Smoked Vegan Tempeh BLT Bacon Sandwich

This delicious smoked tempeh BLT tastes exactly like the real thing.  Get your bacon fix by eating this great vegan alternative to the classic bacon sandwich.  Ready in just 10 minutes, this meal contains 380 calories and 15 grams of protein per serving.

The bacon sandwich is one of the foods that most people miss when they go vegan.  This delicious vegan bacon sandwich is going to satisfy your bacon cravings and fill you up a lot more. 

The bacon sandwich originated from the UK where I live.  Here in the UK, we call a bacon sandwich a bacon butty.  Depending on whereabouts in the UK you live, the bacon butty can also be called a variety of other names such as a bacon bap, bacon roll, bacon barm, bacon cob, bacon bridie, buttery, or rowie.  I just love the diversity of this country.

For this particular bacon sandwich, I have opted for tempeh as my bacon substitute because it has a delicious firm, meaty texture, and a rich complex flavor that soaks up the marinade very nicely.  Tempeh is already pre-cooked so you just need to warm it up a bit for your sandwich.

You can have this hot vegan bacon sandwich made in just 10 minutes from start to finish.  All you day is whip up a quick marinade and cook it with your tempeh in a pan.  While it is warming up you can assemble the rest of your sandwich. 

I have turned this vegan tempeh sandwich into a BLT by adding some lettuce and tomato to the sandwich.

This delicious vegan tempeh bacon sandwich contains just 380 calories and 15 grams of protein.  It is a very fast lunch or a great dinner for busy weekdays.
For this recipe, I used a gluten-free panini roll from the grocery store.  But sometimes I make this BLT with one of my own homemade bread rolls which only take 8 minutes to make.  The main ingredient in this BLT is my homemade tempeh bacon.  If you wanted to add another 100 calories to your meal, you could also add a side of sweet potato fries or crispy baked fries, or some delicious Nacho Cheese Baked Kale Chips.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• This recipe and all recipes on my website are vegan, plant-based, gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, free from refined sugar, and vegetarian.
• This recipe contains 380 calories per serving.
• This recipe contains 15g protein per serving.
• One serving of this recipe contains 32% of your recommended daily intake of dietary fiber.
• This recipe is made from a combination of vegan protein, whole food sources of carbohydrates, vegetables, essential fats, and ingredients that make the dish extremely tasty.
• This easy recipe takes 5 minutes of active preparation time and 5 minutes of cooking time.  You can use the cooking time to get on with other things.

Ingredients

Ingredient Substitutions

• Vegan mayonnaise: If you don’t want to use mayonnaise other great condiments that go nicely in this sandwich are ketchup, BBQ sauce, or brown sauce.  Just make sure you check the ingredients label if you are vegan or gluten-free.
• Smoky Tempeh Bacon: If you don’t want to use my homemade tempeh bacon, you could use some smoked tofu, vegan sausages, or store bought vegan bacon.  You could also cook plain tofu in the same marinade for a similar delicious taste.
• Lettuce: Replace this with any green leaves, salad vegetables or omit it.
• Tomato: You can replace tomato with any fresh veggies or omit it completely. 
• Bread roll: You can use any type of bread roll or sliced bread for this recipe.  I used Schar gluten-free panini rolls.  I also like to make this recipe with my homemade burger buns.

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 is a complete meal because it contains all 5 components of my Plant Plate and contains around 400 calories per meal.

The diagram below helps you see the 5 different components of 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

• Tempeh Bacon

Leaves, Fruit & Veg 

• Tomato
• Lettuce

Aesthetic Additions

• n/a

Nutrient Packed Carbohydrates

• Gluten-free Vegan Bread roll

Taste 

• Vegan mayonnaise

Recommended Equipment

Here are the main kitchen equipment tools I have used to create this recipe.

How To Make This Recipe

• Spread mayonnaise on 2 slices of bread.
• Layer on the rest of the sanwich ingredients in between the 2 slices to make the sanwich.

Vegan Carbohydrate Side Dishes

Serve this recipe with any of the following carb side dishes which are all around 100 calories per serving: 

• Crispy Homemade Baked French Fries
• Spicy Sweet Potato Fries
• Most Crispy Vegan Jacket Potato
• Easy Whole Baked Sweet Potato

For more options, see all of my best vegan, gluten-free carbs side dishes.

Vegan Vegetable Side Dishes

Here are some vegetable side dishes that go very nicely with this recipe which are all under 100 calories per serving.

• Vegan Zucchini Fritters
• Spicy Vegan Cauliflower Buffalo Wings
• Nacho Cheese Baked Kale Chips
• Easy Baked Mushroom Bacon

For more options, see all of my best gluten-free vegan vegetable side dishes.

Serving Sizes

This recipe just serves 1 person.  You could make a full batch of tempeh bacon and store that in the fridge.  You can then just assemble your sandwich every day which will be very quick.

Frequently Asked Questions

How To Store Leftovers

The tempeh bacon in this recipe keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days in an air-tight container. It also freezes well for up to 3 months.  Defrost it before using it. The entire sandwich is best served straight away and won’t last longer than 1 day once assembled.

More Tasty Vegan Lunch Recipes

This recipe is part of my vegan lunches series.

If you’re looking for some easy, vegan lunches, that are around 400 calories per serving, check out some of my other recipes:

• Vegan Gyros
• Easy No-cook Vegan Egg Salad Sandwich
• Vegan Burger And Fries Recipe

You can see all of my 400-calorie vegan meals here.

Recipe

Smoked Vegan Tempeh BLT Bacon Sandwich

Katherine Kyle

This delicious smoked tempeh BLT tastes exactly like the real thing. Get your bacon fix by eating this great vegan alternative to the classic bacon sandwich. Ready in just 10 minutes, this meal contains 380 calories and 15 grams of protein per serving.

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Course dinner, lunch, Main Course

Cuisine Britain

Servings 1

Calories 145.5 kcal

Equipment

• Large Pot or Large Frying Pan

Ingredients

  

• 1 Gluten-Free Panini Roll Or 2 Slices Of Gluten-Free Bread (I Used Shar Gluten Free Panini Rolls)
• 1 Tablespoon Vegan Mayonnaise
• 2 Lettuce Leaves
• 1 Tomato
• 1 Serving Of Smoky Tempeh Bacon

Tempeh Bacon Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 200g Tempeh
• 2 Tablespoons Tamari
• 1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup
• 1 Teaspoon Liquid Smoke
• 1 Teaspoon Of My Homemade BBQ Seasoning Or ¼ Teaspoon Smoked Paprika, ¼ Teaspoon Chipotle Chili Powder, ½ Teaspoon Garlic Powder, And ½ Teaspoon Onion Powder

Instructions

 

BLT Instructions

• Spread 2 slices of bread or 2 halves of a bread roll with mayonnaise. Layer on your lettuce, tomato, and tempeh bacon on one piece of bread. Add your other piece of bread to the top to make a sandwich.

Tempeh Bacon Instructions

Pan

• Add the oil to a large frying pan over a medium heat. Slice the tempeh and add the slices to the pan. Try to make sure each slice is flat. Cook the tempeh for 1-3 minutes until golden. Turn over and cook for 1-3 minutes until golden.
• Mix all the other ingredients in a small bowl. Add the mixture to the pan. Stir the tempeh until coated and leave until the liquid has been absorbed. This should only take about 1 minute.
• Serve in a sandwich or as part of a cooked breakfast.

Oven

• Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
• Slice the tempeh and lay it flat on a baking tray lined with parchment/greaseproof paper.
• Mix all of the other ingredients in a small bowl and pour over the tempeh.
• Bake for 10-15 minutes until the liquid has been absorbed and the tempeh is golden brown.

Air Fryer

• Slice the tempeh and lay it flat on the air fryer basket lined with parchment/greaseproof paper. Alternatively, you could use a silicone baking dish that fits in your air fryer basket.
• Mix all of the other ingredients in a small bowl and pour over the tempeh.
• Bake for 5-10 minutes at 200C/400F until the liquid has been absorbed and the tempeh is golden brown.

Notes

Storage: This recipe keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days in an air-tight container. It also freezes well for up to 3 months.  Defrost it before using it. Reheat it by warming it up gently in a pan, air fryer, or oven.

Nutritional Information: The nutritional information is for one serving of the entire recipe.

Now it’s your turn to make magic with food.

• Author
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Katherine Kyle

BSc, PGCE, Certified Vegan Nutritionist at Magical Life Of Fruit

I help busy people make tasty, simple, plant-based, gluten free meals that are so filling that they don't need to snack at all.

When I switched to a vegan diet I lost 56 pounds (5 dress sizes) and all areas of my life were dramatically transformed.

Going vegan totally gave me my life back, saved me money, boosted my confidence, increased my energy, and helps me maintain a healthy weight.

Read my story here.

I have helped millions of people to do the same through my two websites,
GreenThickies.com and MagicalLifeOfFruit.com.

Send Katherine a message on Instagram,or email.

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