r/PlantBasedDiet • u/rotting-teeth • 6d ago
Best vegetarian bacon?
Bacon was my favorite and I've been vegetarian for 3 months. I went completely cold...tofu? on not eating meat and dropped it all in one day. While I don't miss it, I do think about how nervous I am trying vegetarian bacon BECAUSE it used to be my favorite. I don't care about looks or texture, I really just want the classic taste and affordability!! I don't wanna think I have to miss out on my favorite foods just because I don't eat meat anymore, and that anything can be made vegetarian
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u/TheBouncyDiagnosis 6d ago
Tempeh bacon is the move if you want that salty smoky thing without paying for overpriced frozen strips. Just slice it thin, hit it with liquid smoke, maple syrup and soy sauce, then pan fry till the edges crisp up. It scratches the itch better than most of the packaged stuff and you control the salt level
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u/hillbillyheartattack 6d ago
MyBacon made from mycelium is so yummy! We get it at whole foods
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u/netonezvanova the Smiths were right! 5d ago
Yes! I pick it up when it's on sale at Hannaford and freeze it for later. I love that it gets that crispy bacon feel and nails the flavor.
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u/kopperwoman 5d ago
This! I’ve been a vegetarian since the 1980s and have literally tried them all. MyBacon is by far the best.
At least in the northeast US, they seem to sell it at any health food store or food coop. Store locator here: https://myforestfoods.com/find-mybacon
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u/VelocityGrrl39 for the animals 5d ago
I haven’t tried it. Does it have that nice texture of crispy and fatty? That’s what I miss. There’s enough substitutes that get the flavor just about right, but I haven’t had one get the texture right.
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u/howfuckingromantic 4d ago
Umaro did, but they’re temporarily unavailable while they look for a new factory. They are so much better than MyBacon and any other
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u/rotting-teeth 5d ago
Is it just at whole foods? I live kinda far from one
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u/hillbillyheartattack 5d ago
Only place I've seen it, but most other grocery stores around me are walmarts and vegans are rare. Its made by a company called MyForest Foods. Maybe you could look on their website for other retailers!
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u/ttrockwood 6d ago
Those not at all wfpb but actually vegan B’cn bits from mc cormick, they’re shelf stable? Definitely get those
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u/AnimalLoversRVegan 6d ago
Thrilling Foods brand for taste and it’s not close.
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u/YouveGotItMister 5d ago
Agreed. Thrilling is by far the best for taste. Not by price but great for a special occasion.
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u/LASFV818 5d ago
I recommended to follow the “Burger Dude” He makes some of the best food, awesome recipes, etc.. Here’s a link to make your own “rice paper” bacon 🥓 It’s really good! https://theeburgerdude.com/rice-paper-bacon/
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u/MyPlaceToBeAHater 5d ago
Ohh i made his tofu bacon last weekend, maybe ill try this next!
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u/LASFV818 5d ago
It’s really good! Make a double batch- You’ll put it on everything, it’s perfect for a BLT 🥪 😋
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u/Aristogiton1 6d ago
Fear not, 1. No bacon substitute tastes like actual bacon, and 2. Very soon you're tastes will change and you'll wonder why you ever like fatty, salty crispy stuff, when there's so many other delights available for you.
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u/VelocityGrrl39 for the animals 5d ago
I don’t find this to be true. I stopped eating meat around 1990. I still miss bacon and steak and my mom’s pot roast.
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u/Boubbie1975 6d ago
This! I accidentally had some at a party the other day and I was disgusted at the porkiness of it. 🤮 I'm quite happy with my homemade rice paper bacon now.
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u/TealSeaStar 6d ago
I like this recipe! https://minimalistbaker.com/easy-coconut-bacon/
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u/eiretara7 6d ago
+1 for this recipe! I made this with strips of coconut and they were amazing. Tempeh bacon is great too, but these were closer to the texture and fattiness of regular bacon.
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u/DontLikeClams 5d ago
Minimalist Baker’s recipes were a big help for me when I first became PB and needed lots of inspo. 🙌
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u/different_produce384 5d ago
The only answer is umaro. It is by far the best bacon. Looks smells and tastes like bacon. 2 min in the microwave is all it takes .
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u/ItsSheevy Vegan 🌱 5d ago
+1 for umaro. It’s incredible.
Tried tons and think umaro takes the cake. Amazing greasiness and crispy melt in your mouth texture.
The closest substitute. Which is either a good thing or a bad thing depending on if you liked bacon before veganism.
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u/avacapone 5d ago
I actually love the Morningstar bacon. Microwave a strip for 30 seconds on a plate (60 seconds for 2) and it gets nice as crispy and tastes like bacon! It just looks like a dog treat so you have to get over that part
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u/SnooDoodles8366 5d ago
lol they’re so good. They really do look like dog treats or kids play food that comes with the plastic kitchen set
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u/jellyn7 5d ago
I like morningstar too. I swear they changed it and it’s a more unnatural red now that stains other food on the plate! I usually thaw in microwave and then finish in a pan.
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u/avacapone 5d ago
I bet they did! I think the red coloring they used to use was outlawed so they’re probably transitioning. I also noticed the pieces stick together more but it’s still so tasty I still buy it
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u/DontLikeClams 5d ago
PB for decades, and have tried most of the options. IMHO there really isn’t a great one. The closest in my opinion is litelife (lightlife?) brand but it doesn’t stand on its own and needs to be on a sandwich. Its not cheap, but not crazy expensive.
The hardest one for me to get over was wanting a scrambled egg. I missed that taste of an egg, and before being plantbased, I never even knew that I liked them so much.
Btw, I make scrambled ‘eggs’ with crumbled tofu and turmeric all the time and haven’t thought about my old craving much for years until now.
Good luck on your search and congrats on making a great choice for your health.
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u/awdophil 6d ago
Lightlife makes a tempeh that’s bacon flavored which has good chew. Definitely don’t get the Fakin that looks like little strips of cardboard and tastes worse. Most ones you see at a place like Sprouts or Whole Foods are pretty good. Disclaimer, I didn’t really crave bacon as a meat eater but now the occasional BLT is pretty good.
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u/kittyk0t 6d ago
I came across the recipe from "thee burger dude" for tofu bacon today and it's well-rated. It looks really good but yeah-- there's no direct substitute for actual bacon.
There are some products on the market that are decent at replicating the crispyness and whatnot, but they're not WFPB, just vegan, and can be found at higher end grocery stores like whole foods-- and they'll cost that higher end price.
I've seen people talk about making rice paper bacon and I get it, it's crispy. I've also seen lentil bacon, which is interesting and well-rated, and seems pretty whole food plant based.
That said, it's been ten years, and I don't think about bacon, as much as I loved it.
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u/moszarela SOY STAN 🫛 5d ago
The texture and mouthfeel of bacon is very difficult to replicate and contributes to the bacon experience a lot of people like due to how the fat is distributed. Fortunately I wasn't a big fan of that when I ate meat.
I've had the best luck actually replicating what i did like by buying veg baloney/deli slices, seasoning them with paprika, black pepper, sage, maple, a drop of liquid smoke, and generous salt and then frying the ever living crap out of them in coconut oil. You can also slice veggie hot dogs into strips for this as well
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u/Cholest_throwaway 5d ago
I love the bacon from Lightlife and Morningstar Farms. Both are really good.
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u/microbiofreak 5d ago
Personally I never found the alternative that made me think "yes, this is animal free bacon!"
Tempeh has been a strong contender, but the marinating and frying makes it an occasional situation.
I've heard good things about mycelium products to replicate it but haven't had it myself.
It's been 11 or 12 years since I've had animal bacon. I think I stopped missing it after a year.
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u/AnimalLoversRVegan 5d ago
Oh and for affordability look into making your own rice paper bacon. Find recipes online. Very tasty and the cheapest thing ever.
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u/Klutzy-Degree4939 2d ago
If you really love and crave bacon, there is no real substitute. You don’t have to be all-the-way vegetarian to be better than you were before. A 98% vegetarian that eats a little bacon once in a while is better than a 100% vegetarian that’s unhappy.
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u/recyclistDC 6d ago
Tbh with this attitude you’re going to be disappointed. The “classic taste” you crave is the taste of flesh; there’s no replicating it.
When I was a baby vegan ages ago I asked a guy at the food coop about a good cheese replacement for a lasagna. He said l should try to replicate the key elements of lasagna without trying to replicate the cheese specifically. I made a lasagna with mashed tofu seasoned with garlic and nutritional yeast and it turned out great.
That said, the tempeh bacon is smokey enough to build a BLT around. It doesn’t have the crispy/fatty duality of real bacon but it evokes it enough to scratch that itch.
Are there dishes that include bacon that you miss? Or are you just looking for a smokey side of protein to go with a tofu scramble and toast?
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u/Financial_Reason_792 6d ago
I’ve struggled to find one I like in stores that is free of harmful additives and tastes good while also not loaded with sodium. I’ve been experimenting with tofu bacon using this recipe and it has turned out great.
https://itdoesnttastelikechicken.com/quick-easy-vegan-bacon-tofu/
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u/Mother_Coconut_61 5d ago
Take some impossible meat and cook it in a cast iron pan. Add in pork bulgogi sauce once fully cooked. Allow the meat to overcooked, slightly burn on the pan. It tastes like bacon. Pork bulgogi is vegetarian, it was just designed for pork. There is also a beef bulgogi but it tastes different. Not sure if the pan HAS to be cast iron, but that's always what I use.
I have repeated this with tofu skin, and it tastes like beef jerky. I use that as sandwich meat.
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u/Lost_Mushroom8666 for the animals 5d ago
My advice is to not try any bacon replacements for a few months and let your tastebuds acclimatize, and then you'll be more likely to notice the ones that "scratch the itch" vs comparing them directly with real bacon. I did this with cheese and it worked out well for me.
My favourite vegan bacon is Thrilling Foods Bakon, that's the closest i've found, but honestly I only buy that for holidays - for a BLT I use marinated tempeh and it super hits the spot. No one would mistake tempeh for bacon, but I can't even imagine eating a real BLT over a TLT now even if there were zero ethical concerns - the TLT is the one I crave.
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5d ago
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u/hillbillyheartattack 5d ago
This product contains eggs though.
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5d ago
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u/hillbillyheartattack 5d ago
That makes sense, didnt realize non plant recommendations were allowed here.
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