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Home Eat Diet Vegan

Vegan Bacon Bits

5 from 1 vote
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By: Sarah BondUpdated: Sep 26, 2022 6 Comments

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Vegan bacon bits on a white background

Savory, sweet, and crunchy these Vegan Bacon Bits made from textured vegetable protein (TVP) are perfect for topping salads, baked potatoes, and everything else!

Vegan bacon bits in a glass jar on a white background

Vegan bacon bits? Sounds like a bit of an oxymoron that couldn’t possible taste normal. What if I told you these taste so much like bacon that my meat-eating friends thought they were bacon bits?

Ya, these are that good! They are made with TVP, aka textured vegetable protein. For the unfamiliar, TVP it is a soy-based protein that contains no fat, can be stored at room temperature, and makes a fantastic meat substitute for vegetarian or vegan folks. You can learn all about TVP here!

So in short, these bacon bites are vegan, low in fat, and super easy to make. Need I say more?

Vegan bacon bits in a glass jar on a white background

Ingredients for Vegan Bacon Bits

This vegan bacon bits recipe is super simple. It just uses protein, a little sweetener, and seasoning. Because TVP is pretty flavorless you want to be sure to use the full amount of seasonings to really enhance the bacon flavor (hello smokey paprika!).

  • Textured Vegetable Protein: You can’t have these bacon bits without TVP! It can be found online or in some natural food stores, like Whole Foods.
  • Water: TVP is stored dried which means it needs to be rehydrated to be cooked. This is where the water comes in.
  • Maple syrup: I always like to add a little sweetness to these bacon bits to compliment the saltiness we will create to replicate bacon.
  • Liquid Smoke: Yup, it actually *is* smoke. Hardwood smoke is condensed into this liquid and lets you get that perfect smoked flavor without any of the hard work.
  • Spices: For this “bacon”, I use a combination of salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and smokey paprika to replicate the flavor of bacon.

TVP Tip

TVP is a byproduct of soybean oil production, after removing the fat. This is why it does not need to be refrigerated before cooking and why it has no fat!

Ingredients to make vegan bacon bits

How to make Vegan Bacon Bits

Making these is so simple and way less messy than making traditional bacon! You literally just mix ingredients, how awesome!

Step 1: Stir
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl until evenly mixed.

Oil and spices in glass bowl
Whisking bacon bits in a glass bowl

Step 2: Serve
Serve anywhere you want smoky bacon flavor, like baked potatoes, salads, or soups!

Close up of TVP
Close up of vegan bacon bits

Recipe Tips and Questions

Want them extra crispy? To make these crispy, you can spread them out evenly on a baking tray and bake for a few minutes at 300 degrees. Just be careful to not burn them as they cook quickly!

Are bacon bits vegetarian? Surprisingly, the answer to this question is sometimes. Despite the name, some store-bought bacon bits are made out of soy of some type. They may not be made out of TVP like these vegan bacon bits are, but soy nonetheless.

Vegan bacon bits in a glass jar on a white background

Ways to Use Bacon Bits

On everything. The end. But if you are looking for specific ways to use these bacon bits, try one of these recipes!

  • Vegetarian Wedge Salad is delicious with bacon bites and super easy to make!
  • Pumpkin Pasta is fantastic with a little salty bit. Think pasta carbonara but pumpkin.
  • Slow Cooker Potato Soup is a must served with vega bacon bites! Like a baked potato in soup form.
Vegan bacon bits on a white background

Vegan Bacon Bits

5 from 1 vote
Prep: 5 minutes
Total: 5 minutes
Author: Sarah Bond
Calories: 14kcal
Servings: 16 servings
Print Rate
Savory, sweet, and crunchy this vegan bacon bits recipe made from textured vegetable protein (TVP) is the perfect topping salads!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup textured vegetable protein (TVP) granules I used Bob's Red Mill brand for this recipe, 100g
  • 2 Tbsp water 30 mL
  • 2 Tbsp maple syrup 30 mL
  • 1 Tbsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp liquid smoke 5 mL

Instructions 

  • Stir: Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl until evenly mixed.
  • Serve: Serve anywhere you want smoky bacon flavor, like baked potatoes, salads, or soups!

Tips & Tricks

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1Tbsp Calories: 14kcal (1%) Carbohydrates: 2.6g (1%) Protein: 0.9g (2%) Fat: 0.1g Saturated Fat: 0g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 148mg (6%) Potassium: 53mg (2%) Fiber: 0.4g (2%) Sugar: 1.8g (2%) Calcium: 8mg (1%) Iron: 0mg
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  1. Pat says

    Posted on 10/2 at 6:11 pm

    Can you use this on homemade pizza?

    Reply
    • Sarah Bond says

      Posted on 10/2 at 9:38 pm

      Yes! That would be delicious 😀

  2. Lizzy says

    Posted on 10/14 at 8:23 am

    How long can you store them? And do they need refrigeration?5 stars

    Reply
    • Sarah Bond says

      Posted on 10/14 at 11:19 am

      Hi Lizzy! You can store these vegan bacon bits in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month.

  3. Marie says

    Posted on 3/13 at 9:56 am

    Will these last longer if I freeze them or will they defrost to a different consistency?

    Reply
    • Sarah Bond says

      Posted on 3/13 at 10:08 am

      I haven’t tried so it’s hard to say for sure, but I think the texture would be okay!

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