Vegan Bacon Bits – Dye Free!

These vegan bacon bits are gluten free, dye free, and preservative free too, but they taste better than any that you can buy at the store!

Are bacon bits vegan?

Yes, most of the bacon bits that you buy in the stores are vegan.

What are vegan bacon bits made of?

Most bacon bits are just made of TVP – which stands for textured vegetable protein (soy protein) and some spices. 

Why make your own bacon bits?

When I learned that bacon bits were vegan, I started buying them to sprinkle on salads.  Then, I started to read the label closer and noticed the list of chemicals and food dyes in them.  My homemade bacon bits have not food dyes or preservatives! 

How do you make homemade vegan bacon bits?

1. Make a broth out of boiling water, salt, liquid smoke, and some oil.
2. Pour in the TVP and stir, coating the TVP in the broth.
3. Allow the TVP to soak up the broth for about 5 minutes.
4. Spread onto a cookie sheet and place in the oven for about 30 minutes.
5. Give them a little stir every 10 minutes while in the oven to make sure they cook evenly.

Tips for making homemade vegan bacon bits:

• If you dry them out well and then keep them in an air tight container in the fridge, they will last a few weeks.
• This makes a fairly large batch (2 cups) so you may want to cut it in half if you don’t think that you can use that many within a 2-3 weeks.
• If you want them to be lower in sodium, reduce the salt.
• If you want red bacon bits, add a tablespoon of beat juice to the broth.
• Want fat free bacon bits?  Just leave out the oil, the will still come out great!

Note: If you taste them before they are done cooking, they will taste different than the finished product.

What can I put the vegan bacon bits on?

I feel the need to sprinkle them on most salads, soups, and potatoes dishes!They add a little protein and give everything a little extra salty crisp bacon flavor!  How can you go wrong with that? Make a vegan Maple bacon salad that will get even fussy eaters to gobble down their salad!

What else can I use instead of TVP to make vegan bacon bits?

You can also use Butler soy crumbles.  This is very similar to TVP, but made with whole soy instead of soy flour.  If you use the soy curls a lot you can save the crumbles at the bottom of the bag and use it as you would TVP.

Did you make this recipe?  Leave a comment and rating and let us know how it went!

5 from 1 vote

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VEGAN BACON BITS

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Total Time

35 mins

 

Easy to make homemade bacon bits that are vegan, gluten free, and dye free

Course: Salad

Cuisine: dye free, gluten free, vegan

Keyword: bacon bits, vegan bacon bits

Servings: 32

Calories: 26 kcal

Author: Monica | The Hidden Veggies

Ingredients

• ½ cup boiling water
• 2 TBS canola or refined coconut oil
• 2 TBS liquid smoke
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 cups TVP crumbles

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 250° F.

2. Put boiling water, oil, liquid smoke and salt into a mixing bowl.

3. Mix well until salt dissolves.

4. Add TVP and stir well until evenly coated.

5. Let it sit for about a minute until it soaks up all the liquid.

6. Pour onto a cookie sheet and spread it thin.

7. Bake for about 30 minutes until dried out and crisp.  (Check on them and give them a shake about every 10 minutes to help them dry evenly).

Recipe Notes

• Keep them in an air tight container in the fridge, they will last a few weeks.
• If you want them to be lower in sodium, simply reduce the salt.
• Make sure to shake the cookie sheet or give a little stir a few times while baking to make sure they cook evenly.
• You can also substitute Butler soy crumbles instead of TVP.  These are very similar, but they are made with whole soy instead of soy flour.
• If you taste them before they are done cooking, they will taste different than the finished product, so don't toss them out thinking that they are not done.

Nutrition Facts

VEGAN BACON BITS

Amount Per Serving (1 tbps)

Calories 26

% Daily Value*

Sodium 148mg 6%

Total Carbohydrates 1g 0%

Protein 2g 4%

Calcium 1.9%

Iron 3.5%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.