Vegan Bacon Recipe
You will love this simple vegan bacon recipe. It tastes smoky and delicious on a tofu scramble or on sandwiches and veggie burgers. It’s an amazing vegan substitute for real bacon.
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It’s fun to make typically unhealthy food healthier like this vegan version of bacon. Other yummy recipes where we transformed junky food are these Avocado Fudgesicles or these Homemade Peanut Butter Cups.
This recipe gives you a flavorful alternative to unhealthy pork products. As with most processed foods, the ingredients in bacon include a lot of salt and sugar. We avoid that with these vegan bacon bits.
Want more vegan faves? Try these tasty Vegan Sausage Rolls! A yummy, plant-based appetizer idea.
Ingredients for this Recipe:
- liquid smoke – I prefer the hickory smoke but applewood is tasty also
- olive oil
- soy sauce – or use my soy-free soy sauce
- maple syrup
- apple cider vinegar
- smoked paprika – optional but adds another layer of smokiness
- unsweetened coconut flakes
So, if you haven’t guessed by now coconut flakes are the star of the show. Yes, coconut bacon. It’s a thing!
Now for the supporting actors. First up, liquid smoke. It’s made from actual hickory smoke and it lends that savory, meaty flavor to our vegetarian bacon.
Next is my homemade soy-free soy sauce substitute. I like to add it to the marinade because it brings that umami flavor.
How to Make Vegan Bacon
The instructions for this recipe are super simple
First, stir all of the marinade ingredients in a large bowl.
Second, add in the flaked coconut and mix it well with a spoon.
Then evenly spread the coconut on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
Finally, off it goes into the oven to bake. No frying pan or skillet is necessary! The oven does a great job of giving the vegan bacon a crisp bite.
Once it is baked the coconut is magically transformed into the texture of bacon.
Serving Suggestions and Substitutions
- Crumble these vegan bacon strips on salads or on soups – like this vegan potato soup!
- Add the vegan bacon slices to a tofu scramble, or sandwiches like a vegan BLT.
- Substitute soy sauce, tamari, or liquid aminos instead of the homemade soy-free soy sauce.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
- I love this smart bacon crumbled over eggs– obviously not vegan. 😉
This is a fun foodie experiment.
When I was testing out this recipe I brought it into work to see what my co-workers would think of this plant-based bacon. It was a hit. And NO ONE guessed it was coconut. They all knew it was bacon though.
Win.
Totally try this! It’s the BEST vegan bacon.
More Healthy Vegan Recipes:
- Vegan Potato Soup
- How to Make Vegan Hot Chocolate Mix
- Vegan Buddha Bowl with Lemon Tahini Dressing
- Chaga Hot Chocolate
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Hemp Seed Balls
- Vegan Salted Caramel Sauce
**This recipe was originally posted on February 10, 2014, and updated on February 23, 2019, and updated again on December 29, 2021, with recipe notes, writing, and photos.**
If you’ve tried this vegan substitute for bacon, please rate the recipe and let me know how it turned out by leaving me a comment below. I’m always interested in feedback!
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Amazing Vegan Bacon Recipe – Easy, Quick, and Flavorful
Ingredients
- 1 tsp liquid smoke
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp soy sauce substitute or use regular soy sauce
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 ½ cups unsweetened coconut flakes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add all of the ingredients except for the coconut to a mixing bowl and stir well. Add the coconut flakes to the bowl and stir well to coat.
- Spread the coconut in an even layer on the parchment-lined sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, stirring every 3-5 minutes watching that it doesn’t burn.
- Remove from oven and let cool.
- Store in a sealed container (I use a glass jar) at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
Serving Suggestions and Substitutions
- Crumble these vegan bacon strips on salads or on soups – like this vegan potato soup!
- Add the vegan bacon slices to a tofu scramble, or sandwiches like a vegan BLT.
- Substitute soy sauce, tamari, or liquid aminos instead of the homemade soy-free soy sauce.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
- I love this smart bacon crumbled over eggs– obviously not vegan. 😉
I made this for my sister over the Christmas holidays, and it went down a treat; the smokey flavours were unique, it went perfect with scrambled egg 🙂
I have mine on eggs too! It is delish 🙂 Thanks, Kay.
I’m not vegan but I am intrigued by this. Going to try it soon!
Oh wow – I cannot wait to try this! I saw vegan bacon made with liquid smoke and carrots among other ingredients, so I am totally intrigued by the coconut version you have.
The coconut adds such a nice sweetness. So good!
This is such a great idea. I would never have known how to make vegan bacon and would definitely never have thought of coconut flakes!
It’s like a magic trick! 😉 But the sweetness of the coconut totally works.
I’ve been intrigued by vegan bacon for years but haven’t made it until now. Love that it gives me something to use my liquid smoke on which has sat in the pantry forever! Really tasty!
Dust off that bottle girl! haha But, seriously this vegan bacon is delish.
you can use Tamari which is gluten free soy sauce
(Tamari is a Japanese version of soy sauce but wheat and gluten free)
Sounds good, I’ll have to try it. Thanks
I hope you enjoy! Thanks Lorrie. 🙂
Chicken stock in your Faux Soy kind of eliminates the vegan part.
You are right! A previous comment suggested veg broth could be subbed in to make it vegan. Pretty easy solution. 🙂
Sadly, this is not vegan when using your faux soy sauce. Could vegetable broth be used instead of the chicken broth for the soy sauce?
Sure!
Where do you find liquid smoke? How do they make it? Seems like a sketchy ingredient to me?
This is a good article explaining the process. —> http://www.ehow.com/how-does_5492720_liquid-smoke-made.html <---I liken using it to that of food smoked traditionally, like say on a grill.
YES! I LOVE vegan bacon!!! (Let’s be honest, I love real bacon too, but bacon made out of coconut is just amazing). I tried a recipe similar to this a while back and couldn’t keep my hands out of the ziplock bag I was storing it in. SO tasty!!
Well, if we’re being honest … I also enjoy the ‘real’ stuff from time to time. 😉 This recipe, however, is a tasty sub! I can’t believe I’m just hearing about this. People are amazing. 🙂
I’ve actually had a BLT with coconut bacon at a restaurant in Berkeley and thought it was delicious!
I’ve wanted to make it at home too and now I have a recipe to go by. Thanks! 🙂
Yes! These babies are perfect for sandwiches. I have no idea how this has alluded me for so long … I already know you’ll love it. 🙂
I love this idea! I’ve never seen this and am going to have to pick up liquid smoke next time. It does look impressively like bacon and I’m so interested to see what the flavor is like. We’ve been making a lot of hummus/sauteed veggie/avocado/spinach/tomato paninis that could probably use some of this sprinkled on! Thanks for the pass on of the idea…now I continue to experiment. 🙂
I loved this too! How cool! 🙂 I think it would be a great addition to a panini.