Hello, my chickpeas! Today's Smoky Tempeh Bacon recipe is protein-packed, easy to make, and has a delicious smoky-but-sweet flavor. It is great on sandwiches, as a breakfast side, or crumbled up on top of your favorite salad or Buddha bowl. This is sure to become the go-to vegan bacon in your plant based kitchen!
I love making a batch of this over the weekend to add a smoky flavor to my meals throughout the week. Plus, it only uses 8 ingredients and is so easy to make! Let's dive in.
Inspiration for Smoky Tempeh Bacon
There are lots of vegan bacon recipes out there, but I personally love the tempeh ones the best. However, I found that it was hard to find a version that is both easy to make and can be made oil-free, so that's what I was going for with my version!
Tempeh itself doesn't have a ton of flavor, which makes it perfect for something like tempeh bacon because it soaks up the flavor of the marinade so nicely. We are going to be soaking our tempeh in a smoky (but slightly sweet) marinade to get bacon-esque flavors. My version is also baked in the oven rather than on the stovetop - I find that this is a lot easier and much less messy! Plus, I actually prefer the flavor of the oven baked version!
Just a quick reminder that, like any substitute-style recipe, this will not taste exactly like traditional bacon since it simply isn't made of the same thing! However we are going for those bacon vibes and a similar experience. Although this is obviously not the exact same thing, you can pretty much use it in any way that you would use a traditional bacon. Vegan bacon for the win!
Ingredients
This recipe only takes 8 ingredients! Most of these will come together to make a smoky bacon marinade.
- Tempeh: our main man! This will soak up the flavor of the marinade beautifully. It's also packed with protein and great nutrients!
- Tamari and liquid smoke: these make up our main flavor profile. The tamari is salty and savory, while the liquid smoke brings those smoky vibes.
- Maple syrup: for just a bit of sweetness!
- Smoked paprika, cumin, black pepper, and salt: some seasonings to round out our flavors! The paprika and cumin will add in even more smoky and savory flavors.
How to Make Smoky Tempeh Bacon
As always, the full recipe is further down the page. But here are the basics!
- Slice your tempeh into thin strips.
- Whisk together all marinade ingredients.
- Preheat your oven to 350F.
- Add the tempeh and marinade to a shallow dish and allow to marinate for 30 minutes.
- Transfer the tempeh to a prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, give them a flip and add more marinade, bake for another 10 minutes, add the last of the marinade, and cook for 5 final minutes.
- Remove from oven, allow to cool, and enjoy!
Tips & Tricks
This recipe took many trials to get the flavor and bake just right, so I wouldn't mess with it much! However I of course still have ideas on how you can best enjoy this Smoky Tempeh Bacon!
- The most obvious option is to enjoy this with breakfast! You can use it as a breakfast side or in a breakfast sandwich. I think it would be delicious paired with my Tex Mex Tofu Scramble!
- My favorite way to use this vegan bacon is on a BLT! Pair this with some toasted sourdough, fresh tomato slices, lettuce, and your favorite condiments (such as a vegan mayo). So good!
- This Smoky Tempeh Bacon would also be great chopped up and sprinkled on salads or Buddha bowls! It will add some interesting texture, and of course a pop of smoky flavor.
- If you love substitute-style vegan recipes like this, you may also love my Marinated Tofu Feta or my Vegan Chickpea Egg Salad!
Enjoy!
📖 Recipe
Smoky Tempeh Bacon
Ingredients
- 1 8-oz package of tempeh
- 4 tablespoon tamari
- 3 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- small pinch of salt
Instructions
- Prep the tempeh: Slice tempeh into thin strips between ⅛ - ¼ inch thick. (The thinner you go, the crispier they will be!). I usually end up with 18-24 strips.
- Make the marinade: Whisk together tamari, maple syrup, liquid smoke, and all seasonings.
- Preheat: Preheat oven to 350F.
- Marinate the tempeh: Place tempeh strips into a shallow pan and pour the marinade over it. Make sure all strips are coated in the marinade. Refrigerate and let marinate for 30 minutes, giving all the tempeh strips a flip halfway through to ensure they all get evenly coated.
- Bake the tempeh: Line a baking tray with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Remove the tempeh strips from the excess marinade and place the tempeh in one layer on the baking tray. (Leave the extra marinade off to the side, we will use it later). -Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. -Remove from the oven. Brush some of the excess marinade onto the tempeh strips using a pastry brush. Flip the tempeh strips, continue to brush on more marinade (so now both sides have been brushed), and then place back in the oven. -Bake for another 10 minutes. -If you still have more leftover marinade, remove from the oven one more time and brush on whatever marinade is left. (If you are out of marinade, just skip this part). -Return to oven and bake for 5 more minutes.
- Finish: Remove from the oven, let cool just a bit, and then use as you wish! These are great on BLTs, with breakfast, or crumbled onto salads and bowls!
Happy cooking! If you made this recipe don’t forget to tag me (@joyfulbalanceofficial) on facebook or instagram so I can cheer you on for your tempeh-bacon-making ways.
Stay joyfully balanced!
Liz says
Love this! Thank you!
Delaney Marie says
You're welcome! So glad you enjoyed it!