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Vegan Smoky Tempeh Bacon recipe by Joyful Balance.

Smoky Tempeh Bacon

Delaney Marie
This 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 on top of your favorite salad or Buddha bowl. This is sure to become the go-to vegan bacon in your plant based kitchen!
*Note that From Start to Finish is an estimate and includes some passive time, such as when the bacon is marinating or baking in the oven. Only about 15-20 minutes of this recipe is hands-on time.
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From Start to Finish1 hour 15 minutes
Servings5 servings

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!
Did you make this recipe?Mention @joyfulbalanceofficial on Instagram and show the world your plant based creation!