When I was little (long before I went vegan) I loved bacon. I wasn’t ever a big meat-eater in general, but I really did enjoy bacon. I ate it all the time, and I wasn’t a picky eater, but it was just one of my favorite things. So one summer our family went on vacation to visit some relatives out of state and stay with them for a few days. My parents had told our relatives what kinds of foods we liked, and so one morning a ton of bacon was being cooked up. I have this “core memory” of coming down to the kitchen that morning, and I must have already been getting sick or something, because I smelled the bacon and immediately started to feel nauseous! I felt so bad, but there was no way I could consume any of that bacon that day, and I hardly ever did again in the almost 10 more years that I would eat animals, until I became first vegetarian, and then vegan.

It was only once I stopped eating animal meat that I started trying bacon again, vegan bacon!

And since delving into the world of veganism, I have discovered that there are all types of substitutes for every kind of animal product that we consume. There are a variety of vegan dairy products and meat products, and even vegan replacements for eggs. As for bacon, there is vegan bacon made of tempeh, which is a soybean product, and there’s also vegan bacon made from mushrooms, coconut, even carrots, or like in this recipe, rice paper!

Bacon is, without a doubt, a food that people who eat animals are very attached to. Similar to cheese, the phrase, “I could never live without bacon!” is something that every vegan has heard more than enough times in their life. The thing is, many vegans did enjoy bacon when they still ate animals, which is why vegan bacon products and recipes exist in the first place!

Using rice paper for vegan bacon is a great option because it’s so versatile; there’s no alternative taste from using a meat replacement, certain vegetables, etc. It’s literally just the rice paper, which is quite neutral in taste, and the bacon marinade. See below for a breakdown of the marinade ingredients:

Liquid Aminos: A lower-sodium replacement for soy sauce. Soy sauce is vegan, but liquid aminos is considered healthier. Usually with the soy sauce in the grocery store.

Nutritional Yeast: Provides a mild cheese/butter flavor in many vegan dishes. For this, it adds a subtle richness. Nutritional yeast is also a great source of B12! Usually found in the baking aisle with the bread yeast.

Maple Syrup: For a hint of sweetness. This really helps give the bacon its signature taste, more than you would think! Maple syrup is in virtually all bacon-flavored products. I use the high-quality maple syrup, it’s much better for you than the very cheap maple syrups with all of the fake stuff and chemicals, and I promise it tastes so much better, too!

Tomato Paste: Neutralizes some of the other flavors and pulls them together nicely. Tomato paste often comes canned, and whenever I buy it I end up using just a tablespoon at a time for specific recipes, and then sometimes it would get gross in the fridge before I have a chance to use it up. So now, I transfer the leftover tomato paste to a reusable container, and freeze it! Whenever I need it for a recipe, I thaw it beforehand or pop it in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time.

Liquid Smoke: Truly a game-changer. Once you start using liquid smoke you’re going to want to include it in all of your meat replacement recipes! In the grocery store, this can usually be found with the barbecue sauce, steak sauce and similar condiments.

Paprika: Completes that wonderful smoky flavor. Paprika is used in virtually all meat replacement recipes, and even some vegan cheese recipes. Find it with the spices.

Garlic Powder and Onion Powder: You may be surprised to learn that garlic and onion flavorings are in almost all meat-flavored dishes as well, whether vegan or non-vegan. Find them with the spices.

Black Pepper: Adds a bit of heat and a subtle woody taste. Find it with the spices.

1. In a small bowl, make your marinade by combining the liquid aminos, nutritional yeast, maple syrup, tomato paste, liquid smoke, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and black pepper and mixing well.

2. Lay out on your workspace two plates that have about a ½” rim, or you can use wide, shallow bowls instead. Fill one of the dishes with water, and pour the marinade mixture in the other. 

3. Get out your rice paper. Hold together two or three pieces of rice paper, depending on how thick you would like your bacon, and submerge it in the water. Let it soak for about 30 seconds, so it’s slightly softened but still rather firm. Shake the excess water off of the rice paper and then transfer it to the marinade. Spoon or brush the marinade onto the rice paper so it’s completely covered.

4. Remove the rice paper from the marinade and place it on a cutting board. Cut the rice paper into bacon strips.

5. Turn your stove on to medium heat, and add about 1 tablespoon of oil to a pan. Once the oil is heated, transfer the rice paper bacon strips to the pan. You may want to turn the heat down depending on how hot your burners get, and fry the bacon for only about 5 minutes max or until it’s browned and crispy, flipping once after a couple of minutes to ensure both sides are cooked.

6. Once the bacon is finished, remove from the pan and place it on a wire rack or paper towels to cool. 

7. Repeat the process with the remaining rice paper or until you have prepared your desired amount of bacon.