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Eggplant Bacon

This Eggplant Bacon goes with EVERYTHING! It's the perfect vegan alternative to the real thang and it's actually super easy to make.

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Say WHA???? Yup, you read it correctly. Eggplant bacon. I’ve been eating a plant based diet for the past 7 years and really there’s only a couple of things that I truly miss. One, is for sure, hands down PIZZA. Like true blue cheesy, greasy, stringy… oh you get the point and this post is not about pizza. The other thing I miss is BACON. I grew up eating bacon in all the ways and there really is nothing like the smell of it to bring you back to your childhood. Well, fortunately for us plant based folks, we too can enjoy the satisfying crispy saltiness of bacon without killing Miss Piggy for it.

For those of you who follow me on Instagram you may have seen that we made a big heap of this stuff for Easter brunch and promised you the recipe. So as promised here it is.  Enjoy this the same way you would regular bacon. If you make it, LET ME KNOW!!!! 

TERI ANN CARTY

Food Photographer and Recipe Developer based in Toronto, Canada. 

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Eggplant Bacon

This Eggplant Bacon goes with EVERYTHING! It's the perfect vegan alternative to the real thang and it's actually super easy to make.
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Servings: 15 pieces
Author: Teri-Ann Carty
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

Equipment

  • oven

Ingredients

  • 2 Japanese eggplants
  • 2 tbsp olive oil or avocado oil
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp vegan worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp tamari
  • 1 tsp mellow miso
  • 4 dashes liquid smoke (less is more here)
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • pinch of salt
  • pinch garlic powder
  • cracked pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 400. Use the convection setting if you have it.
  • Slice the eggplants into quarter inch strips. I like Japanese eggplants because I can use my Mandolin to get a uniform thickness and the slices look like bacon strips. You can use any type of eggplant and cut the slices any way you want as long as you maintain a relatively uniform thickness.
  • Liberally sprinkle the eggplant slices with sea salt and then arrange in layers in a large colander and place in the sink or over a bowl.
  • After 15 or 20 minutes the eggplant will release some moisture.
  • Rinse the salt off the slices and then pat dry and place on a rack over a baking sheet.
  • Whisk together all the wet and dry ingredients except the pepper. Brush half the mixture on the topside of the eggplant stripes and season with cracked pepper.
  • Put the baking sheet into the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and flip the stripes over. Paint the stripes with the remaining mixture and season with more cracked pepper.
  • Bake until you start to see crispy edges (about another 15 minutes). Watch closely as the stripes can skip from perfect to burnt to a crisp very quickly.

Nutrition

Serving: 1piece | Calories: 30kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 0.4g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 53mg | Potassium: 87mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 74IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 0.2mg

*Macros are provided as an estimate for convenience. Your final numbers will vary depending on ingredient brands, substitutions, and how you portion the recipe.

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