Author: Did you know that those simulated bacon bits you can get at the grocery store are often vegan!? Weird eh. Although it's easy to buy vegan bacon bits, I'm not a fan of all of those artificial ingredients. Inspired by all of my tofu crumble recipes, I played around in the kitchen to make my own homemade vegan tofu bacon bits, which are easy to make, use just 7 ingredients, are oil-free, and are actually HEALTHY! Healthy bacon? I like the sounds of that!
These bacon bits are the perfect combo of crispy and chewy with a smoky salty taste. I love having a jar on hand at all times as it's such a great way to add oomph to any dish you sprinkle them on!
There are two key ingredients that make these tofu bits taste like bacon, and they are smoked paprika and liquid smoke. Do you see a theme here? Haha.
Normally I would choose only one smoky seasoning at a time to use in a recipe but to make these crumbles taste extra bacon-y I really found I got the best result using some of each. Pair the smoke flavour with salty soy sauce, a little hit of maple syrup, and a few other seasonings and you get the best homemade bacon bits ever!
How to Make Vegan Tofu Bacon Bits:
Mix the nutritional yeast, soy sauce, smoked paprika, maple syrup, garlic powder, and liquid smoke in the bottom of a large bowl.
Crumble the block of tofu with your fingers into the bowl over the seasoning. Mix the tofu crumbles with the seasoning making sure all of the tofu is evenly coated. 
Spread the tofu crumbles evenly over the prepared pan. Break up any larger pieces of tofu to ensure they tofu is evenly crumbled. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, stopping to stir the tofu every now and then. Keep a close eye on it towards the end so that it doesn't burn. You want the tofu to get browned and crispy.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before storing (it will crisp up more as it cools). Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Sprinkle these vegan bacon bits anywhere you like. I love them on pizza, on potato soup, on salad, on pasta, just about everywhere!
Bon appetegan!
Sam Turnbull.
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Vegan Tofu Bacon Bits
Servings: 1 tablespoon servings (make about 1 ½ cups)
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce,, (gluten-free if preferred)
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon liquid smoke
- 1 block (350g) extra-firm tofu, drained (no need to press it)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F (180C). Lightly grease a large baking sheet or line it with parchment paper (see notes).
- Mix the nutritional yeast, soy sauce, smoked paprika, maple syrup, garlic powder, and liquid smoke in the bottom of a large bowl.
- Crumble the block of tofu with your fingers into the bowl over the seasoning. Mix the tofu crumbles with the seasoning making sure all of the tofu is evenly coated.
- Spread the tofu crumbles evenly over the prepared pan. Break up any larger pieces of tofu to ensure the tofu is evenly crumbled. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, stopping to stir the tofu every now and then. Keep a close eye on it towards the end so that it doesn't burn. You want the tofu to get browned and crispy. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before storing (it will crisp up more as it cools). Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 1 week, or it freezes wonderfully as well.
Notes
Nutrition
⭐ Did You Make This Recipe?
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Marcia says
I can't get extra firm tofu, only regular firm, will it still work please? Love your recipes 😋
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Marcia, yes it will still work! Extra-firm gives the crispiest results, but firm tofu is totally fine, just pat it dry really well and expect it to be slightly less crispy. So happy you’re enjoying the recipes 😋
Claire says
Great recipe! Very easy to make.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Yay! So happy you enjoyed it Claire 🙂
Jazz says
Soo delicious and healthy. So delicious I can't believe they're healthy
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Yay! So happy you enjoy them Jazz!
Tren says
What flavor of liquid smoke do you use? Hickory? Mesquite?
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
I like Hickory best, but you can use whatever flavor you prefer 🙂
April J MacKinnon says
Love this on salads. I did double most of the spices (I want the flavor to hit me!) and grated instead of crumbled the tofu. Love to keep this in the frig for just about ANYTHING! Thank you!
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
That's so wonderful April! Love the flavor punch 🙂 Thanks for the review!
Tilly says
was in a hurry so I mixed this with some grated smoked tofu no liquid smoke and then pan-fried for a few minutes. added to a broccoli salad instead of bacon bits. Not crunchy but great flavour. I will try next as written.