Have air fryer carrot bacon ready in under an hour with just two big carrots. The marinade is liquid smoke, soy sauce, and maple syrup. This vegan bacon is salty, smoky, a little sweet, and crispy. Most of that hour is hands-off marinating.

A plate of avocado toast topped with air fryer carrot bacon.

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Pretty Close to the real thing!

a girl wearing a black leather jacket holding a drink

Carrots that taste like bacon sound questionable at first, I know. Just trust me. It doesn’t taste exactly like bacon, but it comes pretty close and can definitely satisfy a craving.

If you haven’t figured it out by now, I LOVE avocado toast. It’s pretty much all I eat for breakfast Monday through Friday. So of course I put my carrot bacon on top. Add one of my air fryer fried eggs made in mini cake pans and breakfast is done!

Jordan

A Few Ingredient Notes…

I let the carrot strips marinate for at least 30 minutes, and up to an hour. As long as you let them marinate long enough, they absorb all of those salty, smoky flavors. Brown sugar and maple syrup make the soy sauce taste less salty and add a hint of sweetness, like maple bacon.

Labeled ingredients for air fryer carrot bacon.

Liquid smoke: This is the not-so-secret ingredient that gives the carrots their smoky, bacon-like flavor, and if you can’t find it, use a bit more smoked paprika, smoked salt, or chipotle powder.
Large carrots: Buy big, thick carrots, not baby carrots. They’re the easiest to slice into long ribbons!

How to Make Air Fryer Carrot Bacon

Using a peeler to peel carrots into thin strips on a wooden cutting board.

Peel the carrots and slice them into long, thin strips with a mandoline, a vegetable peeler, or a sharp knife. If every strip is the same thickness, you can take the whole batch out at once.

carrots marinating in brown sugar and soy sauce to make carrot bacon.

Layer the strips in a long, flat container so the marinade covers both sides of every one.

The maple syrup makes the strips stick. Spritz the basket really well with olive oil, or line it with air fryer parchment paper. Air fry them at 350°F in a single layer and flip them halfway through.

Take them out when they’re a deep reddish brown with darker edges. Carefully transfer them to a rack to cool and then use as desired.

Air fried carrot bacon on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Don’t Judge Them Straight Out of the Basket

When you take the strips out of the air fryer, they’re soft and a little wet. That’s normal! Lay them on a cooling rack in a single layer and give them 5 minutes to crisp up. If you stack them on a plate, they stick together while they dry.

Tip! Making a big batch? Keep the finished strips warm on a baking sheet in a 250°F oven while you air fry the rest.

A plate of carrot bacon next to a slice of avocado toast.

Pile It on Avocado Toast

Want to go all in? Try my egg in a hole avocado toast with feta and pickled red onions. It’s also a great snack straight off the rack.

And if you love making and serving carrots, my harissa honey roasted carrots with whipped feta are another great veggie side. For more ideas, browse my air fryer vegetable recipes.

A plate of avocado toast topped with air fryer carrot bacon next to a platter of carrot bacon.

More Air Fryer Breakfast Recipes

If you tried this air fryer carrot bacon or any other recipe on my blog please leave a 🌟 star rating and tell me how it went in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you, and this helps my business thrive so I can continue providing free recipes!