Tofu bacon BLTs
When I tell people I’m vegetarian, their response is often ‘but… how do you live without bacon?’
When I was a kid, I would have agreed that it’s hard to live without the stuff (I guess I didn’t have much else to worry about at that age!) – in fact, bacon was the cause of the mini meat relapse that occurred when I was about 9 or 10. Sausages may also have been involved… it was a moment of weakness.
These days however, having been veggie for about 17 years (am I really that old?), I don’t find myself craving meat. Not even slightly – I can’t even remember what it tastes like, if I’m honest. I see someone eating a steak, and it does absolutely nothing for me – I never judge other people for eating meat, but I definitely don’t envy them either.
All that said… if ‘real’ bacon tastes as good as this tofu bacon tastes, I can kind of see where people are coming from.
This tofu bacon is smoky, sticky, a little bit spicy, a little bit sweet… Even if you don’t approve of the term ‘tofu bacon’, please just try this anyway. Just think of it as crispy marinated tofu, and you’ll be fine. It’s crazy good.
And it’s also really, really easy to make.
The marinade is nice and simple, but has so, so, so much flavour. It was genuinely hard to resist slurping it all straight out of the dish. Soy sauce gives a salty savouriness, maple syrup gives a bit of sweetness, chipotle sauce and smoked paprika make it spicy and smoky. It’s great.
In fact, it’s even better after it’s spent a while in a frying pan with the tofu – the sugars caramelise and get lovely and sticky, and the tofu crisps up nicely. Don’t rush it – leave it in the pan for a good while until it’s crisped up. Nobody likes undercooked bacon (apparently).
Of course, you can serve your tofu bacon however you fancy – pop it on a plate alongside a vegetarian full English breakfast, with eggs and toast, in a simple bacon butty… or, my favourite, a classic BLT.
I’m sure I don’t need to tell you how to make a BLT (it’s kind of in the name), but just in case you’ve forgotten, it’s very simple: (tofu) Bacon. Lettuce. Tomato.
(and maybe a little smear of mustard or mayo if you’re so inclined)
Tofu bacon BLTs
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Print Pin CommentIngredients
For the tofu bacon:
- 200 g firm tofu (enough for 4 thin slices)
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp chipotle sauce (or similar smoky hot sauce)
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- Black pepper
- 1 tbsp oil
To assemble the tofu bacon BLTs:
- 4 slices bread
- 1 tsp mustard (optional)
- leaves A few lettuce
- 1 large tomato, sliced
Instructions
- Cut the tofu into 4 thin slices. Press the tofu – if you don’t have a tofu press, just lay out the slices inside a clean tea towel, and top with something heavy (I usually use a few large saucepans or cookbooks). Leave for at least a few minutes – a bit longer if you have time.
- In a suitably sized baking dish, combine the maple syrup, soy sauce, chipotle sauce, smoked paprika, and plenty of black pepper. Mix well. When the tofu has been pressed, transfer it to the baking dish, and make sure it’s well coated in the marinade. Leave to marinate for a few minutes (again, longer is better if you have more time).
- Heat the oil in a frying pan, and add the marinated tofu. Pour over any leftover marinade. Cook over a medium heat for around 5 minutes each side, or until the tofu is firm and crispy.
- If desired, serve in a tofu bacon BLT sandwich, with mustard, lettuce and tomato.
Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.
Note: Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on exactly what ingredients you choose. Information above is for one tofu bacon BLT.
Amazing recipe!!! 10/10 will make again!!
This saved me when a cookbook said I needed “smoked tofu.” They apparently used to sell their own brand, but they don’t anymore and I was like ZOMG where am I going to get smoked tofu!” Then I found this recipe and it was perfect! I added a teaspoon of liquid smoke instead of the chipotle sauce. Came out delicious.
Oh yay! So glad you liked it, thanks for the lovely comment :) What were you making?
I was making Cauliflower Bisque with Fresh Fennel from the cookbook Plum: Gratifying Vegan Dishes from Seattle’s Plum Bistro. The smoked tofu was crumbed and sauteed and used as a garnish. Kind of a lot of work for a garnish, but it did make the recipe taste AMAZING. Next I am going to use it as faux bacon bits for a Mac and “cheese” recipe.
Wow sounds very fancy! Yum!
I literally never comment on recipes but these were stinkin delicious!!! I marinaded for over 24 hours and the tofu was so flavourful!! I’m making it again for dinner this week!
Yay! Thanks Naomi! I’m glad you broke your silence for this one haha, comments like this make my day! :)
just made this earlier, marinated overnight and was surprised at how awesome it tastes, reminded me of chicken on the bbq :D YUMMY!
Yay! Thanks Erin, glad you enjoyed it! :)
Would it be okay to marinate the tofu over night? I think I’m just gonna try it and maybe let you know what happens? :s
Absolutely! Just leave it in the fridge :)
This was a super tasty sandwich.
If I was given this in a restaurant i would have been very satisfied.
Not a vegetarian – just like to think about the planet and where my food comes from.
The only things I changed were the quantity (two of us ate about 5 slices each) and didn’t have chipotle so we used sambal instead. I’m new to tofu cooking (not eating!) but this turned out super super great! Best meal i’ve had in a while!!
(We used avocado, no lettuce and homemade GF biscuits)
Yay! So glad you enjoyed this so much, praise indeed :D
If you are expecting for this to taste like bacon, you will be disappointed. It is not bad. I only marinated it for 30 mins, which was not long enough as it lacked flavor. If you are looking for something different to put in a sandwich, then this recipe is for you. However, if you are looking for something that tastes like bacon, you are better off buying vegetarian bacon products.
Absolutely, I don’t think tofu is ever going to taste like real bacon! But I really enjoyed it in a sandwich – it’s something a little different :)
Haha, great minds. Your tofu marinade is very similar to the one I did recently, only mine didn’t have chipotle, which I thing is a great omission on my part ;) I don’t miss meat in the slightest either – even bacon!
I usually have tofu with noodles for some reason, but I’m going to give this a go. My mouth is watering just looking at it. Pinned, Stumbled and Yummed!
Me too, I don’t usually serve tofu in anything other than Asian-style stir fries with rice or noodles, so it was nice to have a bit of a change!
What a hearty and delicious sandwich.I like tofu stir fry too.
I never knew they made tofu bacon! This looks awesome!
Hehe well I don’t know if ‘they’ do, but I do! ;)