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Home » Basics » Black Pepper Tempeh Bacon

Black Pepper Tempeh Bacon

April 9, 2019 By Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan 6 Comments

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Apparently I just can’t be stopped until I create a bacon analogue out of every plant under the sun! I am utterly and completely hooked on tempeh bacon right now. Today I’ll be showing you how to make amazing tempeh bacon that’s as good as a restaurant’s, and then later I will show you how to turn it into one of my favorite sandwiches of my life thus far.

Six slices of tempeh bacon sprinkled with black pepper on top of a piece of bread with lettuce

What is tempeh bacon?

Nobody’s claiming that this bacon-ish confection tastes just like the kind made from animals, but it is:

  • Rich, salty and savory, with a hint of smoky sweetness
  • Chewy in the center and crispy around the edges
  • Great for sandwiches, snacking, or turning into bits

Tempeh itself is a food made from whole soybeans that are cooked and then cultured, forming a solid shape that can be sliced thinly like bacon. It has an earthy and slightly sour flavor on its own, but is a sponge for flavors and a great source of nutrition.

To make tempeh bacon, you’ll marinate tempeh in a seasoned marinade, then bake it in the oven on a rack to get it nice and crispy, while brushing it with more seasoning. Let it cool until crisp and then you’re ready to rock! The whole thing doesn’t take more than a few minutes of hands-on time.

Why make tempeh bacon at home?

In 2019, there are countless brands of tempeh bacon that you can buy at your local Whole Foods, other natural stores, or even your neighborhood grocer if you’re lucky! Some common brands are Lightlife and Tofurky.

Closeup of a pile of many strips of tempeh bacon on a white plate.

I’ve tried most of the products available to me, and along the way, I noticed that store-bought tempeh bacon never seems to taste as good as the kind I’ve tried at restaurants. I recalled one of my cardinal rules of recreating restaurant dishes (which I often do to save money): use plenty of salt and fat.

Many homemade tempeh bacon recipes are fried; my version is baked, as a compromise. Nevertheless, oil is important for both dispersing the flavor evenly as well as for getting the proper texture and for diminishing any tempeh aftertaste. So, if you’re looking for a no oil/oil-free recipe, I’m afraid I don’t have that on offer. That said, the tempeh definitely doesn’t absorb the full amount of oil in the marinade, so it’s not as bad as it might sound :).

Overhead view of about a dozen pieces of tempeh bacon arranged randomly on a white plate with gray trim.

Is tempeh bacon healthy? I’m not sure if I would go that far. It is a source of some important nutrients but is also made with oil, maple syrup, and some products that are relatively high in sodium, so depending on your needs, it may or may not be an A+ healthy choice. However, relative to other vegan bacon substitutes it’s certainly no worse, and it’s definitely not fattening the way that “real” bacon is.

Another reason to make this recipe at home is that you can control the ingredients and guarantee that it is gluten-free by using gluten-free soy sauce or tamari. Soy sauce is a common ingredient in bacon-style vegan foods and does generally contain wheat.

Serving suggestions…

Some delicious ways to use tempeh bacon include:

  • Crumble it on top of your vegan mac and cheese
  • Enjoy it in a fried green tomato BLT
  • Chop it up and add it to your vegan caesar salad
  • Use it as a garnish for your vegan chowder
  • And much, much more…

If you give this tempeh bacon a try, let us know in the comments below, or tag me on Instagram (@yupitsvegan)!

Steps for making tempeh bacon: mixing the marinade, slicing the tempeh into thin strips, mixing the tempeh into the marinade, and lining up the tempeh pieces on an oven rack.

Black Pepper Tempeh Bacon | Yup, it's Vegan
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5 from 4 votes

Tempeh Bacon

Smoky black pepper tempeh bacon, made by marinating tempeh and then baking it until crisp. Great on sandwiches or for snacking.
Course basics, Breakfast
Cuisine dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free, refined sugar-free, vegan, vegetarian
Keyword tempeh bacon
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Marinating Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 32 strips
Calories 52kcal
Author Yup, it's Vegan

Ingredients

  • 8 oz tempeh
  • 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce (use tamari for gluten-free)
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste (can use ketchup)
  • 1 tbsp liquid smoke
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 3/4 tsp ground black pepper (reduce quantity if freshly ground)
  • 1/2 tsp hot paprika (see note)
  • 1/4 tsp onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder

Instructions

  • Take the block of tempeh and slice it into 32 approximately equally-sized thin strips. I do this by first cutting it in half, then into quarters, then eighths, etc. (see the photos in the blog post).
  • Mix together all of the remaining ingredients in a bowl until well combined. Add the tempeh pieces to the bowl and mix to coat. Let rest in the marinade for about 20 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and set a metal rack (I use my cooling rack) on top of a baking sheet (this is to catch drips). If desired, line the baking sheet with parchment paper to further ease cleanup. Lay the marinated tempeh strips on the rack, spacing them evenly. Brush them with a little bit of the extra marinade. Bake for 15 minutes.
  • Take the tempeh out of the oven and gently flip over all of the pieces. Brush the other side with additional extra marinade and then return to the oven for about 10 more minutes, or until just starting to crisp.
  • Let cool on the baking rack; the tempeh bacon will become even more crispy as it cools. Leftovers, once cooled to room temperature, can be stored in an airtight container for a few days.

Notes

HOT PAPRIKA: This marinade needs a bit of a kick to round the flavors out, so I used hot paprika, which I keep in stock. If you don't keep spicy paprika around, use 1/4 tsp regular or smoked paprika, and 1/4 tsp of cayenne or red pepper flakes.
NUTRITION: Nutrition facts are calculated using 3/4 of the marinade. Mine absorbed just over half so I've rounded up to be conservative.

Nutrition

Serving: 2strips | Calories: 52kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 88mg | Potassium: 62mg | Sugar: 1g

Adapted from my Tofu Bacon and inspired by Hudson Street Deli.

Be sure to also check out my Vegan Rice Paper Bacon for a quicker, lower-fat option!

 

Filed Under: Basics, Breakfast Tagged With: gluten-free, grain-free, legumes, meat analogues, nut-free, refined sugar-free, soy

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Comments

  1. Ron says

    June 28, 2020 at 19:30

    5 stars
    I’ve made a few different bacons. Been vegan 3 years. Have to learn. But this is the best bacon hands down

    Reply
  2. James says

    May 4, 2020 at 19:59

    I love this marinade; I make it all the time! The only problem I have is that when I refrigerate the tempeh+marinade, the marinade separates into a gel-like top and liquid bottom. Do you know of anything I could add to keep the marinade emulsified?

    Reply
  3. Kendra says

    May 19, 2019 at 11:23

    5 stars
    Oh, my goodness am I in love with this recipe. I’m really not much of a tempeh person, most of the time it has an aftertaste I find off-putting. But this recipe TOTALLY gets rid of that. The taste and texture are both awesome.I’ve found that my meat eating family likes it quite a bit too!

    Reply
  4. Morgan L says

    April 21, 2019 at 21:02

    5 stars
    Made this for Easter brunch and it was absolutely delicious!

    Reply
    • Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says

      April 22, 2019 at 06:57

      Glad to hear that!

      Reply
  5. Wholesome LLC says

    April 18, 2019 at 15:31

    5 stars
    We are excited to try this!!!!!

    Reply

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I'm Shannon, founder of Yup, it's Vegan! I'm a morning person based in Baltimore, USA. I create healthy plant-based recipes that everyone will love, using seasonal produce and global inspiration.
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