Huge fan of vegan bacon recipes? Then you’ve gotta try my Tofu Bacon and Tempeh Bacon as well! It’s not every day that you hear “carrots” and “bacon” in the same sentence. That’s all about to change because this Vegan Bacon recipe is made from, you guessed it, carrots! The carrots are sliced thin, then soaked in a marinade made from soy sauce, liquid smoke, maple syrup, and a few other savory seasonings. That smoky sauce penetrates through the carrots, leaving them with a realistic bacony flavor. Bake the strips in the oven (or air fryer!) until they’re crisp and use them wherever you love that maple bacon flavor. Vegetarian bacon is nothing new, but vegans have been getting creative with the recipes in the past few years or so. The key to out-of-this-world plant-based bacon is in the marinade. As long as you have a good marinade, you can make vegan bacon out of pretty much anything. Tofu bacon and tempeh bacon have long been my favorites. Love and Lemons has proven that coconut flakes and shiitake mushrooms are fantastic soy free alternatives, while The Edgy Veg has perfected ultra-crispy rice paper bacon. There’s no telling what recipe creators will come up with next! The best part is you can use carrot bacon anywhere you’d use regular bacon; in BLT sandwiches, over a bowl of potato soup, in a breakfast casserole, and so much more. It’s a healthy alternative that tastes just like the real thing. Enjoy!
Ingredients needed (with substitutions)
Carrots – Medium-sized carrots are sliced into thin strips before being marinated and baked until crisp. Two carrots should be enough to feed the family, but go ahead and use more (plus more marinade) if you’re serving a crowd.Soy sauce – Use low sodium soy sauce to prevent the bacon from tasting overly salty. If you’re gluten free, use tamari instead.Olive oil – You can use another oil if you’d like, such as avocado oil or vegetable oil. It helps the carrot slices brown in the oven and improves the overall flavor.Maple syrup – This adds a touch of sweetness to every bite, just like real maple bacon.Liquid smoke – Try not to skip this! It’s the secret to a smoky, realistic vegan bacon.Tomato paste – This will thicken the marinade slightly and help it coat every inch of the bacon slices.Garlic powderOnion powderSmoked paprika – Or use regular paprika to tone down the smoky flavors.Black pepper
How to make vegan bacon
Find the complete printable recipe with measurements below in the recipe card. Wash and peel the carrots, and cut off the ends. Use a wide vegetable peeler to peel long, thick strips from the carrots. Save any really thin strips for salads (they’ll burn in the oven otherwise). Whisk all of the ingredients (besides the carrot strips) together in a bowl. Add the carrots and move them around so they’re evenly coated. Let the carrot strips marinate in the bacon marinade for 20 minutes or up to 24 hours. When it’s time to bake, lay the strips on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until they’re browned and crisp (but not burned). You’ll need to check on them often. Let the strips cool on a wire rack before using them in a vegan BLT, with tofu scramble, and anywhere else you love the crispy crunch of bacon.
Air fryer instructions
Lay the carrot strips in a single layer in an air fryer basket (you’ll likely have to work in batches or else the “bacon” won’t crisp). Air fry at 400ºF for 5 to 8 minutes or until they’re golden and crispy.
Serving suggestions
Serve the strips on the side of a breakfast casserole, vegan quiche, blueberry pancakes, or tofu scramble to take an all-out weekend breakfast or brunch up a notch. Otherwise, you can use them anywhere you would use normal bacon, like in sandwiches, wraps, on toast, or on a puff pastry tart. You can even chop the crispy bacon into smaller pieces and stir them into a vegan caesar salad, use them as a topping on potato soup or corn chowder, or stirred into the breakfast potatoes. The options are endless!
Want more vegan “meat” recipes?
Vegan SteakVegan ChickenVegan WingsVegan Fried ChickenVegan Turkey RoastVegan Ham
