Vegan Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Homemade Bacon Bits

You've never had a grilled cheese quite like this vegan grilled cheese with homemade bacon bits, thinly sliced apples, and caramelized onion perfectly grilled between two thick slices of fresh sourdough bread. It's an unreal way to get your cozy on this fall and I highly, highly recommend you give this recipe a go. 

Because we're all about the protein over here I had to sneak some in, and what a better way to do that then to pack this vegan grilled cheese with crispy homemade bacon bits made from textured vegetable protein! Or textured pea protein if you want to keep it soy free! The bacon recipe is really similar and a recipe I like to batch prep for the week so I can add high protein, cholesterol free, bacon bits to all meals! They're the perfect topper to tofu scrambles at breakfast, maybe a pinch on a savoury oatmeal, add it to your salads as your main protein source, or spoon it onto your soups and stews. Made from good-for-you ingredients like liquid aminos, smoked paprika, extra virgin olive oil, and pure maple syrup, these are the bacon bits your doctor will approve of. 

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Why You'll Love This Vegan Grilled Cheese Recipe

Packed with homemade bacon bits, caramelized onions, and thinly sliced apples this isn't your average grilled cheese. 

Because we're using vegan cheese which tends to have next to zero protein in it, we've added the protein back in with tvp bacon. 

While the caramelized onions and bacon recipe do take some time to make, you can make them ahead of time and build your grilled cheese to order all week long so it's always hot and fresh. 

Dairy free, and easily made gluten free with your preferred bread choice. 

What You'll Need to Make This Vegan Grilled Cheese

Great bread. A great grilled cheese always starts with great bread. My personal favourite is sourdough.

A good melty vegan cheese. I find the Daiya Foods Cheddar Block to be the absolute best when it comes to any recipe where you want that epic cheese pull. 

Yellow onions, olive oil, and time. A good caramelized onion needs time. Set aside at least 20 minutes to get those onions nice and caramel coloured. 

My homemade bacon bits! These are made with textured vegetable protein or textured pea protein (for soy free), liquid aminos, spices, and maple syrup. I recommend batch prepping this recipe to use on all sort of dishes.

Thinly sliced apple. There is just something so perfect about a cheddar and apple pairing, isn't there?

Vegan butter or more olive oil. You must pan fry your grilled cheese in some fats to get that golden, greasy, crispy outside that makes a grilled cheese oh so drool worthy. 

Substitutions 

You can use any bread your heart desires. 

Any vegan cheddar will do, but I do recommend sticking to cheddar for the balance of flavours I went for with this sandwich recipe. 

Skip the homemade bacon bits and make this even quicker with some store bought vegan deli slices. 

Apple or no apple? That's up to you. 

Other Sandwich Recipes You'll Love

Vegan Turkey Deli Meat Sandwich

Vegan Egg Salad Sandwich

High Protein Vegan Tuna Melt 

Please note: all calories and macros have been calculated to the best of my ability but may vary slightly. 

 

Caramelized Onion, Bacon, and Apple Vegan Grilled Cheese 

Recipe makes 4 servings

Macros per serving:

571 cals - 27g fat - 65g carbs - 17g protein 

 

Ingredients,

Bacon Bits:

• ⅓ cup + 1 tbsp (38g) textured vegetable protein
• ½ tbsp (7.5ml) olive oil
• 1 tsp (5ml) hot sauce
• 1 tsp (5ml) balsamic vinegar
• 3/4 tbsp (11ml) liquid minos/soy sauce
• 1 tsp (5ml) maple syrup 
• 1/2 tsp (1g) smoked paprika
• 1/8 tsp (0.5g) salt 

Onions:

• 1 tbsp (15ml) extra virgin olive oil 
• 1 yellow onion, sliced thin

Grilled Cheese:

• 8 slices sourdough bread
• 180g vegan cheddar, I used Daiya Cheddar Block (or 4 large servings cheese)
• 1 apple, sliced thin 
• 1/4 cup vegan butter

 

Instructions to make this vegan grilled cheese:

Vegan Bacon bits

1. Make the bacon bits first - Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a small baking tray with parchment paper. 
2. Bring 1 cup of water to a boil and pour into a mixing bowl.
3. Add textured vegetable protein to the boiling water and let sit for 10 minutes to hydrate.
4. Then drain the textured vegetable protein well, and press any excess water out. 
5. Add the hydrated vegetable protein back into the bowl and season with "bacon" seasonings: olive oil, hot sauce, balsamic vinegar, liquid aminos, maple syrup, smoked paprika, and salt. Mixing well to combine. 
6. Spread the seasoned textured vegetable protein across the prepared baking tray and bake for 15 minutes. 
7. Remove from the oven and use a spatula to move all the bits around.
8. Place back in the oven for 5-10 minutes or until browned and crispy. 
9. Set aside.

Caramelized onions,

1. While the bacon bakes make your caramelized onions - bring a pan to medium low heat and add 1 tbsp (15ml) olive oil. 
2. Add in sliced onions and a pinch of salt. 
3. Cook onions, stirring every so often for 15-20 minutes or until soft and caramelized. 
4. Set aside.

Grilled Cheese Sandwich,

1. Build your grilled cheese - Add a few slices of vegan cheddar to one bread. 
2. Top with vegan bacon bits, then caramelized onions, then apple slices, and a few more slices cheese. 
3. Seal the sandwich with the other slice of bread. 
4. Preheat a frying pan to medium heat and add 1/2 tbsp butter. Add in grilled cheese and grill on the first side until completely golden and crispy, 2-3 minutes. 
5. Add in another 1/2 tbsp butter and flip the grilled cheese to crisp up the other side, 2-3 minutes. 
6. Once golden, crispy, and the cheese is nice and melted, remove from the pan and slice in half. 
7. Enjoy as is or with a side of ketchup or hot sauce!
8. Repeat with other three sandwiches, or keep all your toppings in the fridge until you're ready for your next grilled cheese!