This delicious, crispy baked vegan mushroom bacon is extremely easy to make in the oven, air fryer or pan. Each serving contains only 57 calories and 5 grams of protein.
If you’re looking for a plant-based bacon recipe to make a good meat-alternative you’re in the right place.
When people look for meat alternatives, they rarely think of mushrooms as a substitute because it’s considered more of a vegetable than a meat replacement.
However, mushrooms make an excellent meat alternative because they have a very hearty, meaty texture.
Another great thing about mushrooms is their protein content. Mushrooms actually came in 4th place in my top vegan protein sources list, and ranked above tofu and tempeh which are more often used as meat replacements.
And more interestingly, the 3 food sources above mushrooms on the list were all processed ingredients, so mushrooms made the number one place when it comes to natural food sources.
As mushrooms have an impressive amount of protein for the number of calories that they contain, they make a great option for those who are trying to control the number of calories they eat per day.
This vegan bacon is crispy, delicious, packed full of nutrients, and it’s very easy to make.
Mushrooms are deceiving because they are mainly water content. You need a big pile of mushrooms to make this recipe, but they cook down to almost nothing because of the loss of water.
Video Demonstration
If you’d like to see how easy it is to throw all this together, check out my video where I walk you through the recipe step by step. Click here to subscribe to my Youtube channel.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This recipe and all recipes on my website are suitable for the special diets, vegan, plant based, gluten free, dairy free, egg free, free from refined sugar, and vegetarian.
- This recipe contains 57 calories per serving.
- This recipe contains 5g protein per serving.
- One serving of this recipe contains 10% of your recommended daily intake of protein and 6% of your recommended daily intake of iron.
- This recipe is made extra tasty by the addition of BBQ seasoning and tamari.
- I have simplified this recipe by limiting the number of ingredients and using everyday ingredients such as mushrooms and olive oil.
Ingredients
Ingredient Substitutions
- Olive oil: Use any oil you choose. Or omit the oil completely and just saute the vegetables in a little water.
- Mushrooms: You can use any type of mushrooms for this recipe or replace them with Tempeh or Tofu. See my recipe for Tempeh Bacon.
- Tamari: Replace this with sea salt or vegan Worcestershire sauce. If you’re not gluten free you can use soy sauce as it’s most similar to tamari.
- Maple syrup: You can omit the syrup or replace it with any sweetener of your choice.
- Liquid Smoke: You can either omit the liquid smoke completely or replace it with 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika.
- Homemade BBQ Seasoning: You can replace this with any spice blend of your choice or ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon chipotle chili powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1 teaspoon onion powder for a similar BBQ taste.
The Structure Of A Plant Based Plate
Each of the recipes I create fits into my Plant Plate System. This system incorporates 5 food groups into every meal.
The 5 food groups are 1) Plant Protein, 2), Leaves, Fruit, And Veg, 3) Aesthetic Additions, 4) Nutrient Packed Carbohydrates, and 5) Taste
This recipe adds plant protein to any dish. It falls under the “vegan protein” category on the Plant Based Plate and is not a complete meal.
The diagram below helps you visually see how this element features on a Plant-Based Plate.
Click here to discover more about my Plant Plate System and some of the benefits of eating this way.
Here’s how this recipe is structured according to the Plant Plate System.
Adding each ingredient to the following categories helps you to easily see how to make substitutions. It also lets you know the exact reason why the ingredient is in the recipe.
Plant-Based Protein
- Mushrooms
Leaves, Fruit & Veg
- Mushrooms
Aesthetic Additions
- n/a
Nutrient Packed Carbohydrates
- n/a
Taste
- Olive Oil
- Tamari
- Maple Syrup
- Liquid Smoke
- BBQ Seasoning
Recommended Equipment
Here are the main kitchen equipment tools I have used to create this recipe.
Air Fryer
My air fryer has been one of the best kitchen gadgets I ever invested in. And I’m absolutely obsessed with it. With 2 fussy kids who don’t eat the same food as me or each other, my air fryer gets used every single day to make them fast, nutrient-packed food that they will eat.
I love cooking with an air fryer because food cooks much more quickly, is more crispy and tastier, and saves a fortune when it comes to my fuel bill.
Air Fryer Silicone Baking Dish
I often use this silicone baking dish when I’m baking with wet ingredients. It is 8 inches or 20 cm and square. It fits my Cosori Air Fryer. Make sure you measure the inside of your Air Fryer before purchasing an Air Fryer baking dish.
This is the silicone air fryer baking dish that I use every day.
How To Make This Recipe
- Slice the mushrooms and mix it together with the rest of the ingredients.
- Bake in the oven or air fryer.
What To Serve With Mushroom Bacon
Here are some of my favorite things to serve with this recipe:
- Smoked Vegan Tempeh BLT Sandwich (Replace The Tempeh With Mushrooms)
- Gluten Free Burger Bun Recipe
- Vegan Dough Balls
- Tofu Scramble
- Vegan Full English Cooked Breakfast
- Spicy Vegan Cauliflower Buffalo Wings
- Vegan Zucchini Fritters
- Vegan Ranch Dip Recipe
- Crispy Homemade Baked French Fries
- Oil-free Sweet Potato Fries
For more options, see all of my best vegan, gluten-free carbs side dishes.
How To Reduce The Calories
If you’d like to reduce the calories of this recipe even further, I suggest removing the oil. The recipe will still work without it but might be less crisp.
How To Store Leftovers
This recipe keeps for up to 4 days in the fridge in an airtight container. It also freezes well for up to 3 months. Defrost it before using it. Reheat it by warming it up in a pan, air fryer, or oven.
More Tasty Vegan Meat Recipes
This recipe is part of my vegan meat series.
If you’re looking for easy, vegan meat recipes, check out some of my other recipes:
- 10 Minute Plant Based Black Bean Burger (Gluten Free)
- Easy Vegan Gluten Free Black Bean Meatballs (3 Ways)
- Easy Vegan Meatloaf With Mushrooms And Oats
You can see all of my plant protein recipes recipes here.
🥬️🥭️ 7 Day Meal Plan
If you want to discover all of the benefits of eating a plant-based, gluten-free diet, grab a copy of my 7-day meal plan by Green Thickies.
My 7-day detox has been doctor and nutritionist approved and featured on a major national TV channel.
Thousands of people have had incredible results with this meal plan.
Click here to read more about it.
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Recipe
Baked Mushroom Bacon
Equipment
- Air Fryer
- Oven
Ingredients
- 1 Teaspoon Olive Oil
- 500g (6 To 8 Large Portobello) Mushrooms
- 2 Tablespoons Tamari
- 1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup
- 1 Teaspoon Liquid Smoke
- 1 Tablespoon Of My Homemade BBQ Seasoning Or ½ Teaspoon Smoked Paprika, ½ Teaspoon Chipotle Chili Powder, 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder, And 1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
Instructions
- Slice the mushrooms as thinly as you can.
- Mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl.
Oven
- Preheat the oven to 190C/ 375F.
- Spread the mushrooms out on a baking tray lined with parchment (greaseproof) paper.
- Bake for a total of 20-25 minutes. Turn them over halfway through.
- If you don’t turn them over, they’ll still work, they just won’t be as crispy.
Air Fryer
- Spread the mushrooms out on the air fryer basket lined with parchment (greaseproof) paper.
- Bake at 190C/ 375F for a total of 15-20 minutes. Shake the basket halfway through.
- You might need to make this recipe in several batches depending on the size of your air fryer.
Notes
Now it’s your turn to make magic with food.
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