How To Make Tempeh Bacon

This is the most amazing tempeh bacon. It’s so easy to make, is gluten-free, and tastes reminiscent of conventional bacon.

This tempeh bacon is really easy to make. But, it is delayed satisfaction because you do need to wait to marinate the tempeh for at least 4 hours, and preferably for 12 hours (or overnight) for the best flavor. Then, you bake the tempeh bacon for almost an hour to get a crispy texture without burning it.

Just like with the mushroom stroganoff and French onion soup, I’m using the Massel vegan beef-flavored broth to make the marinade to boost the “meaty” flavor of this tempeh bacon. But, you can use any vegetable broth in this recipe.

To make the marinade, I’m using:

• Massel beef-flavored vegan broth (or any vegetable broth)
• gluten-free tamari and apple cider vinegar to boost the flavor
• liquid smoke – for a smoked bacon flavor
• maple syrup to round out the sharpness of the flavor
• chili powder, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper for a subtle spiciness

Once, you’ve dissolved and mixed all of the marinade ingredients together, I transfer the mixture to a rectangular shallow glass baking dish and lay the tempeh pieces into the dish so that the marinade evenly coats the tempeh pieces. Cover, and chill in the fridge so the flavors can mesh.

For the best results with this tempeh bacon, be sure to cut your tempeh in very thin slices, and make sure they’re evenly coated while they marinate. I check the tempeh half-way through the marination process and turn them over or redistribute if needed.

When you’re cooking the tempeh bacon, resist the urge to use less oil than I have prescribed. It may seem like a lot of oil. but you will need it to get the tempeh crispy while baking.

Once you’ve made your tempeh bacon it needs to be enjoyed immediately so can enjoy the crispy texture. If you leave it sitting it goes soft. It still tastes delicious, but it is not as crispy.

I love to enjoy this tempeh bacon in sandwiches. It’s also amazing as part of a breakfast spread with scrambled tofu or added to a caesar salad or other salad for croutons. Or, it’s a delicious snack on its own!

How To Make A Vegan BLT

To make a vegan BLT, toast slices of your favorite bread. I use gluten-free bread. But, toasted sourdough makes an epic vegan BLT.

Spread a generous amount of vegan mayo on both slices of bread. There are so many amazing commercial vegan mayo options on the market now. Take your pick. I always use homemade vegan mayo. Then, layer some lettuce, then slices of tomato, and then add slices of tempeh bacon. You could also put the tempeh bacon on top of the mayo so it gets coated with the mayo. But, I like to have the crunch in the middle of my sandwich. Whatever floats your boat. It doesn’t matter how you layer these vegan BLT’s, they are amazing.

When I shot the images for this tempeh bacon with my meat-loving creative team they absolutely freaked out and couldn’t believe how much this tempeh bacon tastes like real bacon. And they loved the BLT’s. I have served these to many meat-loving omnivores and everybody has loved them so far.

We have another photo shoot scheduled in August, and everybody has asked for the BLT’s for lunch on set! So, I guess we have a winner.

Massel Broths Are Vegan

For those of you not familiar with Massel broths, this is an Australian family-owned company that is a household name in Oz. Everybody I know uses their broth. The broth just happens to be vegan and gluten-free, as well as kosher, and low in carbs. But, this is a really mainstream product. People following all kinds of diets enjoy this, and Massel controls about 75% of the market in Australia. This broth is really popular.

I grew up using Massel broth. My mum was really particular about eating healthy food from scratch, and she always used the Massel broths. Massel utilizes quality ingredients in their products – premium olive oil, vegetables, herbs, and Southern ocean Australian salt.

For those of you in the United States, you can get Massel broth on Amazon.

Don’t miss making this tempeh bacon. It is epic.

*I’m an ambassador for Massel, but my opinions are my own.