The great Aaliyah Haughton once said, “and if at first you don’t succeed, then dust yourself off and try again…” I sure am glad I decided to try again with these Fried Oyster Mushrooms!
I tested them out a while back and didn’t have the best of luck. The mushrooms were sliding right out of the breading and they just didn’t taste quite right.
Well, the super bowl is coming up and I couldn’t leave y’all hanging without a new appetizer to serve up for the big day!
I’ve finally perfected the recipe to show you how to cook oyster mushrooms and if you’re looking for a crispy vegan fried chicken substitute, this one’s it! The perfect comfort food you’ve been craving!
Recipe Ingredients:
- Fresh Oyster Mushrooms
- Unsweetened Plant Milk
- Neutral Frying Oil
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- All-Purpose Flour
- Cornstarch
- Cajun Seasoning
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Black Pepper
- Brown Sugar
- Thyme
How to Make Vegan Fried Oyster Mushrooms
If you’ve ever fried foods, you’re in luck because frying these oyster mushrooms isn’t a whole lot different. The first thing you’ll want to do is gather all of your ingredients.
There’s nothing worse than staring a recipe only to realize that you’re missing an ingredient or two. Once all of your ingredients are gathered, be sure to make sure that you wash your oyster mushrooms.
There are a lot of different ways to clean your produce, but I like cleaning oyster mushrooms by letting them sit for a while in a clean sink filled with water and a few splashes of apple cider vinegar.
Once your mushrooms are clean, it’s important to pat them dry with a clean dish towel or paper towels. This will help the breading adhere to the mushrooms.
Use your hands to break them into bite sized pieces (about 1½ – 2 inches each). Do you have to do this? Not necessarily, but I’m serious about my crunch to mushroom ratio, so smaller pieces work best for me.
Now would also be a good time to start heating your oil so it’s ready to go once you’re finished breading everything.
One thing that I did a little different with this recipe was the order in which I breaded the mushrooms. Generally I start by dipping in the wet batter, the dry batter, then dipped once again in each bowl.
However, for this recipe I decided to try something different. As I mentioned before, my first time making fried oyster mushrooms, the mushrooms slipped right out of the breading.
So for this recipe, you’ll want to start by dipping the dry mushrooms into the dry mixture first (be sure to season with salt and pepper to taste). Then proceed to dip each piece in the wet batter, then again in the dry.
Because I broke the oyster mushrooms into small pieces, dipping each of them one by one would have been really tedious. So to save time you can bread the mushrooms in batches. The batch amount will depend how large your bowls are.
Once your first group of oyster mushrooms have been breaded, you’re ready to cook the mushrooms! Use a pair of tongs to carefully transfer each of them to the hot oil. Be sure to give them plenty of space so that the pan is not over-crowded.
Allow the fried oyster mushrooms to cook on each side for 2-3 minutes or until crispy and golden brown. A good way to tell if they’re crispy or not is to simply touch them with your tongs. By doing this you’ll be able to tell if the breading has hardened.
Once the pan fried oyster mushrooms have finished cooking, transfer them to a cooling rack or a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the oil. Serve these fried little bits of heaven with your favorite dipping sauce and enjoy!
Expert Tips & Tricks:
- Avoid wet, rubbery mushrooms by DRYING them beforehand! Be sure to wash and pat the oyster mushrooms dry with a clean dish towel or paper towel before breading. Or better yet, wash them the day before and allow them to dry overnight. The only reason you’d want to soak your oyster mushrooms before cooking is to wash them. I like cleaning oyster mushrooms by filling a clean sink with water and a few splashes of apple cider vinegar. It’s important to pat them dry before you begin cooking. This will keep the mushrooms from being slimy on the inside after frying.
- Fry them correctly. It’s important to make sure that your oil is hot to create the perfect crispy coating around each of your oyster mushroom pieces. You can use a food thermometer to ensure it’s at least 350 degrees.
- Avoid dipping the mushrooms in the wet batter first. Start with the dry batter, move to the wet, and finish by dipping them in the dry batter once again as directed in the recipe card below.
- Break your oyster mushrooms into smaller pieces. For the perfect crunch-to-mushroom ratio, break the oyster mushrooms up into 1½ – 2 inch pieces.
- Bread your fried oyster mushrooms evenly. There’s nothing worse than pulling a fried oyster mushroom out of the grease and noticing that it’s only partially breaded. Just little bits of breading here and there. I’ve seen it a million times. To avoid this, be sure to evenly dip and coat each mushroom piece in the wet and dry mixtures.
- Use a cooling rack. To maintain crispiness, try using a cooling rack to set your fried oyster mushrooms on after retrieving them from the oil instead of a plate lined with paper towels. The paper towel method will still work, but the cooling rack is said to keep your food crispy longer.
- Pair them with your favorite dipping sauce. The seasoning for this recipe isn’t the most bold or excessively flavorful. Why? I want you to pair it with your favorite sauces! Some great ones you could use are bbq sauce (homemade version in this recipe), buffalo sauce, or vegan honey mustard.
Storage & Reheating Instructions
You can store these fried oyster mushrooms in the fridge for 4-5 days. To reheat these fried oyster mushrooms, you can toss them in your air fryer for 8-10 minutes on 400°.
You can also try reheating them in the oven, but it may take a bit longer. The microwave should be used as a last resort, as they won’t crisp up again.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Can You Make These in the Air Fryer?
Yes! I get this question a lot and I’m so glad the answer is “yes!” The texture will look slightly different but the crunch you’re looking for will still be there.
To air fry these, coat them with the batter as instructed in the recipe card below, then thoroughly spray both sides of each breaded oyster mushroom with a neutral oil like Olive oil or vegetable oil. Cook for 10 minutes at 400°.
How Else Can I Use Oyster Mushrooms?
I love this recipe because it can be really versatile! These fried oyster mushrooms can be used as the filling for a po’boy, you can keep the mushroom pieces large and use it to make a fried “chicken” sandwich, a substitute for chicken nuggets or simply enjoy them alone as an appetizer.
Pair them with your favorite dipping sauces and you’re all set. PREPARE TO BE ADDICTED!!
Where Can I Find Oyster Mushrooms?
As popular as oyster mushrooms seem to be, they can be a little hard to find sometimes in grocery stores. Especially for a decent price! You know what place never fails? The Asian market!
If you’re local to the Durham, NC area, I always go to Li Ming’s Global Mart. It’s a huge grocery store where I was able to buy a ½ pound of fresh oyster mushrooms for about $5.
If you’d like to taste them first, you may be able to find a local restaurant in your area that offers something similar on their menu, but I bet they won’t be as good as these!
Can This Be Made Gluten Free?
If you’re looking for a gluten-free fried oyster mushroom recipe, you can simply swap the all-purpose flour for chickpea flour in the recipe card below.
What Does This Recipe Taste Like?
These fried oyster mushrooms really make for a great meat substitute, but don’t expect for them to taste like chicken!
The overall texture is a bit softer and less chewy in my opinion. However, they’re delicious with this fried, crispy coating!
Are Oyster Mushrooms Meaty?
They do indeed! One of the reasons people love oyster mushrooms so much is because of their meaty texture. Paired with the crispy coating, it’s a match made in heaven for sure!
What Sauces Pair Well With This Recipe?
One of the things that make these Vegan Fried Oyster Mushrooms so great is that they are perfect for dipping.
Feel free to dip these in your favorite BBQ sauces, vegan honey mustard sauces or even top them with Buffalo Sauce! The options are endless!
What To Serve With This Recipe
What are Some Great Side Dishes for Vegan Fried Oyster Mushrooms?
A few of my favorite side dishes to pair with these fried oyster mushrooms include my Vegan Corn Salad, Air Fried Green Beans, Jalapeño Cheddar Drop Biscuits, and Collard Greens.
What to Pair with Vegan Fried Oyster Mushrooms?
If you’re making this recipe to go along with a meal and serving it as the main dish, it would go great with these recipes:
If you’re serving this as an appetizer, here are a few others you should add to the lineup:
- BBQ Jackfruit Pizza Rolls
- Air Fried Mac and Cheese Bites
- Spicy Chicken Fried Jackfruit
- BBQ Cauliflower Wings
- Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Buffalo Tempeh Wings
Now that I’ve detailed how to cook oyster mushrooms, I hope you’re ready to give this recipe a try! Check out the recipe card and let me know how it goes in the comments below!
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Fried Oyster Mushrooms Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ lb fresh oyster mushrooms seperated into bite size pieces, washed and pat dry
- enough oil for frying about ½ – 1 inch in desired pan
Liquid Batter
- ¾ cups all- purpose flour
- 1 cup unsweetened plant milk
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Dry Mixture
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 3 tsp cajun seasoning
- 1½ tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- ½ tsp thyme
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Begin heating the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.
- In a large bowl, combine the ingredients for the liquid batter.
- Combine all of the ingredients for the dry mixture in a separate large bowl.
- Coat each of the oyster mushroom pieces into the dry mixture (coating thoroughly), then into the wet batter and into the dry mixture once again.
- Carefully transfer each breaded oyster mushroom piece to the hot oil and cook on each side for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown.
- Transfer the cooked fried oyster mushrooms to a cooling rack.
- Pair with your favorite dipping sauce and enjoy!
I made these mushrooms last night for po’boys and they are so darn good!! The batter was crispy and crunchy and just perfect!! I highly recommend making this recipe!!
Last week I had these planned for my Sunday dinner however, once I tasted one…the rest was history lol. Let’s just say I had to settle on a plan ‘ole side salad as my entrée. This is now a part of my menu once a month!!!!! So delish!!