I have made so many “bacon” recipes in my day. This is hands down the best vegan bacon recipe out there. I think all kinds of “bacon” can have different places in certain recipes. Don’t get me wrong, I love mushroom, seitan, soy curl and all kinds of other “bacon” options. However, this rice paper bacon is crunchy, smoky, sweet and salty. I love to add it to salads, pastas and pasta salads. It is just the most crumble-able, so it is perfect for a wedge salad topping.
What You Need For This Rice Paper Bacon:
- Rice paper: The kind that you use for fresh spring rolls.
- Soy Sauce Or Tamari: If you want a totally gluten-free option, use tamari.
- Maple Syrup and Brown Sugar: The brown sugar is optional, if you want to make brown sugar “bacon”.
- Liquid Smoke and Smoked Paprika: For that signature smoky “bacon” flavor.
- Garlic Powder: I love the addition of garlic.
- Oil: Any kind you like will do. I recommend vegetable oil.
I have seen a lot of rice paper bacon recipes, however I wanted to make one even better. This is the best vegan bacon recipe for so many reasons. My favorite part about it, is that it is baked. Not fried. Making it hands off, so easy, and you can use a lot less oil to make this “bacon”. I lay my rice paper bacon on a baking rack then place that on a sheet pan so it can catch any drips. It works like a charm! If you are looking for a great way to use this “bacon”, try my Vegan Crispy Tofu BLT!
Why Should You Make This Plant-Based Bacon?
- It is so dang tasty.
- The crisp is beyond compare.
- It can easily be gluten-free.
- It is the perfect salad topping.
- This bacon is the best for sandwiches!
The Best Vegan Bacon Recipe
Ingredients
- 9 Sheets Rice paper
- 2 Tablespoons Vegetable oil
- 3 Tablespoons Soy sauce or Tamari for GF option
- 1 Tablespoon Maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons Liquid smoke
- 1 teaspoon Smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1 Tablespoon Brown sugar(optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees(F).
- Take a large bowl of warm water. Put one sheet of rice paper into the water and let it soak for 10-15 seconds. Place it onto a cutting board.
- Repeat with two more sheets of rice paper. Laying them directly on top of each other. Then smooth out so the rice paper sheets are stuck together. And you have a 3 layer rice paper sheet.
- I like to smooth them out completely with my hands so there are no bubbles in between the sheets.
- Slice the rice paper into strips with a pizza cutter and set aside to let them dry a little bit.
- Repeat with the other 6 sheets of rice paper, ending up with 3 sets of the 3 layers.
- In a large platter with a large lip to it, or a large bowl, whisk together the oil, soy sauce, maple syrup, liquid smoke, paprika and garlic powder.
- Take each strip of rice paper, and a few at a time, lay them in the marinade and flip them a few times and let them sit for 2-3 minutes in the marinade.
- Remove them and place them on a baking/cooling rack that has been sprayed with non-stick spray and placed over a sheet pan.
- Lay the strips in a single layer.
- Repeat with all the rice paper strips, letting them each marinate for a few minutes and then laying them on the rack.
- Bake the "bacon" for 5 minutes, flip and then if you want to top with brown sugar, now is the time to do that. Just sprinkle a tiny bit over each strip.
- Bake for another 5 minutes or until nice and crispy.
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