tofu bacon

Thinly sliced tofu is dipped in a smoky marinade and baked until chewy to make a tofu "bacon" that's great for sandwiches and cooking.

Smoky Tofu Bacon

oz extra-firm or super-firm tofu

soy sauce ((use tamari for gluten-free))

maple syrup

tomato paste

tbsp liquid smoke

apple cider vinegar

tsp black pepper

tsp smoked paprika

onion powder

garlic powder

olive oil

Drain the tofu. If not using vacuum packed super-firm tofu, wrap it in a clean towel and stack a heavy object (like a cast iron pan) on top of it to press out excess liquid. (Or, use a tofu press if you've got one). Leave the tofu to press while you measure out the other ingredients.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place a metal rack on top of a baking sheet and lightly grease it. (If desired, put a piece of parchment on the baking sheet to catch drips, for easy cleanup).

Whisk together the remaining ingredients in a medium sized bowl.

Cut the tofu into thin strips, approximately 1/8 inch thick. Take each tofu slice and dip it fully into the marinade, then place it on the prepared baking rack. Repeat until all of the tofu slices are dipped, spacing them out evenly on the rack. Set aside the excess marinade.

Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Gently flip over each piece of tofu. Brush or dab the tops of each tofu piece with some of the remaining marinade. Return to the oven and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until browning around the edges and starting to take on a firm texture - it can burn quickly so keep a close eye on it.&nbsp;Remove from the oven, let cool, and enjoy!

This smoky, crispy Vegan Bacon is made with tofu and is perfectly chewy and savory.  A delicious plant-based protein, perfect for breakfast, BLTs, wraps, sandwiches, pasta, and buddha bowls.

Vegan Bacon

tofu

soy sauce

tablespoons smoked shoyu (or regular soy +2 drops liquid smoke)

teaspoons smoked paprika

coriander

black pepper

chipotle powder (or canned in adobo sauce)

oil oil

Drain and slice tofu 1/8&#8243; thick.  Lay out on an oiled sheet pan.

Mix the soy, smoked Shoyu, maple syrup, smoked paprika, coriander, black pepper and chipotle powder.  Spoon half of the mixture over tofu, spreading out to the edges with the back of the spoon.  Bake 15 minutes.

Remove tofu from oven and carefully with a metal spatula, flip tofu over and baste with the remaining marinade.  Bake 15 minutes more.

Let cool for 15 minutes (or refrigerate until ready to use).

Heat a skillet and fry tofu over medium heat until crisp 1-2 minutes per side.

Vegan bacon made with rice paper and tofu, and a smokey marinade.

soy sauce (or Bragg's Liquid Aminos

water

tsp liquid smoke

yeast (optional)

tbsp oil ((for greasing the baking sheet or frying pan))

3.5 oz firm tofu ((This is 1/4 of a block of tofu))

rice paper

Combine soy sauce, liquid smoke, water, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and nutritional yeast in a bowl, then stir with a fork.

Make the bacon-flavored marinade

Pour 2 tbsp of the marinade into a small bowl (to marinate the tofu) and the rest on to a large plate. (This will be used to dip your strips of rice paper.)

Drain and press the excess liquid out of a block of firm tofu, then crumble 1/4 of the block of firm tofu into the bowl with 2 tbsp of the marinade and let it soak while you prepare the rice paper.

Cut the rice paper into long strips about 1 1/2 inch wide with kitchen scissors. (a little wider than you want the final strip of bacon to be since it will shrink a little when it cooks.)  You can layer up to 4 sheets on top of each other when you cut them to save time.

Preheat your oven to 400°F(204°C).

Prepare the ingredients

Spread 2 tbsp of oil on a cookie sheet. (or line it with parchment paper for oil-free)

Dip a stip of rice paper in the marinate quickly.  Don't let it soak and get soft, just get it coated with the mixture.

Lay the strip on the oiled cookie sheet and sprinkle with about 1-2 tsp of crumbled marinated tofu.

Dip another rice paper strip in the marinade and lay it flat on top of the first.  (It will not stick to the bottom layer at first.  Don't worry, they will fuse together and seal the tofu inside once it cooks.)

Repeat this process until your sheet of full of bacon strips, but they are not touching each other.

Assemble the bacon

Place the cookie sheet in the oven and bake at 400 degrees F for 7 minutes.

Take out of the oven and flip each piece and then bake again for about 7 more minutes until the edges start to curl up and it gets crispy.

Cook the bacon

New vegans, trying everything. Thanks for this recipe. Came out perfect.
Had one problem. When I went to cut rice paper it shattered, WHY?

As a lifelong Vegan, i love this. I never was much for bacon, but this is a great option. I do mine in the air fryer. I wish more people did this and less are actual pork. Thank you for this. 
Edgy Veg is also claiming this recipe. As long as  Vegans are putting this out there, it's all great!

Used TVP instead of tofu because that's what I had on-hand, and it was absolutely delicious. Thank you for sharing this with the world.

https://mediavine-res.cloudinary.com/video/upload/t_original/v1675349456/i2pZED8mT.mp4

Vegan bacon made with rice paper and tofu.

Tofu Bacon is a delicious, high protein alternative to meat! The tofu is thinly sliced, marinated and baked until crispy. It&#x27;s smoky, crispy, chewy and full of flavor!

Tofu Bacon

block super firm tofu*

soy sauce ((use tamari

liquid smoke

spray oil

Remove tofu from the package and pat dry with a paper towel. If you don&#x27;t have the super firm variety, you will need to press your tofu now.

Slice the tofu very thin, about 1/8th inch thick. Place the tofu slices in a shallow bowl or container that you can marinate in.

In a medium bowl, whisk the low sodium soy sauce, tomato paste, maple syrup and liquid smoke together until smooth. Pour over the tofu slices and let them marinate for 1 hour in the refrigerator (overnight is fine is you prefer).

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and spray a large baking sheet with oil. You could also line with parchment paper, but the oil works better.

Transfer the tofu strips to the baking sheet, saving the marinade for later. Spray the tops of the tofu slices with oil and bake for 20 minutes. Flip gently (I used a fork), brush a little more marinade on, spray with oil again and bake for 15-20 more minutes.

Be very careful not to burn them at this point. How long they will take depends on how thin you sliced them. Watch carefully; you want them to be crispy in places but not blackened to a crisp all over. If you prefer a chewy tofu bacon, take them out sooner. For crispier bacon, you may want to bake them a few extra minutes.

Remove from the oven and serve immediately as a side dish, or between bread slices with vegan mayo, lettuce and tomato for Vegan BLT&#x27;s. Enjoy!

I have made this 3 times in as many weeks since finding the recipe, thank you!  Just what I needed for the perfect BLT!!

Love this recipe! It’s my go to tofu bake- I’ve done it at least 3 times now. I like my slices thicker for ease of handling. They aren’t crispy, but they last longer in the fridge &amp; are great cold! Cold they remind me of deli meats. I use less maple syrup or skip it altogether, substitute sriracha &amp;/or ketchup for the tomato paste (I never have it handy), and add a few spices like garlic powder, chili powder or cayenne. Using a nonstick sheet is absolutely the best way to go.

I’m a big follower of your recipes, Nora, but I made this tofu bacon and we found it to be too salty and heavy on the liquid smoke.  I’m wondering if the measurements are correct.  If I were to make it again, I definitely would reduce the amount of smoke and soy sauce.

I’ve made this several times and I don’t know why I don’t make it more often. It’s very good and easy. Have you ever tried marinating soy curls with this marinade? I may have to try it sometime.

This was a very easy to follow recipe and preparation was a breeze.  I have not had the best of luck with tofu until this recipe.  I will make this again and again! It was fantastic!

Not sure if I've rated this before but I've been using this recipe for years. It's so good and I prefer it to any of the store bought bacon I've tried. Thank you so much! When I'm in a hurry I'll marinate it for 10/20 minutes, dust with cornstarch, and then pan fry in oil for 8/10 minutes on medium. It's best following all of your instructions but sometimes you just need a BLT ASAP ;-) Thank you for another amazing recipe, Nora!

I am
Enjoying the each recipe. Thank you.

Meet the dreamiest vegan bacon of your dreams, made from paper thin slices of baked tofu and seasoned with all the umami and smokey flavors you expect from a great bacon without any of the cruelty and cholesterol. Make a protein packed BLT sandwich both your taste buds and your conscience feel good about eating.

Vegan Tofu Bacon

oz block super firm or extra firm tofu ((sliced thin with a mandoline))

Tbsp shoyu

Tbsp olive oil (+ extra as needed)

tsp sweet smoked paprika

yeast

Tbsp liquid smoke

granulated garlic

tsp dijon mustard

sea salt flakes

preheat oven to 400&quot;F

Preheat oven to @400”F and prepare a large rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

some the tofu into thin ribbons

Pat dry the tofu block (DO NOT PRESS) and using a mandolin slice it thin on the tall and skinny side of the tofu and on the thinnest setting of the mandolin. You will get different size ribbons here that will bake beautifully with crisp edges and can be piled up high in a sandwich delivering both the crisp and chewiness we are after. (If you want perfect uniform slices you should use the second thinnest setting on the mandolin, the final texture will be more chewy overall bc of the thickness).

season tofu

In a shallow bowl mix together all the seasonings then coat the tofu in the mixture or marinade for later use. Do your best to get a nice coating all over and expect some tearing of the slices throughout because they are so thin.

transfer tofu to baking sheet

Place the coated tofu on the baking sheet spreading it out as best you can but don’t worry about them overlapping and sticking to each other. They will shrink during baking and deliver beautiful texture. Finish with a light drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt flakes over the top (you will need to work in batches and use two baking sheets to fit all the tofu).

bake the tofu bacon

Bake in the preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes until golden brown and crisp to your liking. Keep an eye on it to make sure you don’t burn it unless that’s your intention. (Keep in my mind it’s going to continue to crisp up as it cools down).

cool

Allow it cool for a few minutes while you start assembling your sandwich.

assemble your vegan BLT

SERVE: make a lightly toasted brioche sandwich piled up high with the tofu bacon, juicy heirloom tomato, avocado, beautiful lettuce or tons of micro greens.

You never need to buy the package stuff ever again, this recipe is perfect with outstanding flavor and texture, saltiness, smokiness, this really checks all the boxes for the perfect summer BLT sandwich. Well done!

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/03B4aQyW.mp4

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Top 5 tofu bacon recipes from across the web

The most viewed tofu bacon recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

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Smoky Tofu Bacon

Vegan Bacon

Vegan Bacon

Tofu Bacon

Vegan Tofu Bacon

The most viewed tofu bacon recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine