Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts are such a delicious holiday appetizer. They are easy to make ahead of time, and even easier to eat.
With holiday get togethers on the horizon, I’m thinking about all of the party food. If you love making Christmas appetizers for those holiday parties like me, these Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts are perfect!
I tweaked this recipe several times until it was just perfect. I want my recipes to not only taste amazing, but be easy for you to make. After all my testing, the end result was a classic appetizer I could eat endlessly. Delicious flavors, the perfect amount of sweetness, and crisp bacon all around a crunchy water chestnut will make you fall in love too. I’ve now added a video to this post, so you can see exactly how this easy appetizer comes together.
My whole family raved about these and ask that I add them to my ”always make for Christmas Eve” appetisers!
How to Make Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts
This is a brief overview so you can see just how easy this appetizer recipe is. For the full recipe with all of the measurements, see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Soak some toothpicks. It is easy for the toothpicks to get charred in this recipe. One thing that helps is if they soak in water for 30 minutes before going in the oven. You will notice they still get dark, but this is much less than if they weren’t soaked.
- Make the sauce. Whisk together the ketchup, brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and minced ginger.
- Soak the water chestnuts. Add the drained water chestnuts to the sauce and soak for 30 minutes.
- Wrap the water chestnuts. Cut the pound of bacon into thirds. In other words, one slice of bacon, cut into thirds, is enough to make three bacon wrapped water chestnuts. (Do not discard the remaining sauce.)
- Bake them. Place a wire cooling rack on a parchment paper rimmed baking sheet. Spray it with cooking spray. Add the wrapped water chestnuts and bake for 30 minutes.
- Add more sauce. Remove them from the oven and dip them in the remaining sauce, then place them back on the wire rack. Bake for an additional 10 minutes.
What is a Water Chestnut
Believe it or not, before developing this recipe, I didn’t really know where a water chestnut came from. Though, I love them and have been using them in everything from my Chicken Lo Mein to my Spinach Dip Recipe for years, I didn’t know their origin.
Water Chestnuts are aquatic vegetables grown in marshes, streams, and even mud. They grow under water with greens coming up above the surface, can be eaten raw, and are often used in Chinese dishes. They have a mild flavor, but add a great subtly and crunch to recipes.
Making Ahead
If you want to prepare this recipe ahead of time, make it up to the point of putting them in the oven. They can be made up to 24 hours in advance.
Place the prepared water chestnuts in an air tight container (fully wrapped and speared with a toothpick) and store the sauce in a separate air tight container. Put both containers in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake and serve.
Storing Left Overs
Place cooled leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. These are actually really good cold. So I wouldn’t necessarily recommend reheating them. If you reheat them, keep in mind that the bacon won’t be as crisp.
FAQ
This makes about 30 pieces (depending on how many chestnuts come in the can you buy). It is very easy to double though, just keep in mind that you will want to recruit help wrapping them.
This recipe is not gluten free because of the soy sauce. That being said, you could replace the soy sauce with coconut aminos and liquid aminos and then it would be gluten free.
Yes! Please see my instructions above for making these up to 24 hours in advance.
Other Christmas Appetizers
If you are making a whole smorgasbord of holiday appetizers, here are some of my other favorites:
If you make this bacon wrapped water chestnut recipe, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think!
Easy Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts
Ingredients
- 16 ounces whole water chestnuts well drained
- 1 pound bacon cut into thirds
- 2/3 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1/2 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, ketchup, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and Worcestershire sauce until smooth. (Read here for instructions on how to make these in advance.)2/3 cup ketchup, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 garlic clove, 1/2 tablespoon minced ginger, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- Pour the sauce mixture over the drained water chestnuts. Let soak for 30 minutes.16 ounces whole water chestnuts
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place a wire rack over it. Spray it with cooking spray.
- Wrap the water chestnuts in the bacon strips, and skewer with a soaked toothpick. (Do not discard the remaining sauce.) Place the water chestnuts on the wire rack. Bake for 30 minutes.1 pound bacon
- Remove them from the oven, and brush with the remaining sauce. Bake for 10 more minutes.
Equipment
- toothpicks soaked in water
Jan Wheat says
I have made these bacon wrapped water chestnuts for about 50 years. They are a favorite of mine !!
Deanna says
Is it ok to cook then cool the sauce before the half he of soaking…
The sauce doesn’t actually need to be cooked :)
Alexa says
Hi! I’m looking forward to trying this recipe for our NYE party! I wanted to ask, would it be okay to use a ginger stir-in paste instead of minced ginger? I’m having trouble finding minced ginger at my local store. I do have ground ginger as well. Any thoughts or tips? Thank you!
Are you talking about the tube of ginger they sell in the refrigerator section of the grocery store? Yes! That is exactly what I use.
Barb dorolek says
Omg! The best and so easy next party I’ll make triple batch I only got one!!!!!
I’m so glad to hear that you liked it!
Emily says
They taste great! Any thoughts on reheating them? I made them a little too early.
I’m sure I’m late to this reply, but my preference is eating them cold rather than reheating. This is the note from the post: These are actually really good cold. So I wouldn’t necessarily recommend reheating them. If you reheat them, keep in mind that the bacon won’t be as crisp.
Marcia says
I’ve been making these forever on holidays. All of my guests absolutely love them. There is never any leftover! My recipe is same as yours. Thanks
Deborah Jane says
My whole family raved about these and ask that I add them to my”always make for Christmas Eve” appetisers!
This makes my day. Thank you, Deborah!