How to Make Vegan Coconut Bacon

I’m on a mission. A mission to develop the recipe which is the final answer to the classic anti-vegan slur: ‘But…bacon’. Vegan coconut bacon just may be the answer. You can’t make rashers with it but rather delicious crispy bacon bits. So coconut bacon is an incredible addition to so many dishes where you would traditionally add chorizo, pancetta or other crispy bacon, it’s a real win. The fat content in the coconut is what does it, tricking our palate into thinking we’re getting the real deal. The good news as well: it’s so easy! You just need to order a couple of ingredients online or go to somewhere a bit more specialist than the supermarket and then you’re good to go!

Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

Raw Coconut Flakes (I buy mine online)

2 tbsps Tamari

1 tsp Liquid Smoke (I use this one)

1 tbsp Maple Syrup

1 tbsp Rapeseed Oil

1/2 tsp smoked Paprika (optional)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C
2. Make the magic bacon marinade. In a bowl combine the tamari, maple syrup, oil, liquid smoke and smoked paprika (if using). Stir briskly until all the ingredients are combined.
3. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and pour in coconut flakes, enough to cover the bottom of the tray but don’t cram it in too much.
4. Cover the coconut flakes with the marinade and stir gently with a spoon to make sure they’re all covered.
5. Cook in the oven for about 7 minutes. When it’s done, the coconut flakes should have a lovely colour on them but not be burned. When they first come out they’ll be chewy but as they cool, the turn into the most insanely delicious bacon bits. If you’re not happy with the colour, give it a bit more time in the oven.
6. That’s it! Simple as that. The perfect vegan bacon.

There’s more where that came from!

Use your coconut bacon in my perfect vegan bacon sandwich.