Fried Oyster Mushrooms Recipe

This Fried Oyster Mushrooms recipe is vegan, delicious and a wonderful meat free alternative to chicken! You won’t believe the meaty texture, perfectly spiced batter and wonderful flavor. Try other vegan recipes like our Vegan meatloaf, Vegan Chili and Vegan Cornbread.

I’m such a fan of fried oyster mushrooms that I had to share this recipe. They taste just like chicken y’all. If you want to eliminate meat from your diet, this is a wonderful option to explore.

This recipe always hits the spot and satisfies my craving!

What are Fried Mushrooms?

Oyster mushrooms are one of the most cultivated mushroom varieties in the world. They’ve recently become a staple in plant-based cooking thanks to their meaty texture that makes it a great substitute for meat.

Ingredients

• Oat milk: Most fried chicken recipes have buttermilk but you can use this or even soy milk, almond milk or pea milk.
• Apple cider vinegar: Adding the vinegar to the milk will give you a texture similar to buttermilk.
• Hot sauce: I suggest Frank’s Red Hot, but use your favorite here.
• Oyster mushrooms: Make sure you don’t grab king oyster mushrooms. They are not the same here.

• Cornstarch: This is the secret ingredient that keeps the batter super crispy.
• All-purpose flour: We will need this to create our dredge. You can also sub with gluten free flour as well.
• Spices: To really kick up the flavors, we use a combination of cayenne pepper, black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt.
• Oil: Use vegetable oil with a high smoke point. You can also use canola or peanut or soybean. Don’t use olive oil for this recipe.

How to Cook them

Step 1: Marinate the mushrooms

Start by whisking together the milk, vinegar, and hot sauce. Add the oyster mushrooms and let them soak in the mixture for a bit.

Step 2: Mix the dry ingredients

While the mushrooms marinate, add flour ingredients in a large bowl. Heat the oil in a medium-sized pot.

Step 3: Make the batter

Once the mushrooms are done marinating, transfer them to a separate medium-sized bowl, reserving the leftover liquid. In the same bowl that contains the leftover marinade, add a cup of oat milk and ¾ cup of all-purpose flour to create the dredge batter.

Step 4: Fry the oyster mushrooms

Dredge the mushrooms into the seasoned flour mixture, then into the liquid batter, then back into the seasoned flour mixture. Set them aside for 10 minutes, then fry them in the hot oil.

Repeat the same steps for all of the mushrooms, being careful not to overcrowd the pot. Rotate the pieces as necessary to brown them on each side.

Step 5: Let them cool

Once the mushrooms are golden and hard to the touch, transfer them to a wire rack or a paper towel-lined plate lined to absorb the excess oil. Let them cool and serve.

Tips for the Fried Oyster Mushrooms Recipe

• Small batches: Cook the mushrooms in small batches so you don’t overcrowd the pot. This can lead to soggy, unevenly-cooked oyster mushrooms.
• Drain: Once fried, drain the excess oil on a wire rack with a baking sheet underneath or a paper towel-lined plate. 
• Season again: Once you remove them from the oil, season the mushrooms again with salt, pepper, or any additional seasonings you’d like.

Reheating

If reheating from frozen, it’s best to cook them straight from frozen to prevent the batter from sticking. To reheat fried oyster mushrooms, you can re-fry them.

Alternatively, heat them in the oven or air fryer at 375 degrees F for about 10-15 minutes, or until they are warmed through.