Air Fryer Carrot Bacon (Crispy Vegan Bacon Recipe!)

Crispy, smoky, and just sweet enough — Air Fryer Carrot Bacon is the viral vegan “bacon” that turns a couple of humble carrots into thin, chewy-crisp strips you’ll want on everything. Thin ribbons of carrot soak up a maple-soy marinade, then crisp up in minutes in the air fryer. It’s vegan, vegetarian, naturally gluten-free (with tamari), and ready in under 30 minutes.

If you already love how the air fryer transforms vegetables — the way it does with my Air Fryer Garlic Roasted Carrots and Air Fryer Honey Roasted Carrots — this savory, smoky version is going to surprise you.

What Is Carrot Bacon?

Carrot bacon is a plant-based alternative to bacon made from thinly sliced carrots marinated in a smoky, salty-sweet sauce and crisped until the edges curl just like the real thing. It went viral after Tabitha Brown shared her version on TikTok, and the air fryer turned out to be the perfect tool for it — fast, hands-off, and crisp every time.

It won’t fool a die-hard bacon purist, but that’s not the point. It delivers the flavor experience of bacon — smoky, savory, a little sweet, a little chewy — without the meat, and it’s a genuinely fun way to get more vegetables on the plate.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Budget-friendly — a couple of carrots feed a crowd
• Crispy edges, chewy center — that signature bacon texture
• Big smoky-sweet flavor from a 6-ingredient marinade
• Vegan, vegetarian & gluten-free (swap soy sauce for tamari)
• Fast and hands-off — the air fryer does the work

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Carrots — large, regular carrots work best (more on this below)
• Maple syrup — for that sweet, caramelized, bacon-y glaze
• Soy sauce or tamari — salt and deep umami; tamari keeps it gluten-free
• Smoked paprika — the key to that smoky, “bacon” backbone
• Garlic powder & onion powder — savory depth
• Black pepper — a little bite
• Cooking spray or oil — to help the strips crisp

See the full printable recipe card below for exact measurements and nutrition.

How to Make Air Fryer Carrot Bacon

Step 1 — Make the marinade. Whisk the maple syrup, soy sauce, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper together in a small bowl.

Step 2 — Slice the carrots. Use a vegetable peeler or mandoline to shave the carrots lengthwise into long, thin strips. Thin and even is what gives you crisp instead of soggy.

Step 3 — Marinate. Place the strips in a shallow container, pour the marinade over, and let them sit for about 15 minutes.

Step 4 — Air fry. Preheat the air fryer to 380°F and lightly spray the basket. Lay the strips in a single layer and cook about 3 minutes, flip, then cook 2 more minutes until crispy at the edges. Work in batches so they never overlap.

How to Slice Carrots for Carrot Bacon

The cut makes or breaks this recipe. A standard vegetable peeler is the easiest tool — drag it down the length of the carrot to get long, even ribbons that all crisp at the same rate. A mandoline works too, just keep the slices thin.

Slice too thick and the carrots stay bland and soft in the middle instead of crisping. Thin, even ribbons are the goal. If you love this peeler trick, you’ll get the same satisfying crunch from my Air Fryer Carrot Chips and Air Fryer Carrot Fries.

The Best Carrots to Use

Reach for large, regular carrots — ideally the ones with the green tops still attached, which tend to be fresher and sweeter. Rainbow carrots are a gorgeous option for a holiday brunch spread.

The one type to skip is bagged peeled baby carrots — they’re too short and stubby to shave into proper bacon-length strips. (Save those for my Air Fryer Baby Carrots or Air Fryer Ranch Carrots instead.)

Why Isn’t My Carrot Bacon Crispy?

The usual culprits: the strips were sliced too thick, the basket was overcrowded, or they needed another minute. Keep the slices thin, arrange them in a single layer with space between each, and add cooking time in 1-minute increments until the edges curl and crisp. Every air fryer runs a little differently — the same rule that keeps my Air Fryer Whole Carrots tender applies here in reverse: airflow is everything.

What to Serve With Carrot Bacon

Carrot bacon shines at breakfast and brunch. Pile it onto an Air Fryer Egg Toast, tuck it into a vegan-friendly Air Fryer Egg McMuffin, or add it to a BLT, a grain bowl, or a salad for smoky crunch. For a full spread, browse my 50+ Air Fryer Breakfast Recipes — and bacon lovers, don’t miss my roundup of 10 Easy Air Fryer Bacon Recipes.

How to Store and Reheat

Carrot bacon is best fresh — it softens as it cools. If you have leftovers, store them in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. To revive the crisp, brush on a little fresh marinade and air fry at 350°F until warmed through; they’ll firm back up nicely.

More Air Fryer Carrot Recipes

Air Fryer Potatoes and Carrots

Air Fryer Honey Roasted Carrots

Air Fryer Garlic Roasted Carrots

Air Fryer Frozen Carrots

Air Fryer Ranch Carrots

Frequently Asked Questions

Is carrot bacon actually healthy? It’s far lower in fat and calories than pork bacon and contains no saturated animal fat — just carrots, a little maple syrup, soy sauce, and spices. It’s a vegetable at its core, so it’s a lighter, plant-based way to get that bacon flavor.

Does carrot bacon taste like real bacon? Not identically — but it captures the smoky, sweet, salty profile and the crisp-chewy texture remarkably well, which is exactly why it went viral.

Can I make this gluten-free? Yes. Swap the soy sauce for tamari or a certified gluten-free soy sauce and the rest of the recipe is naturally gluten-free.

Can I bake it instead of air frying? Yes — roast the marinated strips on a parchment-lined sheet at 400°F, flipping once, until crisp. The air fryer is faster and crisps more evenly.

What’s the best oil to use? A light spritz of olive or avocado oil spray is all you need to help the edges crisp without making them greasy.