Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts Recipe (2024)

4.44 from 118 votes

ByStacie VaughanOn Updated

23 Comments

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I guarantee you if you make these Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts, they will not last long. I almost ate this entire batch myself. It’s the type of recipe where you cannot just have one. I eat one and I’m in for it. I have to eat them ALL!

Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts Recipe (1)

Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts

My mom calls this recipe, Rumaki, but I simply refer to it as Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts. Either name works. She used to make this recipe anytime she was hosting a party at our house. I used to bug her to make them “just because” and sometimes she would.

I’m not even a fan of water chestnuts. I dislike them in stir-fries. In bacon, though? Pure magic. I will eat just about anything if its wrapped in bacon.

Ingredients

  • Bacon
  • Water chestnuts
  • Brown sugar
  • Worcestershire sauce
  • Soy sauce
  • Ketchup
  • Garlic powder
Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts Recipe (2)

How to Make Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts

  • Step One: Preheat oven to 375F. Cut bacon in half. Wrap each slice of bacon around water chestnut and secure with a toothpick. Place in a 9×13 inch baking pan.
Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts Recipe (3)
  • Step Two: Bake for 10 minutes. Drain grease from pan.
Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts Recipe (4)
  • Step Three: While bacon is baking, stir together brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, ketchup and garlic powder.
  • Step Four: Pour sauce over partially cooked bacon. Put back in the oven and bake for an additional 30 minutes. Serve hot.
Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts Recipe (5)

My cousin, Allison, remembers this delicious appetizer, too. I called her over and told her I was making a few batches. She drove straight over and took a plate home. I don’t think she shared with her husband and two boys. I don’t blame her!

Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts Recipe (6)

I remember making this recipe before and I only needed one package of bacon. They made the bacon packages so much smaller now so it takes about two packages to make this recipe. I wish they would stop shrinking all the packages, but that is a whole other blog post.

I also used two 227g cans of whole water chestnuts to make this recipe. I found water chestnuts with the soy sauce in the grocery store.

Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts Recipe (7)

The first thing you need to do is cut the bacon strips in half so it’s two shorter pieces. Wrap each bacon slice around one water chestnut and secure with a toothpick. I recommend using plain wooden toothpicks versus the coloured variety. The coloured toothpicks may leave stains from the dye.

Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts Recipe (8)

Bake the bacon wraps in the oven for 10 minutes in a 9×13 pan. While the bacon is baking, stir together the sauce. It’s made with brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, ketchup and garlic powder. Sweet and savoury!

After the bacon has baked for 10 minutes, drain off the grease that has accumulated in the pan. I poured the grease into an empty water chestnuts can and let it harden before I threw it out.

Pour the sauce over top of the bacon and put back in the oven for another 30 minutes.

Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts Recipe (9)

My cousin asked if my oven started to smoke when I made this recipe. It didn’t, but maybe that is because I poured off the grease? I think had I left it, the wraps would be swimming in greasy sauce.

Helpful Kitchen Tools

This post contains affiliate links.

Make this recipe for your next party and impress everyone! They are a classic appetizer that is easy to make and well-loved.

Try these Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites.

Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts Recipe (10)

Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts Recipe (11)

Rate this Recipe

4.44 from 118 votes

Bacon-Wrapped Water Chestnuts

Created by Stacie Vaughan

Servings 8

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Everyone goes NUTS over this easy appetizer. Whole water chestnuts are wrapped in bacon and marinated in a sweet/savory sauce.

Rate this Recipe

Ingredients

  • 2 packages bacon 16oz/375g packages
  • 2 cans whole water chestnuts 8oz/227g cans, drained
  • 1 cup brown sugar dark or light
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 cup soy sauce
  • 1 cup ketchup
  • ½ tsp garlic powder

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375°F.

  • Cut bacon in half. Wrap each slice of bacon around water chestnut and secure with a toothpick. Place in a 9×13 inch baking pan.

  • Bake for 10 minutes. Drain grease from pan.

  • While bacon is baking, stir together brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, ketchup and garlic powder.

  • Pour sauce over partially cooked bacon. Put back in the oven and bake for an additional 30 minutes. Serve hot.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 5g | Calories: 628kcal | Carbohydrates: 41.3g | Protein: 16.9g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 14.7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 26.5g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 72.9mg | Sodium: 1941mg | Fiber: 1.5g | Sugar: 30.1g

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Course Appetizers

Cuisine American

Keyword bacon wrapped water chestnuts

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Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to prepare water chestnuts from the can? ›

Prepping Water Chestnuts

Canned water chestnuts should be rinsed under cool, running water. To remove the "tinny" taste, soak the rinsed water chestnuts in fresh water with 1 teaspoon of baking soda for 10 minutes before slicing or chopping for various recipes.

How many whole water chestnuts are in an 8 oz can? ›

You'll begin with a can of whole water chestnuts, each can has 16 water chestnuts.

How long should you cook water chestnuts? ›

Bake for 15-20 minutes until they turn golden brown and crispy. Grilling: If you're firing up the grill, toss the water chestnuts in a bit of oil and place them in a grilling basket. Grill over medium heat for approximately 10 minutes, flipping them once halfway through cooking.

What are the ingredients in water chestnuts? ›

Water chestnuts are very nutritious and contain high amounts of fiber, potassium, manganese, copper, vitamin B6 and riboflavin. Most of their calories come from carbs.

Do I have to cook canned water chestnuts? ›

How to Prepare Water Chestnuts. You can eat water chestnuts raw, boiled, grilled, pickled, or from a can. The corms are unique because they remain crisp even after being cooked or canned, due to their ferulic acid content. Water chestnuts are popular in Chinese cooking.

What is the biggest problem with water chestnuts? ›

Human Impacts
  • Property values along shorelines of infested waters may decrease.
  • Dense mats of water chestnuts can be difficult to get through in a boat, kayak, canoe, or when swimming.
  • Water chestnut's sharp fruits can cause painful wounds when stepped on.

How healthy are water chestnuts? ›

Water chestnuts are rich in antioxidants, especially ferulic acid, gallocatechin gallate, epicatechin gallate, and catechin gallate that protect the body against harmful free radicals. Although most of the antioxidants are present in the peel, the flesh contains a good number of antioxidants.

Why are water chestnuts so expensive? ›

Water chestnuts must be hand-harvested and processed; therefore, they are somewhat expensive. However, since a little goes a long way, water chestnuts are not too dear to be used often.

How do you know when chestnuts are fully cooked? ›

The short answer to this is 15-20 minutes at 400°F! The beauty of chestnuts is you don't need to prepare them or toss them in anything before baking. Just look for the shells to pop open and expand, that means the chestnuts are soft and ready for eating!

Can you eat water chestnuts raw? ›

Water chestnuts, often mistaken for nuts, are aquatic vegetables. They're safe to eat raw or cooked, and you'll find them in dishes worldwide. Canned versions are also low-risk but give them a rinse for good measure.

Do water chestnuts raise blood sugar? ›

The fiber in chestnuts can also help balance your blood sugar. Eating high fiber foods ensures your body slowly absorbs starches. This helps avoid spikes in blood sugar, which can be dangerous for people with diabetes. Plus, chestnuts have a low glycemic index value of 54.

Can diabetics eat water chestnuts? ›

Water Chestnut Is Good For Diabetes

Water chestnuts are the most healthy food item that you can add to your diabetes reversal diet plan. The low glycemic index of water chestnut and high fiber content can help you manage diabetes. They do not produce sudden rises in blood sugar levels.

Are water chestnuts anti inflammatory? ›

Fights Inflammation: Water chestnuts contain antioxidants including fisetin, diosmetin, luteolin, and tectorigenin, which can help repair damaged cells and reduce inflammation.

Why do I add the water chestnuts to the dish? ›

Water chestnuts are a popular addition to vegetable stir fry recipes. Unlike other vegetables that soften as you cook them, water chestnuts maintain their crisp texture. They give any dish a pop of juicy, fresh flavor!

What do canned water chestnuts taste like? ›

Cooked water chestnuts have notes of nutty flavor, which may not be distinguishable when cooked with other ingredients. Basically, raw is sweeter than cooked or canned water chestnuts. The taste of fresh water chestnut can also be described as a combination of apple and coconut.

Do water chestnuts in a can go bad? ›

Yes, the quality may have decreased but water chestnuts with a date of 11/15 are almost definitely still perfectly good. (Various tests have shown that canned food decades, or even a century, old are still perfectly edible.) If it's gone bad, it will smell bad when you open it.

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