Bacon-Wrapped Water Chestnuts

I bake these in stages for two reasons:

1. The bacon cooks on its own first, so it has enough time to cook through and crisp up in the oven.
2. Then, the sauce goes on later so it doesn’t add too much moisture to the bacon while it cooks (if it’s added too early, the bacon doesn’t get or stay crisp), and so the sauce doesn’t burn.

If everything was cooked at once, I have found that the bacon just doesn’t get to the right texture and/or the sauce burns.

Baking them in stages gives you crisp bacon with a sticky glaze and no burned sauce.

💛 Why you’ll love this recipe

• Sweet, salty, and crunchy in every bite.
• Only straightforward ingredients, ones you may already have on hand or can find at most grocery stores.
• Can be prepped and ready to serve in 1 hour.
• Easy to bring to parties, since they are finger food on a toothpick.

➡️ Ingredients

⏲ How to make these bacon-wrapped water chestnuts

This is an overview of the recipe’s instructions. The full instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

• Preheat Oven and Prep Baking Sheet: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and position an oven rack in the middle. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment paper, then place a wire rack on top.

Recipe Tip: A baking rack is used here to help with heat circulation, to get the bacon crispier, and to ensure the bacon doesn’t sit in bacon grease as it cooks.

• Initial Bake: Arrange bacon slices atop a wire rack. If you have more bacon slices that you cannot fit on that baking sheet, line another baking sheet with foil or parchment paper with a wire rack on top and arrange the remaining bacon there. Transfer the baking sheet(s) to the oven, and bake for 12-20 minutes (the timing will depend on the bacon thickness, and if you used 2 baking sheets; you want the bacon to start to cook through, but still be pliable).
• Wrap Chestnuts in Bacon: Remove bacon from the oven to allow it to cool slightly. Don’t turn the oven off. Once cooled off enough, wrap each water chestnut in a piece of bacon and secure them with a toothpick. Set each back atop the wire rack (you should be able to fit everything on 1 baking sheet now).
• Second Bake: Transfer the baking sheet back to the oven and bake until the bacon is mostly crisped up, about 5-8 minutes.
• Prepare Sauce: While the chestnuts are baking, stir together the ketchup, brown sugar, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce in a small bowl. Optionally, you can heat this mixture in a saucepan on the stovetop for a few minutes to meld flavors together.

• Brush on Sauce: Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Then, using a pastry brush, generously brush sauce over each bacon-wrapped water chestnut. Don’t discard the extra sauce.
• Final Bake with One Rotation and Sauce Application: Return the baking sheet to the oven and continue baking for 5 minutes before flipping each water chestnut over, brushing any remaining sauce on the other side, and cooking for 5 more minutes, until the bacon is crisp and the sauce is sticky. Watch carefully toward the end to ensure the bacon doesn’t burn.
• Cool and Serve: Remove from the oven and allow a few minutes for cooling before serving.

👉 Ingredient substitution suggestions

• Water Chestnuts: If you don’t have water chestnuts, use pearl onions or pineapple chunks.
• Ketchup: Use tomato sauce or barbecue sauce.
• Brown Sugar: White sugar will work.
• Soy Sauce: Tamari sauce or coconut aminos can be used.
• Worcestershire Sauce: Use more soy sauce or sub in balsamic vinegar for a similar umami flavor.

✨ Variations

• Use pepper bacon instead of regular bacon.
• Add some ground cayenne pepper or hot sauce to the sauce for some heat.
• Sprinkle in smoked paprika, garlic powder, and/or onion powder into the sauce.
• Experiment with alternative sauces, like sweet and sour sauce, honey mustard, BBQ sauce, teriyaki sauce, or sriracha mayo.

〰️ How to serve

• Appetizer Platter: Serve with halloumi fries, stuffed mushrooms, cold shrimp and cucumber appetizer, mini meatballs, bruschetta, and/or spring rolls.

💬 FAQs

📚 More appetizer recipes

• Bacon Wrapped Mini Peppers
• Cold Shrimp and Cucumber Appetizer
• Sausage Balls with Cream Cheese
• Halloumi Fries
• Baked Tomatoes with Parmesan and Mozzarella Cheese
• Cucumber Tomato Bites