The Vegan Vinaigrette Stevie Wonder Ate on Tour

• Vegan chef Makini Howell shared that she made a vegan bacon vinaigrette for Stevie Wonder.
• Howell served her Bacon-ish Vinaigrette while on tour as Wonder’s private chef.
• She recommends a smoky tofu to replicate the comforting bacon flavor in every bite.

A good vinaigrette is a versatile salad dressing, not too heavy and not at all bland. It can top light, cool salads or more savory, warm combinations. Variants on a classic vinaigrette really add color to a side salad and help set the tone for the whole meal. We love classics like our Lemon-Garlic Vinaigrette, but we also love smokier options that are perfect for fall, like this Warm Bacon Vinaigrette.

A bacon vinaigrette might not be as common as your standard combos of vinegar, oil and Dijon mustard, but it can be utterly delicious. And as we recently found out, it can even be a vegan favorite.

In an interview with Milk Street Radio, vegan chef (and former tour chef for Stevie Wonder) Makini Howell mentions that she likes to make a Bacon-ish Vinaigrette, a simple vinaigrette that gets extra flavor from smoked tofu, her go-to bacon replacement. Howell even has her own brand of tofu, and her Baba’s Smoked Tofu gets its BBQ flavor from tamari, chili flakes and other spices. 

During her year as Stevie Wonder’s tour chef, Seattle-based chef Howell said she really learned how to cook and says she now has a better understanding of how to help people embrace vegan food all day long. Crafting breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, desserts, teas and everything in between for Wonder and his fellow performers meant being very intentional about filling, energizing nutrition *and* major flavor. 

Since vegan food lacks some of the flavor that meat and other animal products can add to meals, Howell’s focus was on creating enjoyable, classic meals that all could enjoy. Since Stevie Wonder was both a vegan and a lover of comfort foods, her balancing act was needed—and this vinaigrette became a go-to.

For her signature Bacon-ish Vinaigrette, Howell smokes tofu “and call(s) it bacon,” then adds vinegar, stone ground mustard and some fresh herbs. She describes the final product as a “smoky vinaigrette.”

If you’re craving a warm bacon flavor in your next side salad, you can use actual bacon to make our Maple-Bacon Vinaigrette at home. We serve it over a spinach salad, but you could adapt it for your favorite salad at home. To make the vinaigrette, we combine drippings from cooked bacon with cider vinegar, syrup, salt and pepper. You can vary the recipe and try to approximate Howell’s by using some mustard and fresh herbs in addition to the salt and pepper.  

For the vegetarians, vegans and folks who don’t enjoy pork, our Crispy Vegan Bacon can be subbed in for a vegan vinaigrette. Our recipe uses firm tofu as the base and gets its bacon-ish flavor from maple syrup, sriracha, soy sauce, paprika and garlic powder. The end effect blends sweetness, umami and spice for a delectable bacon replacement. Crumble the finished product into your vinaigrette for some of that smoky flavor without the meat.

Whether you’re craving a bacon-infused salad or a vegan version, knowing that Howell’s Bacon-ish Vinaigrette made Stevie Wonder sing only makes us want to try a vegan bacon dressing even more.