Tofu strips are marinated with soy sauce, maple syrup and smoky paprika to create a delicious vegan bacon. Tofu bacon is layered on fresh bread along with tomato slices, lettuce and vegan mayo. This TLT (Vegan Tofu BLT) is a tasty plant-based, healthy alternative to the classic bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich. My New Year’s resolution is to eat more plant-based meals, but frankly I’m not willing to give up the comfort foods that I love. This tofu bacon substitute TLT won’t disappoint!
Tofu is versatile.
My favorite method of cooking tofu is to bake it at 400 degrees on parchment paper. It crates the perfect texture for stir fry, bowls and sandwiches. Tofu doesn’t have a whole lot of flavor on its own but it absorbs the sauce you marinate in so it’s versatile.
This leads me to bacon. I love bacon. Who doesn’t? The smoky flavor. That amazing smell. I could do without the grease, the saturated fat and the unhealthy nitrates. So I created tofu bacon. After a ton of trial and error, I found the perfect marinade to give tofu a very similar taste and smell of good old bacon. We increase our cooking time in the oven to make the “bacon” extra firm so it stands up to the mayonnaise in our TLT sandwich, and maybe even gets a little crisp on the edges. No guilt BLT? Yes please!
Modify for a variety of diets.
- Vegetarian – I’ve included vegan mayonnaise in this recipe but if you’re a vegetarian, feel free to use regular mayonnaise instead.
- Gluten-free – To make this sandwich gluten-free, you’ll need to use a gluten-free bread and Tamari sauce instead of soy sauce for the tofu marinade. My favorite gluten-free brand of sandwich bread and bagels is Canyon Bakehouse. You can find it in the bakery area in most grocery stores. Tamari tastes just like soy sauce and you’ll find in the same isle.
- Low-carb – If you prefer to skip the bread, simply wrap your TLT in a large piece of Butter Lettuce, Boston Lettuce or Bib Lettuce.
TLT (Vegan Tofu BLT)
Ingredients
- 14 ounces extra firm tofu
- ½ cup soy sauce To make this recipe glute-free use Tamari sauce, which can be found in the same area as you would find soy sauce.
- ¼ cup real maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika Be sure to use "smoked" and not regular to get that smoky bacon flavor.
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 4 hoagie rolls for 4 sandwiches To make this recipe gluten-free use gluten -free sandwich bread or gluten-free rolls or a lettuce wrap.
- 8 pieces green leaf lettuce
- 1 large tomato sliced
- 4 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise
Instructions
- Slice the tofu. I like to slice it as thin as possible without breaking it. The thinner the slice, the crispier it will get when it’s baked. Try to create slices that are just about the same size as a strip of bacon.
- Arrange the tofu slices in a casserole dish.
- Prepare the marinade by adding the soy sauce, maple syrup and smoked paprika to a bowl and mix with a whisk.
- Pour the marinade over the tofu and allow it to marinade for at least one hour. You can place it in the refrigerator and marinade up to 24 hours.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange the marinaded tofu on the pan.
- Bake the tofu at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until the tofu is firm. The baking time will vary depending on how thin you slice your tofu. Start with 30 minutes and check in on the tofu every 5 minutes or so until it's the desired firm consistency.
- Allow the tofu to cool once it’s removed from the oven.
- Layer about one tablespoon of mayonnaise, 2-3 pieces of lettuce, 2 slices of tomato and 3-5 pieces of marinated tofu on each hoagie roll.
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