Beautiful Ingredient

  • RECIPES
  • ABOUT
  • SUBSCRIBE
menu icon
go to homepage
  • RECIPES
  • ABOUT
  • SUBSCRIBE
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • RECIPES
  • ABOUT
  • SUBSCRIBE
×
Home » topping

Quinoa Bacon Bits

↓ Jump to Recipe
Pin the Recipe

This quinoa bacon bits recipe is a satisfying, nutritious alternative to the meat version. This is the third of six recipes that create one epic seventh recipe, from Dustin Harder’s new cookbook, Epic Vegan: Wild and Over-the-Top Plant-based Recipes. This recipe is quick, easy, vegan, gluten-free, and can be made in 30 minutes or less.

A grey plate with a burger and pickles on it next to a plate of quinoa bacon bits on a picnic table.

recipe 3 of 7: Quinoa Bacon Bits

Ok, so for the third recipe in the Epic Vegan Bacon Mac and Cheese BBQ Blue Burger series, we have Quinoa Bacon Bits! While I won’t say these are exactly like the bacon bits you might be used to, they add a nice, satisfying saltiness and texture to just about anything - and it’s quinoa, not bacon. I choose the quinoa! I used red quinoa so that it had that bacon-y color.

You can use a stainless pan instead of nonstick (I don’t own nonstick), and I do want to say that it really is key to leave it cooking for the three minutes undisturbed before flipping and stirring. This is one of those recipes you’ll likely want to keep in your fridge on the regular - a delicious way to eat this nutritious seed.

all seven recipes

  1. Hemp Parmesan
  2. Easy Creamy Shells & Cheese
  3. Quinoa Bacon Bits
  4. Red BBQ Sauce
  5. Blue Cheese Dressing
  6. All American Burger
  7. Bacon Macaroni & Cheese BBQ Blue Burger
A closeup of half a burger with layers of lettuce, vegan patty, blue cheese sauce, bbq sauce, mac & cheese, and a bun.

Ingredients & Substitutions

While technically you could use any quinoa, I prefer using the red so that the color goes with the theme.

The flavors are created with soy sauce, ketchup, and smoked paprika.

Olive oil is used to help keep the quinoa from sticking to the pan. If you prefer not to use oil, skip it and make sure the pan is well heated before adding the quinoa mixture.

Let's make quinoa bacon bits

The recipe figures that you have the quinoa cooked and ready to go beforehand, so make sure you allow extra time for that if you don't have any cooked on-hand.

Simply combine the ingredients, then spread them evenly in a well-heated skillet. The toughest part is making sure to leave it be for 3 minutes before scraping and spreading it out again. This helps the quinoa crisp up. Cook another 3 minutes before scraping it out of the pan and serving.

epic vegan burger ingredients

  • A ramekin of vegan hemp parmesan with a spoon in it, sitting on top of a weathered picnic table.
    Hemp Parmesan (vegan)
  • Creamy shells and cheese in a white bowl on top of a worn picnic table.
    Easy Creamy Shells and Cheese
  • A ramekin of homemade red bbq sauce on a worn wood table.
    Red BBQ Sauce
  • A white bowl of non-dairy blue cheese dressing on a picnic table.
    Blue Cheese Dressing (vegan)
  • A closeup view of half a burger stacked with the works, including mac and cheese.
    All-American Burger
  • Bacon Mac and Cheese BBQ Blue Burger

The Recipe

A plate of bacon bits made using red quinoa.

Quinoa Bacon Bits Recipe

This quinoa bacon bits recipe is a satisfying, nutritious alternative to the meat version. This is the third of six recipes that create one epic seventh recipe, from Dustin Harder’s new cookbook, Epic Vegan: Wild and Over-the-Top Plant-based Recipes. This recipe is quick, easy, vegan, gluten-free, and can be made in 30 minutes or less. Yield: 1 cup (160 g)
5 from 2 votes
Print Pin Rate SaveSaved!
Course: Topping
Cuisine: American
Key Attributes: bacon bits, quinoa, red quinoa, vegan bacon
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
Servings: 8
Fiber: 1.63g
Prevent your screen from going dark

Equipment

  • skillet

Ingredients

  • 1 cup quinoa red (cooked) 185 g
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce 15 ml
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil 15 ml
  • 2 teaspoons ketchup 10 g
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

  • In a medium bowl, mix together the quinoa, soy sauce, olive oil, ketchup, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper until well combined.
  • Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat until it’s hot. Add the quinoa mixture and spread in one layer. Cook 3 minutes, undisturbed (it will be hard to resist!). Using a spatula, scrape the quinoa off the bottom of the skillet, mix it around, and spread it in another single layer. Cook an additional 3 minutes.
  • Transfer the quinoa to a bowl, scraping the skillet to get any crispy stubborn bits off. Store cooled bacon bits in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Notes

Author’s Note: BACON! Even vegans are obsessed with it. Because I enjoy smoky flavors in my meals, I created these bacon bits particularly for the Loaded Baked Potato Soup on page 140, but you will find use for them in several other recipes in this book! I also like to have them on hand to sprinkle over salads, soups, or even in sandwiches.
Tip: The quinoa will not necessarily crisp up when in the skillet; you might luck out and get some crispy pieces, but the purpose of this step is to dry out the quinoa a bit and release some of the robust flavors.

Rough Nutrition Estimate provided by WPRM (based on generic ingredients and limited specification options)

Nutrition Facts
Quinoa Bacon Bits Recipe
Amount per Serving
Calories
97.3
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
3.08
g
5
%
Saturated Fat
 
0.4
g
3
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
0.91
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
1.63
g
Sodium
 
283.66
mg
12
%
Potassium
 
135.33
mg
4
%
Carbohydrates
 
14.32
g
5
%
Fiber
 
1.63
g
7
%
Sugar
 
0.33
g
0
%
Protein
 
3.3
g
7
%
Vitamin A
 
133.21
IU
3
%
Vitamin C
 
0.05
mg
0
%
Calcium
 
11.86
mg
1
%
Iron
 
1.11
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?I'd love to see! On Instagram, mention @beautifulingredient and tag #beautifulingredient!

More topping

  • Bruschetta on a handmade plate topped with air fryer cherry tomatoes and fresh basil.
    Air Fryer Cherry Tomatoes
  • Roasted Sesame Dressing
  • A plateful of golden sourdough croutons.
    Vegan Croutons (oil-free)
  • A jar of nut-free vegan salad dressing in front of a board containing caesar salad.
    Nut-free Vegan Caesar Dressing

share & save

6 shares
5 from 2 votes (2 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating





Kari smelling anise hyssop while standing behind her market basket and fresh produce.

Welcome to a world of beautiful food!

I'm Kari, and this is where I celebrate beautiful ingredients and focus on ways to make eating more plants easier. Recipes are centered around whole foods and are vegan, cooked without the need for oil, mostly refined sugar-free and gluten-free. And so delicious!


Subscribe to the newsletter


what are you hungry for?

  • gluten-free
  • snacks
  • 30 minutes or less
  • 5 ingredients or less

Footer

info

About
Contact

Subscribe

recipes

Recipe Index


subscribe

Newsletter

discover more at:

Privacy Policy • Terms of Use • Copyright/Content Usage

Copyright © 2025 Beautiful Ingredient

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




Let us know what you thought of this recipe:

This worked exactly as written, thanks!
My family loved this!
Thank you for sharing this recipe

Or write in your own words:

A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.