Smoky Maple Coconut Bacon
If this Coconut Bacon seems familiar to you, it’s because I featured it as a part of my Maple Bacon Poutine back in July. Because this “bacon” is so flavourful, delicious, and versatile, I have decided to give it its own post.
This coconut bacon requires simple ingredients, is quick to make, has the crispy texture of a slice of bacon, is smoky and salty, and is filled with Kindness! It hits all the notes!
Sometimes people don’t know where to find liquid smoke. Typically I have found it in the grocery store aisle near the BBQ sauces or Worcestershire sauces. There are lots of different kinds and flavours of liquid smoke – it might take a few different varieties to choose one you like. With liquid smoke, a little goes a LONG way so expect the bottle you buy to last a lifetime!
This coconut bacon is fantastic as a topping on a sandwich or burger, sprinkled on salads or perogies, or anywhere else you need that smoky, crispy, salty punch of flavour. Because of the powerful flavours in the sauce, this loses about 99% of its coconutty flavour, so don’t worry about that coming through. What always amazes me is that it really has the texture of a crisp slice of bacon down pat.
How do you make Coconut Bacon?
First you get your ingredients together.
Stir them together in a small bowl and pour the sauce over the coconut.
Gently stir until the coconut is well coated and most/all of the sauce is absorbed.
Turn the seasoned coconut onto a baking sheet fitted with a silicone baking mat (or parchment). Spread the coconut out in as thin a layer as possible.
Bake at 325’F for about 15-25 minutes (depending on your oven, coconut, conditions, etc). VERY IMPORTANT: Stir every 5minutes and watch closely. This goes from not ready to burned to a crisp VERY quickly.
Once it’s the colour of bacon, no better way to describe this really, remove the pan from the oven. The coconut will quickly crisp up as it cools.
Store in an airtight container in the cupboard. If your bacon loses its crispiness, you can simply return it to the oven for a minute or two to crisp it back up.
This will last a couple weeks in the cupboard (if it lasts that long!).
Enjoy! 🙂
Smoky Maple Coconut Bacon
Ingredients
- 2 cups unsweetened flaked coconut
- 1.5 - 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp liquid smoke
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- Salt for sprinkling if desired.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325'F
- In a small bowl, combine the syrup, liquid smoke, soy sauce, and smoked paprika.
- Pour this over the coconut in a medium bowl.
- Arrange the seasoned coconut in a THIN layer on a baking sheet fitted with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
- Bake 15-25 minutes CHECKING AND STIRRING every 5 minutes! Be sure to stir very well each time. Bring the coconut at the edges to the middle and vice versa.
- This is done when the coconut has browned to the colour of cooked bacon. It will NOT be crispy while hot in the oven.
- Remove from the oven, the coconut will quickly crisp as it cools.
- If you want it saltier, sprinkle with a dash of salt once the coconut is out of the oven and is still hot. Give it a quick stir.
If you decide to make this recipe, please RATE/COMMENT below! Thanks 🙂