Vegan Bacon Jam
This Vegan Bacon Jam is Smokey, Savory and Sweet! It’s so good on just about anything, heck I could eat it with a spoon!
A few years back, I made some Rice Paper Bacon and soon thereafter I attempted (and failed) to make Bacon Jam with it. The problem is, when you add Rice Paper Bacon to something like a Bacon Jam, it gets soggy and gross.
However, earlier this year I made some Tofu Bacon, and so I thought I’d test out how that faired in a Bacon Jam, and it worked out amazingly! Hence this recipe!
The Tofu Bacon stays crispy and chewy, and the Bacon Jam is seriously addictive, I’ve been eating spoonfuls of it straight from the fridge like a Goblin! It’s super dang good! But of course, you can also bring it to a Holiday Potluck too! It’s good on crackers!!
That said, it’s no surprise that I enjoy this the most on a burger!
It’s also relatively simple to put together, so let’s go over the ingredients! First, the tofu!
what’s the best tofu for vegan bacon Jam?
In order to get our Tofu Bacon CRISPY, we want to minimize the water content as much as possible.
I suggest using Super Firm Tofu which is vacuum packed. You can find this at many major chain grocery stores in the US. Trader Joe’s and Sprouts even has their own brand of it.
I didn’t test this out with tofu that wasn’t vacuum packed because I was pretty sure it would be hard to get it crispy. Tofu packed in water will probably have too much liquid in it to get crispy, but it will still be delicious, so if you can’t find Super Firm and that doesn’t bother you, I’d say go for it!
Ingredients for Vegan Bacon Jam
For the Bacon Bits, we’ll need:
- Tofu – As I mentioned above, I recommend Super Firm as it’s vacuum packed and will be your best bet to get CRISPY Tofu Bacon.
- Neutral Oil – any neutral flavored oil will do! I don’t recommend Olive Oil as it has too strong a flavor.
- Soy Sauce – for some umami and color. Use Tamari to make it Gluten-Free.
- Liquid Smoke – To make it smoky! If you can’t find this stuff use more smoked paprika.
- Maple Syrup – A little sweetness to balance out all the salty smokiness!
- Sriracha – I like to add a little heat to mine.
- Nutritional Yeast – For added umami of course!
- Garlic & Smoked Paprika – Because this tofu ain’t gonna season itself!
- MSG – optional but recommended for some added umami.
To make the jam we’ll take the Tofu Bacon, and mix it with these:
- Onions, Shallots & Garlic – This really is an onion and bacon jam recipe, as there is a fair amount of onions too! I also call for shallots, but you could simply do more onions instead.
- Chili Powder and Dried Thyme – I like the flavor profile that these lend! Make sure you are using the Chili Powder Blend (like you would use for Chili) and not something like Cayenne Pepper.
- Brown Sugar, Maple Syrup & Cider Vinegar – Brown Sugar and Maple Syrup pair with all the salty ingredients, and the vinegar gives it a bit of an edge too!
- Coffee – If you can, use some leftover coffee, it adds a nice dark flavor, otherwise water will be fine too!
how to make Vegan bacon Jam
First we need to slice up our tofu into bacon strips. You can do this with a sharp knife. However, the thinner you can slice it, the crispier it will get. So I recommend a mandolin if you got one!
Next we need to whip up our bacon marinade.
Toss all of the sliced tofu into the marinade, go ahead and be rough with it, as we want to crumble it into smaller pieces.
Spread them evenly over a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Try not to let them overlap too much. You may need a full size baking sheet, but 2 half sheets will work too. Bake them until crispy!
Then we’ll saute some onions and shallots for a few minutes. Then add garlic, the seasoning, the sweet stuff, and the coffee. Toss in the Tofu Bacon Bits, and then cook that until thickened and jammy!
You can add it to food processor if you wanna get it a bit finer as well.
Then dig in! I love this stuff on anything but it’s so dang good on a burger!
Storage
Store this in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 – 5 days. I honestly like this stuff warm, cold or room temp. I think traditionally it’s served at room temp, but eat it however you like! It’s great for the Holidays or a potluck!
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Vegan Bacon Jam
Equipment
Ingredients
Tofu Bacon
- 16 oz Super Firm Tofu
Bacon Marinade
- 1/4 cup Neutral Oil (Vegetable, Canola, Avocado etc.)
- 1/4 cup Soy Sauce (use Tamari for Gluten-Free)
- 2 tsp Liquid Smoke
- 2 Tbsp Maple Syrup
- 1 Tbsp Sriracha (optional for heat)
- 3 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
- 2 tsp MSG (optional for umami)
- 2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 2 tsp Smoked Paprika
Jam
- 1 Large Onion (diced)
- 2 Shallots (diced)
- 4 cloves Garlic (minced)
- 1 shot Bourbon (optional)
- 1 tsp Chili Seasoning
- 1/2 tsp Dried Thyme
- 1/3 cup Brown Sugar
- 1/3 cup Maple Syrup
- 2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1/2 cup Coffee (or use water)
- 1/2 cup Water
Instructions
Tofu Bacon Bits
- Preheat oven to 375 F / 190 C
- Combine all the ingredients for the bacon marinade in a large bowl.
- Slice the tofu into thin strips using either a sharp knife, mandolin, or cheese slicer.
- Toss the tofu slices in the marinade. Go ahead and be rough with it, we want to break them up into little pieces. It's okay if they aren't uniform, in fact, it's good because you'll get some crispy and some chewy pieces!
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the Tofu Bacon Bits evenly, avoiding too much overlap, so they are in a single layer.
- Bake for 25 minutes and toss them around, spread them evenly again. Bake for another 15 – 25 minutes, checking every 10 minutes or so to make sure you don't burn them. If you start to see any blackened edges, that's a good sign to pull them out. Don't worry if they aren't super crispy at this point. They will crisp up as they cool.Set aside for later.
Bacon Jam
- Heat up a large (12") skillet over medium heat. Non-stick is ideal here, but use whatever you got. Add about 1 Tbsp of cooking oil, let it heat up for a minute, then add in the onions / shallots. Cook them for about 10 minutes or until softened and starting to take on some color.
- Add in the minced garlic and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute, then add in the shot of Bourbon if using. Next add in the Chili Powder and Dried Thyme. Stir and then add in the rest of the ingredients. Toss in the reserved Tofu Bacon Bits, stir to combine.
- Reduce the mixture down until most of the liquid is gone, it should be thick and jammy. Taste and adjust for seasoning. Let it cool a bit and dig in!
This is incredible!
Awesome, so glad to hear it! Thank you!
Made it with Makers Mark and my homemade chili powder with chocolate. Didn’t use the Sriracha. All I can say is holy crap, that’s good stuff! I’ve eaten it directly from the jar many times, as a base for potato tacos with Lima beans roasted in a truffle sauce, and dotted it on an olive, artichoke pizza with a freshly made San Marzano tomato sauce and my favorite homemade vegan feta. It’s going to be a Hanukah gift for my vegan neighbor and a staple in my fridge. Thank you! I’m actually going to try it inside rice paper next weekend to see how it holds up as Gordan Ramsey’s rice paper bacon filling.
Keep it up. I’m a big fan.
Hey, thank you I appreciate all of that! I love the idea of doing it as a Hanukkah gift! I have made the Gordon Ramsey style bacon, so I’m curious how that will work out, thank you again!
Amazing! I made for a mixed gathering of vegan and non vegan friends and everyone loved it! I have shared this recipe with all the women there…thank you so much what a winner !
Heck yes, always love to hear when non-vegans like something too, thank you!!
I think I may need to lock this up because it’s so good it should be illegal.
I used Keeper’s Heart bourbon out of Minneapolis. It’s a blend of Irish Pot Still Whiskey and American Bourbon. Keeper’s Heart somehow managed to pilfer Brian Nation from Jameson (yes, that Jameson).
haha love that! I’ve never tried Keeper’s Heart, I’ll have to look for it! Glad you liked it, thank you!
BRO! We tried it for our Thanksliving potluck, and it is HITTING IT. I remember making a conventional version years ago. Absolutely phenomenal reworking of the recipe. SO glad you’re making delicious vegan adaptations of foods we all loved. (long time follower, first time comment)
Heck yes! Love to hear it! Thank you so much for sticking around and also leaving a review!!
I could kiss you for this recipe, Burger Dude! I have trouble making tofu not taste like dirty sponge (or what I assume a dirty sponge would taste like)! This tastes exactly like the bacon jam I used to make, maybe even better. We put this on our Impossible burgers last night with some melted Daiya cheddar shreds and little vegan mayo. Didn’t need any other condiments or garnishes. Can’t wait for leftovers!!!
Haha, thank you! Those burgers sound perfect! I need to make one! Glad you liked it!