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

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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

Do you rinse canned 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.

Is water chestnut good for kidney patients? ›

People suffering from kidney disease often opt for kidney treatment in India. However, consuming water chestnuts can improve your kidney health naturally. It eliminates toxins from your body. Including water chestnuts in your diet can help your body's detoxification processes naturally.

Are water chestnuts good for diabetics? ›

Water chestnuts belong to the non-starchy, low-calorie vegetable group and are ideal for people who have diabetes' diets, according to the American Diabetes Association. Try adding them to salads, soups, wraps or even pizza and take advantage of the health benefits of water chestnuts.

Are canned water chestnuts healthy? ›

Water chestnuts are high in fiber, low in calories, and contain no fat. They also contain several vitamins and healthy antioxidants. Water chestnuts are an excellent source of: Vitamin B6.

How long should you cook water chestnuts? ›

In general, stir-frying water chestnuts requires around 3-5 minutes, boiling them in soups or stews may take about 10-15 minutes, and baking or roasting them can take anywhere from 15-25 minutes.

What are the benefits of eating water chestnuts? ›

Water chestnuts contain antioxidants such as fisetin, diosmetin, luteolin, and tectorigenin that aid in cell repair and reduction of inflammation. These antioxidants are mainly present in the peels of water chestnuts and protect the body from several diseases.

Can you eat water chestnuts straight from the can? ›

Canned water chestnuts are ready to eat. I recommend draining them and soaking them in water for about 15 minutes before using them though. Doing so helps to draw out the flavor of the brine they add to the can. You don't need to cook chestnuts, but like many foods they taste better heated to most people.

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.

What are the disadvantages of water chestnut? ›

Because of its high fibre content, overeating water chestnuts might give you stomach problems. A sudden increase in dietary fibre may cause stomach pain and gas. Therefore, stick to moderate amounts and avoid overeating.

Who should not eat chestnuts? ›

Raw chestnuts are safe to eat for most people. However, they do contain tannic acid, which means they could cause stomach irritation, nausea, or liver damage if you have liver disease or experience a lot of kidney problems.

What are the side effects of chestnuts? ›

The nut is also LIKELY SAFE when consumed in the amounts found in food. It is not known if American chestnut leaf, nut, or bark are safe in the larger amounts typically used as medicine. American chestnut might cause some side effects such as stomach and intestinal problems, kidney and liver damage.

Is a water chestnut a nut or vegetable? ›

Despite being called chestnuts, water chestnuts are not nuts at all. They are aquatic tuber vegetables that grow in marshes, ponds, paddy fields and shallow lakes (1). Water chestnuts are native to Southeast Asia, Southern China, Taiwan, Australia, Africa and many islands in the Indian and Pacific oceans.

Can dogs eat water chestnuts? ›

Water chestnuts are safe for dogs to eat in small quantities, but you should remove the skin before offering the food to your pet. Also, avoid canned varieties with added salt and preservatives harmful to dogs.

How many chestnuts should you eat a day? ›

Just 10 roasted chestnuts include 17% of what you need for the day — a major plus considering most of us don't get nearly enough. Americans eat on average about 16 grams of fiber per day, half of the recommended amount of 25 to 30 grams.

Why do they call them water chestnuts? ›

The name "water chestnut" comes from the fact that it resembles a chestnut in shape and coloring (it has papery brown skin over white flesh), but the water chestnut is actually not a nut at all—it is an aquatic tuber (rootlike part of a plant) that grows in freshwater marshes.

Do canned water chestnuts really 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.

Can you buy fresh water chestnuts? ›

Rather than searching grocery stores or Asian markets for fresh water chestnuts, home chefs can easily and quickly find them online via Instacart. You can be guaranteed a wide selection of fresh produce, quickly and easily, without even leaving your home.

How long do water chestnuts last in the fridge? ›

"Unpeeled, with the remnants of mud still on their skins, they will keep in a brown paper bag in the refrigerator for seven to 10 days," she writes. When rinsed and peeled, they'll keep for an additional two to three days in a covered container, she adds.

Can you freeze water chestnuts? ›

Bacon-wrapped water chestnuts are freezer-friendly. Bake them to completion, let them cool to room temperature, then freeze them on a baking sheet until solid. Transfer the frozen bites to an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to three months.

Can I microwave canned water chestnuts? ›

There are a variety of options for cooking with water chestnuts, from broiling to roasting and even microwaving them.

What is the biggest problem with water chestnuts? ›

Additionally, water chestnuts can reduce native bay grasses from areas in which dense beds grow, create breeding grounds for mosquitoes, and provide poor habitat for native fish and birds.

What vegetables don't count as your 5 a day? ›

Other vegetables that don't count towards your 5 A Day are yams, cassava and plantain.

What do you eat with water chestnuts? ›

37 Tasty Water Chestnut Recipes
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Apr 1, 2019

How do you cook water chestnuts from a tin? ›

Opened canned water chestnuts should be stored in water and used within 3-4 days. To cook: Stir fry fresh sliced water chestnuts for 5 minutes and sliced canned water chestnuts for 2 minutes. If the chestnuts are cooked for any longer they will not retain their crunchy texture.

Do chestnuts need to be washed before cooking? ›

I score the chestnut peels first and soak the chestnuts in water before roasting. The residual water left in the drained chestnuts creates steam in the hot pan, keeping the chestnuts from drying out and making them easier to peel.

How do you wash water chestnuts? ›

Since water chestnuts grow primarily in mud and soiled environments, I will be sure to thoroughly rinse them in cool water before usage, even before peeling. Peel with a knife or peeler. You can also cut out the darker middle core as it is a harder part of the root.

Do I drain water chestnuts? ›

They are packed in water which needs to get drained off before adding them to a recipe.

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