I'm obsessed with vegan tempeh bacon. I adore the BLT sandwich at Teany in NYC, featuring a smoky tempeh bacon. So, I needed my own recipe. Especially since I wanted to make a vegan club sandwich. You can't have a club without bacon! My recipe is a bit spicy, a tad sweet and a little smoky. And a lot yummy...
Tempeh Bacon Fills the Void. From sandwiches to tofu scrambles. Life calls for a little 'facon' (fake-in) once in a while. Thus vegan tempeh bacon fills the void. My recipe isn't as smoky as most I've seen. I'm not big on really smoky flavors. I wanted a more barbecue-ish flavor. So here's the recipe...
Tempeh Bacon, Vegan Facon
makes about 1/2 cup
*enough for 1-2 sandwiches
5 ounces tempeh (2/3 a standard 8 ounce pack)
1-2 Tbsp maple or agave syrup
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp cumin
a dash of cayenne
1 tsp liquid smoke (or BBQ spices)
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp thick black pepper
for pan: 1 tsp olive oil
*if you don't have liquid smoke use any of these BBQ spice combos:
(garlic, pepper, paprika and onion)
To make:
Very thinly slice the tempeh.
As thin as you can slice it without it falling apart.
Combine all ingredients in a shallow dish.
Soak tempeh in marinade for 1-2 minutes.
Turn saute pan on high, add 1 tsp olive oil.
Lay the tempeh flat on skillet. One layer only. Drizzle a bit of excess marinade onto skillet-it should be sizzling a lot now.
Allow to cook for 1 minute, then flip.
Allow to cook for another minute on other side-or until both sides are crisp and browned.
Lay cooked tempeh on parchment paper to cool.
For a crisper tempeh bacon, do not pour excess marinade in skillet, and allow all liquid to steam off of pan while cooking.
Uses: sandwiches, sides, sliced into salads, soups and heck even desserts. (If I see bacon in desserts, we can put tempeh facon in there too!) Although, I don't recommend it really.
Tempeh Bacon Recipe. Vegan 'Facon' for All.
Posted on 6/11/2009
4:03 PM
by Kathy
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13 Responses to "Tempeh Bacon Recipe. Vegan 'Facon' for All.":
These look like the greasy, dirty bacon I remember.
I buy those boxed fake bacon strips and they're good, but they aren't greasy enough. Too dry.
These look amazing. Trying this soon.
Tracy,
Haha. At first I thought this was a mean comment! Dirty and Greasy doesn't sound to yummy or healthy. But I guess bacon should be kinda greasy huh? If you want less greasy-just use a paper towel to dry. But as is, this facon is AMAZING! I hope you try it.
...and much cheaper to make it yourself than buy the pre-made vegan bacon!
Thanks for the comment
Kathy
Wow - bacon for all! Nice! The Jew in me appreciates this :)
Hillary
Chew on That
Hey Kathy --
Sorry my comment was confusing! haha I tried these tonight and they were A-mazing. Loved it and so did the hubby. Mine were a bit thicker, but I was putting it on a sandwich so it worked well.
Thanks for the awesome recipe!!
-- Tracy
Looks pretty delicious...I would love to give it a try. Have you ever tried baking it? I have always baked my bacon since I hate the grease, so I just wondered if you thought this was a possibility...amazing creativity as always :)
I just had tempeh bacon for breakfast yesterday and wish I'd seen yours first! I can't believe how thinly you managed to slice it--any tips on how to get it that thin?
Ricki,
A tip on how to get it that thin...well I honestly just slice it as thin as I can-without it falling to pieces in the pan. Here is one tip: Sometimes I will drop the DRY sliced thin tempeh in a cold saute pan and then add the marinade to the pan, then cook it. (Rather than soaking the tempeh in a bowl and transferring to the hot pan.)
A dry tempeh slice is much easier to transfer than a wet (marinated) tempeh strip.
Hope that helps a bit. Practice makes perfect...
Kathy
This was amazing kathy!! I had it on the side with the pasta I cooked tonight. I am in tempeh heaven now. Thank you!
I am so glad I found this recipe! It is far superior to other tempeh bacon recipes I've tried (and store bought) that are just too tart and not very savory. I admit, I make some modifications for my tastes. I decrease the maple syrup just a bit (I LOVE the addition, but it's a little too overpowering) and add about a clove of FRESH garlic... mmmm... great on a BLT wrap with spinach!
Thanks for posting!
Salty-Sweet-Savory Note:
I received a comment that the bacon was too sweet for one eater. Yes this is a 'salty-sweet' facon. The agave adds a tangy sweetness and that nice glazed look. If you want a more savory-salty tempeh bacon, simply reduce the agave syrup. Tempeh bacon is incredibly easy to adjust to your salty-sweet preference...as well as whatever meal you are serving it with.
~Kathy
Can't wait to try this. I am on a mission to say goodbye to soy protein isolate. Have you tried making large batches of this? Have you stored it overnight? Just looking for advice. If I figure it out on my own, I will get back to you.
Heather,
I have never tried storing it. I imagine you could marinate the tempeh overnight and simply throw it on a skillet in a bit of oil.
I did use tempeh bacon bits in my Thanksgiving stuffing - which was stored overnight and the bits were delicious and super flavorful. However, you can only get that nice crispness right after cooking.
Hope it turns out deliciously!
Kathy
Heather --
I make this recipe all the time, because it's awesome, and I always store it over night (usually for lunch the next day at work). It's not as crispy the next day, but they're really good still.
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