Name: Vegan BLT with Tempeh Bacon
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 6 oz Tempeh (around 150g); 2 tsp Smoked Paprika; 1 tsp Liquid Smoke; ¾ tsp Salt; ⅛ cup Maple Syrup (Pure); ⅛ cup Hot Water; 2 ea Burger Bun; 1 cup Lettuce (torn); ½ ea Tomato (sliced); ¼ ea Red Onion (Thinly sliced); 2 tbsp BBQ or Vegan Mayo

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Last Updated on December 24, 2023

This Vegan BLT recipe is made with Tempeh Bacon, it’s so flavorful- smoky, savory, and a bit sweetness from the maple syrup. Pair with fresh salad and warm toasted buns. This vegan BLT is absolutely delicious!

Vegan BLT with Tempeh Bacon

Traditional BLT contains smoky bacon, lettuce, tomato, red onion, BBQ sauce, or mayonnaise.

For our Vegan BLT( vegan bacon burger), we are going to use tempeh for our Vegan Bacon. Marinated with our vegan bacon flavoring to mimic the smoky maple flavor.

Maybe we should call it TLT…lol…I personally think names don’t matter, as long as it’s tasty yo! 😝)

Once you know the secret of how to make vegan bacon (tempeh) at home, a tempeh burger is not the only option.

You can also make it with your vegan sandwiches, vegan breakfast with tofu scramble, or vegan wraps.

What Does Tempeh Taste Like?

Tempeh is a fermented soy product that originated in Indonesia, and it’s a popular vegan meat replacement (See: Is tempeh bean curd?). It has a strong, nutty, and mushroomy flavor that can be overpowering sometimes.

When preparing tempeh, we usually use strong aromatics and spices to marinate it for a while. As it tends to absorb the flavors of the marinades to which it is added.

Even a quick brush of soy sauce and a handful of seasonings will significantly heighten the flavor.

You won’t believe this! The Tempeh Marinade really transforms the non-eye-catching tempeh into sexy Tempeh Bacon.

How to Prepare Tempeh

Should I pre-boil tempeh before using it? The answer is It depends.

If you buy “raw” tempeh (which you usually won’t be able to buy in Western countries) is not pre-cooked and needs to be cooked before using, either by steaming or simmering it for about 25 minutes.

However, pasteurized, store-bought tempeh usually is already pre-cooked and does not need to be cooked before use.

Tempeh Marinade for Tempeh Bacon

To make this effortless recipe, we only need simple ingredients. The whole cooking process is very very easy, the only thing that takes time is the tempeh preparation.

To let the tempeh completely absorb the tempeh marinade, we need to prepare them ahead and let them sit in the fridge overnight (For at least 8 hours).

Usually, it will last for up to 5 days in the fridge before you use it.

But the result? Totally worth it! So let’s have a look at what ingredients we need for the marinade sauce.

Vegan Bacon Seasoning (Tempeh Marinade)

Tempeh – There are five types of tempeh. They all work great with this recipe.
Seasonings – Smoked Paprika, Maple Syrup, Liquid Smoke, Salt, and Hot Water.

Toppings for Vegan BLT

Fresh lettuce, thinly sliced red onion and sliced tomatoes, and vegan burger buns or Bread of your choice.

For the sauce, I use vegan mayonnaise, vegan BBQ sauce, or vegan spicy mayo.

How to Make Vegan BLT

Following the workflow as the picture below. It’s so simple and easy.

1. Remove tempeh from the packages and cut each piece into 0.2 inch/5mm thick slices.

2. In a food safety-graded air-tight container, whisk together the tempeh bacon marinade( smoked paprika, maple syrup, liquid smoke, salt, and hot water)

3. Then, add tempeh slices, tilt the container, and use a teaspoon to scoop the marinade and pour over the tempeh, and repeat until all the tempeh slices are coated with marinade sauce.

4. Cover and leave it in the refrigerator overnight. (8 hours minimum). It will last for up to 5 days in the fridge before you use it.

5. Heat up a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat with 1 tbsp cooking oil. Place the tempeh slices on the pan, and fry for around 3-4 minutes until the surfaces are golden brown and burnt on the edges. (We want a bit burnt on the tempeh bacon, as we want our crispy vegan bacon with smoky flavor).

6. Flip the tempeh slices, and fry the other side until golden brown and burnt on the edges. (around 3-4 minutes) then take out.

7. Cut tomatoes, red onion, and lettuce. Toast your burger bun or bread of choice

8. Squeeze some sauce of choice on the bottom of the bun/bread. Place sliced lettuce, and tomato on the base of each bun/bread.

Then top with two pieces of tempeh bacon on each bun/bread. Finish with sliced red onion and more sauce on the top. Enjoy it with cold beers! 🍔🍺