Blast on that air fryer and make smoky, crispy, 100% meatless Crispy Tempeh Bacon. It’s a savory treat that goes great with a breakfast plate, in a BLT, or diced up and thrown into a salad.
Fill a pot with about two inches of water and add some salt. Then, bring thepot of salted water to a boil. Place the entire block of tempeh and lower heat to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes, flipping halfway.
Remove tempeh from the pot and let it cool off for at least 10 minutes. While the tempeh is cooling down, pour the soy sauce, ketchup, smoked paprika, black pepper, nutritional yeast into a bowl. Mix well and set aside.
Then, slice the tempeh into strips, as thin as possible without breaking them.
Place the tempeh strips in a large,shallow bowl or container Evenly coat or brush each tempeh piece with the marinade on both sides. Marinate for 30 minutes.
Remove tempeh from the dish and reserve the extra marinade. Arrange the tempeh slices on an air-fryer tray. Set to 325 degrees F and air-fry for 10 minutes, flipping halfway.
Remove tempeh bacon from the air fryer and brush with any extra marinade (optional).
Notes
If your air fryer is on the smaller side, work in batches. Or, cut the recipe in half to make a little over 1 serving of tempeh bacon.
To bake instead, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the tempeh bacon pieces on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping halfway.
To pan-fry, warm a non-stick pan or skillet over medium heat. Spray with non-stick spray or add a touch of oil. Fry for 3-6 minutes on each side. This alternative won’t be oil-free but uses minimal oil.
To make this recipe gluten-free, switch out the soy sauce for coconut amino or tamari. Coconut amino has some sweetness, so you can forgo/reduce the ketchup or use tomato paste.