These Chinese inspired Vegan Steamed Sticky Buns (also known as Char Siu Bao) are a dim sum staple made meatless. These buns are soft and fluffy, like biting into a cloud, stuffed with sweet and savory BBQ jackfruit, instead of the traditional pork.
Inspiration For These Vegan Steamed Sticky Buns with BBQ “Pork”
My family and I love eating Asian cuisine. Luckily, living in Vancouver we have lots of options. Before going vegan my husband I had a New Year’s Day ritual to meet friends and go for a dim sum lunch. We tried it again the first year as vegans and we found it difficult to get dishes entirely free of animals products and there were no vegan bbq sticky buns which made us very sad, indeed.
Being that I LOVE to cook and try out new flavor combinations, I decided to create our own vegan Asian-inspired recipes. I started out by creating my Vegan Matcha Gyoza recipe. Gyoza are very closely related to my Vegan Pierogi recipe that I grew up making so they were easy to replicate.
Don’t Be Afraid To Try This Recipe
I have made lots of bread in the past but nothing quite these Steamed Sticky Buns. For these I needed help. I found a recipe for the buns from Lazy Cat Kitchen that worked really well and was easy to follow. Ania uses a filling of mushrooms or tofu, spices and seasoning in her recipe (which sounds delicious). I didn’t have time to do the prep for the filling so I opted instead to use BBQ flavored Jackfruit. I have used it before in my BBQ Jackfruit Taco recipe and I knew how well jackfruit resembles pork and that it would be perfect in these buns.
Using Pre-Made Saves Time
Most importantly, jackfruit is one of the healthy packaged ingredient. Using a pre-made jackfruit removes all the prep work making these buns so easy to make. All I needed to do was make the dough and let it proof. As a busy Mom, entrepreneur and head chef at home the less dishes to wash, the better! Can you relate?
What Is Jackfruit?
A relative of figs and breadfruit, jackfruit grows in tropical areas of Southeast Asia, Brazil and Africa. While it is technically a fruit, its consistency is similar to that of chicken or pork. It has a fairly neutral taste when young, so it takes on the flavor of whatever sauce or seasoning you pair it with. It has a stringy consistency that works especially well with tangy barbecue sauce.
Jackfruit vs Meat
Unlike animal sources of protein, jackfruit contains no saturated fat or cholesterol, it’s light in sodium, and is also low in calories, with just 20 per a 2.65-ounce serving. Additionally, jackfruit contains 3 grams of fiber per serving, as well as 110 milligrams of potassium, heart-healthy nutrients that many of us are not getting enough of. (Source:Today.com)
More Jackfruit Recipes To Try
–Tender Crispy Jackfruit “Chicken” Nuggets
–Southwest Jackfruit Quinoa Bowl
How To Make These Vegan Steamed BBQ “Pork” Buns
Make Dough. Let proof for 15 mins. Make filling. 
Divide dough sinto 12 sections. 
Roll into a circle 
Add 1 tbsp of Jackfruit BBQ filling 
Place in centre of the dumpling 
Pinch all sides together to make a pouch. Twist or crimp the edges.
Place in steamer to let proof 20 mins Cook for for 15 mins Enjoy!!!
Tools Needed To Make This Recipe
– 10″ steamer basket (This is the one I bought off Amazon)
-10″ pot or saucepan
-Rolling pin. This is the one I use. You can purchase it here on Amazon. If you don’t have access to a rolling pin try using a bottle or glass jar.
-Parchment paper cut into squares or a circle that covers the bottom of the basket. Buy pre-cut parchment paper here.
-Small/medium sized skillet
-Medium size bowl. These Pyrex bowls are my favorites
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More Recipes For You To Try
If you enjoyed these Vegan Steamed Sticky Buns with BBQ “Pork” you will want to try these other recipes:
–Sticky Stir-fried Vegetables with Coconut Rice
–BBQ Mushroom Pulled “Pork” Sandwich with Coleslaw
More Recipes For You To Try
If you enjoyed these Vegan Sticky Buns with BBQ “Pork” you will want to give these other recipes a try!
–Sticky Stir-fried Vegetables with Coconut Rice
–BBQ Mushroom Pulled “Pork” Sandwich with Coleslaw
Sharing Is Caring!
When you make your first batch of these Vegan Steamed Sticky Buns with BBQ “Pork” share it with me at @SusanCooksVegan and #Susancooksvegan. I’ll feature your beautiful creation on my Instagram and Facebook stories.
You can also find me on my other channels YouTube, Instagram, Facebook , Pinterest and Twitter.
Don’t forget to leave a comment on the recipe below and give this recipe a star rating.
Thanks for the love, my friends!
In gratitude,
Susan
PrintHow To Make Vegan Steamed Sticky Buns with BBQ “Pork”
These Chinese inspired Vegan Steamed Sticky Buns (also known as Char Siu Bao) are a dim sum staple made meatless. These buns are soft and fluffy, like biting into a cloud, stuffed with sweet and savory BBQ jackfruit, instead of the traditional pork.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 Buns 1x
- Category: Appetizer, Main dish, Breakfast, Snack
- Method: Steam
- Cuisine: Asian
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
For The Filling:
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil (optional)
- 1 1/2 cups BBQ Flavored Jackfruit or Canned Jackfruit and your favorite BBQ sauce (I like True Made Vegetable BBQ sauce because it is low in sugar) Amazon link
- 1/4 cup onion or shallots, finely diced
For The Buns:
- 2 1/2 cups (300g) All purpose flour
- 2 tsp granulated sugar or maple syrup
- 2 tsp instant active yeast
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup – 1 cup warm 35 degree C water (Note: Any hotter can kill the yeast)
Instructions
- Cut a circle of parchment paper large enough to fit your steamer. Purchase pre-cut parchment paper here. Alternatively cut 8cm/3″ by 8cm /3″squares of parchment paper. Set aside.
- Fill a pot that fits your steamer with water 1/4 to 1/2 way full. Place on the stove with no heat.
- Sift flour and salt into a medium sized bowl. Add sugar or maple syrup (if using) and yeast. Add 1/2 cup of warm water and vegetable oil.
- If using a mixer use the hook attachment, otherwise use clean hands or spoon to mix until just combined. Gradually adding 1 tbsp of warm water at time as needed to achieve a dough that is not too dry or too sticky. Knead for 10 minutes until dough is elastic and smooth. If dough is sticky add flour 1 tbsp at a time until smooth.
- Form the dough into a ball. Cover it with a towel and let rest in a warm place for 15 mins.
- Meanwhile, make the filling. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tbsp vegetable oil (if using). Add onions and sauté stirring occasionally for 3-5 minutes or until translucent.
- Add jackfruit and BBQ sauce (or favorite sauce) and cook for an additional 10 mins.
- Take off heat and allow to cool enough to handle.
- Once the dough has rested, press the dough with your hands knocking out the air.
- Divide the dough into 12 equal portions (I use used a kitchen scale but it isn’t necessary ).
- Knead each ball briefly and roll into a 10 cm/4″ diameter circle thin enough to still be able to hold the filling.
- Place each dough circle in the palm of your hand, put about 1 tbsp of filling in the middle of the dough circle.
- Pinch together the opposite sides of the circle, then the remaining two sides so that dough resembles a little sack. Ensure it is completely sealed so that the dumpling don’t burst when being steamed. You can crimp the top if you know how or twist it like I did.
- Meanwhile, heat the pot of water on stovetop on low heat to get the water to a gentle simmer. Do not boil and do not place the steamer on yet.
- Continue making the dumplings and place on steamer basket. Leave ample space between them as they will get 1/3 bigger as they proof.
- Turn off the heat on the stovetop. The water should be gently steaming. Once all 12 dumplings are ready place steamer on the pot and allow to proof for 20-30mins.
- Once proofed, ensure there is enough water in your pot then bring the water back up to a gentle simmer. Place basket on top and steam the buns for 15-20 mins.
- Remove the steamer from the pot keeping the lid on the steamer to allow the buns to rest for 5-10mins.
- Serve with soya sauce if desired
Notes
If you have a 6″ inch steamer basket you will have to do two batches
