Updated: Feb 2th, 2025.
Realistic and satisfying vegan 'pork belly' using layers of texture vegetable protein, coconut fat and a crispy crust. Perfect to use with flavorful sauces. This is the recipe to impress any vegan skeptics!
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How did this Vegan Pork Belly recipe come about?
Pork belly is a very popular ingredient in Asian cuisine, it is used in many dishes like Char Siu, Red Braised Pork. Many people are skeptical about using plants to mimic dishes. Since I don't want to miss out on my cultural foods so I have to learn to make a vegan version of Pork Belly.
This recipe has been adapted from the creations of many Vietnamese food content creators. I was mindblown by how creative and diverse Vietnamese cuisine is. It looks so realistic while being very satisfying with the coconut layer that just melts in your mouth.
Ingredients of this recipe
This recipe uses:
- TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein) slices
- Tofu skin or baguette
- Tapioca starch
- Rice flour
- Coconut milk
Where can I find TVP slices?
You can find TVP slices at Asian supermarkets, health stores or online. I recommend you to choose chicken-like TVP slice, such as:
- Just like Chicken or Unflavored Strips (Amazon US link)
- Textured Vegetable Protein (UK link)
How to make Vegan Pork Belly?
Since pork belly has different layers of lean meat, pork fat, and skin, we are going to recreate each layer individually and then stack them on top of each other. This recipe uses TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein) slices to recreate the lean meat layer; a combination of tapioca starch, rice flour, and coconut milk to make the 'fat' layer. And finally, tofu skin is used to make crispy pork skin.
Step 1: Make the 'lean meat' layer using TVP slices
First, soak TVP slices in boiling water for 20 minutes.
Drain and squeeze out excess water from the TVP slices.
Step 2: Make the fat layer
The fat layer is created to have a sticky texture by mixing tapioca starch and rice flour, fatty texture from the creamy coconut milk. The fat layer will be in the middle and helps the layers stick together.
Step 3: Make the crispy skin using a baguette or tofu skin
If using tofu skin: rehydrate a sheet of yuba (tofu skin).
If using baguette: Trust me on this! The baguette works well to replicate the pork skin because it is crispy with a natural golden color. Remove the inside and start layering!
Step 4: Stack each layer of lean meat, fat, and skin on top of each other
The next task is to put the vegan pork belly layers together:
- Bread (or tofu skin) in the bottom
- Coconut 'fat'
- TVP slices
- Another layer of coconut 'fat'
- Another layer of dipped TVP
The final result should look like the picture below:
Step 5: Steam and refrigerate to keep its form
To keep the layers stick together, we first steam it for 25 minutes, then leave it in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
Step 6: Fry until crispy and add flavorful sauces.
After refrigerating, your 'pork belly' is ready to be used. Cut into slices and fry and they are ready to absorb any flavorful marinades. Check out this blog post to make vegan Vietnamese Braised Pork Belly!
Other methods to make vegan pork belly
Jackfruit:
Use the method below:
- Drain and rinse 2 cans (565g/20oz) of jackfruit
- Shred the jackfruit and boil for 10 minutes.
- Dissolve 3 tablespoons of tapioca starch with water. Add to the drained jackfruit mix.
- Follow the recipe as instructed, just swapping TVP with the jackfruit.
Frequently Asked Questions:
You can use firm tofu in place of TVP slices. Pat dry the tofu, and cut into slices then fry until golden brown. Dip the tofu lightly in a mixture of cornstarch and water before sticking to the layers. Note that the texture using tofu won't be as good and sticky as with TVP slices.
The result made with fried tofu:
You could also use young jackfruit in a can that has been shredded. The final result looks like this:
TVP slices are textured vegetable protein, often used as meat substitutes. They have different sizes and variations, for this recipe I recommend buying a chicken-like variation. You can access them at Asian supermarkets, health stores, or on Amazon.
You can use a slice of baguette instead. Cut the baguette in half and use it in place of yuba (tofu skin).
You can add a Vietnamese sauce as instructed here, or coat with any Asian (cha siur) or BBQ sauce after frying!
How to serve these Vegan Pork Belly?
You can enjoy them using some sauces and enjoy them with rice, such as in my Vegan Vietnamese Braised Pork Belly recipe. In the future, I will share many more vegan pork belly dishes!
If you have tried my recipe, please let me know what you think by leaving me a review on this page or tagging me on Instagram @veggieanh. I would love to see your creations!
Print📖 Recipe
Vegan Pork Belly
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Realistic and satisfying vegan 'pork belly' using layers of TVP slices, coconut fat and a crispy tofu skin crust. This is the recipe to impress any vegan skeptics!
Ingredients
Pork fat layer (Coconut Tapioca mixture)
- 100 g rice flour
- 120 g tapioca starch
- 200 ml coconut milk
- 300 ml water
Lean meat layer
- TVP slices: 8 TVP slices (could be more, depending on the size of the TVP) * see note for jackfruit method
- oil for frying
Pork skin layer (bread)
- 1 small baguette (or cut the baguette into a slice)
- OR 1 small sheet of yuba (tofu skin)
Instructions
To make the 'lean meat' layer
- Dehydrate the TVP slices by pouring hot water on them and letting them sit for 20 minutes.
- Drain and rinse and squeeze out excess water out of the TVP slices.
To make the coconut 'fat' layer
- On a pan on low heat, combine the rice flour, tapioca starch, coconut milk and water.
- Keep mixing the mixture until it forms a thick white paste, that is very similar to pork fat. This takes about 5-10 minutes.
To make the pork skin layer
Method 1: Baguette
- If use a small baguette, split it in half lengthwise. If use a long baguette, cut into a section that can is the same length as your tofu slice.
- Take out some of the crumb (soft inner part) of the bread.
Method 2: Tofu skin
- Rehydrate the tofu skin sheet by pouring hot water on top until softened (about finished).
Make the Vegan Pork Belly
- To make the vegan pork belly, layer the 3 layers together: bread 'skin' in the bottom, followed by a thick layer of the coconut 'fat', 'lean meat' (tofu or TVP slcies), coconut 'fat' and 'lean meat' tofu. The coconut 'fat' in between each layer will help the layers stick together.
- Wrap the vegan pork belly tightly with aluminium foil and steam for 25-30 minutes.
- Afterwards, chill the vegan pork belly in the fridge for at least 4 hours (preferably overnight).
- Cut into thin slices that resemble 'pork belly' slices and fry until golden crispy. Add any sauces you like and enjoy with a bowl of warm rice.
- Check out this blog post for making vegan Vietnamese braised pork belly.
Notes
* You can swap with canned jackfruit using the following method:
- Drain and rinse 2 cans (565g/20oz) of jackfruit
- Shred and boil the jackfruit for 10 minutes
- In a bowl, mix together 5 tablespoons of tapioca flour mix with water until dissolves. Then add to the jackfruit mixture and mix well.
- Use the jackfruit similarly with TVP in this recipe!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: steaming, stovetop
- Cuisine: vietnamese
Lou says
Hi!
Im having a terribly hard time finding tapioca starch in my area (idk why, I know we used to have it) so I’m curious if you think corn starch would work as a substitute? I’d absolutely love to try the recipe I just can’t get my hands on that one ingredient!
Veggie Anh says
Hi Lou, thank you for your question! I haven't tried it yet, but according to an Internet search, you can use half the amount of corn starch compared to tapioca starch for this recipe. This is because corn starch is a stronger thickening agent.
Hope that helps!
Sonia says
If you can find tapioca flour that’s the same thing as tapioca starch, it’s what I used.
Sonia says
This recipe is amazing! Tried it the other day and it was a big hit my my meat eating family members too. The texture is fantastic, a mix of crispy and gooey, just like with really pork belly. All i did extra was to add salt when frying during the final stage. So good even just like that! We then tried it in a banh mi 😋 Looking forward to trying your other recipes 😃
Veggie Anh says
Thank you so much for your review!
Amy says
Fantastic recipe. So delicious and realistic.
Vy says
Awesome recipe! I made this with the sauce and it was amazing 😍 the texture is so similar to the real meat, fatty from the coconut milk and sticky chewy from the tapioca starch. You are a true wizard!
Veggie Anh says
Thank you so much!
Dee says
The recipe is amazing!!! I used it to make pork bafat which I have not eaten since some time. I could not believe how good it was. I could not tell it is not pork belly. It is basically 95% identical to the real thing. Go run and try this recipe out!
Veggie Anh says
Thank you so much for your review!
Francis says
Hi, would you know if this can be done with a thinner layer of "fat" and more protein, and THEN frozen and thinly sliced?
Basically, I'm wondering if this can be done to make a vegan gyudon. Would it stay together if sliced thin?
Veggie Anh says
Hi, I think this should work!
Andrea says
Thank you for this recipe! Is the rice flour supposed be glutinous (sweet) rice flour or regular rice flour? I followed it to a T and the coconut milk mix isn’t thickening. Any advice?
TIA
Veggie Anh says
Hi, it's regular rice flour!
Veggie Anh says
Did you heat it up on a pot and keep stirring throughout?
Ayusuna says
Looks amazing! Could I substitute the coconut milk with another plant based milk like cashew?
Veggie Anh says
Hi, yes that would work!
Roxy says
How long does this keep for before it needs to be used? can it be premade a couple days in advanced? i'd love to make this for some friends but i'm so busy it's hard to find the time!
Veggie Anh says
Yes, you can keep it up to 3 days in the fridge, in a closed container.
Ana says
Excited to try this recipe. I'm actually a vegetarian and not a vegan. Do you think heavy cream would work in place of the coconut milk for a closer flavor match?
Veggie Anh says
Hi Ana, I think that would work for sure!
Gemma says
The best vegan pork recipe ever!! So delicious! The texture is so similar and you feel great after eating it.
Veggie Anh says
Thank you so much for your lovely comment, Gemma. i'm so glad you enjoyed it 😀
Mickey says
Thank you so much for posting this recipe! I've been looking for it everywhere!