I always maintain I didn’t go vegan because I didn’t enjoy the taste of meat, I loved it, and a bacon sandwich was a regular weekend breakfast in my house. Don’t get me wrong, the smell of bacon really turns me off now, and I was never desperate to replace that weekend memory. Plus, vegan bacon substitutes used to be these awful frozen cardboard looking, and tasting things that actually put you off eating anything alike. Now though, now you’re spoilt for choice when talking vegan bacon substitutes…
What types of vegan bacon substitutes are there?
All vegan bacon substitutes are plant based, but there are two main differences, the “fake meat” types and the “vegetable” ones, the latter being a “healthy” option I guess…
So whether you’re here to recreate the bacon you knew and loved, trying to cut down on your meat consumption or actually hated bacon the first time round and thinking these vegan bacon substitutes might be worth a go, we got you covered.
The best “fake meat” vegan bacon substitutes
THIS
THIS vegan bacon rashers are probably the closest to the real thing, but better, obviously we’re saving pigs here, but they’re proper tasty too. They recreate that bacon scent which would travel throughout the house, so you knew when it was time to grab your bacon roll and they have an almost jerky like texture to recreate that meaty feel.
Nutritional Facts
Alright, so we have the taste buds going, how do they stack up when it comes to your arteries. As a soya based vegan bacon substitution, the protein is high and the fat is low, which is good for your jeans.
Per 100g THIS bacon contains: Protein 25g | Fat 1.2g (Saturated 0.3g) | Fibre 5.2g | Carbs 14g | Salt 2.7g | Iron 3.8mg | B12 0.68μg
Taste 10/10
Texture 8/10
Smell 9/10
Nutrition 8/10
Overall
9/10
Tofurky
You may have never heard of Tofurky, but they’ve been around since the 80’s and are a family owned business making their stamp on veganism. Their vegan bacon substitute is made from tempeh, which is basically whole soy beans which have been marinated. Their smokey maple bacon is a little sweeter which is perfect for those breakfast waffles or pancakes, and although it doesn’t look, smell or taste really anything like bacon, it’s a great vegan bacon substitute.
Fun Fact: The treehouse on the packaging is in honour of their founder Seth who lived in one in the early days of Tofurky!
Nutritional Facts
The Tofurky vegan bacon substitute stacks up alright considering it tastes like it was dipped in candy. It definitely lacks the protein that you can get from THIS vegan bacon, but the rest ain’t too bad, and well worth trying if you’re missing something sweet in the morning!
Per 100g Tofurky bacon contains: Protein 14g | Fat 1g (Saturated 0.5g) | Fibre 5.9g | Carbs 20g | Salt 353 mg | Iron 10% DV | B12 0μg
Taste 8/10
Texture 7/10
Smell 9/10
Nutrition 7/10
Overall
8/10
Richmond
Did you know they make vegan bacon substitutes? Along with a few other meat subs, and although not a vegan or plant based company, they’re making products to fulfil supply and demand, so let’s demand more vegan bacon substitutes and they will supply!
Made from soya and wheat protein, the Richmond vegan bacon substitute is made to look like the real thing too, with a fake strip of “fat” along the edge, each to their own.
Nutritional Facts
Although they might look the part, the Richmond vegan bacon substitutes fall short in the nutritional department with only 12g of protein and an astonishing 11g of fat. I’m all for a treat, but you may as well chomp down on a spoon of butter (vegan of course).
Per 100g Richmond vegan bacon contains: Protein 12g | Fat 11g (Saturated 1g) | Fibre 5.4g | Carbs 4.9g | Salt 2.4g | Iron 0mg | B12 0μg
Taste 7/10
Texture 5/10
Smell 6.5/10
Nutrition 3/10
Overall
5/10
More vegan bacon substitutes we haven't tried yet...
Better Naked vegan bacon
M&S Plant Kitchen vegan bacon
The best “vegetable” vegan bacon substitutes
These days, you can make something look and taste like something completely different, I blame Heston Blumenthal. So where the above focuses on “meaty” vegan bacon substitutes, a quick google will have you believe you can make bacon tasting things from mushrooms, rice paper, carrot, the list goes on.
Here’s our favourite “vegetable” vegan bacon substitute recipes:
bbc good food
Aubergine about to go off in the fridge? Perfect, whack it in the oven for an hour with some spices.
YUPITSVEGAN
Forget spring rolls, rice paper is better served as bacon, go on, have a go!
We hoped you enjoyed trying all the vegan bacon substitutes as much as we did! Time for a meat sweats nap…