Homemade tofu bacon bits in a glass jar with salad and tomatoes

My tofu bacon BLTs are one of my most popular recipes ever – they’ve been shared on social media nearly 100,000 times!! If you haven’t tried my easy tofu bacon yet, you must give it a try – it’s sweet and salty and spicy, and goes brilliantly in a sandwich. A good sandwich is such an underrated lunch. And since I’m always looking to find new ways to enjoy old favourites, this time I thought I’d adapt the recipe to make these crumbly little tofu bacon bits!

Homemade tofu bacon bits in a glass jar with lettuce and tomatoes

You’ll need to use firm or extra-firm tofu to make these tofu bacon bits – you need to be able to crumble the tofu to get the right texture. Silken tofu won’t work, for example, as it’s too smooth and creamy to crumble. Then just add your marinade, and fry it all up! I used my favourite tofu bacon marinade (if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it…) – the main ingredients are maple syrup, soy sauce, hot sauce, and smoked paprika, so you get the perfect sweet-salty-spicy-smoky balance. You can use any kind of marinade you like though, if you don’t fancy mixing up your own – in the past I’ve just used a shop-bought BBQ sauce on my tofu bacon, and that works well too!

A collage showing marinated crumbled tofu in a dish, and crispy tofu bacon bits in a frying pan

You can fry your tofu bacon bits for as long as you like to get your desired consistency. If everything’s crumbled perfectly evenly, it will all cook to the same texture, or you can leave some pieces a little larger so you get some crispy bits and some chewier bits, like I did. It’s hard to go wrong with such a tasty marinade.

Homemade tofu bacon bits in a glass jar shot from above, with lettuce and tomatoes

Tofu bacon bits are useful wherever you might use the normal kind – tossed through a salad (we all know lettuce needs a bit of livening up sometimes!), sprinkled over a bowl of soup as a crouton alternative, stirred through pasta (I’m imagining a luxurious carbonara), or just eaten by the handful. They’re best eaten fresh – unfortunately they’re not long-life, like normal bacon bits are – so it’s best to just make a small batch at a time.

If you’ve got any more ideas for these tofu bacon bits, let me know!

Homemade tofu bacon bits on a wooden spoon, with lettuce and tomatoes

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5 from 4 votes

Tofu bacon bits

These tofu bacon bits are so easy to make, and the marinade has the perfect balance of sweet-salty-smoky-spicy! Great to use in salads, soup, pasta, and whatever else you like.
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1/2 tbsp hot sauce (or to taste)
  • 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
  • Black pepper
  • 200 g extra firm tofu, crumbled (~ 1 cup when crumbled)
  • 1/2 tbsp oil

Instructions

  • Add the soy sauce, maple syrup, hot sauce, smoked paprika, and a good pinch of black pepper to a small dish, and mix to combine. Crumble the extra firm tofu, and add to the marinade. Mix well, and leave for a few minutes (or longer).
  • Heat a dash of oil in a frying pan, and add the marinated tofu. Cook over a medium heat, stirring regularly, until cooked to your liking - depending on how finely your tofu is crumbled, it might take around 20 minutes.
  • Use immediately, or leave to cool first. They're best eaten the same day.
Course: Miscellaneous
Author: Becca Heyes

 

Note: Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on exactly what ingredients you choose. Information above is for 1/3 of the batch.

Don’t forget to make my original tofu bacon BLTs:

Tofu bacon BLTs

And my BBQ tofu bacon BLT wraps:

BBQ tofu bacon BLT wraps