I'll show you how to make crispy, smoky tempeh bacon from scratch! This easy vegan bacon recipe uses a sweet, savory marinade of maple syrup, soy sauce, and liquid smoke. It's perfect for plant-based salads, BLT sandwiches, breakfast, and more!

Overhead of cooked crispy tempeh bacon on a marble board.

Bacon seems to be a universally loved flavor. Even if you're plant-based, it's hard to resist the smoky, salty, and subtly sweet flavors and smell of crisping bacon. This tempeh bacon recipe recreates the texture, flavor, and protein with vegan ingredients. Tempeh bacon is great alone, rolled up inside a breakfast burrito, and it's a perfect topping for a vegan Cobb salad. Any recipe that calls for a crispy, smoky garnish! After today, you'll know how to make it in the oven.

This Crispy Tempeh Bacon Recipe Is…

Packed with flavor. We're using a combination of simple ingredients, including sweet maple syrup, liquid smoke, and soy sauce, to mimic that unmistakable “bacon” flavor. But I truly think this tempeh bacon is delicious in its own right!
Easy to make. This vegan bacon bakes up perfectly in the oven and is ready to serve in an hour or less. You could also use your air fryer!
Super versatile. Serve your crispy tempeh bacon with breakfast, or add it to sandwiches, salads, pastas, and more.

Close up of crispy tempeh bacon to show the texture.

What is Tempeh?

Similar to tofu, tempeh is a soybean product with a mildly nutty, earthy flavor. The main difference is that tempeh is made from whole fermented soybeans. Tempeh bacon is cooked tempeh that has been flavored and seared to mimic the taste and texture of bacon.

Two sandwich halves with tempeh bacon stacked on top of one another.

You'll Need These Ingredients

These are the simple ingredients in this tempeh bacon recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full, printable recipe with ingredient amounts and instructions.

Tempeh – You'll need one block of tempeh (usually 8oz), which you'll thinly slice. Tempeh is ideal for vegan bacon as it has a great texture and really soaks up any flavors you add to it.
Olive oil – Since bacon has fat, it's good to add some olive oil to boost the rest of the flavors and help make the tempeh crispy.
Tamari/soy sauce – Bacon is traditionally quite salty, so we're using tamari to give it a salty/umami flavor. If you aren't gluten-free, feel free to use regular soy sauce.
Liquid smoke – Probably not something you'd use super often, but since bacon is usually smoked, the liquid smoke gives it a really nice smoky flavor. Once you have it, use it to flavor the tempeh croutons in this kale salad!
Maple syrup – I think bacon always needs a little sweetness, and maple is the perfect complement. Honey (if you're not making it vegan) or brown sugar would also work nicely here.
Nutritional yeast – I add a little nutritional yeast because it helps round out the umami flavor and also adds a little crispiness to the bacon.
Hot sauce – Optional, but encouraged! If you're sensitive to spice, feel free to skip it.