This crispy, smokey and sweet tempeh bacon can be made on the stove or in the oven. Perfect in BLT sandwiches, crumbled into soups or enjoyed with breakfast!
Slice tempeh widthwise into 20-22 thin pieces. Optional: Steam sliced tempeh in a steamer basket for 10 minutes (see tips below if you don't have a steamer basket). This removes the bitter/astringent flavor that tempeh sometimes has.
Meanwhile, mix together the marinade: vegetable broth, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika.
Line the tempeh up in a 2-3 quart baking dish (any dish will do as long as the tempeh fits in a single layer). Pour the marinade over the tempeh. Marinate for at least 15 minutes and up to 24 hours.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add enough oil to coat.
Add the marinated tempeh without the marinade. Reserve the marinade for later.
Sauté until golden on one side, about 2-3 minutes. Flip the tempeh. Pour in the reserved marinade. It will look like a lot of liquid, but should cook off completely within 3-5 minutes. Turn the heat up to medium-high if needed.
Continue sautéing until the bacon reaches your desired crispiness and the marinade is evaporated, flipping again as needed. Enjoy hot.
Video
Notes
Steaming: You can use an all-metal colander or metal sieve in place of a steamer basket. Simply fill a similarly sized sauce pan with 1 inch simmering water. Place the colander on top the of the pan. Cover with that pan’s lid to steam.
Baking instructions: Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line tempeh bacon up on a parchment-paper lined baking sheet, careful to not overlap. Reserve the marinade. Bake for 10 minutes. Flip the tempeh and baste or brush with reserved marinade. Bake another 10 minutes, until golden and crisp.
Storage: Keep refrigerated in a closed container for 3-4 days. Reheat in a pan to recrisp.
Gluten-free: Use tamari and make sure your tempeh is certified gluten-free. Sometimes tempeh is processed with gluten-containing ingredients even though the tempeh itself is gluten-free.