Did you know that coconut bacon is a thing? It is! They even have coconut beef jerky. I’m not exactly who came up with the idea, but it’s pretty interesting to someone who loves the sweet, salty, savory combinations in foods. I’ve seen bags of flavored coconut flakes all over the place. Cocoa-coconut, salted caramel, chile lime, and more.
Despite having a creative side, for some reason I always just buy the unsweetened coconut flakes in the plain variety. I use those all the time in my oatmeal, shakes, and just to snack on. I do get the large flakes and not the fine shreds. Living on the edge there. 😉
Since I’ve been coco-boring so far, I was dying to try part of my bag of coconut flakes to make “bacon.” I already had most of the ingredients to make up the flavors and a mostly full bag of unsweetened coconut flakes. I wouldn’t toss back a handful of these bit for a snack, but they add a great bacon flavor and crunch to all kinds of stuff.
Toss a few bits on your peanut butter toast or your french toast. Stir some in your oatmeal. Toss them in a salad for some nice crunch or smash some in your sandwich. Bacon flavor, but no mess from oil spatters all over your stove top.
Coconut Bacon Bits
- 1 cup (75g) unsweetened large shredded coconut flakes
- 1 1/2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 Tbsp ketchup
- 1 tsp liquid smoke
- 1/2 tsp maple extract
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
Preheat your oven to 300 degrees and line a cookie sheet with foil. Mix everything but the coconut flakes in a small bowl until well combined. Place the coconut flakes in a bowl and drizzle with the marinade a little at a time, tossing to make sure the flakes are evenly coated.
You will probably use most of the marinade but not all. Spread the flakes onto the cookie sheet in a thin layer. Bake at 300 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and stir them around slightly. Bake for 2-3 minutes more until they begin to dry. Watch closely so they don’t burn.
Remove from oven and cool. Makes 16 servings of 1 Tbsp each at approximately 44 calories per serving – 2g carbs and 4g fat.
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