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.
Table of Contents
📝 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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
📖 Recipe
Vegan Canadian Bacon
Equipment
- Air Fryer - optional
Ingredients
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon liquid smoke
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (optional)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 block tofu pressed and sliced into ¼" thick squares or circles
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, vinegar, maple syrup, liquid smoke, olive oil, and garlic powder.
- Arrange the tofu in a shallow dish. Pour on the marinade, and marinate for 30 minutes.
- Air Fryer Directions: Transfer the tofu to your air fryer basket in a single layer. You may need to do 2 batches, depending on the size of your air fryer. Air fry for 18-22 minutes at 400° F minutes, shaking gently every 5 minutes or so. Your vegan Canadian bacon is ready when it's super firm and a little crispy on the edges. Thicker pieces will take longer to cook. If you don't use oil, your edges may not crisp up, so be careful not to overcook.
- Oven Directions: Preheat the oven to 400° F. Arrange the tofu in a single layer on a lined baking sheet. Make sure that before you put the tofu on the baking sheet, you let the excess marinade drip off. Extra marinade in the pan will give you soggy bacon. Bake 35-45 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking. It's ready when it's super firm and a little crispy on the edges. Thicker pieces will take longer to cook. If you don't use oil, your edges may not crisp up, so be careful not to overcook.
Holly
Can this be frozen to be saved for longer?
Becky Striepe
I wouldn't recommend freezing. Tofu's texture changes quite a bit when you freeze it, and I'm not sure how that would impact the results when you thaw.
Pamela
So delicious and yummy I can't stop eating my tofu bacon! Thank you for positing this easy recipe
Becky Striepe
You are so welcome! I'm glad you love it as much as I do!
Amy
I tried it and Loved it - thank you!
So much better than carrot bacon or eggplant bacon (IMO).
We devoured the first block, so next time I'm going to add tofu bacon to Spring Rolls (my favorite comfort food).
lena pfeffer
i'm curious. is liquid smoke healthy for you? everything i read says no. can it be left out?
Becky Striepe
You can, but it won’t have that smoky bacon flavor. Try using 1/2tsp of mild chipotle chili powder instead.
Mary Ellen @ VNutrition
Girl, you know how to tofu right! Very excited to try this. I haven't used my air fryer in a while (scandalous, I know) but I'll dust that thing off and make this for sure!
Becky Striepe
Aah you must pull out your air fryer again! So ideal for someone as busy as you are.
Sarah De la Cruz
I love making bacon! Tofu has been on my list to experiment with! Can't wait to try this—perfect in a BLT sandwich!!!
Becky Striepe
Yes, totally! I can’t wait for you to try it, Sarah!
Dianne
I can think of about a million dishes I'd like to add this to: sandwiches, salads, pizzas, even pasta! I think I need to get cooking!
Becky Striepe
Ooh pizza!!