Sweet and Smoky Tempeh Bacon

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This vegan tempeh bacon is sweet, smoky, and delightfully crispy. This recipe is quick and easy to make, requiring just 8 ingredients and about 30 minutes! Serve this bacon as a side to any breakfast dish, put it in sandwiches, or crumble it on top of pasta or salads.

Sweet and smoky Tempeh Bacon

I was never a fan of real bacon, but I am the biggest fan of this tempeh bacon! Well, I’m a big fan of all things tempeh, but this recipe is one of my favorite ways to eat tempeh. This tempeh bacon has a wonderful caramelized glaze, crispy edges, is both sweet and savory, and is sooo delicious.

I created this tempeh bacon about a year ago, and I can’t believe I haven’t shared it with y’all yet. To be honest, I first planned to share this recipe about 5 months ago. As it turns out, tempeh bacon is not the easiest thing to take pictures of! The photos you see on this blog post are a result of my 4th time photographing this recipe. All of my previous photoshoots were unexciting and disappointing, and I gotta say, I am still not perfectly happy with the pictures. But who cares, this recipe is fire and I hope the photos do it justice!

So I’m letting go of my exceptions and focusing on my favorite breakfast right now, which is a gigantic tofu scramble full of veggies and topped with a generous serving of this tempeh bacon! So if you make this recipe, that is how I suggest eating it 😉

Ingredients for Tempeh Bacon

• Tempeh: the main ingredient for our bacon! I like Lightlife Original Tempeh
• Vegetable broth: as a flavorful base for our tempeh marinade
• Soy sauce: for saltiness  
• Liquid smoke: the key ingredient for a rich smoky flavor
• Maple syrup: for sweetness to balance out the smoky flavor, and it also adds a nice caramelization to the bacon
• Garlic powder: for flavor
• Onion powder: for flavor
• Smoked paprika: for a little extra smokiness
• Salt + pepper: to taste

How to make Tempeh Bacon without liquid smoke

If you don’t have liquid smoke…

Liquid smoke is usually found in the barbecue sauce section of the grocery store. I have also seen it near the hot sauces. If you can’t find liquid smoke in the store, you can buy it online. Stubb’s Liquid Smoke is a great brand, but any brand will work.

If you aren’t able to buy liquid smoke, then you can leave it out or just add more smoked paprika. The recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika, but you can add a full 1 teaspoon for extra smokiness. Note that this will make the bacon smokier, but will also make it have a stronger paprika taste.

If you don’t like smoky flavors…

Some people just don’t like the taste of liquid smoke or smoked paprika. If you are a smoky flavor hater, leave out the liquid smoke and sub regular paprika for the smoked paprika. This bacon will still have a good balance of sweet and savory flavors without the smokiness.

How to make Tempeh Bacon

Many recipes will tell you to first simmer or steam the tempeh, then marinate the tempeh, and then cook the tempeh. But I like to do things as efficiently as possible without sacrificing flavor, so we are going to combine a few steps.

Making a quick marinade

First, cut the tempeh into thin strips. In a large non-stick skillet, make a marinade by stirring together the vegetable broth, maple syrup, soy sauce, liquid smoke, and all of the spices. Place the tempeh bacon strips in the pan with the marinade and bring to a rolling simmer over medium heat.

Why you need to simmer your tempeh

Simmering or steaming the tempeh helps it puff up and absorb flavor better. And when you simmer the tempeh in the marinade, you complete both the simmering process as well as the marinating process at the same time.

How to make tempeh bacon crispy

Once the marinade has evaporated in the pan and the tempeh is covered with a sticky glaze, it is ready for baking. Transfer the tempeh to a baking tray that is greased or lined with a reusable silicone mat (definitely recommended) and bake on the bottom rack of the oven. Flip the tempeh then bake again until it is crispy.

Note: I cut my 8 oz block of tempeh into 24 strips, which makes each bacon strip about 1/4 inch thick. This bacon is not going to “crunch” but it will be crispy around the edges. You can cut the tempeh even thinner if you want, but keep an eye on the baking time so the bacon doesn’t burn.

How long does it keep?

This tempeh will last about 1 week in the fridge. This dish is also freezer-friendly, but I think all the bacon will be gone before you get to that point!

What to eat with Tempeh Bacon

• Tofu scramble
• Vegan Pancakes
• Use the bacon to make a Vegan BLT Sandwich
• Crumble it up on top of a salad or pasta

More breakfast recipes

• Mini Vegan Frittatas
• Vegan Pancakes
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Oat Cookies
• Vegan Banana Bread Muffins
• Carrot Cake Granola

If you make this recipe, leave it a rating and a comment! You can also tag me @Daughter_of_Seitan on Instagram so I can see your lovely food creations. XOXO

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