Is Upton's Naturals Seitan Bacon any good?
Absolutely yes! This is hands down our favorite meat free bacon with a really enjoyable natural hickory smoke flavor.
As with the entire range of Upton’s Naturals products the first thing that catches your eye is the impeccable packaging. The recycled cardboard box is ultra-modern and hip.
I’ve not had the best of luck with meat free bacon products in the past, the flavor profile always being exceptionally synthetic. Here, I am happy to report the exact opposite. Upton’s lists natural hickory smoke extract as an ingredient, and whatever that means in practice, it shines through with a very clean and organic flavor. Seriously, on a fresh roll with a dash of ketchup, once or twice I half forgot I was eating a faux-meat product at times. Loaded up onto a veggie burger the bacon added richness just like the real deal.
The texture is where the product falters ever so slightly. My wife didn’t care for the slightly spongy texture of the bacon, I actually enjoyed the slight chew. If you like seitan in general, you’ll know the texture. If I had one tiny criticism it would be here, some consumers will undoubtedly prefer a little more crunch and crisp with their bacon. It’s a personal preference and for me this easily makes our Smart Buys list.
Upton’s Naturals Seitan Bacon what’s in the box
All of the bacon, around ten strips, comes vacuum sealed in plastic. Once you open this the bacon has a fridge life of about five days. I found it hard to resist finishing off the whole packet in half that time.
Upton’s Naturals Seitan Bacon cooking instructions, nutrition, ingredients
It couldn’t be simpler to cook, just heat and serve. Add to a pan with a tiny drop of olive oil and heat on high until the bacon develops a quick sear – and that’s about it. Just a handful of minutes from package to plate.
Nutritionally this is a stellar product. A 2 ounce serving has roughly 15g of protein without any of the salt or fat of real bacon.
What’s a fair price?
I grabbed this while on offer at my local Natural Grocers store, and managed to nab it for just $2.95. For less than three bucks this is a steal as I happily enjoyed the bacon across three different meals.
What dishes can you make with Upton’s Naturals Seitan Bacon
The classic bacon sandwich was my first port of call, finished with just a smidge of natural ketchup from Rustic Tomato; after that I created a luxurious burger with Field Roast FieldBurgers. Each one was a sure fire winner.
Other Upton’s Naturals products
• Upton’s Naturals Seitan Bacon
• Upton’s Naturals Chorizo Seitan
• Upton’s Naturals Traditional Seitan
• Upton’s Naturals Bar-B-Que Jackfruit
Hi, I’m Stuart, nice to meet you! I’m the founder, writer and wrangler at Gastronomic SLC – Utah’s biggest and oldest online food magazine; I’m also a former restaurant critic of more than five years, working for the Salt Lake Tribune. I’ve worked extensively with multiple local publications from Visit Salt Lake to Salt Lake Magazine, not least helped to consult on national TV shows.
I’m a multiple-award winning journalist and have covered the Utah dining scene for the better part of fifteen years. I’m largely fueled by a critical obsession with rice, alliteration and the use of big words I don’t understand. I started Shop Smart to catalogue my adventures in the grocery store and kitchen. Follow along on Instagram too!
Upton’s Naturals Bar-B-Que Jackfruit
If the intention is to dis-encourage potential vegans this product will do it.
The sauce: one dimensional and bitter, totally lacking in sweet smoky barbecue flavour.
The texture: like the vegetable it is and only half shredded.
But worst of all – the almost non-existent protein content.
What is it with vegan food manufacturers that when they aim (and usually fail) to mimic meat and dairy products they hardly ever replicate the equivalent food value. Which surely is should be a crucial criteria?
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