Vegan Eggplant Bacon
Thin eggplant slices baked until crisp, then brushed with a smoky marinade of soy sauce, agave and liquid smoke for that salty-sweet bacon bite. Ready in about 30 minutes and perfect piled on sandwiches, salads or a weekend breakfast plate.
Ingredients
- 1 eggplant thinly sliced
- 1 Tbsp olive oil for brushing
For the marinade:
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp olive oil for the marinade
- 2 Tbsp agave syrup
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp liquid smoke
- 2 tsp sweet paprika
- ⅓ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp cumin ground
- ¼ tsp black pepper ground
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
- In a jar or bowl, combine all the marinade ingredients until well incorporated.
- Line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Lay the eggplant slices on the tray in a single layer.
- Brush every slice with olive oil and bake for about 10 minutes.
- Remove the tray from the oven.
- Using a kitchen brush, coat every eggplant slice with the marinade.
- Place them back in the oven and bake for about 10 more minutes, or until crispy and golden.
- Enjoy!
Notes
For extra smokiness, swap the sweet paprika for smoked paprika. Slice the eggplant thin and even and keep it in a single layer on the tray - that is what gets the edges crisp. Store cooled slices in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days and re-crisp them in a hot oven for a few minutes before serving.