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You’ll LOVE these Vegan Bacon Bits that are SO simple to make (they come together in just about 10 minutes) and are made with textured vegetable protein that is plant based and packed with protein.
I don’t know about you but bacon bits are a big part of my childhood. My parents always kept them in the house and I loved them so so much (no shame!). I can’t even tell you what it is about them besides the crunch saltiness that is just so good.
NATURALLY, I wanted to create a vegetarian version of these bits and was so excited to discover textured vegetable protein which makes the recipe really come together.
What is TVP?
TVP stands for “textured vegetable protein”. It’s similar to soy curls but much smaller in size. TVP has just ONE ingredient in it: “defatted soy flour”. So, it’s a soy based product that’s relatively inexpensive, easy to find online, and so very versatile!
Straight out of the bag, TVP is pretty much completely flavorless and has a similar crunchy texture to bacon bits. In order to flavor it, it’s best to rehydrate it first so that it can really soak up the flavors that you’re mixing it with.
I’m going to be writing a FULL article explain what TVP is and will update this post once it’s complete! I really love TVP and I’m excited to cook with it and share more recipes using it. So, be on the lookout for those!
I bought my TVP at Fred Meyer but it is available at most health food stores and online HERE. This is not sponsored at all but the only brand of TVP I have ever tried is Bob’s Red Mill. Anthony’s also makes a version of it and I’ve always liked their products!
How to make Vegan Bacon Bits:
This recipe is SO super easy so lets dive in.
Start out by combining everything in a small saucepan except for the TVP. Bring it to a gentle simmer and then remove from the heat. Add in the TVP, mix to combine, and then spread the mixture out onto a lined baking sheet. Bake for a few minutes to crisp up the TVP and then remove from the oven.
AND that’s it! It’s ready to use. One of the things I love about this is that it stays good for a while. I like to make a 1 cup batch of it and keep it for salads, soups, and things like baked potatoes. SO GOOD!
That’s it for today! I’m really excited to see y’all making these vegan bacon bits! Please let me know how you use them and how you like them.
For being plant based, I think that these are so ridiculously delicious and I will be using these for the rest of my life as a simple vegan alternative.
Vegan Bacon Bits
Ingredients
- 1 cup of tvp, textured vegetable protein
- 1 tablespoon of liquid smoke
- 3 tablespoons of soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons of maple syrup
- ½ tablespoon of smoke paprika
- ½ tablespoon of garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon of water
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 250 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the liquid smoke, soy sauce, maple syrup, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and water. Bring to a low simmer and stir to combine.
- Remove from the heat and add in the TVP. Stir to combine so that the tvp is coated and fully soaks up the liquid.
- Spread the tvp on the prepared baking sheet and bake until crispy, about 4 minutes.
- Store in an air tight container for up to 1 month.
This was easy to make and delicious. Thank you
Your bacon bits look delicious. I would just like to know if it wouldn’t be better to soak the tvp in water first, squeeze the water out and then add them to the sauce please to soak up all those flavors.
Thanks
Antoinette
That can work for other recipes but for this one, we want them to be kind of dry and crispy so I found it’s best to not add extra liquid to them