Vegan Canadian bacon in the air fryer or oven

This recipe is sponsored by EZ Tofu Press. All opinions are 100% my own.

Vegan Canadian bacon is smoky, salty, and slightly sweet. And it's so easy to make! Serve it up in a breakfast sandwich, and English-style breakfast, or anywhere else that you'd use conventional Canadian bacon.

Jump To:

• Recipe notes
• What is Canadian bacon?
• Serving suggestions
• Storage directions
• Vegan Canadian Bacon Recipe

Recipe notes

This recipe is super duper easy. Get your tofu pressing, then slice it into thin, square pieces.

While the tofu is pressing, whip up that super easy, 6-ingredient marinade. Marinate, bake or air fry, and devour!

There are really three keys to this recipe:

1. Press your tofu. Pressing the water out helps you get a more toothsome tofu bacon. It also makes room for that tasty marinade to soak in. I like to press my tofu in my EZ Tofu Press because it's quick, easy, and even. The better you press, the better your results will be.
2. Slice it nice and thin. I'm talking about ¼" slices. Thicker slices will still work, but you may need to cook your bacon for longer to get it nice and firm.
3. Marinate! Don't skimp on the marinating time. That full 30 minutes will yield the most flavorful results.

Once the tofu is marinated, just throw it into the oven or the air fryer, and you'll be munching on veggie Canadian bacon before you know it!

Actually, don't just throw it in. Remove it from the marinade, and either spread it on a baking sheet or put it gently into your air fryer basket in a single layer.

That single layer is important, so your vegan Canadian bacon will cook evenly.

What is Canadian bacon?

Canadian bacon is actually more like ham than it is like American bacon. The slices are thicker, and it has a milder flavor.

It still has the flavor elements of bacon -- smoky, salty, sweet -- but the texture is a bit thicker and chewier, rather than crunchy. It's less fatty than American bacon, which is why it's less crunchy.

This recipe uses tofu to achieve that chewy texture and a marinade with soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, and liquid smoke to impart that bacony flavor.

You're probably most used to seeing Canadian bacon cut into rounds. I left my tofu pieces square, so none would go to waste. But you can certainly use a knife to round the corners of your vegan version!

Serving suggestions

You can really use this veggie bacon anywhere that you want to add the smoky-sweet, salty power of Canadian bacon:

• Add it to a vegan breakfast sandwich.
• Serve it with vegan baked beans, fried tomato and mushrooms, vegan sausage, etc for an English-style breakfast.
• Pair it up with a tofu scramble.
• Use leftovers as cold cuts in a sandwich for lunch.

Anywhere you'd use conventional Canadian bacon, this vegan Canadian bacon works like a charm!

Storage directions

Store leftovers in an airtight container, where it will keep for three to four days.

You can serve leftovers cold or warm them up in the oven, air fryer, microwave, or in a frying pan.