Many fans of vegetarian food are familiar with fake meat options like the beyond burger and tofurky, but most have given up on enjoying steak, bacon and other tasty meat-centered foods that are harder to emulate. However, this creative cooking hack allows vegetarians and vegans to (almost) experience a food that many have resigned to the past- bacon! Banana peel bacon is the delicious vegetarian alternative to the crispy, greasy bacon we all know and love.
People go vegetarian and vegan for a multitude of reasons, from environmental to animal rights to cutting down on calories and fat. However, this doesn't stop them from loving the taste of meat, which is why there are so many fake-meat options, some more convincing than others. For all the vegans who never stopped fantasizing about a strip of crunchy, smoky bacon to eat alongside their eggs, this banana peel bacon is for you.
What is Banana Peel Bacon?
This recipe was first inspired by Tabitha Brown on a cooking video. Viewers went wild over the idea of banana-based vegan bacon, bringing it to twitter and TikTok, where it was met with a wide range of opinions. This is a great way to cut down on food waste, since banana peels would otherwise be thrown away, and it's gluten-free along with being vegan. Although Tabitha wasn't a fan of the final result, others attempted the recipe, hoping to find a way to make truly delicious, bacon-esque strips out of banana peels. Personal chef and food blogger Charles Hunter III, who owns The Salted Table, was intrigued enough to make his own.
Making bacon from banana peels is relatively quick and easy, making it worth a try for curious vegans. Charles' vegan bacon recipe involves lots of amazing flavors that he combines to make the marinade before frying his peels into crispy bacon. Using soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, brown sugar, liquid smoke and smoked paprika, he creates a medley of savory and smoky flavors that transform the banana peel into a tasty bacon-like strip. The chef then marinates the peels, and caramelizes them by frying them for a couple of minutes on each side.
For extra flavor, you can always add maple syrup, an extra teaspoon of garlic powder, or an extra teaspoon of liquid smoke. Use organic bananas for best results, and make sure to scrub the peels of the bananas to get rid of any pesticides. It's also important to use very ripe bananas since green ones will taste bad no matter how tasty your marinade is. Once you're finished marinating and frying, put your vegan bacon strips on a paper towel to catch the extra marinade. Serve immediately and enjoy your crispy, smokey banana peel bacon!
