For those of you who asked for this recipe on our Instagram, today we will share a recipe that will knock your socks off. It's called Vegan Carrot Bacon, and it is absolutely delicious. I know what you're thinking: "Carrots? BACON?" Trust me, it works!
Tarah! This Crispy and Tasty Carrot Bacon recipe makes a fantastic side dish! It is incredible what we can do with a bit of imagination!
You think of the shape, the color, the textures, the flavors, and get into the creating lab! I love that process.
That's how we came up with this Carrot Bacon recipe. It's the perfect way to add a little bacon flavor to your breakfast without switching out your morning favorites.
Plus, it's a healthier alternative to sneak some vegetables into your diet first thing in the morning. Give it a try, and let me know what you think!
We want to achieve the smokiness and crispiness of the bacon. So, this is how we did it!
Jump to:
🧾 Ingredients
Apart from large carrots, to make this delicious bacon recipe, our choice of spices and liquids for the marinade is:
- Gluten-free soy sauce (or coconut aminos)
- maple syrup
- onion powder
- garlic powder
- smoked paprika
- balsamic vinegar
- black pepper
Optionally sesame oil or olive oil, is good if you want to make really crispy bacon. Remember, vegan bacon doesn't have the fat; that's why carrot bacon recipes usually add some oil to make it crispy.
However, if following a WFPB diet, you can skip the oil, the vegan bacon just won't be as crispy.
🔪 Instructions
This is how to make a carrot bacon recipe: you first create a marinade with those spices that will make us think of bacon.
Our choices of spices and liquids for the marinade are soy sauce, maple syrup, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, balsamic vinegar, and black pepper.
With this Vegan carrot bacon recipe, you could play around with the ingredients. For example, you could optionally you could replace the balsamic vinegar with liquid smoke if you want a piece of full-on smoky flavor.
However, I prefer to go for balsamic vinegar since liquid smoke contains harmful carcinogens. So, if you use it in your kitchen, make sure you do it in moderation.
Preheat the oven to 350 ºF (175 ºC).
Start by making the marinade for your vegan bacon, mixing up the gluten-free soy sauce, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion, powder, balsamic vinegar, and maple syrup.
Peel the carrots and simply slice them as thinly as possible, making carrot strips. Ideally, you would use a mandolin, but a sharp knife and good precision also help. You can also try a vegetable peeler.
You then want to marinate the sliced carrots in the mixture. Use a shallow dish; otherwise, the tops and bottoms of the carrots won't get enough juice. Place carrots in, and let them marinate.
Proceed with baking marinated strips, using a lined baking sheet with parchment paper to handle the carrots easier.
Halfway through, once the carrots start bubbling. Flip the carrot slices with your kitchen tongs and add any remaining marinade. Ensure you close the oven while you do that, so the oven doesn't lose its temperature.
An air-fryer also works very well.
💡 Tips and notes
Be aware that these are carrots and not bacon, of course. So, you may want to call the carrot chips instead.
When we are in the process of leaving animal products behind or simply eating healthier, we need to adjust our tastebuds. But hey! It is all for a good cause, the animals, the environment, and our health!
For example, bacon has much unhealthy saturated fat that provides many flavors and substances you don’t want in your body!
Method
Instead of using a regular oven, you could make this vegan carrot bacon recipe air-fried. I do not own an air fryer, but the marinade and method are entirely applicable for an air fryer.
Extra crispy
Add olive oil, sesame oil, or peanut oil to the marinade.
Flavor
If you want the carrots to have a more intense flavor, you can marinade the carrot strips overnight and/or add liquid smoke into the marinade. Coconut aminos, and liquid aminos, make great gluten-free replacements for soy sauce.
When you make carrot bacon is important to watch out for the oven closely after you turn the carrots; you might burn the strips! Look!
🥢 How to serve
Eat your plant-based bacon as you would typically do with bacon—either side by side with your tofu scramble (see tofu scramble recipe), sweet potato breakfast hash, Vegan BLT, or inside of any sandwich or veggie burger. It makes a great side dish in general.
🍶 Substitutions
- Carrots - well, although carrots are the stars of this recipe, you can use the same principles with other root vegetables such as sweet potatoes, beets, and yams. Simply cut them thinly, ideally with a mandoline.
- Aminos - you can dissolve yeast marmite in water to add more umami to your veggie bacon.
🥕 More carrot recipes
Carrots are always present in our kitchen, either as maple bacon carrots or in many other ways.
We make them in all possible ways, including juicing, where we have some favorites like the delicious Carrot, Apple, and Celery Juice; our hydrating Carrot, and Cucumber juice is another great way to use carrots.
Then we love making soups, and the Carrot and Ginger Soup is our indisputable favorite, head to head with the Curried Sprouted lentils soup, which also features delicious carrots.
We also love having carrots as a main dish, like in our Savory carrot tart, next to a nice green salad, or enjoying something more exotic like the Miso Maple Glazed Carrots, which have become a Holiday dinner classic.
We even make pesto out of carrot tops, it is delicious, and it is a great way to reduce waste. What otherwise would have finished in the compost bin becomes a delicious pesto sauce.
If you love carrots, you will surely love our 1-pot carrot cake, made with our go-to gluten-free flour blend, for a healthy treat or breakfast.
⭐ If you try this recipe, let us know! 💬 Leave a comment, rate it, and don't forget to tag us @ourplantbasedworld on Instagram. Cheers!
📋 Recipe
Vegan Carrot Bacon Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 large carrots thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup or agave syrup
- 1 tablespoon coconut aminos or low-sodium/gluten-free soy sauce, or liquid aminos
- 1 teaspoon smoked balsamic vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika good quality
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Optional to make them extra crispy
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or sesame oil
Directions
- Make a marinade with all the ingredients except for the carrots.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) if using a regular oven.
- I hardly ever peel my carrots as they hold many nutrients, but you can peel them if you prefer.
- Slice thinly lengthwise with a mandolin or a vegetable peeler.
- In a shallow dish, lay the sliced carrots and pour the marinade. Marinate for at least 10 minutes. You may have to work in batches to cover the carrots fully.
- Place carrots on a lined baking sheet. Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes until they start bubbling.
- Halfway through, flip the carrot slices with your kitchen tongs and add any remaining marinade. Ensure you close the oven while you do that, so the oven doesn't loose its temperature.
- As soon as they look like bacon, they are ready; it may take around 5 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition Facts
🌡️ Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking points to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice. See our full Nutritional Disclosure here.
Please note that some of the links here are affiliate links, and I will earn a commission if you purchase through those links. I recommend all of the products listed because they are companies I have found helpful and trustworthy.
Anaiah says
I've never tried making vegan bacon because I didn't like the thought of using liquid smoke either. I'm happy to see that balsamic vinegar can be a replacement. Super excited to give this recipe a try!
Gus says
Same here. That's precisely what got me into this new mix. Liquid smoke tastes a little too artificial, so I wanted to get to a similar flavor with other smoky ingredients, and yes! Voila !
Roxana says
Wow this is a truly innovative recipe. Looks so yummy and love all the tips and easy instructions.
Gus says
Thank you for this review, Roxana! We are so happy to hear that you find the recipe interesting and easy to follow.
We hope your family enjoys it as much as ours does.
Carrie Robinson says
Carrot bacon?? I am totally intrigued by this! 🙂
Gus says
Thank you for the 5 star review Carrie! Glad to hear that we piqued your interest with our plant-based bacon. We're always looking for ways to keep things interesting and this is one of those dishes that's not only delicious but also fun and unique.
Heather Perine says
Oh man..this carrot recipe sounds amazing!! Who needs bacon when you can make this side dish instead!
Gus says
Thank you for taking the time to review our recipe Heather! I'm so glad that you enjoyed this simple, plant-based dish.
Jess says
I would have never thought to do this but I LOVE it.
Gus says
Thank you for your review, Jess. I'm so glad to hear that the book has been helpful and enjoyable for you!
Jyoti Behrani says
These turned out fantastic!! Thanks for this amazing recipe!
Gus says
Thank you so much for your review, Jyoti! I am thrilled to hear that the recipe turned out well and hope it brings you many more happy moments.
Mariana says
A new way to make the extra carrots that I have on my fridge thanks for inspire me with this recipe.
Gus says
you are welcome, Mariana! I am glad we could provide some cooking inspiration!
Gail Montero says
This is so deliciously creative and looks so tasty indeed!
Anjali says
I was amazed by how well this recipe turned out! The carrots were really crispy and flavorful, and we used them in a vegan BLT! Yum!
Gus says
That's cool Anjali, a vegan BLT is also one of our favorite ways to use these maple carrot bacon strips!
Cara says
I have been wanting to try making carrot bacon for.ever, so I was excited to find your recipe! Your instructions are so clear and I can't wait to make this recipe. Thank you!
Beth says
This is wonderful! I love smoked paprika and I love how flavorful and festive this side dish is for the Easter holiday! Try them in an air fryer for a great, crispy snack too!
Gus says
An air fryer is amazing for carrot bacon! Thanks for your review!
Anita says
Real bacon can be expensive, and also, quite unhealthy if we want to be honest. This though, a pack of carrots can make tons of carrot bacon and they are delicious.
Gus says
Hey Anita, I am glad you liked the idea! Carrot bacon is the best bacon sub and super healthy!
Angela says
I've been wanting to try this for a while! So good and guilt free! Thanks for the great recipe.
Gus says
you are welcome, Angela! I am glad you enjoyed our carrot bacon! 🙂
Sue says
I made these in my air fryer and they turned out perfect!
Gus says
hey! Thanks for the feedback, Sue! 🙂
Tara says
Oh yum! Such a wonderful vegan and gluten free option! I love all the tips to help make the carrot bacon perfect and different pairing ideas.
Holly says
You're right, it does work! This carrot bacon definitely satisfied our craving for something smoky to go with our tofu scramble breakfast-for-dinner. Very nice recipe.
Gus says
Nice to hear that it was what you were expecting! Thanks for your review!
Erin says
This is so interesting! This was great eating plain, but think it would be great in a sandwich as well. I'll have to try that next time!
Gus says
It is great on sandwiches; you should definitely try that! Thanks for your review!