Tofu ‘Bacon’ & Zucchini Salad

If you’ve never thought to pair strips of smokey tofu bacon with fresh zucchini in a bright lemony dressing, you’ve gotto try Tofu Bacon & Zucchini Salad! It’s fresh, flavourful and pretty fun to eat!

Jump to Recipe

Watch how to make Tofu Bacon & Zucchini Salad on my YouTube channel, plus another awesome recipe, Peach Salsa Salad! 

Ingredients & Inspiration

At the moment, it is the peak of zucchini season, or courgette, depending where you live! If you’ve ever grown zucchinis before you’ll know that it’s normal to end up literally drowning in garden fresh zucchinis at the end of summer. If you’re in that situation right now, or you just love getting market fresh zucchinis when they’re in season, you have got to give Tofu Bacon & Zucchini Salad a go.

I know, you’ve probably never thought of pairing anything bacony with zucchini, but don’t knock it ’til you try it! Tofu Bacon, which is so easy to make, smashes it’s salty, smoky goodness together with a bright lemony dressing, then gets all wrapped up in loads of thin, crunchy zucchini strips that you prepare with a vegetable peeler.

It’s a high-protein, flavourful salad that tastes as intriguing as it sounds and looks.

Here’s what you need to make this fun salad:

• extra firm tofu: crisps up in the oven, giving a remarkably chewy, bacony experience
• nutritional yeast: gives the tofu a touch of savoury umami goodness
• soy sauce or tamari: gives the tofu a salty, savoury punch
• maple syrup: for classic maple bacon vibes
• spices: garlic powder and smoked paprika to season the tofu
• zucchini: gets peeled into thin, crunchy strips
• fresh basil: for bright, herby goodness
• lemon juice and zest: to give a punch of citrusy brightness
• green onions: fresh and fragrant crunch
• roasted pumpkin seeds: to add crunchy texture, plus extra protein and healthy fats

How to Make Tofu Bacon & Zucchini Salad

Tofu Bacon & Zucchini Salad Comes together in two easy steps: Bake the tofu bacon strips in the oven and then assemble the rest of the salad.

1. Prepare the tofu bacon: Preheat the oven to 400F and line a baking tray with parchment paper. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, maple syrup, nutritional yeast, garlic powder and paprika. Set aside. Place the pressed block of tofu on its side (narrow side facing up) and using a vegetable peeler (or the cheese slicer on the side of a box grater), carefully peel thin slices of tofu to resemble deli meat or bacon slices. It’s okay if some of them are misshapen, uneven or if they break.
2. Assemble the slices of tofu in a single layer on the baking tray. T to avoid overlapping them as much as possible. Using a pasty brush, gently brush the soy sauce mixture over the slices, then gently flip them over with a spatula and repeat.
3. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until they look crispy on the edges and have dried out significantly.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the rest of the salad: Make the dressing first by combining the olive oil, lemon juice and zest, salt and pepper in a bowl and set aside. Using the same peeler, peel thin slices of the zucchinis lengthwise. You can either leave the zucchinis whole or cut them in half widthwise before you peel them, or a bit of both. Thinly slice the basil and green onions (white and green parts included).
5. Once the tofu bacon has crisped up, remove from the oven and let cool slightly in the pan.
6. Grab your widest serving plate or a very shallow salad bowl and alternatingly arrange the zucchini and tofu bacon slices on it in. Once you have one layer, add some of the chopped basil and green onion, and repeat until all the tofu bacon and zucchini have been placed. Evenly drizzle over the dressing and optionally garnish with vegan parmesan cheese. Serve and enjoy!

Big Yum

This Tofu Bacon & Zucchini Salad is one of the most unique ways to use up fresh summer zucchini! Not only does it taste incredible, it looks beautiful, too, making it a great for end -of-summer gatherings or potlucks.

If you enjoyed this recipe you might also like my BBQ Ranch Potato Salad, Feta & Chickpea Rainbow Salad, or Peach Salsa Salad!

Lastly, if you made any of these recipes and decide to share them on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @SteamyVegan and use hashtag #SteamyVegan! I seriously love seeing what you’re cooking up! Plus make sure to check me out on YouTube — I have HUNDREDS of videos to give you limitless plant-based inspiration!