Out of Pancetta, one case

Vegetarian substitute for pancetta

5 options, ranked, with the exact amount

Use thisBest of 5 options

Use Cremini or shiitake mushrooms

8 oz for every 4 oz of pancetta

For a vegetarian stand-in for pancetta, brown diced cremini or shiitake mushrooms hard in olive oil and salt them well: start with about 8 oz of raw mushrooms for every 4 oz of pancetta, because they shrink as they cook. Smoked tofu, diced and fried until crisp, is the closest for chew, at the same weight as the pancetta. Nothing plant-based renders pork fat, so add oil and salt to make up for it.

Verdict —: You'll taste it
The tweak —: Cut into ¼-inch dice. Cook in a wide pan with olive oil over medium-high heat without stirring much, until the water has cooked off and the pieces are well browned, then salt them.
Best for —: pasta sauces and carbonara-style pasta
Pantry —: Likely in your cupboard

One casethe full pancetta card

Every option, one card

Ranked

Pancetta substitutes compared
#	Substitute	Instead of 4 oz pancetta	Verdict
1	Cremini or shiitake mushroomspasta sauces and carbonara-style pasta	8 ozYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
2	Smoked tofupasta where the pancetta stays in visible pieces	Same amount by weightYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
3	Plant-based baconcarbonara-style pasta	Same amount by weightYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
4	Tempehsoups and bean dishes	Same amount by weightYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
5	Olives or sun-dried tomatoestomato pasta sauces	2 tbsp per 2 ozYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
Not a swap	Turkey bacon	not a swapNot for this	Not for this

What changesWhat changes, option by option5 options

Cremini or shiitake mushrooms

savory and earthy; no cured-pork flavor

Diced small and browned until the edges are dark, mushrooms give the savory, meaty depth pancetta adds to a dish. Shiitake are chewier and stronger than cremini.

Best for: pasta sauces and carbonara-style pasta, soups, beans and risotto, the base of a braise or ragu
Prep: Cut into ¼-inch dice. Cook in a wide pan with olive oil over medium-high heat without stirring much, until the water has cooked off and the pieces are well browned, then salt them.
Suits: vegetarian, vegan
Where it fails: They never go crisp the way pancetta does, and a crowded pan steams them soft. Cook in two batches if the pan is full.

Start with double the weight of the pancetta and adjust. Mushrooms lose a large share of their weight in the pan.

Smoked tofu

smoky and mild; pancetta itself is not smoked, so this leans toward bacon

Firm, already seasoned and dense enough to dice. Fried in oil it turns golden and chewy, which is the closest a plant food gets to a cube of pancetta.

Best for: pasta where the pancetta stays in visible pieces, salads and grain bowls, fried rice and egg dishes
Prep: Pat dry, cut into ¼-inch dice and fry in 1 tbsp oil until golden on most sides, then salt.
Suits: vegetarian, vegan
Contains: soy
Where it fails: It gives no fat to the pan, so it cannot start a sauce the way rendered pancetta does. Add the oil yourself.

Plain extra-firm tofu works the same way: press it for 15 minutes first and season with soy sauce at the end of frying.

Plant-based bacon

smoky and salty, closer to bacon than to pancetta

Vegetarian bacon strips are built to be salty, fatty and crisp, so they cover the job with the least work. Chop them after cooking.

Best for: carbonara-style pasta, wrapping vegetables, topping soups and salads
Prep: Cook according to the package, then chop. Add the pieces at the end so they stay crisp.
Suits: vegetarian
Where it fails: Long simmering: the strips go soft and can break up in a soup or braise.

Some brands contain egg white, so read the label if you are cooking vegan.

Tempeh

nutty and slightly bitter; savory once seasoned

Firm and nutty, tempeh crumbles or dices and browns well. It takes on seasoning, so it needs soy sauce or salt to taste like anything cured.

Best for: soups and bean dishes, pasta sauces, hash and stuffed vegetables
Prep: Crumble or dice small, fry in 1 tbsp oil until browned, then add 1 tsp soy sauce per 4 oz of tempeh and cook until the pan is dry.
Suits: vegetarian, vegan
Contains: soy
Where it fails: Delicate cream or egg sauces, where its nutty taste comes through.

Olives or sun-dried tomatoes

briny or sweet-sharp; a different flavor that does the same seasoning job

When pancetta is in a recipe for a salty, savory accent and not for texture, a small amount of chopped olives or oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes fills the gap.

Best for: tomato pasta sauces, braised greens and beans, frittata and savory tarts
Prep: Chop fine and add near the end of cooking. Start with 2 tbsp for every 2 oz of pancetta and add more to taste.
Suits: vegetarian, vegan
Where it fails: Carbonara and other dishes where crisp pieces of pancetta are the point. These add flavor, not chew or fat.

Turkey bacon

smoky and lean

Often listed as a lighter replacement for pancetta, but it is poultry.

Best for: cooks who avoid pork but eat poultry
Where it fails: It is meat, so it is not vegetarian. The same goes for prosciutto, bacon, guanciale and speck, which are all pork.

How it behaves in this recipe

In this recipePancetta

Pancetta is salt-cured pork belly. It is not smoked. In most recipes it is diced and cooked first, where it does three jobs: it leaves fat in the pan to cook the onions in, it salts the dish, and it adds savory, chewy pieces. A vegetarian replacement covers the pieces. The fat and the salt have to be added separately.

Tips for substituting pancetta

4 tips

Replace the rendered fat: start with 1 tbsp olive oil for every 2 oz of pancetta the recipe calls for, and cook the onions or garlic in that.
Pancetta is very salty, so a dish made without it usually needs more salt than the recipe lists. Taste at the end and season then.
For browning, give mushrooms or tofu a wide pan and medium-high heat, and leave them alone for 3 to 4 minutes before the first stir.
A pinch of smoked paprika, about ¼ tsp per 4 oz of mushrooms or tofu, adds a cured, bacon-like note. Leave it out if you want the cleaner taste of unsmoked pancetta.

Questions

4 questions

What can vegetarians use in place of pancetta in carbonara?

Use diced smoked tofu or well-browned mushrooms at the weight given above, fried in olive oil, and toss the pasta in that oil before adding the egg and cheese. Note that Parmigiano-Reggiano and traditional Pecorino Romano are made with animal rennet. Look for a hard cheese labeled vegetarian if that matters to you.

Is there a vegan substitute for pancetta?

Yes. Mushrooms, smoked tofu, tempeh, olives and sun-dried tomatoes are all vegan. Plant-based bacon often is, but some brands contain egg white, so check the label.

Can I just leave the pancetta out?

Yes, in soups, sauces and braises. Cook the vegetables in 1 tbsp olive oil per 2 oz of pancetta left out, and add salt to taste at the end. The dish will be lighter and less savory; a few browned mushrooms or a spoonful of tomato paste cooked in the oil puts some depth back.

Is pancetta the same as bacon?

They are the same cut, pork belly, and both are cured with salt. Bacon is smoked and pancetta is not. That is why smoked substitutes such as smoked tofu or plant-based bacon taste closer to bacon than to pancetta.