Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts
These Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts are a delicious one-bite appetizer that’s always a hit at parties. Each bite is crunchy, savory, salty, and meaty! You only need 4 ingredients and 35 minutes to make these.
This recipe is proof that some of the simplest things are also the most delicious. Only 4 ingredients are involved here, but there are so many different flavors and textures going on. The crunch of the water chestnuts is so unique!
What’s funny about this recipe is that I ate probably a thousand of these growing up, but I had no idea that they have a special name.
Many people refer to Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts as “Rumaki,” though there’s quite a bit of variation in how people prepare it. The version I’m sharing today is how my mom made them when I was a kid. Bacon water chestnuts were one of her party staples, and people always raved. And I always wanted to eat the entire tray before the guests arrived.
What’s nice about these is you can assemble them in advance and store them in the fridge, then pop them into the oven before you want to serve. I love make-ahead appetizers!
Tips for Best Results
Use a thinner bacon – I don’t recommend using a thick cut bacon here, as it won’t wrap as easily and will also take much longer to cook through. Opt for thinner sliced bacon strips here. The center cut bacon works great.
Get the largest whole water chestnuts possible – The bigger water chestnuts you can find here, the better. A lot of times they come in cans already sliced, so make sure to look for whole pieces. Look for words like “jumbo” or “fancy” on the can.
Use grainy mustard – What I like about grainy mustard is it’s actually milder than your typical mustard spread, and you get pleasing pops of texture from the seeds. I highly recommend selecting this type of mustard for the recipe so it doesn’t overpower the overall flavor.
Step by Step Overview:
The first thing we need to do is start by mixing together brown sugar and a high quality, grainy Dijon mustard:
If you’re using a good quality mustard here, the flavor should be excellent. But if you wish, you may add 1 tsp of worcestershire sauce here for extra savory flavor.
Cut each piece of bacon in half, then spread lightly with the brown sugar and mustard mixture:
That bit of sweetness pairs perfectly with the savory bacon!
Now it’s time to assemble everything together.
If you’re using a can of water chestnuts, then simply drain and rinse them, and gently pat dry with a paper towel or tea towel.
Can you use fresh water chestnuts?
It is generally very difficult to find the fresh version in most grocery stores, and I personally have never come across them. But if you do, feel free to use them for this recipe. You will need to peel them, but otherwise the cook time will be the same.
Wrap each half bacon slice around individual water chestnuts, and secure with a wooden toothpick.
If you haven’t worked with this ingredient before, it will take a little “ummph” to push the toothpick through each crunchy water chestnut. They have a firm texture similar to jicama.
Also, while it’s not required, I specify below in the recipe box that I recommend soaking the toothpicks for a few minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Dry toothpicks won’t catch on fire in the oven at this temperature, but I think it looks better when the toothpicks aren’t darkened and scorched.
Make-ahead Option
At this point, you can either bake the rumaki right away, or if you want to make them ahead of time as a party appetizer, you can store the tray in the fridge for several hours.
Bake the bacon-wrapped water chestnuts for 20 minutes in a preheated oven at 375 degrees F, until the bacon has cooked through and crisped up slightly on the edges, and the brown sugar has caramelized. The inside will retain its crunchy texture.
I personally do not line my rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil, though you may if you wish to contain the bacon grease a little better.
If you have chilled the rumaki in the fridge because you were making them ahead, you will likely need to add an additional 5-10 minutes of oven time, since they are not starting from room temperature.
How to Serve
These are best served about 5 minutes after taking them out of the oven, while they’re still warm, but the bacon isn’t so hot that it will burn your mouth. This is the perfect time for enjoying the saltiness of the bacon with the sweet brown sugar and tangy mustard.
There’s no need to transfer these to a cooling rack. Simply serve on the baking tray or on a platter.
Because this is party food, this is the perfect appetizer to pair with other finger foods like Potato Croquettes, Bacon Wrapped Dates, and Puff Pastry Cheese Straws. I also really love these for New Year’s Eve!
Recipe Tips and FAQ
Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Reheat in a 300F oven for about 10-12 minutes, until the bacon is crispy and hot.
Yes, keep in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. I recommend thawing in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Feel free to double, triple, or quadruple the recipe as you desire. This is always a popular appetizer that won’t last long at holiday parties, so a big batch is often a great idea. Just make sure to roast in a single layer, and use multiple pans as needed.
After roasting in the oven, you may keep these warm in a slow cooker as needed. However, you’ll lose a bit of the crispy bacon texture. They’re still good though!
For more tasty appetizers, try this Antipasto Platter, Coconut Shrimp with Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce, or Stuffed Cherry Peppers. Or if you have extra bacon slices, try Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos.
Did you enjoy the recipe? Please leave a 5-star rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. Or, follow me on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest!
Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp whole grain dijon mustard
- 10 strips bacon
- 8 oz can whole water chestnuts drained and rinsed*
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Soak some toothpicks in water as you prepare the other ingredients so they don’t burn in the oven.
- Mix together the brown sugar and mustard until combined. Set aside.
- Cut the bacon strips in half (right in the middle), and spread evenly with the brown sugar and mustard. It’s okay if it’s a little messy.
- Wrap each water chestnut with a half bacon strip and roll it up, securing the bacon with a toothpick.
- Place all of the bacon wrapped water chestnuts onto a baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes, until the bacon has cooked through and the brown sugar has caramelized. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
38 Comments on “Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts”
My mom is famous for her bacon wrapped water chestnutS. They always make me think of her!
These are one of my fav appetizers, so addicting!
My mother made them, too! The late 60s and early 70s had these goin’ ON! I’m glad you brought them back….while they can be a wee bit labor intensive, it’s nice to have an appetizer that doesn’t include a cracker or chip for those who don’t indulge!
This is SUCH a good appetizer! I love water chestnuts; and who doesn’t love bacon? I don’t think I’ve had it with mustard before. I love the look of whole grain mustard. Maybe I’ll have a party just so I can make some appetizers. Ha! Your pictures are always so pretty.
My mom makes a version that is cooked in bbq sauce that I adore. But I’m definitely going to have to try this version – I’m a mustard addict!!
These are so good. Fresh, simple food, well prepared wins the day over frilly overdone dishes for me.
Joanne, thanks so much for reminding me of these, we get so tied up with fancy we forget the simple, I making these this week-end, some with waterchestnuts and some with dried apricots. Nummm!
I know what you mean, Dianne. I think that’s true for life in general! The dried apricots idea sounds great, love that!
I feel silly….everyone here’s talking about how much they love rumaki…and I’d never heard of it before this. It sounds a bit strange: water chestnuts and bacon? But I’ll take your word for it. 😉
I will bring these with me to Fiesta island on Memorial Day. Thank you for the recipe!
Quite simply this sounds amazing! I want to be sitting at your table 🙂
You’re always invited =)
I love Rumaki but haven’t had it in years. Yes it is so ad ducting and wonderful. My version if I remember is different from your but this sounds dynamite. I will give it a try.
My mom used to make these all the time! She made a sauce of soy sauce and ketchup (i think) to go with them. Thanks for reminding me!
Oh yes, I have seen that version. I haven’t tried the soy sauce ketchup version. I’m a sucker for the brown sugar and mustard lol.
Looks fabulous!
Thanks Nessa! They are fantastic little party bites.
We’re living in Panama where water chestnuts are a tad difficult to find, but I found a recipe for which we can get local ingredients easily: a box of dates (remove the pits) and place an almond inside, then wrap with bacon and bake. It’s become a requested favorite when we’re attending parties. Just another option. Found your website yesterday and absolutely love it. It kept me up until the wee hours of the morning drooling over the many scrumptious recipes in your repertoire. Love it and thank you!
Hi Patti, I LOVE bacon wrapped dates. Oh my goodness. They’re so good! And happy you are enjoying Fifteen Spatulas so far =)
It is only 8:00 in the morning and I think I’m drooling already! I always thought that rumaki was bacon wrapped chicken livers? Or maybe rumaki is generic for something small and yummy wrapped in bacon? I do have one question though, Joanne. You indicated that you press the mustard onto one side of the bacon and press brown sugar onto the other side but the photo doesn’t look like there’s anything on the outside of the bacon. Have I misunderstood?
Yes, I believe it is traditionally made with liver but I didn’t grow up eating that version. Livers scare me a little LOL. And yes, there is brown sugar there. It dissolved a bit, but it is there =) Mustard on one side and brown sugar on the other.
The most ‘international’ Rumakis I know, and probably the best known, are made with either a prune or a chicken liver (soaked or not in port wine) wrapped in bacon and cooked exactly the same way.
Hi Pablo, thank you for sharing that. I did see that it is traditional to include some kind of liver. Maybe if I work up some courage I will try that lol.
Yep… Pablo has my recipe: Water Chestnuts & chicken liver, wrapped in bacon and liberally sprinkled with soy sauce & brown sugar. Baked at 350° for 30 minutes and then broiled until the bacon is done.*
*Or, the smoke alarm goes off, whichever comes first! 😉
FYI: This is one dish that my sister LOVES!!