Bacon. Need I say more? Probably not, but I feel weird not having at least a small introduction to my recipe, so I’ll say a little more without giving my entire life story.

Bacon is one thing I gave up many years before my plant-based journey. Before being plant-based, I went through several other dietary phases, including no red meat and vegetarianism. When I was ready to give up animal products completely, I was mostly there, as I only ate chicken and turkey, including turkey bacon.

Now that I am plant-based, I have found one decent bacon alternative from Hooray Foods, but they’ve ceased production. If you’re looking for bacon bits, although not perfect ingredients, I enjoy Madly Hadley’s Organic Vegan Coconut Bacon. Unfortunately, I’m allergic to all other options I’ve come across (soy), so I typically just make my own bacon, and my recipe was inspired by the one and only Tabitha Brown.

Bacon is one of those things people often are shocked I don’t eat. I hear things like, “How do you live without bacon?” or “I could never give up bacon.” I get it; they say the same thing about cheese, too, but bacon is pig flesh and fat soaked in salt and nitrates, not a tank of oxygen. Plus, there are no health benefits in bacon besides nutrients, which I can find elsewhere, so I am fine without it, but I also understand why people love it so much.

So, without further ado, I present my air-fried carrot bacan’t (get what I did there?). This recipe is plant-based and vegan-friendly. It can be made free from dairy, gluten, grains, nuts, and soy, and with a few minor tweaks, it can even be whole-food plant-based.

Please note: if you need soy and coconut-free, I do not think there is an option, but I use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce for my recipe. If you have found a soy and coconut-free substitute, please let us know in the comments!

INGREDIENTS

• 16 oz. of thinly sliced carrots (I use a Y-shaped vegetable peeler)
• 3 tbsp. liquid smoke (I use Wright’s Applewood Liquid Smoke)
• 3 tbsp. coconut aminos (I like BetterBody Foods’ Organic Coconut Aminos)
• 3 tbsp. oil of choice (I use cold-pressed avocado oil)
• 1 tbsp. maple syrup
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. adobo, optional (I use Loisa’s Organic Adobo)
• 1 tsp. saźon, optional (I use Loisa’s Organic Saźon)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Start by making the bacon-flavored marinade by mixing all the ingredients except the thinly sliced carrots in a bowl.
2. Dip each carrot slice into the marinade and ensure it is evenly coated.
3. Place the dipped carrot slices to the side and let marinade for at least 30 minutes (I usually let them sit overnight in the leftover marinade).
4. When you’re ready to cook them, let the air fryer pre-heat before cooking at 350°F for 5 minutes, rotate the pan, and repeat for another 5 minutes. When it comes out of the air fryer, it will seem limp and not crunchy. Let it sit for five to ten minutes before determining if it needs more cooking time.

NOTES

• If you wish to omit the oil, you should still be able to swap the oil 1:1 with vegetable broth. I haven’t tried this method, so let us know how it goes if you do.
• I have tried making this on the stovetop, and the bacon always comes out tasting burnt and chemically, so I stick to the air fryer method. I have not tried making this in the oven, so if you do, let us know how it goes.

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Air-Fried Carrot Bacon

A simply delicious plant-based and vegan-friendly carrot bacon recipe. It can be made free from dairy, gluten, grains, nuts, and soy, and with a few minor tweaks, it can even be whole-food plant-based. This recipe takes 5 minutes to prepare, 30 minutes to marinade, and 10 minutes to cook, and it makes approximately six hefty servings of oh-so-delicious bacon.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Marination Time30 minutes mins

Total Time45 minutes mins

Servings 6

Recipe by: Sarena-Rae Santos (The Holistic Hipppie)

Ingredients

1x2x3x

• 16 oz. of thinly sliced carrots (I use a Y-shaped vegetable peeler)
• 3 tbsp. liquid smoke (I use Wright's Applewood Liquid Smoke)
• 3 tbsp. coconut aminos (I like BetterBody Foods’ Organic Coconut Aminos)
• 3 tbsp. oil of choice (I use cold-pressed avocado oil)
• 1 tbsp. maple syrup
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. adobo (optional; I use Loisa’s Organic Adobo)
• 1 tsp. saźon (optional; I use Loisa’s Organic Saźon)

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

• Start by making the bacon-flavored marinade by mixing all the ingredients except the thinly sliced carrots in a bowl.
• Dip each carrot slice into the marinade and ensure it is evenly coated.
• Place the dipped carrot slices to the side and let marinade for at least 30 minutes (I usually let them sit overnight in the leftover marinade).
• When you're ready to cook them, let the air fryer pre-heat before cooking at 350°F for 5 minutes, rotate the pan, and repeat for another 5 minutes. When it comes out of the air fryer, it will seem limp and not crunchy. Let it sit for five to ten minutes before determining if it needs more cooking time.

Notes

• If you wish to omit the oil, you should still be able to swap the oil 1:1 with vegetable broth. I haven’t tried this method, so let us know how it goes if you do.
• I have tried making this on the stovetop, and the bacon always comes out tasting burnt and chemically, so I stick to the air fryer method. I have not tried making this in the oven, so if you do, let us know how it goes.

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