Here's everything worth knowing about turkey bacon and how to pick it, what it is, how to store it, and what to use instead, plus 25 recipes to cook tonight.

What is turkey bacon?

Turkey bacon is strips of cured, smoked turkey shaped and sliced to look like pork bacon. It is made from a mix of light and dark meat, pressed into a bacon-like form, then seasoned with the same smoke and salt that give regular bacon its flavor.

It is the go-to for cooks cutting saturated fat, and it lands close to the bacon flavor without the pork. What it does not do is behave like pork bacon in the pan, which trips people up.

Cooking Turkey Bacon

The big difference is fat. Pork bacon swims in its own rendered grease; turkey bacon has almost none, so it cannot fry itself.

Add a thin film of oil to the pan or it will scorch and stick before it crisps.

Cook it over medium heat and give it time. Without much fat to render, it crisps by drying out rather than frying, so it goes from floppy to crisp to burnt quickly. Pull it when the edges firm up and the color deepens.

You can also bake it on a sheet pan at 400°F (205°C) for 10 to 15 minutes, or microwave it between paper towels for a minute or two per slice. Both give more even results than a crowded skillet.

One thing to know going in: turkey bacon never gets as shatter-crisp as good pork bacon. It firms up and browns, but the deep crackle is not really on the menu. Chase a firm, chewy-crisp strip instead.

Where It Works

Use turkey bacon anywhere you want the smoky, salty hit without the pork fat. It crumbles into a Breakfast Tortilla Wrap or a Weekend Skillet Breakfast and tucks into a BLT or club sandwich just fine.

It also flavors pots of beans and greens, lending smoke the way a ham hock would, as in All American Barbecued Beans. Chop it into chowders and soups like Creamy Clam & Turkey Bacon Chowder, or scatter it over a baked potato or salad.

Because turkey bacon brings less fat to the dish, you may need to add a little oil or butter where you would normally lean on rendered bacon grease for richness.

Substitutes

Pork bacon is the obvious swap when fat is not a concern; it brings more grease and a deeper crisp.

For a leaner match, Canadian bacon or smoked turkey gives you cured, smoky flavor with little fat.

If you only want the smoke, a pinch of smoked paprika or a few drops of liquid smoke in the dish can stand in where bacon was there mostly for aroma.

Buying and Storing

Look at the meat mix and sodium on the label. Strips with more dark meat brown and taste better, and turkey bacon runs salty, so a lower-sodium line is worth seeking out if you cook with it often.

An unopened package keeps to its printed date in the fridge, usually a couple of weeks. Once opened, use it within 7 days, and freeze what you will not get to within 1 to 2 weeks for up to a month.

Most turkey bacon is sold raw and needs full cooking, though some brands are labeled fully cooked, so check the package. Keep it cold and sealed and it holds its quality well.

Nutrition

Quick facts

Food group: Turkey bacon is a member of the Sausages and Luncheon Meats US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.

In Chinese

火鸡培根

British (UK) term

Turkey bacon

en français

bacon de dinde

en español

tocino de pavo

How much does turkey bacon weigh?

Amount	Weight
1 serving	14 grams

Related

Sausages and Luncheon Meats

Recipes using turkey bacon

There are 25 recipes that contain this ingredient.

All 25 recipes