Sweet Earth Benevolent Bacon

It's my own personal opinion that bacon is likely the most overrated meat out there. It's been at least 20 years since I've last eaten pig bacon, and I have never missed it. I don't think I'm alone here either, if bacon is truly so super amazing, why is veg bacon so hard to come by compared to other plant-based meat substitutes? For the longest time, the only vegan bacon readily available in stores was Light Life's Smart Bacon, which is ok at best. Now we have a new kid on the block, Benevolent Bacon from Sweet Earth Natural Foods! Is it any better than what Light Life offers? Read on to find out!


Buying. I found this package at my local Whole Foods, though I don't remember what I paid for it, around $4-5 I'm guessing. To find this bacon at a store near you, I recommend using Sweet Earth's product finder. This is a perishable product that requires refrigeration or freezing.

Online I've located it on Amazon by the case, or from Vegan Essentials.

Packaging. The bacon itself was encased in vacuum sealed plastic, wrapped with a little cardboard sleeve with the product info. Despite the serrated edges, I had a hard time opening the package and ended up using a knife.

Preparation. I thought I followed the package directions until just now I'm seeing that it says to cook 2 min each side. For some reason I thought it just said 2 minutes period. Oh well! It still came out fine. I even tasted some straight from the package. Honestly, I don't see why you couldn't eat this cold if you wanted to.

Nutrition. Is this a better option than animal bacon? Yes. Is this a healthy food? Not really. This is a seitan (wheat gluten) based meat, so it's definitely good for protein. The fat content is pretty high (3.5g for just 2 slices), but the sodium is surprisingly low.

Sizzzzzle

Noms. First of all, I don't think you're going to fool anyone into thinking this is animal bacon. The appearance alone is a give away, and I'm fine with that. For what this is, this bacon is very, very good. My cooking method got it nice and crisp around the edges yet still tender in the middle. It does have a nice, chewy-ish texture overall. The flavor was just awesome, it had a good smokiness to it, and the spices (like the sage mentioned in the flavor name) made it taste almost like sausage.

I just ate this as-is, but I think it could be very good in other typical bacon applications, like on a sammich or crumbled into a salad.

Sweet Earth blows Light Life's Smart Bacon out of the water completely.

Bottom Line. I would buy this again. You need to try it too. Now! Well, not if you have celiacs, of course. I guess if you really turn your nose up at any sort of plant-based meats, you're gonna miss out.

Sweet Earth is a vegetarian company with many vegan options.