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Forget those stuck-together, Band-Aid colored slices you've been afflicted with for years. This glorious-tasting seitan bacon recipe is a well-tested smoky masterpiece, crafted from two contrasting doughs: one chewy and fatty, the other meaty and speckled with bits of guajillo chile. This is, hands down, the most realistic vegan bacon I've ever served on my popular food truck.
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Serve this bacon in a vegan breakfast bowl, or in a fluffy vegan omelette packed with spinach and potatoes. Or line it up next to a stack of vegan pancakes with soft scrambled tofu and watch your morning mood turn around real quick. Or just eat it hot from the pan like you've got zero chill.
Get ready for the sizzle that gives each strip the right balance of chewy and crisp. And that glaze? It's a smoky-maple-laced situation that caramelizes into every naturally shaped nook.
This seitan bacon is absolutely unhinged in the best way possible!!
The chewy-meets-crispy texture is spot-on, and that tamari-maple-liquid smoke marinade combo is absolute perfection! This stuff will fool your most skeptical carnivores! It did mine!
This isn't just good "for vegan food"...it's legitimately exceptional, period!
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🥰Why you'll adore this seitan bacon recipe
✊ Vegan AF: Like all my vegan breakfast recipes, this one's piggy-free and contains no cholesterol either.
🔥 Layered for Drama: The marbled fat-meets-meat effect isn't just for looks, it fries up into a crisp-chewy texture that's absurdly realistic.
🧊 Make-Ahead Friendly: Slice and freeze, then fry up just what you need. Crispy bacon dreams on demand.
✅ Tested and Approved Worldwide: Like all my vegan recipes, this one's been tested and tweaked by a massive squad of hundreds of recipe testers, and it totally delivers.
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.
🌾Seitan bacon ingredients
Vital Wheat Gluten
Vital wheat gluten is the structural backbone of this recipe. When mixed with liquid, it builds the stretchy, chewy texture that gives seitan its signature bite. It's a must-have in vegan meat recipes like vegan Italian sausage and bean-stuffed turkey loaf.
Wheat Starch
Wheat starch softens the texture of the "fat" dough slightly, making it more pliable and easier to layer with the "meat" dough. It's the same starch used in chee cheong fun to give that tender, bouncy texture. You can sub in potato starch or arrowroot if needed. I haven't tested this recipe with cornstarch or tapioca, though, so proceed at your own risk and def. report back with your findings if you experiment!
Dried Chilies
Guajillo chilies set the flavor tone for the "meat" dough. Soaking them in hot water makes them soft and blendable. You can swap in ancho chilies or hatch chilies (use an extra one if they are on the small side). These dried beauties also star in my salsa verde, vegan carne asada, salsa macha, and vegan picadillo, so keep a stash in your pantry to deal with your life's many flavor emergencies.
The Soy Sauce
Tamari is my top pick here-fermented, mellow, and umami-packed without the harsh salt slap of standard soy sauce. Bonus: it's naturally gluten-free (not that the rest of this recipe is at all), which makes it easy to keep on hand as your only soy sauce if you cook for GF folks sometimes. But coconut aminos, nama shoyu, or whatever regular soy sauce you bought. A 55-gallon drum from Sam's Club 300 years ago will work too.
Liquid Smoke
Believe it or not, this stuff's not some artificial chemical wizardry. Natural liquid smoke is legit condensed wood smoke, bottled for easy kitchen glory. Hickory or mesquite brings that liquid hammy illusion (that may or may not have been something from a bad acid trip I experienced in my teenage years…) in just a few drops. I rely on the stuff to make a ton of my vegan meat recipes like vegan pepperoni, vegan hot dogs, and of course, vegan ham.
The Pepper Powders
Spanish smoked paprika is KEY to the flavor of this recipe, and is also the bomb in everything from vegan chili (...uh, in a true human hat) to vegan shawarma and vegan yakitori. Meanwhile, chipotle powder, which is in the external glaze, cranks up the heat and adds even more smoke.
Asafetida
Asafetida is a potent spice with subtly garlicky, onion-y notes. I think it really helps to flavor the fat layer of this recipe, but if you can't find any, just leave it out. It's a key player in a ton of vegan Indian recipes like vegan tikka masala, aloo gobi, and vegan butter chicken.
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
🤯 Gluten-Free Vegan Bacon Recipes
Is vital wheat gluten your kryptonite? These 4 alternatives also rock, and are a wee bit less work than this seitan bacon recipe, too.
Tofu Bacon
Pressed extra firm tofu soaks up smoky marinades like it was born to do it, then sears into chewy strips with golden edges. It's def. not fooling anyone into thinking it's meat, but toss this tofu bacon in a vegan BEC and you'll stop caring real quick.
Rice Paper Bacon
Ultra thin and hyper crisp, this one crunches like bacon chips, and cooks so friggin' fast! Rice paper bacon is great on loaded ago toast or as a topper to salads with shaved vegan Parmesan cheese.
Tempeh Bacon
Tempeh's fermented funk gives you a deeper umami vibe and great flavor absorption. Not your crispy king, there's a reason why tempeh bacon is the OG vegan option that's been around for longer than I have even been vegan, which is basically 1,000 years, or whatever.
Carrot Bacon
Carrot bacon leans into sweet-savory territory. It's not a meat stand-in, but chop it and scramble it with peppers, onions, and some homemade Just Egg, and you will be super-friggin-psyched.
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 seitan bacon
Follow these step-by-step with helpful tips to build beautifully marbled, flavor-packed bacon. If you're in a hurry, scroll to the easy-to-print recipe card below.
Step One
Netflix and Chile:
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Pour boiling water over ancho or guajillo chilies in a bowl. Cover and steam for 10 minutes.
✅ The chilies will rehydrate more completely, and therefor blend up more thoroughly later on if you press them down into the hot water so that they are submerged as they steam.
Step Two
Fat's Just the Way It Is:
While the chilies rehydrate, process all "fat dough" ingredients for a full 2 minutes in a food processor. Remove and let rest for 5 minutes.
Step Three
All's Well That Blends Well:
Place the soaked chilies along with all of their soaking water and the remaining "meat dough" ingredients into a food processor and puree them for a full 2 minutes. Remove and let rest for 5 minutes.
Step Four
Don't Hate the Layer, Hate the Game:
Divide both doughs into 3 equal parts. Flatten and stack in alternating layers, pressing each one firmly.
✅ I find really compressing each portion aggressively between my hands and giving them a little stretch makes it easier to elongate the pieces enough to more easily fill the loaf pan.
Step Five
Baking and Entry:
Press the layered dough into an oiled loaf pan. Cover with foil and bake for 35-40 minutes until mostly firm to the touch.
✅ Don't just stack the pieces and call it a day. Really smush them into the pan, and take some care to press some areas a lot more than others. That will result in more natural, uneven streaks of fat and meat in the bacon, which looks more realistic than even alternating stripes.
Step Six
Freeze A Bad Mama Jama:
Cool the baked loaf in the freezer for 30-45 minutes until firm, cool, and easy to handle. Slice thin with a very sharp knife, or if the seitan is semi-frozen, by using a mandoline.
✅ If not using immediately, you can chill it overnight in the refrigerator instead of slicing.
Step Seven
The Bloods and The Crisps:
Preheat your oven to 400°F (205°C). Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the strips for 2-3 minutes per side until crispy.
✅ If you are cooking in batches, add additional oil if needed in between batches to prevent burning your bacon.
Step Eight
Glazed and Confused:
Mix tamari, liquid smoke, chipotle powder, tomato paste, water, and maple syrup. Place the bacon in a bowl and toss it with the sauce until it is thoroughly coated.
Step Nine
Roastbusters:
Place the bacon on a parchment-lined baking pan and bake at 400°F (205°C) for 6-7 minutes until firm (but not completely hard) and the marinade has absorbed and lightly caramelized onto the surface of the bacon.
50+ of my own family's fave recipes. Carefully concocted to win over even your most anti-vegan friends.
💡Serving Ideas
Serve your glorious looking bacon next to a scoop of vegan french toast casserole or a stack of vegan banana pancakes.
It's the perfect thing to sneak into a vegan breakfast sandwich, to use in a bacon cheddar vegan breakfast hash, or to layer into a shredded potato-crusted vegan breakfast casserole.
Slap it on a bagel with cashew cream cheese and carrot lox. Or slide some under the tofu in vegan eggs Benedict, drizzled with vegan hollandaise.
Chop up little pieces of the bacon to garnish your vegan shakshuka, or fold it into the mix for vegan frittata or vegan quiche.
Or go the hyper-savory route: tuck it into vegan blintzes or jam it into a vegan sabich sandwich with roasted eggplant and a proper slather of garlicky toum.
👉Top tips
- Layer it Naturally: Natural bacon has some slight marbling instead of even stripes. You should kinda smush and man-handle the seitan as you press it into the pan to give a more naturally uneven composition of fat and meat layers.
- Cool Before You Cut: Always chill the loaf completely before slicing. Actually, a semi-frozen loaf is way easier to cut thin if you are using a mandoline or meat slicer.
- Don't Crowd the Skillet: Fry the slices in batches to keep the pan hot and avoid steaming. Overcrowding makes the bacon absorb oil, and can make it burn in spots if you aren't careful.
- Be careful not to overcook: When frying, don't try to make the bacon super hard and dark. Remember, it's also going to be baked for a while, and you don't want it all nasty, black, and burnt by then!
🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
You can, but it won't get as crispy. Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 12-15 minutes, flipping halfway. If you're going this route, brush the slices with a little oil before baking so it doesn't dry out.
Preheat your air fryer to 375°F (190°C). Lightly brush both sides of the sliced seitan bacon with oil to keep the texture tender and prevent it from drying out. Place strips in a single layer and cook for 4-5 minutes, flipping halfway.
Watch closely during the last minute as they crisp up fast. If you're adding glaze, brush it on during the last 30 seconds and cook just until it starts to set.
❄️ Refrigerating: Store cooked strips in a sealed container for up to 6 days. Make sure you let them cool completely before storing.
🧊 Freezing: Freeze slices in a single layer, then transfer to a container or bag. Keeps for 2 months. No need to thaw before reheating, just go straight to the pan.
🔥Stovetop Reheating: Fry quickly in a lightly oiled pan over medium heat until crisp and heated through. It takes just 1-2 minutes per side.
✌️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!
Seitan Bacon
Ingredients
"Meat" Dough:
- ⅔ cup boiling water
- 2 dried guajillo chiles or ancho chilies
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon liquid smoke
- ¼ cup tamari
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup vital wheat gluten
"Fat" Dough:
- ½ cup vital wheat gluten
- 3 tablespoons wheat starch or potato starch
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon asafetida
- 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup refined coconut oil melted
- ¼ cup warm water
To Fry and Season:
- 1 tablespoon canola oil vegetable oil, or sunflower oil
- 2 teaspoons tamari
- ½ teaspoon liquid smoke
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon chipotle powder
- 2 teaspoons tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Pour boiling water over the guajillo chilies in a bowl, and place a plate or lid over the bowl so that the chilies steam and rehydrate for 10 minutes.
- While the chilies hydrate, place the "fat" dough ingredients into a food processor and process for 2 minutes until well combined. Remove the mixed dough and set aside to rest for 5 minutes.
- Place the soaked chilies and all of the liquids, along with the remaining "meat" dough ingredients, into a food processor, and process for 2 minutes until well combined. Remove the mixed dough and set aside to rest for 5 minutes.
- Divide each colored dough into 3 parts and flatten each portion, pressing them in alternating layers on top of each other.
- Press the layered dough into a well-oiled loaf pan and wrap the top of the pan with foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes until slightly firm.
- Allow the loaf of seitan dough to cool for at least 30 minutes in your freezer. And then thinly slice it thinly with a very sharp knife, or by using a mandolin slicer.
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (205°C). Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. After 90 seconds, when the oil is hot, fry the bacon on both sides for 2-3 minutes until just crisp.
- In a bowl, mix together the tamari, liquid smoke, chipotle powder, tomato paste, and water using the tines of a fork.
- Place the bacon into a bowl and toss it with the sauce until they are thoroughly coated.
- Place the bacon onto a parchment-lined baking pan and bake at 400°F (205°C) for 6-7 minutes until firm (but not completely hard) and the marinade has absorbed and lightly caramelized onto the surface of the bacon
Notes
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Lisa says
Ok - I have everything I need except the asafetida...is there something I can sub in for this? Thanks!
Adam Sobel says
Not really, but you can 100% just leave it out and the recipe will still be yummy.
Tee Hansen says
This seitan bacon is absolutely unhinged in the best way possible!!
The chewy-meets-crispy texture is spot-on, and that tamari-maple-liquid smoke marinade combo is absolute perfection! This stuff will fool your most skeptical carnivores! It did mine!
This isn't just good "for vegan food"...it's legitimately exceptional, period!