Faken (Veggie Bacon)

  4.3 – 19 reviews  • Side Dishes

Baked with salsa, cheese, and sour cream are jumbo pasta shells filled with a rich, spicily flavored mixture of cooked mince beef, cream cheese, chili powder, black beans, and Mexi-corn. As a garnish, include green onions.

Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 5 mins
Total Time: 20 mins
Servings: 4
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  1. 1 (7.5 ounce) package smoked firm tofu, frozen and thawed
  2. 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
  3. 1 tablespoon water
  4. 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  5. 1 dash liquid smoke flavoring (Optional)
  6. 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
  7. 1 teaspoon onion powder
  8. ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  9. 2 tablespoons butter or margarine

Instructions

  1. Slice the thawed tofu into very thin slices (like bacon). In a medium bowl, stir together the yeast, water, maple syrup, liquid smoke, soy sauce, onion powder and garlic powder. Place the tofu strips into the bowl to marinate for at least 10 minutes.
  2. Heat butter or margarine in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Quickly fry tofu strips until crisp, turning once, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels, and serve immediately.
  3. The nutrition data for this recipe includes information for the full amount of the marinade ingredients. Depending on marinating time, ingredients, cooking method, etc., the actual amount of the marinade consumed will vary.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 174 kcal
Carbohydrate 12 g
Cholesterol 15 mg
Dietary Fiber 3 g
Protein 12 g
Saturated Fat 4 g
Sodium 312 mg
Sugars 6 g
Fat 8 g
Unsaturated Fat 0 g

Reviews

Danielle Cobb
I made this to have in “Bacon” and tomatoe sandwiches and it really fit the bill. I am eating low fat due to a past history of heart disease so this was perfect. Just left the butter/margarine out and baked it. I froze the extras and just took out a little at a time, as needed. So handy. It was great chopped up and tossed into some Squash Mac n’ cheese giving that little Smokey salty hit that we get from bacon.
Christopher Craig
This “Faken (Veggie Bacon)” was delicious; however, we don’t think it should be referred to as a “fake bacon” as it is not even close to bacon. It is a good solid recipe for marinated tofu and I would make it again.
James Young
I made this with regular firm tofu and cooked it for an hour at 375. I marinated it for a couple hours, basting it to get it to soak up the marinade. I can’t stop eating it, crunchy, chewy and a lovely maple syrup taste. Yum!
Matthew White
this turned out very tasty.. me, bf, and bf’s daughter approve.. we didn’t think it tasted quite like bacon.. but did enjoy the flavor.. we doubled the recipe, used regular firm tofu (not pre-smoked), subbed regular soy (half the amount) for the low sodium, and increased the liquid smoke to 1 tsp per ChezAnne’s suggestion.. we smoked this on the grill instead of frying it in a pan.. i think slicing it thin is key as i kept my cuts kind of chunky to make flipping them easier, but the flavor is on the outside.. either way this was a success.. ty for the recipe
Michael Lozano
I loved it of course it’s not bacon but I thought it was exceptional compared to the store bought stuff and I would eat it everyday on a sandwich with eggs as a breakfast meat except it’s tofu.
Justin Rodriguez
I made this last night following a reviewers advice to bake the tofu rather than pan-fry. My vegetarian family really liked it and I should have made more! I am subtracting one star because although it is easy to prepare and quite tasty–it is NOT like bacon (it’s been 6 years since I had bacon but I do remember what it tasted like.) It was a perfect accompaniment for our breakfast-for-dinner meal however and I have already been asked to make it again; Sunday brunch is coming up.
Connie Chase
This was very good – even my picky daughter enjoyed them. Although I must admit I altered it slightly. First I doubled the recipe of the marinade. Then I added extra syrup, 1 tsp. liquid smoke, (I couldn’t get organic, nonGMO smoked tofu) plus a tbsp. of br. sugar. I greased a jelly roll pan with grapeseed oil ( it doesn’t alter when cooked at high temperatures like other oils do). I baked them at 350F for about 30 minutes, turning them every 5 minutes, and basting them with the extra marinade. YUMMY!! UPDATE: I have been able to buy smoked tofu. We found it had a very rubbery texture, especially the edges. Extra firm regular tofu works best with this recipe, with the addition of 1 tsp of liquid smoke to get that smoked flavour.
Sherry Kelley
Delicious!
Seth Johnson
This is really good as a tofu breakfast meat, but it honestly doesn’t satisfy my craving for real bacon. I would recommend doubling the marinade, and marinating it overnight. When I tried frying it, the sauce went all sticky and messy and the pieces fell apart. The second time I baked them at 375 for 15 minutes on each side, and liberally sprayed the tofu sides with pam. Turned out crispy and meaty the second time around in the oven.
Shelia Norton
it was way too sweet with the maple syrup. Sorry.
Natasha Ortiz
Delicious! I don’t really know if it actually tastes like bacon because I haven’t had it in a while (my roommate said it tastes more like sausage). I made this to go on a salad and it went really well. I think it would also be good as a protein base for a sandwich.
Cynthia Duncan
These were delicious. My vegan boyfriend is a big skeptic of tofu that’s “pretending” to be meat, but he was surprised by how good it was. I used Wildwood tofu, which is super firm and comes in a vacuum sealed package, rather than a box and it was perfect for it! Next time I’ll have to try it with the liquid smoke. I also think I’ll up the saltiness and decrease the sweet to make it more how I like bacon. Thanks for the recipe!
Monica Miller
all in all, not bad. Obviously, nothing’s going to be EXACTLY like bacon, but if you go in knowing that, you are going to come out with a delicious sandwich “meat” for a blt, or for a scramble. Very good overall. I love the salty smokey maple flavor, and it made our home smell like we were cooking bacon! Also, it’s nice not to be a total slave to the processed, frozen, expensive meat substitutes that are sold at the market. I will make again – maybe tonight!
Andrea Jones
Desperation inspires all sorts of creativity! As is, this is good and tasty marinated tofu. This is going to sound strange, but do yourself a favor and make this one a little fatter (just a little!). Once you have sliced the tofu (and buy firm so that you can get it into very small slices – dry out the pieces on a clean kitchen towel for about an hour, flipping once. (Do the evening before if you prefer, then wrap and store in fridge). Next lay tofu in single layer on jelly roll pan – or any pan with sides. Brush each piece with vegetable oil, then flip the pieces over and do the same on the other side, using about 1/2 cup oil, in all. I have also used Earth Balance vegetable shortening for this step by brushing it, softened, onto each tofu piece. (Earth Balance is an all-natural, non-hydrogenated form of vegetable shortening). Let the tofu pieces soak up the fat, then continue with the other steps. For Fakin Bacon salad crumbles, bake in the oven until tofu is hard, but not yet all the way dry (about 40 minutes to 1 hour on moderate, 300 degree heat). Remove from oven and let set out for an hour. Once cool, crumble with a fork into bits and sprinkle on salad. Very good with a nice meatless Cobb salad (with avocado, radish, onion, yeast or soy cheese, etc.), and with eggs, nuts, and cheese (if your an ovo-lacto vegetarian).
Terry Rodriguez
It did not resemble bacon in any way but was good nonetheless. I used fresh regular extra firm tofu cause I couldn’t find frozen smoked and sorghum instead of maple syrup which is too sweet. Also thought the name of the recipe quite cute, but I don’t get why vegetarians try to “pretend” to be meat-eaters or look for substitutes.
Eric Aguirre
Eh.
Morgan Bell
WOW! This stuff is great, I’ve been a vegetarian going on seven years and have been looking for a good side dish for an omelet. The maple syrup caramelizes to give a crispy texture (I added a little more than the recipe called for) and the liquid smoked gave it kind of a bacon flavor. Even my decidedly carnivorous boyfriend wolfed it down.
Jim Gordon
WONDERFUL!!! It tastes excellent with mushrooms 🙂
Shannon Rogers
interesting in its own rite but not a replacment for bacon

 

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