Carrot "Bacon" Vegan BLT Sandwich

Carrot "bacon", sliced tomato, crisp lettuce, and mashed avocado topped on toasted bread or a GF English muffin. A classic sandwich made vegan because vegetables and spices are that cool. Best paired with your favorite potato chip and a bright sunny summer day. It's a summer staple, but we won't tell if you eat it year-round.

Vegans and non-vegans will fall in love with this carrot bacon vegan BLT. It's savory and balanced, crisp yet juicy, and 100% crave-worthy.

Some of my favorite things about this BLT recipe;

• Option to make it as an open-faced or traditional sandwich (open-faced is my preferred way, double the goodness, right?)
• It's suitable for breakfast, lunch, or dinner
• Easily customizable (check out the substitution section below)
• Leftovers store well and it's an easy go-to meal option throughout the week

Interested in savory breakfast options? Check out my tofu scramble here.

Curious about more easy vegan meal ideas? Check out my hummus veggie wraps, or tofu grain bowl.

Jump to:

• Ingredients needed to make a vegan BLT sandwich
• Making carrot bacon without liquid smoke
• How to make carrot bacon in the oven
• Substitutions / Variations for a vegan BLT
• How to store carrot bacon
• Notable tip
• 📋 Recipe
• 💬 Feedback

Ingredients needed to make a vegan BLT sandwich

• Bread or English muffin (I used Food For Life's Gluten-Free Multi-Seed English Muffins)
• Avocado & Everything but the bagel seasoning
• Lettuce
• Tomato
• Carrot chips (or sliced carrot)
• "Bacon" infused olive oil from Queen Creek Olive Mill (it is so worth it, read more about it below)
• Himalayan pink or sea salt

Making carrot bacon without liquid smoke

There are homemade recipes (like this one) that use a combination of liquid smoke, spices, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce to create a bacon flavor, but I am all for easy and quick. My favorite alternative is Queen Creek Olive Mill's vegan bacon olive oil. The flavor of this olive oil is beyond accurate and even has non-vegan approval. It is a pantry staple in our house now.

Some other things we love to use the oil on;

• Roasted fingerling potatoes
• Baked potato
• Pancakes
• Tofu
• Wraps
• Salads
• Roasted veggies

Queen Creek Olive Mill is an Arizona-based company that we stumbled upon while visiting Scottsdale, AZ. Check out all of their products here (we also have the jalapeño infused oil and it is SO good).

How to make carrot bacon in the oven

1. Preheat oven
2. Next, prepare the carrots; the quick option is to buy carrot chips. Alternatively, slice whole carrots into thin chips or use a peeler and peel into long "bacon" shaped slivers.
3. Add carrots to a parchment lined baking sheet
4. Drizzle with vegan "bacon" infused olive oil
5. Add a sprinkle of salt
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes
7. Remove from oven and enjoy!

Substitutions / Variations for a vegan BLT

For maple "bacon" drizzle 1-2 tablespoons of maple to the carrot (along with the oil and salt). Some other spices you can add; pepper, cayenne, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, paprika, etc.

Carrot chips: alternatively peel carrots into long slivers or slice carrots into thin circles. Potatoes, eggplant, or tofu can also be used.

Mashed avocado: use vegan mayo for a traditional approach to a BLT. Hummus or pesto are also possible alternatives.

Salt: iodized, Himalayan, kosher, or sea salt all work. Use whatever you have on hand!

Lettuce: I prefer baby green lettuce for the added crunch and crispness it has, but feel free to sub for any lettuce, spinach, or kale.

Other possible add-on's for a loaded BLT: tofu, tempeh, sauerkraut, onions, and/or vegan cheese of choice (I would use cheddar).

Sandwich alternatives; use almond flour wraps, lettuce wraps, or make as a salad instead. For a salad, add tofu, chickpeas, and mixed greens. Drizzle with additional "bacon" olive oil or avocado oil and finish with a spritz of lime or lemon.

How to store carrot bacon

Carrot bacon lasts about a week in a closed container in the fridge. Store all other items for the vegan BLT separately.

To ensure there are enough for leftovers, I recommend doubling the recipe (making the bag of carrot chips vs. just half).

Notable tip

Using a panini press makes it feel as though you just grabbed it from your favorite local sandwich shop. Here is a cute small panini pan option. Have a grill pan already? Grab this press to go with it and easily transform your sandwiches into an irresistible panini. Grill marks and a bit of char makes everything taste better, right?

📋 Recipe