The Best Vegan Bacon
photo: Umaro Foods applewood bacon
The Best Vegan Bacon
Let’s compare vegan bacon brands
There's nothing like that crispy, smoky, and let's just admit... heavenly taste of good old fashioned pork bacon. Whether it's in a crunchy BLT with crisp tomato and lettuce, or topping off a loaded breakfast plate with pancakes, syrup and homefries, bacon has a special place in our hearts, and bellies!
It's no surprise that several brands have taken a shot at making the perfect vegan bacon, and whether you're looking for something that hits the spot on taste, texture, or nutritional macros, there's a product out there for everyone.
So let's cover the key benefits and differences between the major brands available right now to most shoppers, whether in store or online, starting with our own.
1. Umaro Bacon
What people love most about Umaro Bacon is its uncanny replication of the bacon experience. The taste captures the salty and slightly smoky notes of traditional bacon meat, while delivering on the indulgent, crispy fat that’s missing in other vegan bacon brands. If you’re looking for a “healthy” (ahem…less tasty) version of bacon, those exist. If you want what everyone actually loves about bacon, this one’s for you.
Another bonus? It takes just two minutes in the air fryer, a win for anyone looking for instant gratification.
It comes in two flavors, the traditional Applewood flavor and, for folks looking for a bolder kick in the kitchen, there’s Black Pepper.
If you're in love with the taste and texture of classic crispy bacon and want to indulge, Umaro is your best choice.
Umaro bacon is free of soy, gluten, and nitrates, so it's also a great option for anyone with dietary sensitivities. The main ingredients in Umaro vegan bacon are sunflower and coconut oil, sea moss extract, and a protein blend of pea and seaweed protein.
Umaro is widely available to shoppers in Whole Foods stores and online on Amazon and Walmart.com.
Umaro’s Applewood Bacon works magic on a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich
Our Black Pepper flavor is bold and intense
2. Thrilling Bakon
Thrilling Foods uses tofu as a base for making a smoked bacon that is salt-cured and smoked like traditional pork bacon. Thrilling Bakon is high in protein, uses non-GMO soybeans, and is gluten-free. The black pepper seasoned bacon strips take 10-15 minutes to cook in a skillet and have the texture of crispy tofu. Although pricey for some consumers, many say it's worth the splurge.
Thrilling is a good choice if you're a fan of smoke flavor and want a high protein bacon substitute.
Thrilling is available in select grocery stores and via direct purchase from their website.
3. MyBacon
Made from oyster mushrooms, coconut oil, and natural flavors, MyBacon is a clean-label choice for health conscious and whole-foods oriented eaters. In order to get the product to a good crispiness level, it requires cooking a bit longer than you’d expect. But once achieved, you'll be rewarded with a great tasting alternative with smokey-sweet flavor and a meaty texture, thanks to its mushroom base.
MyBacon is a good choice if you are looking for a healthy alternative to bacon that's lower in calories and higher in fiber than other options.
4. Beleaf Plant-Based Bacon
We’re not sure why Beleaf advertises this marbled meat product as bacon - the taste and texture is nothing like bacon, but exactly like ham! Great on a deli sandwich. Like Morningstar bacon (see below), it does not get crispy, just stiff and kind of burned when cooked. While we wait for them to change the name of the product to “ham” or “Canadian bacon”, you’re now in the know.
5. Morningstar Farms Veggie Bacon
Because Morningstar contains eggs and milk, it is vegetarian, not vegan. We’re including Morningstar Veggie Bacon on our list since its one of the OG bacon alternatives and gets lots of compliments for its bacon-y flavor. Be careful when cooking, as the texture can become brittle and dry if overcooked.
6. Lightlife Smart Bacon
Lightlife Smart Bacon is one of the most economical of the plant-based bacon brands on the market. It’s easy to find and a healthier swap for pork bacon. While it certainly has a distinct flavor owing to its gluten and soy ingredients, it has 5 grams of protein per serving and a smoky bacon flavor.
A great addition to pizza, be careful not to cook Lightlife too long, or it tends to dry out.
Lightlife Bacon is widely available in grocery stores including Target and Whole Foods.