This Banana Peel Pulled "Pork" Is TikTok’s Best Zero-Waste Recipe

Considering TikTok popularized vegan bacon made from carrots, vegan chicken made from flour and water, and vegan lox made from tomatoes, it comes as no surprise that vegan pulled pork made from banana peels is now a trend. Apparently, leftover bananas are good for more than just banana bread — you can actually use the peels to make a barbecue pulled "pork" sandwich. All it takes is some shredding, boiling, marinating, and sautéing, and you'll have yourself a delicious, vegan-friendly lunch.

If you don't like the taste of bananas (or even if you do), there's no residual banana flavor in this sandwich whatsoever. After you scrape off the white part from the insides of the peels then let them boil, the resulting "meat" has virtually no flavor and is the perfect blank slate for whatever barbecue dry rub and sauce you decide to add.

To replicate the pulled-pork texture, there's actually no shredding involved. The best way to go about it is to fold each segment of banana peel like a fruit roll up, cut it into thin slices, and then unfold it. You might've seen TikTokers using a fork, but banana peels aren't as naturally shreddable as pork, so I found using a knife was way faster and more consistent.

More importantly, however, is the boiling process. Make sure you don't undercook or overcook the peels, as this could result in pulled "pork" that's either too tough or too mushy. About five minutes is the sweet spot, but it will be slightly less if your bananas were overripe to start with, and slightly more if they were underripe.

Once the peels are boiled to perfection, you can add your seasoning and begin sautéing. When it starts to look eerily like actual pork, it's ready to be served! Not only is this veganized pulled pork a feast for your eyes, it'll fool your taste buds too. It genuinely tasted authentic and delicious, and if I didn't know it was banana peels, I never would have guessed. Plus, zero-waste cooking for the win!

To learn how to make this recipe, keep scrolling for all the steps.