Bacon or Ham flavoring for Vegans or Vegetarians - is it possible?

Question

I'm making a Navy Bean soup and so far everything is vegan friendly but I was wondering if there was something that would give it a ham or bacon flavor that would be concidered vegan. Thanks, I'm a new vegan and I'm still figuring this stuff out!

I'm going to put a little liquid smoke flavoring in the soup - I wonder if there is something like that that is bacon flavor.

Answer 1

It's quite possible! There's several options available to you.

For your soup you can use a dollop of Marmite, it's a yeast paste that's available at most health food and some grocery stores (and of course the web). Besides having a flavor quite reminiscent of bacon it also *tastes* quite salty (it's actually fairly low in sodium) so don't add salt, instead add Marmite until your soup tastes salty enough.

The Lightlife 'bacon' will work, but it's flavor is subtle so use more than you'd think you need. Frying it in oil will strengthen the flavoring! Add the frying oil to the soup since it picks up quite a bit of the taste.

Any of the vegan 'ham' products will work like Lightlife 'bacon', fry them until crisp, then add the crumbled product plus the oil to your soup.

Torula yeasts have a smoky, meatish flavor that's outstanding for your use. But they are *very* hard to obtain in non-industrial quantities. Torula is almost certainly the flavoring used to impart 'porkiness' to any of the vegan replacement products!

Bragg's Liquid Amino's work much like Marmite in imparting a 'meaty' flavor to recipes. It's not quite as 'porkish' as Marmite but still works well. Marmite and/or Bragg's are my flavoring of choice for refried beans (when I can't get torula).

You can also use a strong Tamari (wheat free soy sauce) like San-J or Eden, not very meatish but they add similar 'dark' flavors.

Lastly; have you ever considered adding some (minced) dried mushrooms to the soup?

Answer 2

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Bacon or Ham flavoring for Vegans or Vegetarians - is it possible?
I'm making a Navy Bean soup and so far everything is vegan friendly but I was wondering if there was something that would give it a ham or bacon flavor that would be concidered vegan. Thanks, I'm a new vegan and I'm still figuring this stuff out!

Answer 3

In my own "on and off" life as a vegetarian I could never let go of bacon ~ its a seasoning, right?~ lol

Then, I discovered that Bacos are a soy product - no meat! My son is a Vegetarian (not Vegan) and also loves the flavor they add to dishes. I use them quite a bit to satisfy the carnivores and the vegetarians in my household.

I'm not a vegan and I'm currently out of Bacos so I can't read the ingredient label to see if they qualify as Vegan but I would certainly check them out the next time I'm at the store.

If the ingredients meet your diet specs, I would add, towards but not totally, at the end of simmering your soup - maybe the last ten minutes. I'll bet they'll help add the flavor you're looking for.

Not affiliated with Bacos - just like 'em!

Answer 4

Ham Flavoring

Answer 5

I became vegan after I learned about factory farming. I feel as though we are called to care for the Earth with which God blessed us and I felt as though by eating animals and animal products from unknown sources, I was not doing that. This has been seven years. I still have leather loafers and a wool blend sweater that I bought prior to becoming vegan. I was raised to be cheap. I bought the penny loafers at a consignment shop for no more than $5 ten years ago. They are Bass shoes so they are of good quality. The inner sole is good and sturdy and I can wear them without socks. Classic style that should last me the rest of my life. Why should I waste money on shoes if I already have a good pair? (Sure, I could donate them, but I really can't afford new shoes and don't see the need to get them.) The same with the sweater-- it's a sweater vest with an argyle design. Again, classic style. I also have an angora blend sweater that I got from my sister-in-law when she was going through her old clothes. I didn't even pay for that one. I don't wear the sweaters often because they are hand wash only. (Hand wash only and dry clean only are not practical to have with a five- and a two-year-old.) On the other hand, if somebody is adamant with my choice to continue to wear my leather shoes, I'll ask them if they want to buy me new shoes.

Answer 6

There's actually a brand of fake bacon bits at Walmart that is pretty good, made with textured soy protein. I'm veggie, not vegan though so check the ingredients for other stuff (milk, eggs?). It's with the other bacon bits on the salad dressing shelf.

Answer 7

I think there is a fake bacon from lightlife...I'm not 100% sure (or sure that it's vegan and not just vegetarian). You might look for it at the grocery store. If it exists that would probably be your best bet. If it were me I'd just put some vegan sour cream on top and call it good lol.

Answer 8

I'm not vegan, but I do know there's a bacon flavored soy product on the market. I think it's a little saltier than the meat version, so I'd recommend using a little less of it.

Answer 9

Just wanted to add this product for your bacon flavorings. Its called Capella Flavor Drops, Sizzlin Bacon,
You can find it at Amazon.com
It has the best flavor for adding to eggs in the morning.

Answer 10

I'm sure there is a bacon smoke flavoring, after all, the flavor of bacon is mostly from the curing process, which involves natural smoke flavor. (Hickory smoke, for example.)