6 Ways to Add Smoky, Meaty Flavor to Your Meals without Using Bacon (2024)

There's a time (brunch) and a place (your favorite greasy spoon) for bacon. And despite all the recent hullabaloo, a couple of scrumptious strips here or there really isn't going to kill you.

Still, the fact that it's OK to eat fatty cured pork once in a while isn't license to start adding it to everything you eat.And that's not so bad, really, because there are tons of other, healthier ways to imbue your food with the same smoky, meaty flavor. These six totally do-able tricks are proof.

1. Liquid smoke
The potent liquid is made from distilled hickory or mesquite smoke—and you only need a drop or two to add instant depth to meatless chilis, marinades, and homemade vegetable "bacon" strips (more on those below). Try Lazy Kettle All-Natural Liquid Smoke, and steer clear of brands that contain caramel coloring, soy, or preservatives. (Here are 10 food additives you should absolutely never eat.)

2. Smoked paprika

Plain paprika has almost no flavor. But the smoked stuff—which is rich, earthy, and delicious—is a totally different story. It's traditionally used in Spanish dishes like chorizo and paella, but it makes almost anything taste better. Try adding a few teaspoons to veggie burger mixes, roasted vegetables, homemade aioli, or even scrambled eggs.

MORE: The Sketchy New Ingredient in Your Bacon (And How to Avoid It)

3. Veggie bacon

No, we're not talking about the weird, soy-based faux bacons loaded with unpronounceable ingredients.Eggplant, shiitake mushrooms, andtempehall make awesome meat-free bacon substitutes when you soak thin slices in a smoky marinade and bake them until crisp. Vegan BLT? You bet.

4. Dark beer

The smoky sweetness in porters and stouts is amazing in sauces and marinades. Smoky-sweet Guinness is always a solid choice, but you could up the flavor factor even more by using smoked brews like Stone Brewing Co.'s Stone Smoked Porter or Dark Horse Brewing Co.'s Fore Smoked Stout. Pour some into sauces or marinades for your favorite grilled vegetables, then char 'em to smoky perfection.

MORE: We Tried It: Seaweed That Tastes Like Bacon

5. Blackstrap molasses

The dark syrup is richer and less sweet than regular molasses, and it's exactly what you need to add robust smokiness to barbecue sauces or even savory baked goods like corn bread or beer bread. Bonus: Unlike other sweeteners, this one isn't nutritionally worthless. A tablespoon of blackstrap molasses delivers 20% of your daily iron and almost 10% of your daily calcium and magnesium.

6. Smoked salt

Use it as a finishing salt to up the savory deliciousness of almost anything you can imagine: soups, roasted vegetables, eggs, dips and spreads, whatever. Anything the stuff touches automatically tastes like it came out of a pit master's smoker.