Tofu Bacon
The time has come for me to share my tofu bacon recipe with all of you! Now, I can just hear some of you screaming, ‘YES!!’
I can also hear some of you saying, ‘Tofu bacon? Gross…’
Ok, look… I get it. Really. I can see why you might be skeptical. I mean, tofu on its own is quite bland (like if you eat it cold and out of the package- which would be oh so silly). But that’s not what we’re doing here so you need to relax and drop the attitude.
LET’S BREAK IT DOWN
Bacon is mainly fat and salt, usually with a smoky flavor. Sometimes with a sweetness. Always with lots of umami (savoriness). So if we take a bland and juicy protein, like tofu, cut it into thin strips, season it correctly and add lots of fat, shouldn’t it cook and taste like bacon? The answer is YES. I even gave some to my next-door neighbor (who is very skeptical of tofu) and he told me he was very impressed. Success!
Regardless if you have a prejudice against tofu or you simply don’t think you would like this recipe, I dare you to try it. I truly think you will be surprised. The best part? This recipe is cheap, easy and quick to make.
Now if you’re smart like me, you will pick you up some juicy, summer tomatoes, a crisp head of iceberg lettuce, some fresh ciabatta rolls (or a killer sourdough loaf) and some vegan mayo. Having these on hand combined with the tofu bacon, will make you my favorite recipe of all time: a classic BLT. Now let’s get back to the bacon.
RULE #1!
Remember, we are trying to recreate the experience of eating bacon. That makes me think of chewy, crispy, salty, and fatty- all at the same time. When looking for tofu, go with extra firm or high protein. You need strength so that the slices aren’t too delicate. When slicing the tofu, you want to make sure you aren’t slicing too thin. This will make the strips cook faster and they may become too crunchy or burnt. Now, these characteristics are actually quite good for bacon, but not for the whole strip. Basically, don’t worry about making them perfectly even. You want variation in thickness as this will create variation in the crunch and the chew.
Also, I suggest gently patting the tofu strips with a paper towel once cut. You don’t need to squeeze the whole block of tofu- just remove any excess water from the strips. This will help the marinade to stick better. Ok, next!
TOFU BACON MARINADE
To help this marinade become one thick mixture, I like to add a little drop of yellow mustard which helps emulsify everything. Slowly drizzling in the oil after the initial ingredients are mixed leaves you with a thick marinade full of flavor which will beautifully coat the tofu strips. If you make your marinade in advance, simply whisk vigorously before using.
One important step to remember is to flip the tofu. This will encourage browning, crisping up each side perfectly. If you ended up adding a few smaller scrap pieces to the sheet pan, this would be a good time to gobble them up so they don’t burn. It’s also important to taste test your recipe as you go, right? Enjoy.
See that bubbling? That’s what we want, people! We want those strips of tofu to FRY. I remember making bacon as a teenager and seeing those same bubbles- don’t you? It’s a glorious sign that your tofu is fatty enough to compare to its traditional counterpart. However, so much better because little squooshy piggies are not involved.
A FEW NOTES BEFORE MAKING:
For this BLT, I highly recommend using ciabatta rolls because they are soft and chewy. This allows you to hold everything in as you bite them. For the may, I recommend using ‘Vegenaise’ but you can use your favorite vegan mayo.
I ONLY recommend iceberg lettuce, but, if you must, you can use romaine hearts. But whatever you do, don’t even think about using a soft lettuce like arugula or spinach. I will report you to the police.
This recipe is best served the day it is made.
Don’t crowd the sheet pan! By that, I mean don’t overlap the strips of tofu when you’re laying them out on the baking sheet. You want them to have plenty of room to be free and to express themselves. And by that, I mean become crispy.
Towards the end of the cooking time, feel free to check every five minutes, the visual cues you are looking for are edges starting to brown and curve.
Lastly, I always recommend Colgin liquid smoke. I think the hickory would work best for this, but the mesquite or pecan flavor would be just fine! This brand is delicious and not bitter which some liquid smokes can be. (I’ve had some that are straight up bad.) If you must use another brand, make sure it is not bitter otherwise it can ruin the whole recipe. If it is in fact bitter, pull back the full tablespoon to 1.5 teaspoons.
RECIPES THAT PAIR WELL WITH THIS TOFU BACON
ENJOY!
And there you have my amazing tofu bacon. I cannot wait to hear what y’all think. If you do make this recipe, please leave a comment and a rating below as this greatly helps my recipes to be seen! Lastly, if you share it on social media, please tag me. I love to see it. Happy cooking, y’all!
–Timothy
Tofu Bacon
Ingredients
- 1 14 ounce block extra firm tofu, (high protein is ideal)
- ¾ cup avocado or sunflower oil
- ⅓ cup nutritional yeast
- ½ cup tamari
- 1 tablespoon Colgin liquid smoke, hickory*
- ½ teaspoon yellow mustard
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Slice tofu into thin rectangles ⅛” thick (see pictures above) and pat dry with a towel, keeping any irregular or small pieces. Combine the oil, nutritional yeast, tamari, liquid smoke and mustard in a small bowl and whisk well. Dip each strip of tofu into the marinade and transfer to the baking sheet. Pour remaining marinade over the tofu. (When placing the strips on each sheet, dedicate one pan to the smaller pieces and tidbits. These will take less time to cook so keep an eye on them!)
- Bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
- Remove baking sheets from the oven and gently flip each strip with a fork. (Some of the smaller tidbits and scraps may be done at this point so please enjoy!) Rotate the baking sheets in the oven (top to bottom) and bake for another 20 – 35 minutes (check any smaller strips after 10 minutes) depending on your oven and how crispy you like your bacon!
- Definitely check the bigger strips at 20 minutes and if you think it’s done, it’s done. Or continue to bake for an additional 5-10 minutes until it’s crunchy on the edges. This will also depend on how thin or thick you slice the tofu. The thinner crisps will cook faster. Feel free to transfer to one sheet towards the end as the strips shrink in size. At this point, you should be very careful. Don’t wander too far out of the kitchen. You want to push the bacon to the point where it is about to burn but it doesn’t. The goal is to have variations of crispy, crunchy and chewy.
Notes
You are the real deal!
I’ve been Vegan for 8 years and I’ve eaten 4 BLTs and an Alfredo sauce in the last=t few days. ‘I just completed a double batch of bacon and I’m happy.
Thank you,
Bo
Ayy, so happy to hear this, Bo! It made my day. (Vegan for 19 years over here.) Happy Halloween!
Holy guacamole, this bacon (my teenagers call it Fake-in) is so good. I’ve made it about half a dozen times now, following the recipe exactly. Made a mistake this most recent time and accidentally used a full teaspoon of mustard and it didn’t hurt the recipe at all 😅
I’ve told everyone I know and I recently ordered the book as well. You’re amazing, and I’m so grateful to have found you ♥️
Ayyy, love to hear it, Kelly! I made this recipe recently and it does NOT last long (hehe)! Thank you for spreading the word and ordering the book. (There is a potato bacon in there that you might love.) New book is going into design and will come out next year! Happy cooking and thanks for being here.
just made your bacon, so good, this is the best recipe for sure! I didn’t have any mustard so I left it our, and it turned out fine.
thank you!!
I see it says best eaten the day it’s made…could I leave the tofu in the marinade and then just bake as needed? Or do I have to make the sacrifice 😏 of eating it all in one day?
You can definitely keep it marinated in the fridge and bake it off when you’d like! I am sure it would keep for up to a week that way! You can also eat it after one day, it just doesn’t stay as crispy. But you can also pop it back in the oven to toast it and it will come back to its original crunch if you want to reheat leftovers.
Thank you!
Wow wow wow! This was so smoky and delicious. Will be making again and again!
So happy to hear, Ericka! Thank you for letting me know!
I used your recipe as a springboard; and, ever since, I’ve probably never made a batch the same way each time. Today’s variation (one given staple is the nooch, gotta have that nooch) was preminced garlic, a combo of melted Earth Balance and sesame oil, Bragg’s Aminos, TJ’s Sofrito and Herbs de Provence, onion powder, coriander, dill weed, a couple squeezes of dijon mustard, liquid smoke, a lil maple syrup, a lil BBQ sauce, and a lil red wine. Just pulled it out of the oven letting it cool–fingers crossed!
So happy to hear that you are using the recipe to have fun and play! That sounds like an interesting combo and you’ve inspired me to push and pull with this recipe, too. Thanks for being here!
I made this yesterday (burned some of it a bit — will be more mindful of timing next time). Unlike others, I did not love the taste after I had cooked it. BUT, I included it in a BLT with gluten-free bread and HOT DAMN it was fantastic! Thanks for the recipe!
Glad to hear it worked out as a BLT!! It is my favorite sandwich, hands down. I hear you on the timing– it is a fine balance of pushing the bacon far enough without burning it. Thank you for letting me know and happy new year!
How would you adapt your recipe for an air fryer?
Hmm, I haven’t tested this with an air fryer and I actually don’t have one! But I would just make the recipe as written and then place them in the air fryer the best you can and cook them until crispy and chewy. Please let us know how turns out! I can’t imagine it being bad!
I used smoked tofu which is already moisture free (nearly) and has a convincing texture. Omitted liquid smoke and added coconut sugar for sweetness. Baked in half time. The mustard tip is genius, used Dijon.
Glad you liked it!!