Vegan Bacon

One of the things that really resonated with me, before I "officially" became vegan, was when I listened to Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's podcast way back in 2009. She said that a lot of what we connect with in food is 1) not the food, it's the people we're with or the experience around the food and 2) it's the flavor, texture, and overall ~feel~ of the food that we enjoy, not necessarily/inherently the fact that it's a dead animal. As well, a lot of meat has to be aged/smoked/seasoned to impart a lot of flavor, so they're having to do the same things we do to food anyway. This meant, for me, that I could make anything vegan, as long as it rang true to the vibe of the original. (Some with more success than others.)

When you break bacon down into its components, it's not too hard to replicate it. Bacon is fat, salt, savory, smoke, and maybe a bit of sweetness or spiciness depending on the variety you like. The texture is chewy or crispy, or both. So how can we recreate that? With a few simple spices and sauces, you can make a marinade that will make most any ingredient sing - and on the internet people will really try any ingredient. Here are a few of my favorite vegan bacons.

Basic Bacon Marinade

makes about 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients

1 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 tbsp liquid smoke

2 tbsp oil

1 tbsp hot sauce

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

Instructions

Shake to combine in a mason jar or sealed container. Use to marinate tofu, tempeh, mushrooms, or any other ingredients you might want to grill or roast. If you want to marinate a lot of ingredient, you can either double the recipe or add some water to thin it out.

When making these, it also can be helpful to use a smoky or hickory barbecue sauce to glaze your bacon, especially any vegetables or mushrooms. It's thicker than just the marinade, so you'll really get a good coating.

Get all the moisture out of any ingredient you want to make into vegan bacon before you begin - it will give your marinade more space to seep in, and prevent it from getting too soggy.

Bacon Options

1) Sliced seitan/ vegan lunch meat

I got this idea from my childhood. When my sister and I wanted "bacon" to top our sandwiches, but we didn't know how to cook bacon, we'd fry up slices of bologna to approximate it. This is, to me, the most realistic of all the bacons. You can make the seitan from scratch, slice and marinate it, or grab your favorite vegan deli meat. (Our pick for a bacon substitute is the Smoked Tomato slices from Field Roast.) Just slice into strips, then fry on medium heat, flipping after just a minute.

2) Smoked or marinated tofu

You can slice these up however makes you happy; I sliced them into bigger pieces like Canadian bacon, and they make for a great sandwich topper. You can get tofu very thin so it ends up crispy, but still a little chewy.

3) Eggplant/ carrot

Thin-slice your veggies, then marinate overnight. Bake on a wire rack at 375°F for about 30-45 minutes, checking every so often until they're crispy and a bit dry. Brush on some barbecue sauce for even more smoky flavor.

4) Rice paper

These look really amazing, and can top salads or bowls beautifully. Just get your rice paper soft in some warm water, two at a time so that it stays thick even when not dried. Blot off the water, slice into strips and run each through the marinade. Lay on a silicon mat on a baking tray, and bake at 375°F until crispy, which takes just a few minutes. It doesn't have intense flavor, but the texture is very crispy and light.

5) Mushroom

The joy of mushrooms is that you pretty much can't overcook them, with the exception of burning them, so even when you cook them until crispy on the edges, they're still chewy on the inside. They have an amazing meaty flavor and are my go-to whole foods vegan bacon. Treat them just like the veggies - you can go for a longer cooking time if you like them really crispy.

6) Coconut

Use unsweetened large flaked coconut, or if you can find it, dried coconut. (The latter look like crescent moons with a brown edge, and make for a great BLT bacon replacement.) I love making this in bulk, to top salads or make sandwiches out of. Just marinate it for 30 minutes, spread out on a silicon (or parchment) lined baking tray, and bake at 350°F until crispy, about 30 minutes. Be sure to flip the coconut around the pan every 5-10 minutes for even browning.

7) Tempeh

If you've ever had vegan bacon, it was probably this! Be sure to slice the tempeh really thin, and marinate it for at least 8 hours. Fry it in a pan or use an air fryer and keep them crisp!