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! Perfect for sprinkling on salad, baked potatoes, soups, or anywhere you like the flavor of bacon!
Are bacon bits vegan?
Yes, typically the bacon bits that you buy in the stores are vegan. Most bacon bits are just made of TVP – which stands for textured vegetable protein (soy protein) and some spices.
Why make these at home?
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 no food dyes or preservatives!
How to make vegan bacon bits...
- Make a broth out of boiling water, salt, liquid smoke, and some oil.
- Pour in the TVP and stir, coating the TVP in the broth.
- Allow the TVP to soak up the broth for about 5 minutes.
- Spread onto a cookie sheet and place in the oven for about 30 minutes.
- Give them a little stir every 10 minutes while in the oven to make sure they cook evenly.
Tips and Tricks
- If you dry them out well and then keep them in an airtight 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 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 beet juice to the broth.
- Want fat free bacon bits? Just leave out the oil, they will still turn out great!
Note: If you taste them before they are done cooking, they will taste different than the finished product.
How to use vegan bacon bits
Substitutions for TVP
Easy to make homemade bacon bits that are vegan, gluten-free, and dye free.
- ½ cup boiling water
- 2 TBS canola (or refined coconut oil)
- 2 TBS liquid smoke
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 cups TVP crumbles
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Preheat oven to 250°F (130°C).
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Put boiling water, oil, liquid smoke, and salt into a mixing bowl.
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Mix well until salt dissolves.
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Add TVP and stir well until evenly coated.
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Let it sit for about a minute until it soaks up all the liquid.
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Pour onto a cookie sheet and spread it thin.
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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).
- Keep them in an airtight 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.
