I love Tempeh Bacon! It’s sweet, savory, full of flavor and protein, and super easy to make. This vegan bacon is perfect for breakfast, brunch, or making a delicious vegan BLT.
What Is Tempeh
Tempeh is fermented whole soybeans, packed with protein and it’s been around a long time. I know it doesn’t sound so exciting right now, but just wait until you try this tempeh bacon recipe.
Think of tempeh as the awkward second cousin of tofu. Tempeh is not very exciting or tasty on its own, but marinate it and there’s no stopping it. It’s a great and hearty meat substitute for vegetarians and vegans.
What Is Tempeh Bacon
It’s exactly how it sounds.
We take the tempeh, slice it, marinate, and cook it. Will it taste exactly like real bacon? No. How about the same texture as bacon? No. And, why? Because it’s not real bacon.
But, it will satisfy the senses and the urges you might have in a much healthier way. And, without the pork.
And, as an added bonus, this vegan bacon won’t clog your arteries and eventually kill you. #winning (I realize hashtags don’t work on websites)
How To Make Tempeh Bacon
Add all marinade ingredients into a small bowl and mix well to combine. Then, pour into a container large enough that the marinade and tempeh will just fit. Not too large, not too small.
Carefully slice the tempeh into thin strips and place in the marinade, and make sure each piece is coated. Marinate for at least 20 minutes. If you can wait, let the tempeh marinate in the fridge overnight.
Now, preheat oven to 350 degrees, line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and layout tempeh on a baking sheet.
Place the tempeh in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the tempeh bacon from the oven, flip over, evenly pour the remaining marinade on the tempeh. Place it back in the oven and cook for another 15 minutes or until most of the marinade has evaporated. The cooking time will depend on the oven.
Remove the tempeh bacon from the oven and serve immediately.
How To Cook Tempeh Bacon
You can bake or pan fry. But, obviously, I prefer baking it.
Baking it is less messy and requires no oil. Which is what I’m about here at Shane & Simple.
What To Serve With Vegan Bacon
- Vegan Blueberry Pancakes
- More vegan pancakes
- Tofu Breakfast Scramble
- Overnight Vegan French Toast Casserole
Also, try my Oil Free Oven Roasted Potatoes and Vegan Sausage recipe if you’d more vegan breakfast dishes.
I hope you enjoy this tempeh bacon recipe. It’s…
- Sweet
- Savory
- Smoky
- Easy to make
- Loaded with protein
- Full of flavor
- & Delicious
Tempeh TIPS: The longer the bacon marinates the more flavor it will absorb from the marinade. Also, tempeh tends to be a little bitter right out of the package. You and soften that by steaming or boiling it for 10-15 minutes.
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!
Smoky Maple Tempeh Bacon
- Total Time35 minutes
- Yield6 servings 1x
- DietVegan
This Tempeh Bacon is absolutely delicious and super easy to prepare. It’s sweet, savory, smoky, and delicious! Pile it high in sandwiches, on top of salads, or anywhere you’d normally put bacon.
Ingredients
Tempeh
- 1 8–ounce package of tempeh
For The Marinade
- ¼ cup Tamari or low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
- 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce (make sure it’s vegetarian)
- 2 tsp. smoked paprika or paprika
- 1 tsp. liquid smoke (or preference)
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- Pinch of cayenne
Instructions
- Add all marinade ingredients into a small bowl and mix well to combine. Then, pour into a container large enough that marinade and tempeh will just fit. Not too large, not too small.
- Carefully slice the tempeh into thin strips and place in the marinade, and make sure each piece is coated. Marinate for at least 20 minutes. If you can wait, let marinate in the fridge overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or non-stick aluminum foil.
- Layout tempeh on baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, flip over, evenly pour the remaining marinade on the tempeh. Place tempeh back in oven and cook for another 15 minutes or until most of the marinade has evaporated. Cooking time will depend on oven.
- Serve.
Notes
Tempeh can have a somewhat “bitter” flavor to it, which I like. But, if you want a milder tempeh you can simply boil or steam it for about 10-15 minutes. Mellows it out.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 strips
- Calories: 93
- Sugar: 4.8 g
- Sodium: 294.7 mg
- Fat: 2.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 11.3 g
- Fiber: 3.5 g
- Protein: 8.1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Vegan
It’s definitely not bacon, but it’s a good vegan substitute. I don’t like using liquid smoke so I subbed it for an additional tablespoon of smoked paprika and a teaspoon of barbecue sauce. I used it as a topping for the Instant Pot Potato Soup recipe. Yummy!
Okay, now that I’ve made this probably 15 times, I need to say how much I appreciate this recipe! We were looking for something full of protein for breakfast and this is fabulous! My entire family loves it and I have to make a triple batch because people keep snagging it from the fridge. We have on a sandwich with avocado, tomato, pickled onions, and arugula. We’ve also thrown some potatoes and green beans in the leftover marinade and baked that up — delicious!!!
This is a Keeper; I steamed the tempeh in my ipot , and then subbed 3 dates for the maple syrup; I blended the dates in the marinade ingredients. The tempeh was VERY delightful.
This turned out really well, and is so simple. I marinated the strips in a loaf pan which was the perfect size. We made BLTs on homemade bread. Thanks Shane!
Excellent!!!
Hi Shane, after trying three other tempeh bacon recipes that didn’t quite work for me, this recipe nailed it! Simple and straight forward smokey flavor that just hits the spot 🙂 I also appreciate that this is an efficient recipe both in the volume of ingredients used in the marinade, as well as the instruction to marinade in a smallish container versus others which use for more ingredients in the marinade and then suggest a 13 x 9 pan to marinade. This recipe has bang for buck, and won’t take up half of a tray in you fridge 😉 Thanks Shane!
While I loved the idea, and the taste of the marinade, I couldn’t get past the bitterness of the tempeh. I’ve tried twice to eat it and all that I can taste on my tongue is bitterness. This was after boiling it first as suggested. Totally a tempeh thing, not a Shane’s marinade thing!
I hear ya, Marlene! Thanks for trying and some just don’t have a taste for tempeh.
I just copied off your recipe for making tempeh. Can that recipe be used as a substitute for store-bought tempeh?
Hi, Jo! It’s for making tempeh bacon not actually tempeh. It uses store-bought tempeh.
After years of using another vegan blogger’s recipe, I decided to try yours last weekend. Boy, am I glad I did. My entire family LOVED it, including my very picky daughter who said repeatedly of the BLAT sandwich I made for her with it, “This tastes as good as anything I’ve had in a restaurant!” That’s usually my gold standard for recipes, so yep, we have a new bacon recipe in the house (and have been asked to make it again twice this week). Thanks, Shane!
Wow, that’s awesome! Thank you so much for sharing this with me.
I doubled the marinade and it was just about right for a 9X13 pan. A single recipe of marinade wouldn’t have been anywhere near enough. Just for information.
This is our go-to recipe for when we make tempeh BLTs! It’s so so good. Soaking overnight makes a huge difference.
Really love this recipe!!! Strangely enough, I like the texture of the tempeh! Thanks for all you do to make healthy choices taste delicious!
How thin do you slice the tempeh? Also, do you steam or boil it before or after you slice it?
Also, do you know if you can freeze the packaged tempeh to use later.
Hi, Linda. I usually slice it about 1/4″. You can boil or steam the tempeh beforehand if you wish. Many people do that because tempeh can be somewhat bitter. I tend to like it as is. As far as freezing, I don’t because it usually doesn’t last that long around my house. But, you can freeze it. To freeze tempeh, plunge it in boiling water for 30 seconds, wrap well, and freeze for up to 12 months.
Do you steam the tempeh before or after the marinade?
No. But, you can. It makes it less bitter.
Look like a good receipe but marinating in a plastic tub sends a not so good message. Try replacing picture with a glass container.
What’s wrong with a plastic tub?
What brand of tempeh do you use?
Usually Lightlife or Soy Boy. But, that’s what’s readily available at the stores I go to.
This is a fantastic marinade. Whole family loves it. We use it on tempeh then use what ever is left over on tofu. I hope you don’t mind if I link to it as one of my favorites 🙂
Ali, thanks so much! I don’t mind at all and would be totally honored:) Blessings.
I just finished eating a grilled cheese sandwich with strips of this homemade smokey maple bacon and I am in love!!! It was easy and it’s absolutely delicious! Thank you soooo much!
Kristina, thank you so much and so glad you liked it! Peace and feast.
Sorry, Debbie. Tempeh isn’t for everyone, but I do appreciate you giving it a go. Blessings.
Just made my 1st batch! Love the seasonings. I forgot to cut up the tempeh before marinating it so some pieces were kinda white. I let it marinade for almost 2 days only because I forgot about it. I broiled it for a few minutes to get it a little more crispy before eating. Lastly, next time I will make extra marinade to keep it moist before broiling. Overall, I’d say it’s a keeper! Thanks.
Thanks, Gloria! Glad you enjoyed it and love the idea of broiling it. Blessings!
Thank you for this! I’ve made this recipe twice this month since I found your blog. It adds the best flavor and dimension to my lunch veggie bowls. Excited to try more of your recipes!
Julianne,
Thanks so much for you kind words and encouragement! I really appreciate you reaching out and taking time to share that with me. Peace and feast. Peace, Shane