Crispy & Meaty Vegan Bacon

this vegan bacon recipe has everything you want. crispy on the outside and meaty on the inside. easy to make and great for BLTs, breakfast sandwiches, or on the side of tofu scramble.

I have been vegan for 8 years and one of the classic responses is “well, what about bacon?!” Honestly, I wasn’t a huge bacon person before I went vegan so that wasn’t going to hold me back. I have tried a lot of vegan bacons over the year, homemade recipes and store bought products. This is definitely my new favorite way! It combines the idea of the rice paper bacon and tempeh bacon to give you something that is crispy on the outside but meaty on the inside.

the ingredients

You only need a few simple ingredients for this recipe to give it a salty, smokey flavor.

• Tempeh: the base of our recipe. Tempeh is fermented soy beans pushed together to make a block. Tempeh works really well here due to it’s natural texture that is meaty. You can find this in the grocery store next to the tofu in produce.
• Rice Paper Rolls: the outside of our recipe. The rice paper rolls can get very crispy so they provide a nice outer crispy skin for our vegan bacon! You can find this as Asian markets or food stores usually in the International aisle or you can order them online.
• Olive Oil: this is in the marinade and it will help to provide a bit of fat to the vegan bacon as well as make the vegan bacon crispy.
• Soy Sauce: adds saltiness and umami, as well as color. You can always swap this for tamari or coconut aminos.
• Organic Brown Sugar: I personally like when my vegan bacon has a touch of sweetness, if you want to omit this you can.
• Liquid Smoke: this product just adds some smokiness. If you want to leave it out you can, but it will enhance the vegan bacon experience.
• Seasonings: of course we are going to need to add some nice flavor so we will be using garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and black pepper.

tempeh tips

One of the biggest things I hear is that tempeh is bitter. While it can be the best tip I have for you is to steam or boil it before using. I just pop it in my steamer basket for 15 minutes and it takes that flavor away. I also like to slice the tempeh pretty thin for this recipe which I think allows it to absorb the marinade quicker and better. You want to marinate the tempeh for at least 20 minutes but you can even leave it to marinate overnight.

rice paper rolls

To ensure the rice paper rolls still come out crispy you don’t wan to completely drench the rice paper rolls in water. You will only need to dip them in the water for 7 to 10 seconds just enough to make them pliable. This will help them to be able to get crispy when you bake them. We are also going to brush the marinade on only in little bits at a time so they can get crispy in the oven.

more tempeh recipes

vegan bacon faq

• Is this recipe soy free? No.
• Is this recipe gluten free? It can be just swap the soy sauce for tamari or coconut aminos.
• Is this recipe nut free? Yes.
• How long will this recipe last? It really is best when enjoyed fresh, it will last in the fridge up to 3 days.
• How can I reheat this? You can pop it in the oven, air fryer, or in a pan. The rice paper will lost it’s crispiness after being in the fridge so you need to crisp it back up again.
• Do I have to wrap it in rice paper rolls? If you don’t want to you don’t have to but then you are just making regular tempeh bacon which is still delicious!
• Can I add other flavors to this? Sure, you can add extra brown sugar on top when you bake it. You can add in maple syrup or a touch of mustard. It all comes down to preference.

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