Vegan "B.L.A.T."s: Lettuce, Tomato, Avocado, and Crispy Smoked Mushroom Sandwiches Recipe

Baked, marinated, and smoked mushroom slices are an ideal substitute for bacon in this classic sandwich.

Updated November 23, 2023

A vegan B.L.A.T. sandwich halved and served on a white plate. — Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt

Why It Works

Dehydrating thinly sliced mushrooms in the oven gives them a tender-crisp texture very much like real bacon.
A balanced sweet and savory marinade and a quick trip to a jerry-rigged stovetop smoker give the mushrooms a smoky, bacon-like flavor.
Salting the tomato slices while assembling the sandwiches improves their flavor and makes them slightly juicier—an especially wise step when tomatoes are out of season.
Avocado slices and homemade mayonnaise made with silken tofu add a creamy, rich counter-point to the salty bacon and acidic tomato.

You saw this recipe coming, didn't you? I mean, I showed a picture of it in my post about mushroom "bacon". Given that I already have a recipe for vegan mayonnaise and that my mom recently gave me a few of those surprisingly-not-terrible Campari winter tomatoes, it was in the stars.

The B.L.T. has always been one of my favorite sandwiches; it's a natural extension of my absolute favorite sandwich, the T.M.T. (that'd be Tomato-Mayo-Toast), and if there's one thing that'll make my favorite things even favorite-er, it's to add some avocado to it.

Crispy smoked mushrooms are layered atop the tomato and lettuce of a B.L.A.T. sandwich. — Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt

Also, no joke: the freshly smoked crispy mushrooms are honestly better than any store-bought bacon I've had. Seriously. The sandwich is crisp and fresh, smoky and sweet, creamy and juicy, and other adjectives as well. Basically, everything you'd ever want in a great sandwich, and it makes a fine dinner, vegan or no.

February 2014

Recipe Details