Rice Paper Bacon
I always loved bacon before I was vegan and now the smell and idea of it grosses me out. I have made the tempeh bacon you can find here, using my favorite bacon marinade. Since I am not a huge fan of the texture of tempeh. I wanted to try the popular rice paper bacon I saw online. It has the crunch you want from crispy bacon, and the more layers of rice paper you use the “fattier” the bacon will be. I did find that the long, thicker slices didn’t get as crispy as I wanted without the edges burning. Next time I will cut them all the same short length, about 5-6 inches long.
I also made a Vegan Turkey Bacon Ranch Wrap using this bacon because it seemed like the perfect meal to make during a 120 degree summer here in Vegas. With the mix of the rice paper bacon, Smith’s plant based peppered deli slices, and Follow Your Heart Vegan High Omega-3 Ranch, it is the total indulgent lunch on a hot, summer day. You can find that recipe here on the other post I did today. I also made a BLT with the bacon, and it was equally as tasty. This really is the perfect swap for bacon, and I plan on using it anytime I need crispy bacon. The other great thing is it takes under ten minutes to cook, and the marinade doesn’t have to be on the rice paper long to leave a lasting flavor.
This is a cheap, easy, and quick way to make crunchy bacon with staples most vegans already have in their pantry.
Have you made rice paper bacon before? What did you think of it? Make sure you try it in the wrap recipe I also included below. This post is a two for one special as a gift from me to you. 😊
Thanks for reading,
Jessica
Rice Paper Bacon
Ingredients
- 9 pieces of rice paper (Stick 2-3 pieces together to make one slab of bacon. This helps with the thickness and “fatty” effect of bacon)
- 3 TBSP Gluten-free tamari sauce (you can sub out soy sauce or coconut aminos for all of it)
- 3 TBSP GF Trader Joe’s Organic Smoky BBQ coconut aminos (it’s a limited buy in the summer so just use all tamari if you can’t get this. It’s worth it if you can though)
- 4 TBSP maple syrup (You can sub organic cane sugar or coconut sugar. I like using TJ’s seasonal Organic Vermont Bourbon Barrel Aged Maple Syrup for an extra kick)
- 3 TBSP apple cider vinegar
- 2 TSP liquid smoke
- 1 TSP cumin
- 1 ½ TSP garlic powder
- 1 TBSP Nutritional Yeast
- Fresh cracked pepper to taste (I like a lot because I love peppered bacon)
- Salt to sprinkle between rice paper layers
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Prepare 2 baking sheets with sheets of parchment paper (compostable if possible) or a silicone mat.
- In a bowl, whisk together all the ingredients except the rice paper. That will be your marinade.
- Dip a piece of rice paper into a bowl of water for just a moment to soften it slightly. Sprinkle the paper with a little sea salt.
- Dip another piece of rice paper into water for a second and lay it on top of the first piece of paper. Repeat the process once more if you want, or you can stop at two like a lot of recipes call for. I like it a little thicker, so I make each slab three layers.
- Then with a pair of sharp scissors cut the rice paper into strips as thick as the average slice of bacon. The water will soften the rice paper slightly and make it easier to cut without much trouble.
- You can either dip the rice paper into the marinade and lay it on the cookie sheet, or you can lay it first and baste both sides with the marinade. I ended up laying it down and painting the marinade on because it was easier for me to do.
- Continue doing this with the remaining rice paper strips until the baking sheet is filled, whisking the marinade every so often to prevent separation.
- Bake for about 7 to 8 minutes, until crisp.
- The strips burn easily, so keep an eye on the baking sheet and remove from sheet right away.
- Dress the strips with one final covering of the marinade before serving up.
- You can store leftover rice paper bacon in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the fridge for a few weeks.
