Description
Crispy tofu strips seasoned with liquid smoke, tamari, nutritional yeast, and smoky spices. Serve them on their own, add them to salads, or use them with lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise for a breadless BLT.
Tofu Baycon Strips:
Yield: 4 servings of 5 to 7 strips each, totaling 20 to 28 strips
Prep Time: 10 minutes (not including time to press tofu) | Marinate Time: minimum 30 minutes | Bake Time: 8 to 14 minutes in an air fryer (may need to be done in 2 batches), or 20 to 30 minutes in an oven
Storage: refrigerated for up to 4 days. Crunch will be lost with storage, and strips will become chewier in texture.
Breadless BLTs:
Yield: 2 servings of 2 BLTs each, totaling 4 BLTs
Prep Time: 10 minutes (not including time to make Tofu Baycon Strips)
Storage: refrigerated for up to 6 hours. Note that the Baycon Strips will lose their crunch and become chewy. Do not heat stored BLTs. Enjoy cold.
Ingredients
The Tofu Baycon Strips
The Breadless BLTs
Instructions
The Tofu Baycon Strips
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Whisk the marinade ingredients together in a small bowl. If your coconut oil solidifies, microwave it for a few seconds to liquify it again.
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Slice the pressed tofu into ⅛-inch (3mm) strips. I use a large kitchen knife for this. An attempt to slice it with a mandoline failed miserably.
I once tired to slice the tofu with a mandoline failed miserably. I've seen this done, but perhaps a super-firm tofu was being used. -
Place the tofu strips snugly in a single layer on the bottom of a pan or container(s).
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Drizzle the tofu with the marinade and spread the marinade across the top to cover all of the tofu. I use my fingertips or a small spatula for this.
I only marinate the one side and leave the other side looking a bit naked. If you prefer, you could use half of the marinade, flip, and use the other half. However, it's extra work and the overall amount of marinade is pretty small. -
Set the strips aside to marinate for at least half an hour. Refrigerate if marinating for more than an hour.
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Preheat the air fryer or oven to 400°F (200°C).
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If using the oven, spread the marinated strips out in a single layer on a non-stick or parchment-lined baking sheet. If using an air fryer, you can just put them in the basket (once air fryer is preheated).
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Air fry for 8 to 14 minutes or oven bake for 20 to 30 minutes. Flip and begin monitoring for desired texture at the low end of the time range. Cooking time will vary quite a bit depending on how well-pressed the tofu was, how thinly it was sliced, and preferred crispiness. I often pull out the thinner, crispier ones as they become ready and leave others to continue baking until they've reached my preferred texture. I find the strips most bacon-esque when airfried to crispy.Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to air fry the strips in 2-3 batches.
The Breadless BLTs
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Divide the lettuce into 8 small stacks (roughly 2-3 leaves per stack). Or, if your leaves are larger, form 4 stacks.
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Dollop the mayonnaise on half of your stacks and spread it out.
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Top the mayo with equal amounts of the tomato and the Tofu Baycon Strips.
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Cover your fillings with the undressed stacks of lettuce to form a sandwich. Or, fold over the unfilled side if using larger leaves.
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Enjoy fresh and crispy.
Used to Make this Recipe
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Nutrition Facts
Servings 4
Serving Size 5 to 7 Baycon Strips. See notes section below for BLT facts.
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 145kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 10g16%
- Total Carbohydrate 3.5g2%
- Dietary Fiber 2.5g10%
- Protein 10g20%
- Net Carbs 1g
* Total Carbs - (Fiber + Allulose + Sugar Alcohols) = Net Carbs
Notes
- The weight given for tofu is pressed weight. This is how weight is typically given on tofu packaging in North America. However, most tofu comes packed in water and weighs more. If you're buying tofu unpackaged/in bulk, by my calculation, 12 ounces (340g) of unpressed extra-firm tofu weighs roughly 420g. A 12-ounce (340g) block is a 4-serving package in the United States. This is the size that HouseFoods sells packages in, and this is the brand most available to me. Blocks of tofu are very often also sold in 14-ounce (397g) packages.
- Coconut oil has a more similar meltiness and mouthfeel to animal-based fats. This is why I prefer it in this recipe. Palm kernel oil would be another option with a similar quality. I vegan butter that is coconut- or palm oil-based would also be similar.
- Vegan bacon marinades often contain a sweetener and maple flavor. Sometimes I include sweetener, and sometimes I don't. Feel free to add a few drops of maple-flavored liquid stevia and/or maple extract to the marinade if you like yours sweet. I am not sure how this recipe would turn out with a sugar-free maple syrup. I suspect if allulose or erythritol are used, the strips might burn before crispy.
- Lettuce leaves come in a wide range of sizes, and I have found US national database leaf sizes for iceberg lettuce to be very unrealistic. Their medium leaf is 8g, which is a leaf about the size of my palm, whereas I would say a medium leaf is roughly the size of my full hand with fingers splayed. A leaf that size weighs about 20g. For my BLTs, I used roughly 20 palm-sized lettuce leaves, or pieces of lettuce leaves (because when do they ever come off the head in whole pieces..?)
