Salty, smoky, crispy, and with a slight chew, these vegan pancetta cubes offer up a delicious, meat-free, and gluten-free alternative to regular bacon bits.
This recipe involves marinating smoked tofu – if you have time, you can enhance the flavour by preparing it in advance and keeping it in the fridge for up to a few hours before cooking.
Vegan pancetta is perfect when added to pasta dishes, but it's also great in risottos, omelettes, on pizza, or as a garnish for soups and stews.
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What is pancetta?
Pancetta is a salty, fatty, and sometimes smoky pork product of Italian origin. Similar to bacon, it comes in either slices or cubes and adds flavour and texture to dishes.
This vegan pancetta recipe uses marinated cubes of tofu, which is an excellent source of plant-based protein. The marinade consists of tamari/soy sauce, tomato puree, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to help replicate the traditional flavour and texture.
Which tofu to use for vegan bacon bits?
I've tried making this vegan pancetta with a few different types of tofu. Extra-firm smoked tofu has always worked best for me.
If you don't have extra-firm smoked tofu, no worries. You may just need to drain and press it before marinating, add a touch more smoked paprika, and possibly cook for slightly longer.
You could also drain it, store it in the freezer, and defrost when you want to use it. This is a great way to store tofu without having to worry about it going off.
For more smoked tofu recipes, check out this smoked tofu risotto and ultimate vegan fish pie.
Is vegan bacon good for you?
While this vegan pancetta does include oil, it involves fewer additives and a lot less processing than shop-bought versions. I've also found that those tend to include wheat protein, whereas this recipe is gluten-free.
Pork bacon is a product close to many an omnivore's heart (in more ways than one). My hope is that this recipe can help people to see there's a life beyond bacon that's better for themselves, the animals, and the planet.
Learn more about why people go vegan.
How to make vegan pancetta
In a large freezer bag or bowl, mix together all of the ingredients apart from the tofu. The great thing about a freezer bag is that you can use your hands to combine everything without any mess.
Note: a freezer bag is best for this, but remember to wash and reuse!
Once mixed together, add in the tofu pieces. Toss well, and don't be afraid to give them a bit of a squeeze to rub in the marinade.
If the tofu is extra-firm, it shouldn't fall apart very easily. And if it does, it just means you'll get even crispier smaller bits.
Note: if you have time, you can enhance the flavour by preparing this in advance and keeping it in the fridge for up to a few hours before cooking.
Empty the contents of the bag onto an oven dish or baking sheet, and spread out the tofu pieces evenly.
Bake for 30 minutes, shaking the pieces around a few times during cooking. If the tofu seems to be sticking or burning, you can add a little more oil and reduce the heat slightly.
After 30 minutes, the pieces should be crispy with a slight chew and will have reduced in size. Cook for longer if necessary, but keep an eye on them as they can easily overcook.
Variations and tips for vegan pancetta
- Tofu: If you don’t have extra-firm smoked tofu, no worries. You may just need to drain and press it before marinating, add a touch more smoked paprika, and possibly cook for slightly longer.
- Enhance flavour: If you have time, you can enhance the flavour by preparing the vegan pancetta in advance and keeping it in the fridge for up to a few hours before cooking.
- Gluten-free: Tamari is a variant of soy sauce that’s usually gluten-free. If this recipe needs to be 100% gluten-free, make sure you use a GF soy sauce or tamari.
- Liquid smoke: This is an optional ingredient, but it has a seriously smoky flavour that I love. Use sparingly.
Where to use vegan pancetta
These vegan bacon bits are perfect when added to pasta dishes, but are also great in risottos, omelettes, on pizza, or as a garnish for soups and stews. Here are a few recipes to try it out with:
- Creamy Vegan Mushroom & Leek Tagliatelle
- Vegan Cheesy Pasta Sauce
- Butternut Squash Pasta Bake
- Vegan Potato Hash
- Creamy Vegan Risotto
- Easy Vegan Stovies (a delicious Scottish potato stew)
- Smoky Butter Bean Soup
You could also prepare the tofu and roast it alongside veg with a similar cooking time (roasted Jerusalem artichokes are a good example).
How to store vegan pancetta
Refrigerate: Store the vegan pancetta pieces in the fridge for up to four days.
Freeze: Honestly, there’s never enough of this left in my household to then freeze it. If you do want to, place the cubes in a sealed container or resealable bag and freeze for up to six months. Be aware that the tofu pieces may take on a more porous texture after having been frozen and defrosted.
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More vegan recipe ideas
If you liked this recipe, you may also enjoy:
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Vegan Bacon Bits
- Smoky Mushroom & Red Lentil Pâté
- Grilled Teriyaki Tofu Steaks
- Crispy Roasted Peas
- Tofu Cream Cheese
- Vegan Potato Pancakes
- Crispy Tofu Stir-Fry
- Eggy Scrambled Tofu
Full recipe
Vegan Pancetta Recipe (Bacon Bits)
Ingredients
- Approx. 200 g extra-firm smoked tofu, drained and cut into small cubes
- 2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
- 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato puree
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Good pinch of salt
- A few twists of black pepper
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
- In a large freezer bag or bowl, mix together all of the ingredients apart from the tofu. The great thing about a freezer bag is that you can use your hands to combine everything without any mess.
- Once mixed together, add in the tofu pieces. Take a couple of minutes to coat the tofu evenly in the marinade. Again, a freezer bag makes it easy to move everything around.
- Empty the contents of the bag onto an oven dish or baking sheet, and spread out the tofu pieces evenly. Bake for 30 minutes, shaking the pieces around a few times during cooking. If the tofu seems to be sticking or burning, you can add a little more oil and reduce the heat slightly.
- After 30 minutes, the pieces should be crispy with a slight chew and will have reduced in size. Bake for longer if necessary, but keep an eye on them as they can easily overcook.
- Once cooked, you can use the vegan pancetta in other dishes or allow it to cool and store it in the fridge for several days.
Notes
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Vegan Bacon Bits
- Smoky Mushroom & Red Lentil Pâté
- Grilled Teriyaki Tofu Steaks
- Vegan Cheesy Pasta Sauce
- Smoked Tofu Risotto with Lemon & Basil
- Four-Ingredient Vegan Parmesan
- Crispy Smoky Roasted Chickpeas
- Crispy Tofu Stir-Fry
- Eggy Scrambled Tofu
Nutrition
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Jessica Langerman
I really could not believe how absolutely delicious this tofu was! I used it in a carrot and sweet potato stew and honestly don’t think I could have told if it were pancetta or not if I didn’t know myself! Absolutely fantastic. Thank you!
The Pesky Vegan
Glad you've discovered the delights of using tofu to create meat-free bacon, I still make this at least once a month to use in my own dishes!
Jan Phillips
This is a super recipe! Just over half went into my Bolognese sauce and as for the rest, it simply vanished! How mysterious!
The tofu was from "Taifun", smoked with almonds & sesame seeds. A very firm smoked tofu. Not so authentically 'pancetta' with the nuts & seeds, but gave a great texture and extra flavour. As suggested, I marinated the mix in the fridge for a few hours before roasting.
I will definitely make this again.
Thanks Alastair
The Pesky Vegan
Great to hear you enjoyed it, cheers!
Johannes
Hey, where are the ingredients for the marinade? Scrolled up and down and didn't find your suggestion
I love liquid smoke.my guess: this is added to lots of meat products (chicken or pork, salmon) to make them more palatable.
The Pesky Vegan
Hi there, the ingredients can all be found in the recipe card towards the bottom of the page. If it helps, you can simply click on 'Jump to recipe' at the top of the post (you'll find this feature on all my recipes, as well as on many other food blogs).
Sas Astro
This worked well, it was very tasty.
The Pesky Vegan
Great to hear, thanks very much for the review!
LibbyO
What approximate size to the tofu cuboids start out at before cooking please?
My oven is a bit fierce :-O so I'd like to have less variables.
Guessing 1x1x1.5 cm or smaller 0.8x 0.8 x 0.6cm ?
Thanks,
Libby
The Pesky Vegan
Hi Libby, I'd say something close to your first suggestion of 1-1.5cm cubes. The pieces will reduce in size slightly as they cook, and as long as they are similar in size then they should cook evenly. If you're worried about the oven heat, I'd suggest checking the pieces earlier on and more regularly - maybe after 20 minutes or so. Hope this helps!
Romina
I didn't have liquid smoke or tomato puree so I added a little flour to thicken and it turned out so darn delicious I cant even imagine how good it must be with all the ingredients!
My whole kitchen smelt of chorizo afterwards and my (non vegan) flatmate was so suprised she thought id been cooking meat.
Highly recommend as it is a super easy and simple recipe.
The Pesky Vegan
So glad you enjoyed it, thanks for leaving a comment!
Vicky Storey
This is so tasty - please can you do a carbonara recipe for it to go in?
The Pesky Vegan
Added to the list! In the meantime you can check out my recipe for Easy Cheesy Pasta Sauce 👍
Gabe
I’m not a fan of smokey bacon, so omitted the liquid smoke. Found that you can pretty much double the quantity of tofu and still get tasty bacon bits. Defo benefits from being left to marinate in the fridge for a few hours though.
Thanks TPV - another fridge staple for us!
The Pesky Vegan
Thanks Gabe! Agree about time to marinate in fridge - I do this too if I've planned ahead 🙂
Amelia Nichols
This is the only marinade that has ever made me LIKE tofu. I'm mixing up more tomorrow and am going to try using thin slices of tofu to use on a BLT sandwich.
P.S. I marinated mine for three days.
The Pesky Vegan
High praise indeed, thanks and glad you enjoyed! I've also done it with tofu slices with good results.