Vegan Bacon Bits (Nut-free, Soy-free, Gluten-free)

The best and easiest allergy-friendly fake bacon alternative. We turned cooked buckwheats into delicious, smoky, crispy vegan bacon bits in 15 minutes. They are ideal to add to soups, pasta, salads, or sandwiches.

We don’t really do fake meats. Not at least in a sense to try to replicate the texture and the taste exactly. But we love to find delicious and nutritious alternatives that could mimic classic meat-based dishes. We love chopped cauliflower and walnut as vegan ground beef in vegan spaghetti bolognese, oyster mushroom as shredded chicken in vegan gyros, TVP as vegan taco meat, eggplant in eggplant meatballs, or large portobello mushroom caps as burger patties. 

What to expect from this recipe?

If you think of bacon, there are 3 things really that would pop into your mind. These 3 features are the ultimate factors when you decide if a vegan alternative mimics real bacon or not.

• SMOKY – People expect bacon to be smoky. A piece of fake bacon is not the perfect alternative unless it has a certain degree of smokiness.
• SALTY – Real bacon is a salt-cured ingredient, so not surprisingly it tastes quite salty.
• CRISPY – The best part of bacon bits is that they are crispy. So the perfect vegan alternative should absolutely be crunchy as well.

I have one more feature for you: FATTY, but that is something I don’t really want to mimic at all. Real bacon comes from the fatties part of the pork, its belly. Unless you bathe any vegan bacon alternative in olive oil or coconut oil, its fat content will never reach the fattiness of real bacon. I don’t mind actually, do you?

Why did we choose buckwheat?

I would say more and more alternatives came to be as plant-based or vegan diets becomes more and more popular. I have seen and tried some of them and I can say in all honesty that all of them have pros and cons. And what you decide can be based on personal taste, but sometimes it has to be based on medical issues like allergies and intolerance. Here are some examples that can work as a meatless alternative to vegan bacon bits: 

• TVP aka textured vegetable protein -> What is TVP?
• tofu
• tempeh
• soy curls
• cashew or other nuts
• coconut flakes
• mushroom
• grains

So why buckwheat?

• Buckwheat is a gluten-free pseudo-cereal grain aka a seed that behaves like a grain. So it fits into gluten-free, vegan, soy-free, and nut-free diets.
• Its size is quite large compared to other grains, way larger than quinoa or millet. Just the right size for “bits”.
• You can easily prepare them to get them crispy.
• They can soak up spices and marinades perfectly.

If you are looking for buckwheat in stores you might come across names like whole-grain buckwheat, buckwheat groats, or buckwheat seeds. -> THEY ARE THE SAME! We use this one*. The important part is that it has to be hulled, not roasted or any other way modified.

Ingredients

You need exactly 9 ingredients including seasoning with 6 spices to turn buckwheat into vegan bacon bits.

• Buckwheat
• Smoked sweet paprika
• Cayenne pepper
• Oregano
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Cumin
• Salt
• Oil
• Molasses
• Worchestershire sauce – yes, there are vegan and gluten-free brands.
• Liquid smoke – if you need more info on whether it is safe to use it, read nutritionfacts.org’s analysis on this.

🛒 You’ll find detailed measurements for all Ingredients in the printable version of the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post.

Instructions

1. Pre-cook buckwheat just like you would cook pasta. Boil water in a kettle or in a stockpot. Add hulled, raw buckwheat seeds and cook them in the water until soft. It will take approx. 10 minutes. If you can crush the seeds with your fingers, they are ready. Drain water.
2. Pre-heat skillet or non-stick frying pan and add olive oil.
3. Add cooked buckwheat and stir.
4. Add dry seasoning (smoked sweet paprika, cayenne pepper, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, salt) and mix well.
5. Add wet seasoning (molasses, gluten-free vegan Worchestershire sauce, liquid smoke) and mix well again.
6. Stir and fry for 2-3 minutes until the buckwheat is crispy and brown. Done! You can use it with your favorite dishes.

What to do with vegan bacon bits?

There are plenty of dishes you can add fake bacon bits. Here are some ideas if you need some inspiration:

• Add to your favorite creamy soups like this vegan corn chowder (pictured below), this vegan cauliflower soup, this vegan sweet potato soup, this roasted broccoli sweet potato soup, or this Hokkaido pumpkin cream soup.
• Add to your favorite pasta dishes like this vegan mac and cheese, or this vegan cashew alfredo, or this caramelized carrot pasta sauce.
• They are a great addition to salads and veggie bowls like this vegan burrito bowl, or this Mexican sweet potato rice bowl.
• Add to burritos, wraps, sandwiches, and tacos like this Chipotle veggie burrito, or this vegan Philly cheesesteak.
• They can be a great topping for pizza (if you need a gluten-free pizza crust recipe)
• Add to casseroles like vegan breakfast casserole, or this vegan scalloped potatoes, or this vegan Mexican rice casserole.

Let us know in the comments which is your favorite way to eat crispy vegetarian bacon bits.

FAQs and substitutions

What can you use instead of molasses?

Maple syrup would be the closest alternative, or coconut sugar as they both have a caramelized taste, adding a lovely flavor.

Is Worcestershire sauce gluten-free and vegan?

Yes, there are some gluten-free and vegan brands. Check out our post titled “Is Worcestershire sauce gluten-free?” for the list of brands. If you don’t have Worcestershire sauce, you can use soy sauce as an alternative. Please note that soy sauce is not gluten-free, we listed 5 gluten-free soy sauce substitutes here. We usually use tamari*, which has the same flavor, but is gluten-free.

How to store them?

They keep well in the fridge for 4-5 days in an airtight container. They may lose crispiness after a day or so.

Allergen info

This buckwheat bacon bits recipe is meat-free, egg-free, and dairy-free.

• Vegan – All ingredients are supposed to be vegan except for Worcestershire sauce. However, there are several brands that sell vegan versions.
• Nut-free – All ingredients are supposed to be nut-free but check for cross-contamination info on all packaging you need.
• WFPB-friendly (whole foods plant-based) – It is not easy to make it oil-free. If you skip the oil, buckwheat may not be as crispy.
• Gluten-free – Worcestershire sauce is not gluten-free, so you need to use compliant substitutes. All other ingredients are supposed to be gluten-free but always look for the certified label.
• Soy-free – Worcestershire sauce is the only ingredient you need to watch out for as it may contain soy sauce or other soy products.

More recipes for vegan meat alternatives

We have recipes that use oyster mushrooms, portobello mushrooms, TVP, walnut cauliflower mince, jackfruit, tofu, and other ingredients for a meaty vegan meal.

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UPDATED: This recipe was originally posted in March 2021. More tips, FAQs and info were added and it was republished in July 2022.