Trick Your Taste Buds With This Vegan Bacon — Made From Eggplant

Whether you're on a plant-based diet or are beginning to explore the vegetarian world, this mouth-watering crispy eggplant bacon will surely satisfy your taste buds. It checks off all the boxes of regular bacon — crispy, smoky, and savory — except this is made entirely of eggplant and spices and is good for you. OK, so it's not exactly like pork, but it's a great healthy alternative to bacon and adds a unique flavor and texture to sandwiches, salads, and dips alike.

Eggplant Bacon

Adapted from Minimalist Baker

Ingredients

1. 1/2 medium eggplant
   2 tbsp. olive oil
   1 1/2 tbsp. tamari
   1 tbsp. vegan worcestershire
   1 tbsp. maple syrup
   2 tsp. liquid smoke
   1 tsp. smoked paprika
   Pinch sea salt
   Pinch garlic powder
   1/2 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper, plus more for topping

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 225ºF.
2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Slice an eggplant in half lengthwise and set one half aside. Cut the remaining eggplant in half lengthwise once more so you have two long, skinny pieces.
4. Slice into 1/8-inch-thick strips and set aside.
5. Combine oil, tamari, worcestershire sauce, maple syrup, liquid smoke, paprika, sea salt, garlic powder, and black pepper in a small mixing bowl.
6. Use a brush to coat both sides of the eggplant slices with sauce. Arrange in a single layer on the parchment-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with more black pepper.
7. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the eggplant is deep red in color, appears dry, and is slightly crispy. If needed, increase heat to 250ºF at the end if not crisping up.
8. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. It will crisp up the more it cools.
9. Eat immediately.

Information

Category

Breakfast/Brunch

Cuisine

North American

Yield

14 slices

Total Time

39 minutes, 59 seconds

Nutrition

Calories per serving

28