*This post may contain affiliate links. Read more »
This tempeh bacon recipe is the cure for limp, lifeless vegan bacon. You're going to have the absolute BOMB BLT in your hands in under 30 minutes with pantry ingredients you probably already have.
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Cinnamon Snail.
Compared to seitan bacon and carrot bacon, everyone can accept that tempeh bacon just doesn't look nearly as much like the real thing. But no one's going to argue that it doesn't make the most legendary vegan breakfast sandwiches out there. I guess that's why this style of veggie bacon is kinda the OG version that's been keeping us vegans alive for decades, long before people started getting super creative with what to baconize next.
It absolutely levels up a chipotle seitan vegan breakfast burrito, stuffed with soft tofu scramble, and can be popped into a vegan omelette packed with spinach and potatoes, into a total brunch flex. Or serve it beside a sky-high stack of vegan pancakes for the kind of sweet-savory magic that wins breakfast potluck championships.
Alright, grab that tempeh and let's cook these bad boyos up!
Jump to:
🥰 Why you'll adore this tempeh bacon recipe
✊ Vegan AF and GF: Like all my vegan breakfast recipes, this bacon harms no one who clucks, oinks, or moos. It's one of my gluten-free vegan recipes that people who love gluten can still get seriously down with.
👌 Batch-Cook Friendly: Make a double batch and keep leftovers in the fridge for BLTs, scrambles, or late-night fridge raids.
✅ Tested and Approved Worldwide: Like all my vegan recipes, this has been tested, tweaked, and triumphantly devoured-the-heck-out-of by hundreds of dedicated recipe testers from all over the world.
I'm on my knees staring weirdly into your eyes, asking you in a soothing voice to be my taste-testing partner in crime. Sign up for the recipe testing crew and get early access to new recipes before they're published.
🌱Tempeh Bacon Ingredients
Tempeh
Use a firm, less-crumbly variety of tempeh-plain soy tempeh is your best bet for slicing without breakage. Multigrain or rice-heavy tempeh varieties tend to fall apart more easily when cut, making them less ideal here. If the flavor's too strong for you, a quick steam for 10 minutes before marinating can help mellow it.
If this is your first time messing with tempeh, you should totally check out some traditional Indonesian recipes like sambal goreng tempeh, sayur lodeh, and tempe mendoan next.
Toasted Sesame Oil
Toasted sesame oil adds a subtle, toasty richness that rounds out the savory profile. If you don't have toasted sesame oil, the recipe also works when made with olive oil, avocado oil, or other neutral-tasting cooking oils.
Liquid Smoke
Liquid smoke might sound like something artificial (or something you saw the last time you were tripping), but it's just real wood smoke that's been condensed into liquid form.
A few drops of hickory or mesquite turn this tempeh bacon into a smoky bombshell, no actual smoking, like my vegan breakfast sausage recipe makes you do. I use it in a ton of vegan meat recipes: vegan pepperoni, vegan hot dogs, vegan ham-you name it.
Smoked Paprika
Top-shelf Spanish smoked paprika is what brings the subtle smoke to vegan chili (uh, even if it's in a hat...), vegan shawarma, and vegan yakitori. Use the sweet kind for a mellow heat or swap out with chipotle powder if you want more fiery flavor.
Molasses
Molasses adds that rich, meaty mineral flavor that the bacon normally gets quite a bit of. Regular unsulfured molasses has a smoother flavor than blackstrap, which can be a bit too bitter for this, in my opinion.
Sriracha
Obviously, you know sriracha. But, didja know you can make the stuff from scratch using my homemade sriracha recipe? If you want to tweak the flavor of this bacon, you can swap the sriracha out for chili garlic sauce, New Mexico red chile sauce, or just about whatever hot sauce you already have open in your fridge, as long as it's not way too hot.
If you are the biggest gringo in the galaxy and need this totally un-spicy, sub in ketchup.
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
🤯Vegan Bacon Variations
Tofu Bacon
Tofu bacon drinks up marinades and fries into dense, chewy strips with golden edges. Like tempeh, tofu bacon doesn't look much like bacon, but it rocks in a BEC Sammy or layered into a vegan breakfast casserole.
Seitan Bacon
Chewy, crisp, and very realistic-looking, seitan bacon offers seriously meaty vibes that make your vegan breakfast sandwiches and burgers way more legit.
Rice Paper Bacon
The fastest to cook, and probably the most crisp, rice paper bacon delivers crunch more than substance. It's low-protein but packs smoky flavor that is awesome crumbled on top of salads.
Carrot Bacon
Carrot bacon fries up quickly and is light. It's sweeter and goes great scrambled up with onions, peppers, and homemade Just Egg.
Grab my easy-yo-use app that builds your whole week with real, chef-tested vegan dinners in 30 seconds, customized to your budget, time, and taste, with a shopping list sorted by aisle.
📖 How to make tempeh bacon
Just here for the instructions? Scroll to the bottom for the easy-to-print recipe card and get to cooking. Otherwise, let's get the show on the road.
Step One
Miami Slice:
Cut the tempeh crosswise into uniform strips, about 0.5 cm (¼ inch) thick, using a mandoline or sharp knife.
Step Two
Uneven Steven:
Cut the bacon into intentionally uneven, long strips, which look a bit more bacon-like than perfect rectangles do.
Step Three
We Whisk You a Merry Christmas:
In a cup or bowl, combine tamari, toasted sesame oil, liquid smoke, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, molasses, sriracha, and maple syrup. Whisk until fully combined.
Step Four
Ralph Mari-Nader:
Place the tempeh slices in a pie pan or into a wide, shallow dish and cover with the marinade in a single layer. Flip each piece to coat completely. Marinate for 20 minutes, carefully flipping halfway through.
Step Five
Fries and Dolls:
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. After 90 seconds, add the tempeh strips without overlapping. Cook for 2-3 minutes per side, turning once, until browned and crisp. Repeat with remaining strips, adding oil as needed.
Step Six
Pour Decisions:
Return all tempeh to the skillet. Add any leftover marinade and cook until the liquid is fully absorbed or evaporated.
Step Seven
Cool Runnings:
Move the cooked tempeh to a clean kitchen towel or rack. Let cool briefly to firm up before serving.
50+ of my own family's fave recipes. Carefully concocted to win over even your most anti-vegan friends.
💡Serving Ideas
Serve your tempeh bacon next to an awe-inspiring tower of Hong Kong french toast or a stack of vegan banana pancakes.
Slap it on a bagel with cashew cream cheese and carrot lox. Or slide it under the tofu in vegan eggs Benedict, drizzled with vegan hollandaise.
Use it to top off your vegan shakshuka, or use it as a gluten-free bacon option in my cheddar bacon vegan breakfast hash recipe.
Wrap it into vegan blintzes or sink it into a sabich sandwich stuffed with roasted eggplant and a swipe of garlicky toum.
👉Top tips
- Slice Evenly: Consistent 0.5 cm slices ensure even cooking and a better final texture. Slices of uneven thickness will cook at different rates and lead to burnt edges or undercooked centers. If you have one, a mandoline keeps your slices uniform.
- Fry in Batches: Avoid crowding the skillet, or your strips will steam instead of crisping. Give each slice room to sizzle. This step guarantees those golden edges.
- Watch Your Heat: Medium-high heat ensures steady browning without burning the marinade sugars. High heat may caramelize too fast and turn bitter.
- Rest Before Serving: A short cooling time on a wire rack lets the bacon crisp up and firm as steam escapes from all sides.
🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
Only if you use certified gluten-free tempeh and tamari (as most regular soy sauces are brewed with wheat). Double-check the packaging to be safe.
Absolutely. Bake the marinated strips at 375°F (190°C) on a parchment-lined sheet for 20 minutes, flipping halfway for even crisping.
❄️Refrigerating:
Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
🔥Stovetop Reheating:
Use a skillet over medium heat with a splash of oil to crisp it back up. Or pop it in a 375°F (190°C) oven for 5-7 minutes.
✌️You'll love these vegan breakfast recipes too:
Get a massive discount on all of my popular vegan brunch classes and become a plant-based breakfast champion!
Tempeh Bacon
Equipment
- Mandoline optional
Ingredients
- 8 oz. Tempeh use a non-crumbly variety, like soy tempeh
Bacon Marinade:
- 3 tablespoons tamari or other soy sauce of your preference
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons liquid smoke
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons molasses
- 2 teaspoons sriracha
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
To fry the bacon:
- 2 tablespoons canola oil vegetable oil, or sunflower oil
Instructions
- Using a mandoline slicer or a sharp knife, slice the tempeh into thin, even sheets, approximately 0.5 cm (¼ inch) thick.
- Cut those sheets into long, irregular strips that are more natural than perfect rectangles.
- In a cup or bowl, whisk together the tamari, toasted sesame oil, liquid smoke, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, molasses, sriracha, and maple syrup until smooth.
- Place the tempeh strips into a pie pan or wide shallow bowl and cover with the marinade. Turn each piece to coat all sides evenly. Let marinate for 20 minutes, carefully flipping once halfway through.
- Heat the oil in a large nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium heat. After 90 seconds when the oil is hot, place several tempeh strips in the skillet without overlapping. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes per side, turning once, until browned and crisp on the edges. Repeat with the remaining tempeh, adding more oil to the skillet as needed.
- Place all cooked tempeh back into the pan and pour any remaining marinade over it. Continue cooking until all liquid has either absorbed or evaporated.
- Transfer the cooked strips to a clean kitchen towel or rack to cool and stiffen briefly before serving.
Notes
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Cinnamon Snail.
Tee Hansen says
If you've been skeptical about tempeh texture like I have, this recipe will actually change your mind. Consider me converted!