topping for savoury pancakes for Pancake Tuesday! Delicious! Will defo be making again! Thanks :)
Love from @_send_fudes in Dublin 💚
    Ania
    Ania:
    Than you so much for your kind words, Aoife! I'm delighted to hear that you enjoyed it and plan to make again. x Ania
Elisa:
Thanks for sharing! And for measuring in metric xD
I just did and it worked out all right (using plain all-purpose flour), even tho I didn't really let it proof for the second time (I forgot to set a timer on the first fermentation and ran out of it to make lunch hahaha). I also kneaded it in a mixer (bread hook on), 10/10 recommend. Oooo and in order to roll the dough nice and evenly, I placed two bamboo pickers (the long ones used in bbq) and rolled the pin until reaching those :)
Well, as for the filling I couldn't really get to the essencen of the spices due to the lack of them on any asian store nearby - so I ordered it online from another state. And used fresh jackfruit.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks for your kind words, Elisa! I'm so happy the buns were a success and the filling can always be improvised. Love the use of a mixer (sadly I don't own one YET) and I like your rolling tip - must try it myself next time! x Ania
Reggie B:
Looking forward to eating these, but I'm only at the third proving stage. At the top it says, "Prep 60 mins, Cooking 12 mins" yet there's over 2 hours of proving to be done. Soooo hungry!!!!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Reggie,
    I'm sorry, but it is somewhat customary that inactive / waiting time isn't included in recipes so that's the convention I went with. I hope they will be worth the wait. Ania
Nadia:
Hello! I am making these tomorrow and I’m wondering if they can be filled ahead of time, or if they are best served straight away? We have to travel and I don’t want them going soggy.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Nadia,
    I would not recommend as, like you are said, they may end up a bit too soggy. Filling them before consumption is probably best if possible. Good luck and I hope they will go down well. x Ania
Maria Tsiarta:
The buns came out perfectly! Thank you!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you, Maria! I'm delighted to hear that you enjoyed them! Ania
Phoebe:
These are now a firm favourite!! We absolutely loveeeee this recipe it’s just genius - thank you!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks so much, Phoebe! That's so nice to hear! Ania
Chandni:
This was delicious ! I made it yesterday and my family really enjoyed them. I ended up using 1.5x the recipe for the buns and it made 12 medium-large sizes buns. The jackfruit recipe was great- I didn't have Chinese 5 spice but ground up the spices for it except star anise, which I did not have. The instructions for steaming the buns was clear and great- they turned out perfectly. Definitely a fun meal! I ended up using some general tso's sauce that I had to put on top to make this a bit saucier. I topped the jackfruit with ribboned carrots, sliced cucumbers, purple cabbage, and crushed peanuts. I would definitely make this again!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks for your lovely feedback, Chandni! I'm delighted to hear that you enjoyed it. Ania
Emeli:
Hi! Thank you so much for this lovely recipe! I don’t have rice vinegar at home but I do have sugar cane vinegar. Will it be okay as a substitute?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Emeli,
    My pleasure, I hope you'll enjoy it. TBH, I have never heard of sugar cane vinegar so I'm not sure but as long as it tastes sour and doesn't have a detracting taste, it should work fine. Perhaps add it in gradually though as it may be more potent than rice vinegar. Hope that helps! Ania
Tara:
I just found your site today. I was looking for vegan meals, hoping to find good ones that would help me eat less meat. Your recipes look so good. I can't wait to give some a try!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks Tara, that's lovely to hear! I hope you will like them! Ania
Sally:
Wishing, hoping and crossing every appendage for the perfect housing outcome.. surely one of life's most stressful situations. Remember to breathe!😉
    Ania
    Ania:
    hahahahha, you made me laugh out loud, Sally, with your appendages ;) Thank you, the estate agent tells us we have a lot of competition so we are trying not to get too attached, but it would be amazing if we get it. Ania
Ben:
Just a note for those who wanted to pre-make these (as I did). Follow the instructions, steam the buns and then freeze them. Then you can bring them out later, re-steam and fill. We tried them both fresh and frozen; both were delicious!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks for your help, Ben! I'm super glad you enjoyed these! :) Ania
Trena Danbrook:
Omg, these bao buns look amazing!!! everything can be veganized!!! I love it!! Thank you for your inspiring me!!!!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you for you kind words, Trena! That's soooo lovely to hear!! Ania
ebonee:
can i make the buns without a steamer?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi,
    You could come up with an improvised steamer (placing a metal colander with a lid) over a pot of boiling water, but they do need to be steamed as far as I know. Hope that helps! Ania
Nichola:
Hi! These look really good, can't wait to give them a go! If making the night before, is it best to cook them and then refrigerate? Or do you stop before the cooking stage and store somehow until ready to steam? Thanks!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Nichola,
    I've never tried making them in advance so it's only an educated guess. I would say that if you make them a day ahead and place in the fridge after proving stage, they will continue proving (although at a slower rate) and they MAY overproof - resulting in yeasty and sticky dough. A safer bet would be to cook them completely the day before and then just reheat gently in the steamer on the day. Hope that helps! Ania
      Nichola:
      That's great, thanks so much for your response! Can't wait to try them this week!
Crystal:
Hi there, the buns look great. Just a quick question...have you tried this with wholewheat flour?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Crystal,
    No, I haven't tried, I'm afraid, but my suspicion (based on other experiments) is that they will be much less delicate and more beady. My advice would be to sub only 50% of flour to begin with. Ania
      Crystal:
      Thanks Ania. Will give it a try. Fingers crossed!
Lori:
Nominated you in Saveur Blog Awards 17. Hope you get the nod! Your recipes are fantastic.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Aw, thanks sooo much, Lori! That's lovely to hear! Thank you for supporting our little corner of the Internet :) Ania
Larry:
Hi,
I love your blog! I was wondering how long the bao dough would keep and if it would be possible to freeze it.
Many thanks,
Larry
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Larry,
    Thanks so much for kind words. As for the dough, I don't know as I haven't tried either. Each time, I made my buns on the same day. Sorry I couldn't be of any help here. Ania
Sarah | Well and Full:
These buns look so ridiculously fluffy and delicious!! Very nice!! :)
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks Sarah, that's lovely to hear! x
Krista:
Hi Ania
I have been following you for a while now and enjoying your blog immensely!!! EVERYTHING I make from your recipes turn out perfectly 😍
My friends (you know those omnivorous - vegan sceptic types) cannot believe the food I now create and thanks to you I pull off a mean dinner party.
These buns look awesome and I cannot wait to try making them.
Keep up the amazing creativity..
Krista xx
(Sydney, Australia)
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Krista,
    Thanks so much for your kind words. You really made my day! I know exactly what you mean - it's most satisfying when omnivores love your food and they cannot even guess that it's vegan! Hope you'll try these buns, they are really not that difficult to make although take a bit of time. Thank you for following along! Greetings from sunny Greece! x Ania
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