overhead view of bacon wrapped water chestnuts on a white serving plate

Why I love this bacon wrapped water chestnuts

I absolutely love water chestnuts. They are so crunchy and they make for a great addition to any stir fry or spinach dip. I love them so much that I usually eat them straight from the can as I’m cooking my favorite chicken and broccoli recipe.

So naturally, I love them wrapped in bacon.

Bacon wrapped water chestnuts are an awesome savory appetizer for any holiday or game day menu, and they’re super easy to put together. They can even be prepped in advanced and cooked the day of to make things easier.

side view close up of bacon wrapped water chestnuts glazed in sauce

Here’s what you’ll need to make it

close up of glazed bacon wrapped water chestnut with a toothpick through it

How to make bacon wrapped water chestnuts

Prep. Preheat your oven to 400˚F and line a baking sheet with parchment. You can also open and drain your cans of water chestnuts and cut the bacon strips into thirds.

Make the sauce. In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar, bbq sauce and soy sauce together until smooth.

Wrap with bacon. Take a piece of the bacon you cut and wrap one slice around each water chestnut. Place the wrapped water chestnut seam-side down on the parchment paper. If you need to, you can secure them with a toothpick.

Bake the water chestnuts. Brush the water chestnuts with some of the sauce. Then, bake them in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes.

Baste with sauce every 10 minutes and one more time when you remove them from the oven, 4 times total including the initial brushing.

overhead view of serving plate with bacon wrapped water chestnuts with toothpicks

FAQS and tips for making bacon wrapped water chestnuts

What do water chestnuts taste like?

Water chestnuts don’t actually have that much flavor. They’re crunchy in texture with a bit of water (in my opinion, they’re similar to the water content of celery), and they are a great blank slate for recipes.

Can you eat water chestnuts straight from the can?

Absolutely. Water chestnuts can been eaten raw as long as they’re peeled. Canned ones are already prepared and peeled, so you can eat them as is. I love snacking on them as I’m cooking, so I usually

This recipe would be great with

overhead view of bacon wrapped water chestnuts on a white serving plate on a countertop

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close up of bacon wrapped water chestnut glazed in brown sugar and barbecue sauce
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Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts

By: Melissa Belanger
Glazed with brown sugar, soy sauce and barbecue sauce, these bacon wrapped water chestnuts will be the first appetizer to disappear at your next game day or holiday celebration. This recipe is so simple and can be made ahead of time for easy entertaining.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 18
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Ingredients 

  • 3 8- ounce cans whole water chestnuts
  • 1 16- ounce package bacon
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup barbecue sauce
  • 3 tablespoons reduced sodium-soy sauce

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 400˚F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • In a small bowl, whisk the sugar, barbecue sauce and soy sauce together until smooth. Set aside.
  • Cut bacon slices into thirds. Wrap each water chestnut with a strip of bacon and place it seam side down onto the baking sheet.
  • Brush each water chestnut with the barbecue sauce mixture and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes. While they bake, baste the water chestnuts about every 10 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and baste one more time with sauce.
  • Allow the water chestnuts to cool for about 5 minutes before servings.

Nutrition

Calories: 157kcal, Carbohydrates: 11g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 11g, Trans Fat: 0.04g, Cholesterol: 18mg, Sodium: 318mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin C: 0.4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Hi! I'm Melissa.

I create easy, dairy free recipes because I know how hard living without milk can be. I believe you can live a completely satisfying life without dairy, and I want to teach you how.

Read more about me

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3 Comments

  1. Summer says:

    Sounds delicious! What is your favorite BBQ sauce to use with this recipe?

    Reply
    1. Susan Butler says:

      How far ahead can I make these?

      Reply
      1. Melissa says:

        I would probably only prep them the day before, but you could probably go up to two days. However, I would still wait to bake them until the day of serving. If you need to cook ahead of time, you will need to reheat them in the oven.

        Reply