Eggplant Bacon

When you’ve made eggplant Parm three days in a row and there’s STILL eggplant filling up your crisper drawer, make eggplant bacon. Rich and smoky with just a touch of sweetness, this homemade vegan bacon is the perfect addition to everything from salads to breakfast sandwiches—and it makes a kick-butt BLT.

Eggplant bacon isn’t difficult to make, but there are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind. Here’s everything you need to know to ensure your bacon lives up to its full potential:

Prep precisely:
To achieve eggplant bacon that’s a consistent texture and flavor, even slicing is key. I highly recommend using a mandoline for this and checking with a ruler to make sure your slices are exactly 1/4" thick—or at least, as close as you can get!

Pre-salt it:
Since eggplant is full of water, pre-seasoning it, letting it sit for 15 minutes, and then drying it off before seasoning and baking it is key. In addition to infusing the eggplant with flavor, the salt draws out some of the eggplant’s excess moisture. This will help it crisp up better in the oven.

Bake it low and slow:
A low-and-slow bake is essential here. Don’t be tempted to crank up the temperature in order to make it “go faster”: The bacon will only burn on the edges before it has a chance to start crisping up. Be patient, it’s worth it!

Rotation, rotation!
Most ovens heat unevenly, so rotating the baking sheets halfway through the bake time is crucial. At this point, you’ll also be flipping the bacon on the baking sheet and brushing it with more of the seasoned oil; this will also ensure that both sides of bacon get an equal chance to caramelize against the bare metal sheet tray.

Cool on a rack:
To ensure your bacon has the best chance of crisping (and doesn’t stick to the sheet pan!), it’s important to transfer it to a wire rack while it’s still warm to cool completely. I recommend doing this immediately after the bacon comes out of the oven: those trays will cool quicker than you think.

Storage:
This eggplant bacon is best fresh, but if you have leftovers, you can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat a few pieces, I recommend toasting it in a nonstick pan over low heat. If you’d like to reheat a larger batch of slices, pop them on a sheet tray and reheat in a 275° oven until they’re warm and crisp again.

Made this recipe? Let me know how it went in the comments below!