Easy Vegan Bacon Bits

A glass dish and a silver spoon with hemp seeds baked in bacon flavoring.

5 from 1 vote

This vegan bacon bits recipe uses nutritious hemp seeds quick-baked for the ultimate in smoky umami flavor anywhere you sprinkle them. You’ll only need 4 ingredients and 15 minutes to bake up these little gems.

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Course: Condiments

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegan

Servings:

Calories: 80kcal

Author: Denise Perrault

Ingredients

⅔ cup hemp seeds
2 teaspoons miso paste
3 teaspoons liquid smoke
2 teaspoons Tamari or soy sauce

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven.
Preheat the oven to 400 F (200 C)
Mix liquid ingredients. Combine the miso paste, liquid smoke, and tamari in a small dish or bowl.
Prepare for baking. Place the hemp seeds in a small glass baking dish. If you use a baking sheet, consider lining the bottom with parchment paper first to prevent the ingredients from sticking. Add the wet ingredients, mixing them into the hemp seeds until they are well-covered.
Bake. Bake the bacon bits for 15 minutes. Stir them after 5 minutes of baking and again at 10 minutes. Be careful that they don’t burn. Although they will dry out as they cool, you may want to bake them a few more minutes if they see too moist after 15 minutes.
Serve and store. Transfer the bacon bits to a bowl or jar. Store them in an air-tight container or jar with a lid in the refrigerator for up to a month.

Notes

Oven temperatures vary, so be sure to keep a watchful eye the first time you make this recipe. Stir the hemp seeds a few times. The bacon bits will dry out and get crunchier after baking.
Hulled hemp seeds or hemp seed hearts are best for this recipe. If you need a substitute, consider flax seeds. Chia seeds might be a bit hard. You can also use sunflower seeds.
Want to ramp up the flavor a little? Use coconut aminos to replace some or all of the tamari. Add a teaspoon (or more) of sriracha for spicy bacon bits or maple syrup to add maple undertones.

Nutrition