These easy homemade crispy breaded mushrooms are a delicious appetiser you can whip up in under 20 minutes. This recipe is plant-based, so all your guests can enjoy these perfectly breaded mushrooms, and makes for an amazing starter or crispy, garlicky side dish served here with a lemon garlic mayo.

These mushrooms would also be insanely good served with a whipped feta dip like the one featured in my Greek roasted potatoes recipe. They’re the perfect starter to be followed by a beautiful pasta dish, like this Vegan Butternut Squash Pasta. For more mushroomy-goodness, make sure you’ve tried this creamy mushroom pasta.

Vegan Breaded Mushrooms

Making these breaded mushrooms is surprisingly easy. I first created the recipe when hosting a dinner party and wanted to make my starter vegan to suit all my guests. Considering breaded mushrooms typically contain egg for the batter, I initially thought I was in for quite the challenge.

As it turns out, though, you can whip up this restaurant-quality appetizer in about 15 minutes with minimal effort required! A plant-based batter with almond or oat milk, flour, and an array of spices and seasonings makes this recipe delicious, whatever you’re dietary preferences. Perfect for impressing some dinner party guests with just how good vegan recipes can taste.

Ingredient Notes

• Mushrooms: I used standard white mushrooms for this recipe, but chestnut mushrooms could also work great.
  
• Breadcrumbs: You could make your own with slightly stale bread, or just use store-bought breadcrumbs. Either works fine!
  
• Plant-based milk: Soy, oat, or almond are all good options for this recipe
  
• Plain flour: For the batter. If you want your vegan bread mushrooms to be gluten-free, use gluten-free plain flour.
  
• Cornflour: Dip the mushrooms in a dusting of cornflour before dipping them in the batter and breadcrumbs.
  
• Oil: For frying the mushrooms. Vegetable oil works well for this recipe, however, another neutral oil such as canola oil, peanut oil, or rapeseed oil can also work.
  
• Vegan garlic dip: A mix of vegan mayo, minced garlic, lemon juice, and chopped fresh parsley goes amazingly with this recipe and really takes your breaded mushrooms up a notch! You could also opt for a tomato salsa if you prefer.
  
• Seasoning: I recommend adding salt, pepper, garlic powder, and dried parsley to the breadcrumb mixture for maximum flavour!

Tools you’ll need:

• Three bowls for your batter
• A deep saucepan for frying the breaded mushrooms
• A metal slotted spoon to remove the mushrooms from the oil once ready

Making your breaded mushrooms

Again, the exact steps for making this recipe and the ingredient quantities needed are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here is an overview of the process along with some photos for those who are visual learners!

Step 1: Prepare your ingredients and equipment

Clean your mushrooms and de-stalk them (no stalk is optional, but I think it gives the breaded mushrooms a nicer shape!)

Assemble your three bowls – one with the cornflour, one with your breadcrumbs and listed seasonings, and one with the plant-based batter mixed together. It’s also helpful to have a chopping board or plate ready to place each mushroom once breaded (but prior to frying).

Step 2: Coat your mushrooms in the breadcrumb mixture

Dip each mushroom first in the cornflour (you could also make this process quicker by sprinkling the cornflour over the mushrooms in a large Tupperware container and gently shaking it to ensure they’re fully coated).

Then, dip the mushroom in the plant-based batter, then in the breadcrumbs. Make sure each mushroom is completely covered. This process creates a nice, thick batter that will give your breaded mushrooms a gorgeously crispy, golden exterior.

Expert tip: This process can get messy fast, so I use just one hand to dip my mushrooms in each bowl. This way, I’ve got one clean hand spare at all times. You could also use tongs or a skewer to dip the mushrooms.

Step 3: Fry the mushrooms

Heat your oil in a saucepan. I use a large, deep saucepan that allows me to cook about three mushrooms at a time, filling the pan no more than 1/3 of the way with oil.

When the oil is at the correct temperature (400-450°F or 204-230°C), gently place one mushroom at a time in the pan and fry for around 3 minutes until golden and crispy. Transfer the cooked mushrooms to a plate with a paper towel to soak up any excess oil.

Step 4: Make your garlic dip

While the mushrooms are frying, whip up your garlic dip by combining the vegan mayo, minced garlic, lemon juice, and chopped fresh parsley.

These mushrooms are best eaten immediately when they’re hot and crispy. You could reheat them in the oven but they won’t be as good.

Storing & Pre-Making

This recipe is perfect for prepping ahead of cooking, making it an ideal and easy starter for big dinner occasions (for example, if you’re cooking multiple other dishes for a dinner party or a three-course Christmas dinner)

Simply follow all the steps up until frying your mushrooms, then store in an airtight container (trying not to jostle the mushrooms too much) for up to 3 days before frying according to the recipe directions. You could also pre-make your garlic and lemon mayo at the same time.

If you have leftover mushrooms, they can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days and reheated either in the air fryer or in the oven for 5-10 minutes. However, these bread mushrooms are best served fresh and hot once they’ve been cooked!

Serving Suggestions

As a starter/appetiser, these breaded mushrooms shine on their own. If you want to cook these mushrooms as a side dish for a ‘picky’ dinner, however, they would go great with some roasted potatoes and whipped feta, Roasted Green Beans and Carrots, or even a huge bowl of Easy Tofu Pasta With Tomato Sauce with garlic bread on the side.

FAQs

What mushrooms are best to use?

I used standard white mushrooms for this recipe, but you could also use chestnut mushrooms, button mushrooms, or closed-cup mushrooms which tend to be smaller.

You could also use bigger portobello mushrooms.

What oil to use for frying the breaded mushrooms?

I used peanut oil for this recipe, but you can use any oil with a high smoking point that is suitable for deep frying. This includes:

• Vegetable oil
• Peanut oil
• Canola oil

Avoid using oils with a low smoke point such as olive oil or coconut oil – these will burn and are not suitable for frying.

Can I bake these mushrooms instead of frying them?

I haven’t experimented with baking these breaded mushrooms instead of frying for a healthier alternative, but it should work fine. You may find that the mushrooms are just a little less crispy than they are when fried.

Make sure you spray the mushrooms with some cooking spray on a baking tray so they’re well coated. Bake for around 20 minutes or until they’re crispy.

Can I cook breaded mushrooms in the air fryer?

Yes, you could definitely cook these breaded mushrooms in the air fryer instead of frying them. I would put them in the air fryer for 10 – 12 minutes. Just note that they probably won’t be quite as crispy as they are when fried.