Vegan BLT - The Buddhist Chef

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Vegan BLT

Post by The Buddhist Chef

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Description

This tofu bacon is smoky, crispy and makes an exceptional BLT! Use this recipe to make a vegan version of the classic sandwich. ”Our

Ingredients

450 g firm tofu, thinly sliced
1 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil + 2 tbsp for the baking sheet
1 1/2 tsp liquid smoke

Directions

1
Preheat oven to 375˚F (190˚C)
2
Mix the onion powder, nutritional yeast, soy sauce, maple syrup, vegetable oil and liquid smoke. Pour over tofu slices and marinate for a few minutes.
3
Place tofu slices on a lightly oiled baking pan.
4
Bake 15 minutes OR UNTIL THE TOFU IS CRISPY.
5
Serve on bread and top with vegan mayonnaise, tomato slices and lettuce.

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71 comment

  3. Mike
    Reply

    This was one tasty sandwich! I have left over “bacon” for breakfast too! I added Avocado and Jalapeños. I cooked my Tofu a bit longer cause I wanted it very crispy.

  5. James
    Reply

    Not mentioned in the video, but probably helpful is to drain the tofu before hand. Either use a plate and a can of veg, or whatever you have. Set it on the counter for about 15 minutes or so. I made this and no matter what I did, I ended up with tasty slices of soft tofu.

  6. Stephanie
    Reply

    Agree with pressing tofu prior to making this. After baking in the oven for 15
    minutes , I turned the heat down to around 200 and kept the tofu in the oven till it was very dry. It was great! Love the simplicity of your recipes. Thanks!!

  8. Louis
    Reply

    I replaced liquid smoke with maybe a tsp of paprika, and put cornstarch on the tofu before putting it in the sauce to make it more crispy. Amazing recipe.

  9. Cherie
    Reply

    I’m making this 2nite! And man oh man it smells so good (I added garlic to the marinade….cuz I put garlic in everything lol)

  13. Jimmie
    Reply

    Generally a really successful recipe- however there are two major flaws. First of all, 450g of tofu is a LOT of tofu, and the marinade definitely would not cover this much. Second, as others have mentioned, the tofu absolutely must be pressed and/or dried in order to get even somewhat crispy “bacon”. I recommend omitting the maple syrup (cut unnecessary sugar) and adding cumin, tumeric, and black pepper. One of my favorite recipes!

  14. Liz Devlin
    Reply

    I tried this but used baking powder instead of yeast because I forgot to get yeast and onion powder. And I don’t know what I did but it came out badly. I had the tofu out and got the water out of it but it tasted like rubber and it was gooey.
    What did I do wrong exactly? Was it the lack of yeast?

    • The Buddhist Chef
      Reply

      Nutritional yeast is not active yeast that you use for bread, it’s a seasoning. You can’t sub it with baking powder. Ask for nutritional yeast next time you’ll see it has a yellowish color and it taste like Parmesan cheese 🙂

  16. Marsha
    Reply

    I have made this several times and the flavor is delish. However, even though I pressed the liquid out of the tofu, I could not get it to crisp up, had soft tofu strips instead. I will try lowering oven temp and keeping in oven till dry or maybe using the broiler after baking it? Also, double the recipe to cover all the strips. I put it on ciabatta rolls wit vegan mayo, lettuce, tomato and sliced avacado. Loved it! This recipe is a keeper.

  17. dianne
    Reply

    WOW! This turned out wonderful! I sliced the tofu, then put it my air fryer at the lowest temp to dry it out a good bit, but not completely (this could be done in a low temp oven). Then I cut the slices lengthwise to give them more surface area. I followed the rest of the directions, except that I baked it for about 25 minutes. The best strips were the thinnest ones (about 1/16th inch). They got nice and crispy, but were still just a little chewy (not soft) in the middle. The thicker slices were softer, but crispy around the edges and still very tasty. I’ll know to slice it all thinner next time. I came up just a little short on the sauce. I’ll increase it by half next time. BACON!!!!!

  18. bethany
    Reply

    Hi how long does the tofu last once I make it? I’d love to refrigerate and take out for another day. 🙂 Love this recipe!

  21. Joanne
    Reply

    I tried to slice it thinly but although had squeezed water from tofu beforehand,it kind of collapsed and it had gaps in it

    However,still turned out tasty,but next time would slice it thinner. Thanks,Buddhist Chef !

  24. Christine
    Reply

    Oh, and for those who can’t get nutritional yeast you can order it on Amazon. Try KAL (non-GMO) nutritional yeast. It’s where I get mine. Hope this is helpful.

  28. Tom
    Reply

    The tofu bacon is amazing! I did press my tofu for a while and I baked it for 35 minutes. It’s nice and crisp, and tastes very much like the “real thing.” Really delicious on a sandwich.

  30. Alison
    Reply

    I made this tonight, we were pleased with the results and will try it again soon.
    Instead of liquid smokeI used a small amount of Tabasco sauce with chipotle. I read some of the comments and I would like to try to get crispier tofu by draining the tofu first and dusting with some cornstarch after the marinade has been added. Some other comments regarding quantities: I used half of the tofu quantity specified, with all the sauce. I found it a little sweet, so I’ll reduce the maple syrup next time.
    A very tasty meal, thanks for the recipe!

  31. Rondi Wellum
    Reply

    I am adding this to one of my top fav recipes. My tweaks are: 1) I double the marinade recipe and add maybe 1 T of water to thin out a little; 2) I bake on parchment paper and skip putting oil on pan; 3) I start with extra firm tofu and slice thin — I didn’t worry about super thin but did make fairly thin…then I laid slice out on paper towels for about 10 min to dry a bit…and patted dry, slight pressure with paper towel to get moisture out. You could skip the 10 min dry and just press on tofu slices. 4) I baked for 20 min at 375 and then another 10 min at 250. End result good with some chewy parts and some crispy parts. This recipe is flexible with flavors. I made 2nd time using brown sugar instead of maple syrup. I’ve add paprika (smokey flavor). Could try tiny pinch of cayenne, some garlic powder, etc to mix up flavors.

  32. Keith Lowell
    Reply

    Thanks for a great recipe. I have made this several times now. My wife and I use it for BLTs and my daughter just gobbles it up as soon as it cools down enough, no bread, lettuce, or tomatoes getting between her and her “bacon”.

  34. Kimberly
    Reply

    Thank you for the amazing recipes. I was raised on a cattle farm in the 70’s and just watched What The Health. I am going grocery shopping tomorrow, and there will NOT be any meat in my cart.

  35. Kelly
    Reply

    I made this for the first time… for breakfast. It was supposed to go with my fancy hash browns and fancy ass toast… know what I ate for breakfast? 3/4 of a block of tofu…

    This is my 2nd time making a tofu recipe of yours and the 2nd time I’ve demolished one of your tofu recipes. Way to go! There may be hope yet with tofu!

    The other recipe was the peanut tofu. Mmm

  36. Rana
    Reply

    Great recipe! I’ve had a lot of failures with marinating tofu but this was amazing. I especially love how quick and easy it is and it still has all the flavour you could wish for. I made the sandwich with slightly toasted bread, homemade vegan ranch dressing and added sweet corn, lettuce, bell pepper and tofu. Thanks for the recipe! 🙂

  38. HelgaElizabeth
    Reply

    I am obsessed with this recipe! Double the marinade, slice the tofu a little thicker, and bake just until browned, then serve it over coconut Basmati rice with a side of spicy mango or peach chutney. Or do a slaw with radishes and kale and whatever summer veggies are on hand. Glorious.

  40. Edith Tsacle
    Reply

    I’m making this tonight the way it was written (just pressed the tofu a bit). I was just wondering if it would work using frozen and defrosted tofu for a different, crispy-chewier, “bacon-y” texture?

  41. Sara
    Reply

    Love this recipe. My teenage omni son is very dubious of my attempts to feed him “veganny” foods and even he agreed that this was delicious.

  42. Claire Adams
    Reply

    Since I went vegan and could no longer have quorn bacon rashers I have been yearning for something like this. Brilliant! Easy to make, tasty and quick. Will have this again and again. X

  44. Dina
    Reply

    This was amazing! Had a BLT and honestly would not be able to tell the difference from the real thing. Can’t wait to try this in other dishes …

  45. Laura
    Reply

    I have made this recipe a million times now, so I thought I should comment! This is by far one of the EASIEST and TASTIEST ways to prepare tofu, if not THE easiest and tastiest way! I have started making it in my air fryer instead of the oven; it’s very fast, and gets the tofu nice and crispy without adding any extra oil. Thanks for posting!

  47. Kathie
    Reply

    Thanks for the recipe. What is your opinion of freezing the tofu first? Have you tried this? Would it give the tofu more structure? Thanks

  48. David
    Reply

    I make this facon at least twice a week at home, I’m a culinary student and recently red this to my class everyone loved it except the self proclaimed carnist, and he even said it’s not so bad

  49. Kathleen
    Reply

    I love your site….and I made this tofu bacon a few weeks ago. It turned out great even though I’m not the world’s greatest cook. Thanks so much….!!!

  51. Donna Kohn
    Reply

    We have a travel trailer and I would like to make a big batch for the road. How long will this keep refrigerated? Have you frozen it after cooking?

  52. Margaret
    Reply

    It works! Now I love tofu! Cooked it a little longer, and used a smaller package of tofu. I had no liquid smoke cause I live in a Yorkshire village. May find it when next in York. Loved your broccoli and crispy tofu recipe as well. Thank you for improving my diet at 74! You can teach an old dog new tricks!

  53. suzi
    Reply

    This recipe is so easy and yet the result so incredible!! Thank you for sharing this one 🙂 Can’t wait to make it again, for Fathers Day tomorrow for the family.

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