Remember this fantastic appetizer from the 70's? Rumaki are made of water chestnuts that have been wrapped in bacon, then baked and coated with a sweet-spicy glaze. They're easy to make and always fly off the plate!
Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts were big back in the day. My mom made these countless times and even back then I was eating them by the dozen. They're addictive: crunchy water chestnut meets crispy bacon and a sweet, sticky sauce.
Any appetizer wrapped in bacon always gets my vote. Since these have a good bit of crunch to them, I like to pair them with something smooth and creamy (hot crab and artichoke dip or a smoked queso dip are both good choices).
The rumaki sauce is made with just ketchup and brown sugar with a few dashes of Worcestershire. Don't skip the Worcestershire, it adds that extra little something. I like to add a few dashes of Sriracha for some spice, too. You can never go wrong with a sweet & spicy combination.
Don't let the fact that these Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts are vintage scare you off. They make a great party appetizer and are perfect football food, but be sure to double or triple the recipe if you have guests over (they really do disappear quickly)!
Ingredients
- Whole water chestnuts: They come in cans at most grocery stores, and can usually be found in the canned vegetable aisle.
- Bacon: Don't use thick-sliced bacon for this recipe as it will take too long to crisp up.
- Ketchup: Any brand will work, so just use your favorite.
- Light brown sugar: The sugar will help the sauce to caramelize and get that sticky glaze.
- Worcestershire sauce: All you need are a few dashes, but it adds a lot of flavor to the sauce, so don't skip it!
- Sriracha or other hot sauce: Add more of this if you like a little spice. The spicy-sweet combination is so good!
- Toothpicks: These need to be soaked in water for 30-60 minutes before assembling. I often forget to plan ahead and have made them many times without the soak. The toothpicks turn black but are otherwise fine and still hold together, so don't stress too much about this step if you're short on time.
Instructions
- Set your oven to 375°F so it can preheat while you're getting the rumaki ready.
- Place a wire rack over a sheet pan and set it aside. The wire rack is important for the bacon to get crispy on all sides. You can also line the pan with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
- Grab a small mixing bowl and add the ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce and Sriracha. Mix it until it's completely combined, then set it aside.
- Slice your bacon into thirds crosswise. Wrap one piece of bacon around a water chestnut and secure it with a toothpick (watch the video above to see this in action). Place each wrapped water chestnut onto the wire rack, and repeat this until bacon and water chestnuts are gone. (You might have a few tiny strips of bacon left, so when that happens, I usually just squeeze them onto the rack for a little extra treat.)
- Bake the rumaki in your preheated oven until the bacon is starting to get crispy (around 30 minutes or so). Remove them from oven and, using a basting brush, dab the sauce all over each one.
- Return them to oven and continue cooking them until bacon is crisp and sauce is sticky and thick, another 10-15 minutes.
- Serve them immediately, although they'll still taste great at room temperature. They'll go quickly!
Additional Notes
- Rumaki are traditionally wrapped with both water chestnuts and a little chicken liver. It's delicious this way, so feel free to add some if you like. Just halve the water chestnuts so the bacon can still wrap around them easily.
- Try soaking the water chestnuts in soy sauce for 15-30 minutes before wrapping them with the bacon.
- Make sure to use all of the sauce by basting the Rumaki really well on all sides.
- If you're serving these to a crowd, consider doubling or tripling the batch. Assemble them so they're ready for the oven, and when one batch is done, pop the next one in the oven. This way you'll have a new batch coming out every 45 minutes.
- You can assemble bacon wrapped water chestnuts a day in advance. Keep them covered in the fridge and add an extra 5 minutes to the first bake since they'll be cold going in.
- To get extra-crispy bacon: Use a slightly higher oven rack position or switch to convection for the final 5-10 minutes. Keep a close eye on them so the glaze doesn't burn.
- If the glaze looks a little loose after mixing, let it sit for 10-15 minutes. The brown sugar dissolves and thickens slightly, which helps it cling better.
- The fat will drip as the bacon cooks. If the sheet pan starts getting smoky (older ovens do this), slide it out, carefully wipe the pan beneath the rack, and return it to the oven.
- You can bake them straight on parchment paper without the rack, but the bottoms won't get crispy. If you don't have a rack, flip them once halfway through.
- If your water chestnuts are really large, you can cut them in half so the bacon fits better.
- Don't use colored toothpicks! The color can bleed and doesn't look appetizing.
- If you're transporting these, bake them completely at home, then just warm them on a foil-lined sheet at 350°F for 10 minutes once you arrive.
- Leftovers (rare, but it happens): Store the leftovers in the fridge and reheat them in an air fryer for a few minutes.
Related Recipes
Looking for more appetizer ideas? Try these:
Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts (Rumaki)
Yield:
8 servings
Prep Time:
10 minutes
Cook Time:
45 minutes
Total Time:
55 minutes
This beloved snack from the 70's is as good today as it was then!
Ingredients
- 2 8-ounce cans whole water chestnuts, drained and rinsed
- 1 pound bacon (not thick-sliced)
- ½ cup ketchup
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2-3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
- 2-3 dashes Sriracha or other hot sauce, or to taste (optional)
- toothpicks, soaked in water for 30 minutes before using
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Place a wire rack over a sheet pan and set aside. (You can also line the pan with parchment paper for easy cleanup).
- Mix together the ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce and Sriracha in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Slice bacon into thirds crosswise. Wrap one piece of bacon around a water chestnut and secure with a toothpick. Place each wrapped water chestnut onto the wire rack. Repeat until bacon and water chestnuts are gone.
- Bake in preheated oven until bacon is starting to crisp (around 30 minutes or so). Remove from oven and, using a basting brush, dab sauce all over each appetizer. Return to oven and continue cooking until bacon is crisp and sauce is sticky and thick, another 10-15 minutes.
- Serve immediately. They'll go quickly!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 358Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 7gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 56mgSodium: 1112mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 1gSugar: 20gProtein: 20g
This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix.
Kristy Bernardo is a chef, recipe developer, and five-time cookbook author. A former personal chef and cooking instructor, she loves creating easy, delicious recipes to share!
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CF says
These were my mom's specialty for cocktail parties in the 1970s. She did not make a separate sauce, she soaked the whole water chestnuts in soy sauce, then rolled then in sugar and then wrapped them in bacon. Sweat and savory. Yummy.
Kristy Bernardo says
Her version sounds delicious! There's nothing like Mom's cooking. Thank you for sharing, I may give it a try! - Kristy
Shea says
Why can’t you use thick cut bacon?
Kristy Bernardo says
It takes too long to cook and get crispy.
Lo says
Real rumaki are made with chicken livers and water chestnuts wrapped in bacon. Otherwise…it’s just a water chestnut appetizer.
Kristy Bernardo says
omgosh, that sounds delicious. This is the way my mom has always made them but I'll definitely try adding chicken livers (I love them)!
Mary Waldera says
You mean whole water chestnuts, not sliced. Great recipe!!
Laura says
I put a little canola oil in med sauce pan and deep fry, perfect every time.
Candice says
Thank you for commenting. I want to deep fry, too, but every recipe so far talks about baking at a high temp in the oven.
Cindy says
I would never use sliced water chestnuts. Only whole.
Chuck says
@Cindy,
You do you Cindy
Danny says
Growing up in the 70's, my mom always made these for parties and I was crazy about them. I remember she had this electric serving tray that would heat up to keep them warm. I'll have to ask if she still has that! Anyway I love making these every now and then. And nowadays it's a first for a lot of people.
Ruth says
I have made these for family holidays 25 years now. I do it slightly different.
I pre bake the bacon wrapped water chestnuts on a baking rack over a baking sheet for about 1/2 hour at same temp shown. I then either dip in the sauce mixture immediately and bake as stated or cool the wrapped water chestnuts and dip them the day I need them. Usually next day so they are fresh when I need them.
I’ve never put a hot sauce in the sauce before. I tried it this morning, I’m interested in seeing the impact to the sauce which I think is delicious already!
Lori Putnam says
These are always very good. I like them saucy, so I baked for 30 min, then tossed in bowl of sauce to really coat, then baked until they were a satisfying level of sticky gooey. Yum!
Sara says
Is it 1/2 CUP of brown sugar or a different measurement?
Kristy Bernardo says
I'm so sorry, I didn't realize there was a typo in the recipe. Yes, it's 1/2 cup and I'll update the recipe now. Thank you so much for bringing it to my attention.
Sheila says
How many does this recipe for Rumakie make.. have 10 people coming for appetizers
Kristy says
Hi Sheila,
You can make as many as you like! One can will make about 20 so just adjust as you like.
amanda @ fake ginger says
I've always wanted to make these! I'm totally going for it next time we have a party. They look delicious!
Kristy Bernardo says
You'll love them, Amanda!! Definitely double them for a party - they go quick.
Meeta says
You had me at bacon!
Kristy Bernardo says
EVERYTHING is better with bacon! 🙂 Thanks, Meeta!
Marjory @ Dinner-Mom says
These look so goood! I'm sure I would have turned my nose up at them in the '70s...but now, I would be totally sneaking them into my tummy!
Kristy Bernardo says
Thanks, Marjory!