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Easy Vegan Bacon Bits

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Savory, smoky, sweet, crunchy, and delicious easy vegan bacon bits made from TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein). Excellent for sprinkling on top of salads, baked potatoes or simply eating by the handful.

Easy Vegan Bacon Bits

If you’re not familiar with Textured Vegetable Protein, allow me to introduce you. It’s a highly nutritious soy product loaded with protein; contains no fat; and, is the perfect alternative to meat. TVP is nothing more than defatted, dehydrated soy flour and it’s naturally gluten-free.

Easy Vegan Bacon Bits

Personally, I think it’s pretty close to perfect. Why? Because of what I just said: low in fat and calories, contains a ton of protein and a great source of fiber. Awesome, it’ll keep you strong and regular. How ’bout that?

However, it’s pretty flavorless so if you want to enjoy it you’ll need to be creative. I decided to see what would happen if I used my “bacon” brine from my Smoky Maple Tempeh Bacon. The results? Honestly, there are no words.

Easy Vegan Bacon Bits

This recipe is so simple, all you need are 6 or 7 ingredients and roughly 10 minutes of your time. It really is that easy. If you can boil something, you can do this.

The delicious mixture of spices, maple syrup, liquid smoke, and soy sauce create the ultimate savory, sweet, spicy flavor. Once you bring it all to boil, you simply throw in the TVP and let it soak.

Easy Vegan Bacon Bits

You can add one final step by baking these low and slow at 225 degrees until they reach your preferred level of crunchiness. Just check on them every few minutes and give the pan a little shake so you don’t burn them.

Easy Vegan Bacon Bits

If you’ve been longing for something to satisfy a craving from your past, look no further. The smell, the taste, the texture – it’s all there. Everything except the flesh of a dead carcass someone needlessly killed and all the chronic diseases that go with it.

Easy Vegan Bacon Bits

I’m pretty confident you’ll love this Easy Vegan Bacon Bits recipe. It’s…

  • SWEET
  • SMOKY
  • SAVORY
  • MEATY
  • CRUNCHY
  • EASY TO MAKE
  • ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!

More Delicious Vegan Toppings

  • Vegan Ranch Dressing
  • Easy Vegan Honey Mustard
  • Garlicky Lemon Tahini Sauce
  • The Best Vegan Chipotle Aioli
Easy Vegan Bacon Bits

Perfect for topping for your salads, baked potatoes with my Cashew Sour Cream or just eat it by the handful.

Be sure and let me know if you try this recipe! Leave a comment, take a picture, post it on Instagram and tag the photo #shaneandsimple so I can see your dish. If you want to be kept up to speed on all that’s going down with Shane & Simple and my latest recipes – SUBSCRIBE HERE!

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Easy Vegan Bacon Bits

Easy Vegan Bacon Bits


★★★★★

5 from 10 reviews

  • Author: Shane Martin
  • Prep Time: 2 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 12 minutes
  • Yield: 1 cup 1x
  • Diet: Vegan
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Description

Savory, smoky, crispy and delicious bacon bits made from TVP. These are the perfect topping for salads, baked potatoes with my Cashew Sour Cream, or simply eat by the handful.


Scale

Ingredients

  • ½ cup TVP
  • 2 tbsp. low sodium tamari sauce (or soy sauce)
  • 1 tbsp. water
  • 1 tbsp. maple syrup
  • 2 tsp. liquid smoke
  • ½ tsp. smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp. garlic powder
  • Salt to taste (but it’s not really necessary)

Instructions

  1. Place all ingredients, EXCEPT FOR TVP, in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil.
  2. Once the mixture starts to boil, remove from heat and add TVP. Stir until all the liquid has been absorbed.
  3. Pre-heat oven to 225 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread bacon bits out evenly on baking sheet and place in oven. Cook for just a couple minutes then shake so the bacon bits will cook evenly. Repeat until the bacon bits are crispy, but be careful not to burn.

Equipment

GreenPans

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Parchment Paper

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Spatulas

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Baking Sheet

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TVP

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Notes

*Baking is not necessary, it just depends on how crunchy you want them.

  • Category: Toppings
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: Vegan

Keywords: bacon bits, vegan bacon bits, vegan salad toppings

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Previous Post: « Chipotle Chickpea Tacos
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Michael

    February 04, 2018 at 3:44 pm

    Awesome!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  2. Sandra Polichino

    July 07, 2018 at 8:02 am

    They look so real !!!

    Reply
  3. Cass from Winnipeg

    August 28, 2018 at 7:58 am

    Fantastic! I baked them longer for a nice crunch and added 1 TBSP of nooch and 1 TBSP oil.
    This recipe makes me want to make a ton, jar it up with pretty labels and gift them!
    What is the shelf life?
    Thanks for the recipe – it was TOTALLY AWESOME!

    Reply
    • Shane Martin

      August 28, 2018 at 8:53 am

      Thanks so much and glad you enjoyed them! Honestly, they don’t last long enough around our house, but I would say they’ll keep for at least a week or little more. Maybe longer. I’ll do some research:)

      Reply
  4. dfog

    September 17, 2018 at 4:52 pm

    I didn’t have liquid smoke, but added a ½ tsp ‘smokey’ BBQ sauce and a ½ tsp of Marmite and they were delicious!!

    Reply
    • Shane Martin

      September 17, 2018 at 6:44 pm

      Great idea! Never thought of that. Can’t wait to try myself.

      Reply
  5. Juan Carlos

    October 02, 2018 at 1:35 pm

    Pre-heat oven to 225 F or C?

    Reply
    • Shane Martin

      October 02, 2018 at 2:35 pm

      Farenheit.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
  6. Jackie

    November 19, 2018 at 6:49 pm

    Super easy to make. Quadrupled the recipe to make bacony bits for Brussels sprouts for my omni partner’s family for thanksgiving.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Shane Martin

      November 19, 2018 at 7:50 pm

      Awesome! They go great with Brussel sprouts

      Reply
  7. Amanda

    January 10, 2019 at 5:13 pm

    I’ve just made these but didn’t bake them till crispy, because I want them to be a bit chewy. They’re awesome and so easy to make! I’m planning to add them to some ‘cheesy bacon’ stuffed potatoes but I’ll make crispy ones for salads next time. Thanks for the recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Shane Martin

      January 10, 2019 at 5:58 pm

      Amanda, that’s awesome and love your idea with the potatoes. Thanks so much for reaching out and sharing! Blessings.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
  8. Jessica

    April 18, 2019 at 3:25 pm

    This recipe looks amazing! Do they have to be refrigerated after baking?

    Reply
    • Shane Martin

      April 18, 2019 at 4:06 pm

      No. They keep in a jar or bag. But, they usually never last around my house:)

      Reply
  9. francisco

    June 06, 2019 at 12:02 am

    why do you boil the ingredients on water before marinating the TVP on it? does something change in the flavour if you just put the TVP on them without boiling and then bake them? Is it possible to fry them on a pan instead of baking it?

    Reply
    • Shane Martin

      June 06, 2019 at 1:35 pm

      It allows the TVP to absorb and cook a little. I’ve never tried to pan fry them but see no reason why it wouldn’t work. Feel free to try! Good luck.

      Reply
  10. Lisa

    June 23, 2019 at 10:06 am

    These look fabulous Shane! So just use the small amount of liquid shown in ingredients with no additional water, correct? So there should be more TVP than liquid?

    Reply
    • Shane Martin

      June 23, 2019 at 11:39 am

      Yes, that’s correct! Hope you enjoy them.

      Reply
  11. Becky

    August 30, 2019 at 7:52 pm

    Hi Shane!
    How do you think this recipe would work work with soy curls crumbs or made into crumbs using a food processor before adding to the marinade?
    Thank you 🙂

    Reply
    • Shane Martin

      August 31, 2019 at 8:57 am

      It might get a bit mushy. BUT, if you were to chop them up into chunks and bake them in the marinade, I think it’d be awesome! Almost like jerky.

      Reply
      • Becky

        August 31, 2019 at 9:52 am

        I forgot, you can make jerky out soy curls! So thanks for the reminder!! 😉
        I’m to give it a whirl on making them into bacon bits and let you know how it turns out. It may be a couple of weeks before I get to it. Clumsy me, fell last Saturday and broke my kneecap. I’m going nuts not being able to get into the kitchen!

        Reply
        • Shane Martin

          August 31, 2019 at 11:04 am

          Ewww, so sorry, Becky! Hoping for a quick recovery for you. I’d be going nuts too. Take care of yourself. Blessings.

          Reply
  12. Kathy Zingone

    August 31, 2019 at 2:31 pm

    Simple to make and delicious!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Shane Martin

      August 31, 2019 at 6:18 pm

      Thank you so much!

      Reply
  13. Isabella

    January 04, 2020 at 11:09 am

    Thanks for sharing. Do you know any alternatives to the soy protein that would be good for this recipe? (soy allergy)

    Reply
    • Shane Martin

      January 04, 2020 at 10:31 pm

      I’m so sorry, Isabella. Unfortunately, no, there is no sub for TVP. But, if I can figure something out you’ll be the first to know! Happy New Year!

      Reply
    • Zeddy

      February 01, 2020 at 8:43 pm

      Hi Isabella I believe that you may want try making a while bean (not soy) tofu yourself an easy one and then crumbling it and drying the crumbles before and after this recipe. I found a good recipe easy for you (is not my recipe thou must say ) best Zeddy :

      http://veganmommychef.blogspot.com/2011/12/no-soy-tofu.html?m=1

      Reply
  14. Judy

    January 07, 2020 at 12:05 am

    What is TVC

    Reply
  15. Judy

    January 07, 2020 at 12:15 am

    What is TVP and where do you buy it

    Reply
    • Shane Martin

      January 07, 2020 at 7:18 am

      Hi, Judy! TVP is short for Textured Vegetable Protein. It’s basically just dehydrated soy flour. Here’s a link that you can purchase it if you like: https://amzn.to/37KgiEx

      Reply
  16. Claire

    January 09, 2020 at 11:46 am

    These look amazing Shane! Well done for working out how to recreate the flavour. It’s the stumbling block for many would- be veggies and vegans to go without bacon, but these substitutes look awesome. I imagine that you could make a pasta carbonara with these if you didn’t cook them too crunchy!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Shane Martin

      January 09, 2020 at 2:09 pm

      Thanks so much, Claire! I hope you enjoy them. Blessings and Happy New Year!

      Reply
  17. Elle

    February 05, 2020 at 4:12 pm

    Question: I have heard soy is healthy and I have heard it’s unhealthy. Please educate me. Thanks.

    Reply
    • Shane Martin

      February 06, 2020 at 2:40 pm

      It’s completely healthy. Here are a few of the many articles I refer people to. I hope this helps. Blessings.

      https://www.drfuhrman.com/elearning/eat-to-live-blog/137/dont-fall-for-the-myths-about-soy

      https://freefromharm.org/health-nutrition/vegan-doctor-addresses-soy-myths-and-misinformation/

      https://vegangreenplanet.com/breaking-down-the-myths-about-soy/

      Reply
  18. Amanda W

    May 23, 2020 at 9:54 pm

    I made this to add to vegan pasta carbonara… the bacon bits came out great! I couldn’t find my paprika, so substituted 1/2tsp cayenne pepper. Still yummy! My only problem is that I think I need to double or triple the recipe! My husband walked in the kitchen just as I was marinating the TVP and said “wow does it smell like bacon in here!” even though he had no idea what I was trying to make!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  19. Colette

    August 01, 2020 at 11:01 pm

    Super quick and satisfying 🙂

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  20. Vicki

    August 16, 2020 at 4:13 pm

    Hi Shane! I’m wanting to try these in a split-pea soup. Will they hold up in a pot of simmering soup or should they be added later as a garnish?

    Reply
    • Shane Martin

      August 17, 2020 at 8:53 am

      Hi, Vicki! They should be added later as a garnish.

      Reply
  21. Collette

    September 06, 2020 at 2:31 pm

    I love this recipe! I live in Las Vegas and it’s 108 degrees nealy everyday in August, so I baked them in my air fryer. I put 1/2 of the mixture on parchment paper at 300 degrees, shaking every 3 minutes for about 12 minutes. Perfect!
    PLEASE NOTE the recipe says it makes a cup, but it only makes 1/2 cup

    ★★★★★

    Reply

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