Vegan BLT recipe
Smoky tempeh bacon is easy to make and goes great on a vegan BLT sandwich. Salty with a hint of sweetness, this tempeh bacon hits all of the same flavor notes as bacon and is cholesterol free! Learn how to make tempeh bacon.
What is tempeh?
Tempeh originated in Indonesia. It’s a fermented soy bean cake that is less processed than tofu because it’s made by fermenting the whole soybean instead of just the soymilk.
Tempeh is used as a healthy, high protein meat alternative and is often called “poor man’s meat” in Indonesia.
Tempeh is very good for you because it’s high in protein, prebiotics that feed your good gut bacteria, vitamins and minerals according to this Healthline article.
How to eat tempeh bacon
I love eating tempeh bacon just like you would bacon made from pigs or turkeys. You can put it in a vegan breakfast casserole, breakfast burrito, pizza or a vegan BLT sandwich as shown above.
How long will this last in the fridge
Tempeh bacon lasts for about a week in the fridge in an air tight container.
I like to keep it uncooked in the marinade until I’m ready to fry it up and eat it. This infuses the tempeh with even more flavor.
If you’d like to fry up the tempeh, I’ve read that you can freeze this and it will keep for a while, but I haven’t tried it myself.
Tips for making tempeh bacon
- Whenever you cook tempeh, you always either want to steam it or simmer it in some veggie broth. Doing this gets rid of the bitterness of the tempeh and I believe is non-negotiable if you want delicious tempeh.
- After simmering, cut the tempeh into strips and put into a storage bowl with a lid. Cover the tempeh with the marinade and put the lid on the bowl. Gently tip the bowl upside down and let the marinade cover every part of the tempeh. Marinate for at least 15 minutes.
- To make the tempeh more savory and bacon-like, you definitely want to pan fry it in a little oil. Make sure to heat up the pan and oil on medium heat for about a minute before adding the tempeh. Start with 1 TBL of oil and add more if needed.
- To infuse the veggie bacon even more, drizzle on a spoonful or two of the tempeh marinade while it’s cooking in the pan.
- To make the marinade, I use a simple mixture of soy sauce, maple syrup, tahini and liquid smoke. You can also add garlic powder if you’d like.
- I chose to use tahini instead of oil in the marinade because I love the savory flavor it adds.
How to make a vegan BLT sandwich
- Follow the recipe below on how to make veggie bacon
- Toast up some bread. Make your own with this easy vegan bread recipe!
- Spread vegan mayonnaise on the toast (my favorites are Veganaise or JUST mayo)
- Add on some lettuce, tomato and tempeh bacon and enjoy!
Delicious recipes to try next
- Baked buffalo cauliflower wings
- Easy BBQ tofu
- Loaded jackfruit nachos
- Easy lentil soup
- Vegan breakfast burrito
- Vegan scrambled egg
- Vegan breakfast casserole
- Vegan chicken
- Nashville hot sandwich
Smoky tempeh bacon
Ingredients
- 1 package tempeh
- 1 veggie bouillon cube (or 2 TBL of soy sauce)
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon tahini
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 teaspoon liquid smoke
Instructions
Simmer the tempeh
- Pour water into a sauce pan about halfway full. Add the veggie bouillon cube and turn the heat on high to get the water to boil. Once the water starts to boil, turn heat down to medium and bring the water to a simmer.1 veggie bouillon cube
- Cut the tempeh in half and add to the simmering broth on the stove. Simmer for 15-30 minutes. This will get rid of the bitter taste of the tempeh and infuse it with some more flavor.1 package tempeh
- Once the tempeh has simmered, take it out of a sauce pan and put it on a cutting board. Cut the tempeh into bacon sized strips.
Marinate
- Place the cut tempeh into a tupperware dish with a lid and add the soy sauce, tahini, maple syrup and liquid smoke.1 package tempeh, ¼ cup soy sauce, 1 tablespoon tahini, 2 tablespoon maple syrup, 2 teaspoon liquid smoke
- Place cover on the tempeh and gently tip the tempeh upside down so that the marinade covers each tempeh strip. Let this marinate for at least 30 minutes, overnight is best.
Pan fry
- Add 1 TBL of oil to a skillet and heat up the pan on medium heat for 1 minute.
- Add a few tempeh strips. Drizzle on a little of the marinade. Cook on each side for about 3 minutes or until tempeh becomes a little caramelized and golden brown.
To serve
- You can eat this with some tofu scramble in the morning, or throw it in a vegan breakfast burrito, sandwich or casserole.
- Or layer this on some bread with some vegan mayonnaise, lettuce and tomato to make a vegan BLT sandwich.
Video
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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