Fork and Beans

Making food fun for the family

Tempeh Bacon

by

One of my favorite things about my childhood happened to be a certain day of the week: Sunday. My family and I would wake up, leave our pajamas on, and pray to the Almighty bready breakfast food gods. Depending on my mother’s mood, we either sang our praises to pancakes or waffles drenched in syrup, but always to bacon! Bacon was always present. So in honor of this week of de-glutenizing and veganizing my favorite childhood foods, and because bacon really has a soft spot in my heart, I thought I would give it a shot:

Homemade Tempeh "Bacon"

I’ve been hearing all about Tempeh on the blogging world, something that I never knew about 2 months ago. So when I saw tempeh bacon in the store, I was super excited to try it until I realized that wheat was in the ingredients. So I stood in the store, studying the list so I could go home and attempt to recreate my own version of tempeh bacon in the comfort of my own home.

Homemade Tempeh Bacon

 

Homemade Tempeh Bacon

 

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Tempeh Bacon Sandwiches

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
  • Author: Fork & Beans
  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 5 mins
  • Total Time: 25 mins
  • Yield: 12 slices 1x
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Ingredients

  • 1 8 oz. package tempeh, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 c. gluten free soy sauce (or liquid aminos)
  • 1/3 c. maple syrup
  • 1 tsp. liquid smoke
  • 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

Instructions

  1. Add the marinade into a shallow dish, mixing it up until well incorporated. Place the tempeh slices into the dish so it can absorb the marinade. Allow to set for at least 20 minutes. You can even allow it to set overnight.
  2. Heat up a nonstick skillet on medium heat. If you do not use a nonstick, you will need approximately 1 tsp. of olive oil. Place slices of marinaded tempeh into the pan and allow to crisp/brown for 2-3 minutes per side. Set on a paper towel-lined plate to cool.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 slice
  • Calories: 65
  • Sugar: 5g
  • Sodium: 236mg
  • Fat: 2.1g
  • Carbohydrates: 8g
  • Protein: 4g

 And what better way to eat vegan bacon than in this Ultimate Tempeh Sandwich?

Tempeh Rainbow Sandwiches

 

It’s a robot (dance)-worthy sandwich, filled with:

Tempeh Bacon

Lettuce

Tomatoes

Avocado

Red Onion

Bell Pepper

Lettuce

Sprouts

Heaven. I have missed sandwiches! Do you need a moment alone? Here’s a napkin to wipe the drool off…

 

Namastasty

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. This tempeh was delicious! I cooked it in batches and tossed everything around in the pan with the remaining marinade at the end until it had reduced and was absorbed. This made it a little too salty, so next time I think I’ll cut the soy sauce by half. My omni family ate sausage while I enjoyed this in a bun with sautéed peppers and onions. The leftover tempeh is destined for pizza tomorrow with moxarella. Thanks!

    ★★★★★

  3. Can’t believe I’m just now discovering this! BLATs are my fave! 😀

    I’ve been so curious about tempeh (at restaurants it’s yummy but the processed packaged stuff – Tofurky I’m looking at you – is disgusting!) looking forward to making my own! 🙂

    • You and me both! I LOVE BLATs too and I am really trying to decrease the amount of processed foods in my diet. Try this bacon, Kat! I think you will really like it. xo

  5. A tip for those new to cooking tempeh…
    After you slice it, steam it for ten minutes (I use my bamboo baskets). It takes out some of that bitterness and I find that it takes marinades better.
    I wish I knew this trick sooner. It took me years to tolerate tempeh and now I am in love with it!

    • Love this tip! Never have done it myself so I will test it out, thank you Sarah.

  7. This looks like the best.tempeh.bacon.ever – period!

    I absolutely adore maple syrup in and on practically everything and LOVE avocado on my sammies 🙂

    • I cannot believe that this was my first time trying it! You know what it would be good as really? Tempeh jerky. Maybe I will work on that one…sooooo good. (Huge avocado fan here, too!)

  8. This is great – I’ve never even seen ready-made tempeh bacon in the stores here, so this is perfect. I’m still trying to convince my partner that tempeh is yummy, so I think this will be just the ticket. Must track down some liquid smoke… another thing not too common round these parts!

    I love cheesy 70s “bow chicka wow wow” music hehehe.

    • Oh, I hope you find the liquid smoke because it makes the bacon, really. Keeping my fingers crossed for you, my love. And you just made me snort with the bow chicka wow wow!!! haha

  9. That’s a good lookin’ sandwich! Avocado really makes it, doesn’t it? I generally feel that without avocado, I’ll just skip the BLT. Our green, fatty friend adds so much. I like the script around the picture too. It brings it to life.

    Hey, have you tried the smoky Soy Curls from Vegan Diner? They’re gluten free and my new favorite veggie bacon. They take on a really nice crispness and have a great texture. Plus, there’s none of that fermented taste to compete with and so it just focuses on the smoky, maple flavors. You should check it out if you haven’t already!

    • I live off of avocados, really. I oculd eat guacamole every day. Oh wait, I do… 🙂
      Note to self: Buy Vegan Diner now. Sounds delicious! I cannot believe I am just NOW getting into this stuff… HA.

  10. BAAAAACON….Mmmm, Looks so dang tasty and won’t make me vomit from that meat smell.

    SOLD!!!!

    Wish I could be there to partake in some Sinful Sandies.

    • HAHA. Sinful Sandies. I wish you were here to enjoy all the treaties baked up today and yesterday 🙁 You are right, when you leave, all the showstoppers come out. Maybe you shouldn’t leave anymore… hehe. BaaaAAAAAcoooooonnnn! I think you would love the BLTA, bud!

  11. Hahahahahaaaa. I totally remember those breakfasts. Not sure why I never learned to cook it but whatever. My favorite was scrambled eggs and toast … For dinner!!!! Yum!

    • You mean the kind of scrambled eggs that you heat up in the microwave? Remember that? Man, that used to be my favorite thing to do–put 2 eggs into a mug, add some milk, mix it up and then put it into the microwave and watch it magically puff up. That is nasty, really. ha.

  12. ooooh.. that sandwich is drooolicious! ok.. seriously i have never ever tasted bacon, but i know the smell coz so many peeps always end up getting some fried strips or some type around. and i never liked the smell. i got those strips once for hubbs for his blt, and that mix of spices is the real thing, coz as soon as i put that on the stove, my pom came out all ears up and sniffing around till he located the origin of the smell and there he sat the entire time! i’d rather tikka-fy my tempeh.
    That bread looks gorgeous! can u please send me all your gf bread reference links so i can make my bread strategy! i have a bunch of questions, which i am going to post on your gf guide !

  13. Oh, I love tempeh any way you cut it… literally… but that bread looks amazing. It’s funny, I was really just wondering this morning: do non-wheat flours rise when you add yeast to them? What kind of crumb do they get? That picture answers a lot of questions for me!

  14. Oh, hell yes. Reminds me of a sandwich I had in Hawai’i, remains one of the best sandwiches I ever had. The avocado just totally brings it home. Mmmm….

    • Meat love, are you? bahaha.I could tell from “interesting”…You sound frightened 🙂 For those of us who can’t eat meat (for various reasons) it’s not bad really 🙂 It’s not bacon, but not bad…

    • WOW. Thank you MJ! This means so much, really. I cannot believe people like you keep coming back for more for my insanity, so truly, I thank you from the bottom of my heart!

  18. Brown chicken brown cow! I’ve only had tempeh a couple of times and haven’t been particularly impressed with it. Maybe I’ll give it a try again. In fact, I’m kinda wishing I had it in my fridge right now… Pooh.

    • This was the first time I have tried it–not a bad way to break it in 🙂 Yes, you must attempt this and tell me what you think… Signed, Dookiedoo Baba Loo Shamalama Ding Dong. HA

  19. The Whole Nutrition Kitchen has so many great ideas. I’ve been meaning to try that one for over a year now. But Cara, darling, I must take you to task. As wonderful as that beautifully photographed tempeh would be for the GF soy eater, um, have you read the ingredients in Soy Sauce? If memory serves the first one is WHEAT. Hopefully, it was just a slip and you really meant to type Tamari. Seems strange, doesn’t it? That stuff hides in the weirdest places. Like my shampoo! I swear it’s like the blob, it’s coming after us. It was hiding in the robot. What me? Paranoid? 🙂

      • See here I’ve been shaking my head and wondering where I’d gone wrong. I humbly beg your apology. On my knees, even – a tear running down my cheek (um, you’re buying this, right?) <3

  20. Nothing tepid about tempeh! Love it! I’m glad you gave it a shot. Bread is divine. I don’t eat sandwiches a lot, even though they are like my fave thing ever. This sandwich is like the perfect dagwood!

    • It has been so long since I had a hearty sandwich that I forgot how filling it is! Bread *is* divine. I’m convinced it is what God first created.

  21. Food porn in bread and bacon form…what a fantastic way to start my day!!!!!
    I’ll have to give this tempeh bacon a try, It looks delicious, nice work! And you better believe I’m super proud of you for making loaf bread—woohoo, I could totally go for some homemade toast this morning! See, you are a pro!!! 🙂

    • I am making 2012 my year to tackle bread. Enough of this crappy store-bought stuff. They are all terrible! I will heat a slice up for you and slather some tempeh bacon on it for you for breakfast 🙂

  22. mmmm, yep, tempeh bacon is where it’s at girl! sometimes when i make it i like to overcook a few of the slices until they’re well past crispy and then crumble them over a pseudo caesar salad. try it – you won’t be sorry.

    • And do you have this recipe you speak of for a pseudo caesar salad, and if so, might I use it to sprinkle my overcooked tempeh bacon with? Like NOW???! haha. That sounds fantastic!

  23. Oh man. That looks fantastic! What is tempeh? Is it soyless? Is there hope for me?! Also, tomorrow you will see (maybe) a post on my blog in which I nominated you for awesomeness. I know you already know about your awesomeness but I’m a spread-the-love kinda girl.

    • A girl never gets used to her awesomeness. In all seriously though, Thank you so much for the potential of tomorrow 🙂 I cannot tell how that touches me so! xo. And sorry about the tempeh 🙁 I will let you cry on my shoulder…

  24. i used to love bacon, too. i actually preferred mine a little burnt and i would dip it into my sunny-side up egg yolk. gross now, though..

    to be honest, i’m more obsessed and in aww of that bread. i am making it this week fr sure!

  26. Awesome! I have this mental image of you taking a bite out of the sandwich and then moonwalking across your kitchen!!

    I’m not a sandwich gal, but you really rocked the BLTA… we used to call em BLATs where I worked. 🙂

  27. What a clever way to cook tempe. I’ve been eating tempe since I was little but never thought something like this. TFS, might try this for my 1 day being a vegetarian 😀

    • Oooohhh, welcome to vegetarianism–the time of my life when I actually began to get creative in the kitchen 🙂 WHat made you decide to make the switch, Mrs. D? And I wish I could take credit for the tempeh bacon, but I’m just a bit behind in this technique. hehe. Try it though! Not exactly bacon but a good addition to a sandwich!

Trackbacks

  3. […] I feel like maybe something amazing happened then this sandwich was created.  Perhaps it was a stormy dark day and the moment this sandwich was created the clouds parted and the sun came out.  Okay, maybe it wasn’t that dramatic, but the taste of this sandwich is pretty amazing!  I am completely impressed with this recipe!  I will certainly be trying some variation using tempeh in this way!   The sandwich pairs the creaminess of smashed avocado, fresh tomato and lettuce and deliciously cooked tempeh strips!  I didn’t change a thing about this recipe so I”ll send to you to the creators website! Find this awesome recipe, here. […]