The Easiest 3-Ingredient Recipe for Vegan Coconut Bacon

This recipe appears in the Thrive Market cookbook, Healthy Living Made Easy. Get your copy here, and find the ingredients in this shopping list.

The upsides of eating a vegan diet often include more energy, clearer skin, and less exposure to toxins. The downside? No bacon. Ever. Again.

If the proposition of a bacon-less existence is the only thing holding you back from totally transitioning to a plant-based diet, we’ve got good news: coconut bacon is real, and easy to make at home.

Baking coconut flakes gives the same crunch of a brunch-worthy bacon strip, and the combo of liquid aminos and liquid smoke add the ubiquitous salty-smoky flavor associated with cured pork belly.

Make these vegan, Paleo-friendly faux bacon bits and sprinkle them atop baked potatoes, a classic Cobb salad, soup, or even a vegan maple donut (yes, we went there!).

Coconut Bacon

3 cups coconut flakes
4 tablespoons Bragg’s Liquid Aminos or gluten-free tamari
2 tablespoons liquid smoke
drizzle of maple syrup

Instructions:

• In a bowl, combine all ingredients until coconut flakes are completely coated.
• Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking pan with parchment paper, and lay flakes evenly over the pan.
• Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, tossing occasionally. Let cool, then store in the fridge for up to seven days or in the freezer indefinitely.

Photo credit: Alicia Cho