Many moons ago, I shared this recipe for vegan carrot “bacon” via my Instagram account. An alternative to the processed mock meats that are becoming more widely available by the day, this is a super-simple “real food” recipe. And, unlike all the carrot bacon recipes I had seen before I started experimenting with this myself, this one does not require a deep fryer nor a list of ingredients that I can assure you I never have on hand (liquid aminos, for example).
A fabulous addition to veggie burgers, salads or nourishing bowls such as the one pictured below (which features organic rice & black beans, roasted Brussels sprouts & red onion and pan toasted almonds, served with a drizzle of tamari, tahini & olive oil).
I hope you will enjoy this carrot bacon if you try it!
<3 MM xx
Without further ado…
BAKED CARROT BACON
(seasoned with paprika)
Prep time: 5-10 minutes | Bake time: 20-30 minutes
INGREDIENTS
Peeled carrots (whatever you have on hand)
Olive oil (a tablespoon or two should do)
A sprinkle of ground sweet paprika and salt to season (once the “bacon” is done)
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat your oven to 180 C (fan).
- Using a vegetable peeler or mandolin, cut the carrots lengthways into long strips. Pop into a bowl and lightly, yet evenly, coat the carrots in oil (they should be shiny, not drowned).
- Place carrot strips flat on a baking paper-lined tray, making sure to not overlap the slices.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes, flip each slice and pop the tray back in the oven for another 10-15 minutes.
- Keep checking every couple of minutes during this second baking time.
- If happy with the result, remove from the tray from the oven. If you like things like this extra-crispy (I do), turn the heat down and let it sit a little longer (I turned my oven down to 150 C and let the slices bake for another 10 minutes).
- Season the baked carrot bacon slices with a sprinkle of sea salt and paprika.
*I use a mandolin for slicing my carrots evenly. If you find your slices are especially thin or your oven has known hot spots, please do keep an eye on the time and temperature and adjust accordingly.
