These homemade vegan bacon bits are unbelievably easy to make. With just a few simple ingredients, you can have gluten-free, dye-free bacon bits that taste just like store-bought bacon bits for a fraction of the price. This bacon bit recipe is made from TVP (textured vegetable protein) that you flavor in a smoky broth and then dry out until crispy and crunchy.
Did you know that most store-bought bacon bits are not made from bacon? Many brands are vegan and made from TVP and spices. When I learned this I knew that it would be super easy to make my own.
I love to make homemade bacon bits because I know that mine are free of food dyes and preservatives, it saves money, and they taste better than store-bought varieties. I make up a big batch every few weeks and toss them in salads, soups, pasta dishes, baked potatoes, and even vegan omelets. They're perfect for a little smoky crunch in anything that you want.
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❤️ This recipe is
- easy to make.
- gluten-free.
- dye-free.
- simply delicious!
🧾 Ingredients and substitutions
- TVP - (textured vegetable protein) This serves as the "meat" of the bacon bits. It is a dehydrated soy product that will soak up the flavor of anything that you rehydrate it in. You can also use Butler fine soy crumbs instead of TVP if you wish. You can find TVP at most health food stores or order it online. If you want to learn more about it check out my full guide to cooking with TVP.
- Water - as the base of the broth.
- Oil - any neutral flavor oil will work. I usually use refined coconut oil, light olive oil, or canola oil.
- Smoked Paprika - this gives it a great smoky flavor and a beautiful red color.
- Liquid Smoke - (optional) for a smokier flavor. If you don't have any, just add an extra teaspoon of smoked paprika.
- Salt - to give them a salty bacon flavor. Feel free to reduce the salt for low sodium bacon bits.
🔪 Helpful tools
- A cookie sheet with edges to dry out the bacon bits.
🥄 Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 225° F (107° C).
- Heat 1 cup of water, 2 tablespoons oil, 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon liquid smoke in a saucepan.
- Once it comes to a boil, turn it off and pour in 1 1/2 cups of TVP and stir, coating the TVP in the broth.
- Spread onto a cookie sheet and place in the oven at 225°F (107° C) for about 45 minutes.
- Give them a little stir or shake the tray every 10- 15 minutes while in the oven to make sure they cook evenly.
👩🏻🍳 Pro tips
- 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 have a convection oven, you can turn on the fan and dry them out faster.
🥣 How to use vegan bacon bits
Use these bacon bits to add flavor and crunch to anything that you want. I love them on salads with my maple balsamic dressing. They are also delicious sprinkled on baked potatoes, roasted potatoes and Brussel sprouts, deviled potatoes, or mashed potatoes. I also toss them into my vegan quiche and vegan egg muffins. They add a ton of flavor to soups like vegan Zuppa Toscana or vegetarian 15 bean soup too!
❓Frequently asked questions
If you want fat-free bacon bits, simply leave out the oil, they will still turn out great!
All of the bacon bits sold in the store that say "imitation" bacon bits are made with a TVP base and are vegan. However, these contain a lot of food dye and unnecessary chemicals, so I prefer to make homemade bacon bits with paprika to color them instead of red food coloring.
🥡 Storage
Pantry: They will keep in a sealed jar at room temperature for a few days, but be sure that they are completely dry before storing them this way. Any moisture left in the bacon bits could cause them to spoil.
Refrigerate: These vegan bacon bits will keep well in the fridge for about a month if they are dried well and kept in a sealed container.
Freeze: Store the bacon bits in an airtight bag in the freezer for 3 months.
📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!
Easy to make homemade bacon bits that are vegan, gluten-free, and dye free.
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons canola (or refined coconut oil)
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional - or replace with an additional teaspoon of smoked paprika)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups TVP crumbles
-
Preheat your oven to 225° F (107° C).
-
Heat 1 cup of water, 2 tablespoons oil, 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon liquid smoke in a saucepan.
-
Once it comes to a boil, turn it off and pour in 1 1/2 cups of TVP and stir, coating the TVP in the broth.
-
Spread onto a cookie sheet and place in the oven at 225°F (107° C) for about 45 minutes.
-
Give them a little stir or shake the tray every 10-15 minutes while in the oven to make sure they cook evenly.
- Keep them in an airtight container in the fridge, they will last about a month.
- 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.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Leave a comment and starred review! I would love to hear from you!
How do they store in the freezer?
Yes, they will store well in the freezer. 🙂
I love bacon lettuce and tomato sandwiches, and I discovered years ago using vegan bacon bits on rhem makes it so much easier to make bacon lettuce and tomato sandwiches. All you do is toast some bread of your choice, put mayonnaise or guacamole on the toast, substitute the bacon with vegan bacon bits, put lettuce and tomatoes on top of that and then top with another piece of toast with either mayonnaise or guacamole on it. I can't tell the difference in taste between an imitation bacon bit BLT and the real BLT...
Great idea, Ed. Glad that you like them! 🙂
Hello Monica! I love your site. Thanks for all you do! Question: I have these in the oven now but they don't seem to be cooking. Do they harden as they cool? Thank you!
Thanks so much, Summer! Yes, they will dry out and harden even more as they cool. You may need to bake them longer if they are still wet. You are basically dehydrating them in the oven, not really cooking them. If you have a convection fan in your oven, that will dry them out faster too. Hope that helps.
These were so good! I can't believe that they are this easy to make. I will never buy them again! Just the right amount of smokiness and saltiness too!
I'm so happy that you liked the recipe, Nicole! 🙂
I'd like to make your vegan bacon bits using Soy Curls. What is your recommendation for how to make crumbles from Soy Curls, and also the size of the crumble needed for best results. Thank you.
You can use soy curls instead of TVP in equal amounts. I use them all of the time for the bacon bits. You can buy the small crumbles of the soy curls that are about the size of bacon bits. My family goes through a lot of soy curls, so we buy the 12 lbs. box. I sort them by size into smaller bags and there is always a bunch of broken crumbles that I use for this recipe and for my TVP taco recipe. The only difference is that the soy curls take a few extra minutes to soak up the broth. Enjoy! 🙂
The recipe specifies "TVP crumbles" but the link sends me to regular TVP. Do I not need the "crumbles"?
It can be any type of TVP that is small and crumbly, like the size of bacon bits. TVP sizes and shapes vary between brands, but any will work. Enjoy! 🙂
Thanks for recipe. I am not a vegan but cook a meal sometimes cor visiting family who are vegans. So I am not familiar with TVP. Please tell me what that is. Thanks
Regards
Muriel
Hi Muriel, TVP stands for textured vegetable protein. It is made from soy flour and looks like dehydrated beef crumbles. It takes the flavor of whatever type of broth that you cook it in. You can find it in the Bob's Red Mill section of large grocery stores, health food stores, or order it online. Enjoy! 🙂
This looks great! Just wondering if you allow the TVP to rehydrate in the liquid mix for a little while first? I would imagine so. I usually let mine rehydrate for about 20 mins - half an hour.
You want it to soak up all of the broth before you put it on the cookie sheet, but I find that it does that within a minute or two if the broth is very hot.(When I make it with the Butler soy crumbles, it takes longer to soak up the broth.) It will continue to soak in flavor as it bakes. Enjoy! 🙂
Thanks Monica! I will see how mine go .. they are usually about half an hour or longer with boiling water from the kettle but on a stove may well do better. Looking forward to trying this .. will let you know how I go 🙂