Bacon bits substitutes

Straightforwardly better than the packaged product: bigger, meatier, actually crunchy and it tastes of bacon rather than of smoke flavoring. The one drawback is that it goes soft within a few hours, where dried bits stay crisp for weeks, so it is not the right choice for a make-ahead salad bar.

Best for

salads and wedge salads, baked and twice-baked potatoes, loaded dips, soups and chowders, deviled eggs

Blot the strips hard on paper towel before chopping. Residual fat is what makes homemade bacon bits go limp. Chop them a little smaller than feels natural, roughly pea-sized, so they scatter evenly.

Textured soy protein with smoke flavoring and colouring. Vegetarian, shelf-stable and crunchier than real bits, which some people prefer on a salad because they stay crisp through the dressing. They taste more of hickory smoke and salt and less of pork, and they have a slightly hollow, cereal-like crunch.

Best for

salads and salad bars, baked potatoes, make-ahead dishes, vegetarian cooking, ranch dips

Saltier than they look, so taste before you salt anything else. Many brands contain soy and some contain wheat, so check the label for gluten. Almost all are vegetarian but a few use natural bacon flavor derived from pork, worth a quick label read.

The best vegetarian answer if you care more about the eating experience than the label. You get the same brittle salty crunch and a savory sweetness, and the smoked paprika supplies the missing smoke. It reads as onion rather than pork, which is a good thing on a green bean casserole and a slightly odd thing on a wedge salad.

Best for

casseroles and green bean casserole, baked potatoes, salads, soups, grain bowls

Buy the crispy fried shallots sold in tubs at Asian markets, they are less sweet and more savory than supermarket French fried onions. Toss with the paprika just before serving so it does not clump.

Cured pork crisped and crumbled. Pancetta is the closest to bacon without the smoke, so the topping tastes cleaner and more purely porky. Prosciutto shatters into salty lace. Crisped salami or pepperoni brings garlic and fennel and a spicier, oilier note that is great on a potato and wrong in a chowder.

Best for

salads, pasta and risotto toppings, baked potatoes, soups, roasted vegetables

All three are saltier than bacon bits, so cut the recipe's salt. Crisp them in a dry pan or on a sheet pan at 375 F for 6 to 10 minutes, then drain on paper towel, and add a pinch of smoked paprika if the dish needs the smoke that bacon would have brought.

A pantry fix that nails the crunch and the smoke but has no meatiness at all. On a baked potato or a bowl of soup it works well and reads as a deliberate crumb topping. On a salad where bacon was the point, it will feel like a sidestep rather than a substitute.

Best for

soups and chowders, baked potatoes, roasted vegetables, pasta, budget and pantry cooking

Toast the panko in the oil first until golden, then take the pan off the heat before stirring in the paprika, or the paprika turns bitter. Add a teaspoon of nutritional yeast for savory depth.

An unexpected but genuinely good swap on salads. Smoked almonds bring exactly the two things people want from bacon bits, salt and smoke, plus a crunch that holds up in dressing better than bacon does. The flavor is nutty rather than meaty and the pieces are heavier, so they sink.

Best for

green salads and slaws, roasted brussels sprouts and broccoli, grain bowls, vegetarian and vegan dishes

Chop them fine, roughly the size of a lentil, or they dominate. Not suitable if anyone at the table has a nut allergy, and not a good choice in a hot dish where they soften.