This mouth-watering vegan BLT sandwich with eggplant bacon is a delicious plant-based bacon fix for vegans or meat eaters alike. Smokey roasted eggplant, crispy lettuce, juicy tomatoes and creamy vegan mayonnaise make this vegan sandwich taste out of this world.
With Veganuary in full swing, I’ve been loving creating more plant-based recipes that can be enjoined by everyone, vegans and carnivores alike. If I can make a confession, this vegan BLT sandwich is my new addiction (it even beats this epic vegan tuna sandwich). The combination of rich flavours and textures will make you savour every bite. It’s insanely good my friends, if I may say so myself!
WHAT IS IN VEGAN BLT SANDWICH?
- Roasted eggplant (us Brits call it aubergine)
- Juicy tomatoes (use tomatoes on the vine if you can, they have so much more flavour)
- Crispy lettuce leaves
- Creamy vegan mayonnaise (I used this bacon flavoured mayonnaise, which elevated this BLT to a whole new level). If you can’t get bacon flavoured mayonnaise, just mix in a generous pinch of smoked paprika (or liquid smoke) to your regular vegan mayonnaise to intensify the smokey flavour).
- Fresh bread
- Red onions (optional)
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN EGGPLANT (AUBERGINE) BACON
To replicate the taste of bacon, we use a combination of sweet, salty and smokey flavours for the eggplant marinade. On a regular occasion, I would use liquid smoke. However, being in yet another lockdown here in the UK, some ingredients are really hard to get hold of in the local supermarkets. Instead, I improvised with the ingredients I already had in my kitchen cupboards.
To make eggplant bacon marinade, you’ll need:
- Olive oil
- Tamari sauce (or light soy sauce)
- Maple syrup
- Apple cider vinegar
- Dijon mustard
- Garlic puree or garlic powder
- Ground cumin
- Ground ginger
First of all, whisk all the marinade ingredients until smooth and set aside to allow the spices to mingle whilst you’re slicing the eggplant.
Next, to slice the eggplant into strips, cut the eggplant in half length-ways and then slice the half into thin strips. You can either use a mandolin to get your slices really thin or a regular knife.
Finally, arrange the eggplant slices on a roasting tray lined with parchment paper and brush with the marinade on both sides. Roast in the oven at 120C Fan (140C / 275F /Gas Mark 1) for 45-55 minutes. Turn the eggplant strips over halfway through roasting and brush with leftover marinade. The eggplant strips will crisp up as they cool down.
HOW TO KEEP YOUR VEGAN BLT SANDWICH FRESH
If you’re making this vegan sandwich in advance and want to keep it fresh for longer, just spray the kitchen paper towel with a little cold water (I use a spray bottle) and wrap your sandwich in this moist paper towel and then in kitchen foil. I learned this trick when I was running my afternoon tea catering business when we made tonnes of finger sandwiches and needed to find a way to be able to make them in advance whilst still keeping them fresh.
NEED MORE INSPIRATION FOR QUICK & EASY VEGAN RECIPES FOR VEGANUARY?
Here are some of the readers’ favourite recipes:
- The ultimate vegan ‘tuna’ sandwich with chickpeas
- Quick and easy vegan sticky aubergine
- 15 minute ‘cheesy’ vegan polenta
- Quick & easy potato cakes
- Healthier vegan mac and cheese with butternut squash
- The best creamy vegan mushroom Stroganoff
As always, if you give this vegan BLT sandwich a try, I’d be delighted to read your comments and hear your feedback. Be sure to drop a comment here on the blog, tag me in your photos on Instagram @Fit Foodie Nutter, Facebook or Pinterest so I don’t miss them.
Bon appetite!
Healthfully yours,
Tania x
PIN FOR LATER:
THE BEST EVER VEGAN BLT SANDWICH WITH EGGPLANT BACON
Ingredients
- For the eggplant bacon:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp tamari sauce or light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp garlic puree or garlic powder
- 1/2 medium eggplant aubergine
For the sandwich:
- 8 fresh bread slices
- 4 tomatoes sliced
- 4 lettuce leaves
- 4 tbsp vegan mayonnaise
- ½ red onion (optional) thinly sliced (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 120C Fan (140C / 275F /Gas Mark 1) and line a roasting tray with parchment paper.
- Whisk all marinade ingredients in a jar until smooth. Set aside.
- Slice the eggplant in half length-ways and then slice into thin strips (reserve the other half for another recipe, like this sticky vegan aubergine). Arrange the strips on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, brush with the marinade mixture on both sides and roast for 45-55 mins until crispy. Turn the eggplant strips over halfway through roasting and brush with leftover marinade. The eggplant strips will crisp up as they cool down.
- To assemble the BLT, spread the mayonnaise over the bread slices, add sliced tomatoes, lettuce leaves, eggplant strips & red onions. Enjoy every single bite!
This looks like a fabulous vegan sandwich! Beautiful!!
Thank you Vicky!
Yep this is the best ever vegan sandwich I have ever seen! I love everything in it!
Thank you Claudia x
We aren’t even vegan and this looks amazing! So intrigued with your eggplant bacon!
It’s a great recipe for vegans and carnivores too! Thank you Pam x
Oooh, this has my interest peaked! I definitely need to try this. Sending hubby to the store today. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Jen! I’m so pleased! I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as we did!
Being a huge fan of eggplant, this sandwich is calling my name. It looks marvelous!
Thank you Andrea! If you like eggplant, you really have to try this recipe. It’s unusual chewy texture makes this sandwich taste divine!