Smoky Vegan Seitan Bacon
Incredibly smoky, savory and flavorful, this vegan seitan bacon will please even non-vegans! It is chewy and meaty, packed with protein and has all the flavors of traditional ones.
Servings: 6 servings (4 strips per serving)
Calories: 197kcal
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 1 ½ cups vital wheat gluten
- ⅓ cup whole wheat flour or chickpea flour/all purpose flour
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Wet ingredients
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup soy sauce or tamari
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 ½ tablespoons liquid smoke
For the marinade
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
Making bacon
- Start by combining dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
- Next, add in wet ingredients. Mix well until a dough forms.
- Knead the dough for 6-8 minutes on a wooden chopping board. It should be pretty firm and elastic after kneading.
- Shape the dough into a square and loosely wrap it in foil. Steam it for 30 minutes in a steaming basket inserted into a pot of boiling water.
- After steaming, carefully remove foil and let it cool down completely. Slice it into thin strips using a sharp knife.
Cooking bacon
- Combine everything needed for the marinate in a bowl and whisk to mix. Using a pastry brush, brush on the marinade on both sides.
- To pan-fry: Heat up a small amount of oil in a non-stick pan. Place 4-5 slices of bacon in the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes on each sides, or until both sides are nicely charred. Repeat for the remaining slices.
- To bake: Preheat oven to 200C/400F. Place bacon slices in one layer on a lined baking rack. Place rack at the uppermost layer of the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes, before flipping over and baking for another 8-10 minutes on the other side.
Notes
Helpful tips
To store the whole block, simply place it in a large freezer bag or sealed container. It will keep in the fridge for about a week, and in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, let it thaw completely, slice and brush on the marinade before pan-frying or baking it.
To keep individual strips of bacon that had been pan-fried or baked, portion them up in sealed containers for freezer bags so you will only be taking out what you need. You can straight away reheat bacon strips from frozen, either on stove or in the microwave.
- Remember to wrap bacon dough loosely in foil. It will expand upon steaming!
- Depending on your strength, you will have to knead dough for 6-8 minutes. You will know that it is done kneading when dough is firm to the touch and bounce back when it is slightly stretched. For this recipe, you actually want seitan to be tough and chewy, so it shouldn't be a problem if you knead it for a little too long!
- Let seitan bacon cool down completely after steaming before slicing. It will firms up as it cools, hence making it easier to be sliced. A sharp knife will also help!
To store the whole block, simply place it in a large freezer bag or sealed container. It will keep in the fridge for about a week, and in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, let it thaw completely, slice and brush on the marinade before pan-frying or baking it.
To keep individual strips of bacon that had been pan-fried or baked, portion them up in sealed containers for freezer bags so you will only be taking out what you need. You can straight away reheat bacon strips from frozen, either on stove or in the microwave.
Nutrition
Calories: 197kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1118mg | Potassium: 227mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 455IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 3mg
