The Best Vegan Bacon Recipe

This vegan bacon recipe is quick, easy and lends a complex and savory bacon flavour. It works well as a topping on your favourite recipes or simply as a breakfast side.

Bacon adds a savoury, salty bite I’ve missed a lot since becoming vegetarian. I’m sure any of you fellow vegetarians who live with meat-eaters can sympathize with the seduction that is Sunday morning bacon. Along with the subsequent jealousy you get as you spitefully eat your dry toast (you know I’m right).

I’ve attempted to recreate bacon many times during my vegetarian life. With much failure and tweaking, I finally have arrived at what I believe to be the best vegetarian bacon.

First of all, I’ve come to the conclusion that tofu is the best vessel for meatless bacon. I’ve tried both portabella mushrooms and tempeh and neither of them come close to the texture of tofu bacon. While the mushroom bacon was delicious in it’s own right, it definitely did not scream bacon whatsoever.  And tempeh bacon was just not my thing, unfortunately.

I like to freeze then defrost my tofu for this recipe. When you freeze tofu the water crystals expand, giving the tofu a much more pleasant, meat-like texture. Though, freezing is not completely necessary for this recipe, so feel free to skip this step if you’re tight on time.

The ingredients may seem a bit random and mismatched, but trust me, each ingredient in important in achieving perfect veggie bacon. A lot of recipes call for vegan worcestershire sauce, but unless you live in L.A. or something, it’s almost impossible to find. So a lot of the ingredients in my recipe go to replicate that flavour. Plus some additional ingredients to get that bacon-y taste.

Everyone prefers a different flavour profile in their bacon. Personally, I prefer a smokey bacon with a good balance of sweet and salty. But feel free to alter the recipe to your personal taste.

This bacon can be used in pastas, as a topping for mac and cheese or casseroles, in sandwiches (as shown below) or simply eaten on its own.

The Best Vegan Bacon Recipe

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• Author: Kieryn Joy
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins
• Total Time: 25 mins
• Yield: 24 strips 1x

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Description

This vegetarian bacon recipe is quick, easy and lends a complex and savory bacon flavour. It works well as a topping on your favourite recipes or simply as a breakfast side.

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Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• One package of extra firm tofu
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp dijon mustard
• 2 Tbs red miso paste (any miso paste will work)
• 3 Tbs soy sauce
• 2 Tbs white vinegar
• 3 Tbs maple syrup
• 1 Tbs liquid smoke
• 3 Tbs oil (plus more for frying)

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Instructions

1. Slice the tofu into very thin strips. You can do this by hand or using a mandolin.
2. In a shallow bowl mix all ingredients (besides the tofu) until well combined.
3. Place the tofu in the marinade, ensuring all of the pieces are submerged.
4. Let marinade for at least 30 minutes, the longer the better.
5. Fry the strips in a few tbs of oil, until the desired crispness is reached.

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• Category: Meat Substitutes
• Cuisine: American

Nutrition

• Calories: 33

Keywords: vegan, bacon,

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