The MyForest Foods MyBacon Original Recipe meets
the Lightlife Smart Bacon
Mycelium strips with coconut oil that crisp like the real thing. We tested it head-to-head against the Lightlife Smart Bacon ($5.49) across 6 key dimensions.
MyForest Foods MyBacon Original Recipe
“Mycelium strips with coconut oil that crisp like the real thing”
Lightlife Smart Bacon
“The affordable everyday bacon found at every grocery store”
Head-to-Head Breakdown
Strengths & Weaknesses
MyForest Foods MyBacon Original Recipe
- Sporked's #1 pick at 9.5/10 and Chowhound's #1, with both reviewers praising the smoky, savory flavor that has zero mushroom taste despite being mycelium-based
- Coconut oil coating melts in the pan like real bacon fat, creating a layer of grease that crisps the strips, something no soy or seitan competitor replicates
- Gluten-free and soy-free, making it one of the only top-tier vegan bacons safe for celiac or soy-sensitive buyers
- Texture is uneven: thin strips crisp beautifully but thicker sections turn chewy and rubbery, as Vegan in the Freezer documented in their weighted scoring
- Highest sodium content Vegan in the Freezer tested (340mg per serving), so watch intake if you're salt-conscious
- Limited grocery distribution (Whole Foods, natural grocers) means you can't just grab it at any supermarket, and the premium price per ounce is noticeable
Lightlife Smart Bacon
- VegNews Readers' Choice winner for Best Bacon two years running (2024, 2025), chosen by roughly 100K+ consumer voters, not an editorial board
- The most widely available vegan bacon in the US per Make It Dairy Free, stocked at Walmart, Target, Kroger, and essentially every major grocery chain
- At $4.99 for 5 oz, it's 35-60% cheaper per ounce than premium options like MyBacon or Thrilling Foods
- Chowhound's reviewer described it as tasting 'more like turkey bacon than vegan bacon,' and Tasting Table called the texture 'dry, bacon bit-like' with no authentic grease
- Thin strips with no fat coating means you'll never get the sizzle or pan drippings that MyBacon's coconut oil provides
- Flavor is polarizing: VeggL's Ryan ranked it last of four brands, calling it 'not bacon in any way except texture'
The Verdict
Our Bottom Line
MyForest Foods MyBacon won because it solved the hardest problem in vegan bacon: making something that actually tastes like bacon without relying on liquid smoke dumped onto soy protein. The mycelium base (grown from mushroom roots, not assembled from isolates) produces a savory, smoky flavor that Sporked's Jordan Myrick scored 9.5/10, calling it 'one of the best plant-based meat substitutes we've ever had.' Chowhound's Audrey Farnsworth put it #1 out of 8 brands, noting it was 'smoky and bacon-tasting with no discernible mushroom flavor.'
MyForest Foods MyBacon Original Recipe
MyForest Foods MyBacon won because it solved the hardest problem in vegan bacon: making something that actually tastes like bacon without relying on liquid smoke dumped onto soy protein. The mycelium base (grown from mushroom roots, not assembled from isolates) produces a savory, smoky flavor that Sporked's Jordan Myrick scored 9.5/10, calling it 'one of the best plant-based meat substitutes we've ever had.' Chowhound's Audrey Farnsworth put it #1 out of 8 brands, noting it was 'smoky and bacon-tasting with no discernible mushroom flavor.'
- You care about authentic bacon flavor above all else and want the closest thing to real bacon taste available in plant-based form
- You're gluten-free or soy-sensitive and need a vegan bacon that avoids both major allergen categories
- You shop at Whole Foods or natural grocers regularly and don't mind paying a premium for a specialty product
- You want the coconut oil sizzle and pan grease that makes cooking vegan bacon actually feel like cooking bacon
Lightlife Smart Bacon
Lightlife Smart Bacon won the value pick because it's the only vegan bacon that combines two things no competitor matches: availability and price. Make It Dairy Free called it 'the most easily available vegan bacon on the market,' and at $4.99 for 5 oz, it costs 35-60% less per ounce than MyBacon or Thrilling Foods.
- You shop at mainstream groceries and need a vegan bacon you can find without planning ahead or ordering online
- Budget matters and you're buying vegan bacon regularly, not as a one-time experiment
- You're new to vegan bacon and want the safest, most widely-validated first pick (100K+ consumer voters chose this)
- You mainly use bacon as a crispy topping for BLTs, salads, and sandwiches rather than as a standalone protein