Fried Oyster Mushrooms {Vegan Fried Chicken}

These fried oyster mushrooms are the vegan answer to fried chicken. Spiced panko breadcrumbs create a crunchy exterior for meaty king oyster mushrooms.

Serve them with your favorite dipping sauce for a real crowd pleasing platter of vegan fried chicken!

If you've seen my shiitake mushrooms recipe or my tahini pasta recipe, you'll know that mushrooms are among my favorite vegan ingredients! They're so versatile. And now, I'm excited to introduce you to my favorite new mushroom recipe.

If you've ever had a craving for fried chicken, you'll love these fried oyster mushrooms. That's because tender, juicy king oyster mushrooms are the perfect substitute for chicken. Really! Think of them as vegan chicken wings.

And, because they're fried in an air fryer, these crunchy vegan chicken pieces have much less fat than if you deep fried them. Plus, you won't be sacrificing the crunchy batter that makes them so yummy. However, if you don't have an air fryer, no problem. I'll also give you instructions for how to deep fry oyster mushrooms.

Top Tip: If you like crispy comfort food that can be made in your air fryer, you'll want to check out my Panko Crusted Tofu.

Reasons You'll Love This Recipe

✅Air frying is much healthier than deep fat frying, so this recipe is much lighter in saturated fat and calories.

✅Kids love this recipe!

✅It's budget friendly.

✅It only takes 35 minutes to make fried oyster mushrooms.

✅No air fryer? No problem. See below for instructions on how to deep fry these oyster mushrooms.

How To Make Fried Oyster Mushrooms In An Air Fryer

• Combine the soy milk and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl and set it aside to curdle for at least five minutes. This will make vegan buttermilk, which adds a nice sour, creamy flavor while acting as the perfect egg replacer. It's important to use soy milk rather than another plant based milk. Soy milk is higher in protein than other vegan milks, which aids in the curdling and thickening of vegan buttermilk.
• Wash your mushrooms with a damp paper towel. There's no need to rinse oyster mushrooms; they absorb water quickly and can become water logged and lose their flavor. Slice the mushrooms vertically into 3-4 pieces.

• Combine your flour, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika and salt in a large bowl. Put your panko breadcrumbs in a separate shallow bowl.
• Put your king oyster mushrooms in a bowl and drizzle the olive oil over the them. Mix until all the mushrooms are coated in olive oil.
• Now, quickly move your mushrooms to the flour bowl, and shake until they're evenly coated. Transfer them to a clean plate.
• Pour your vegan buttermilk into the bowl with the remaining flour. Stir until a batter forms. If your batter is too thick, add a bit more milk.
• One by one, dredge your mushrooms into the batter. Let the excess batter drip off, and then dredge them in your panko breadcrumbs.
• Grease the insert in your air fryer.
• Transfer your mushrooms to the air fryer. Brush them with a little bit of oil to aid browning. Air fry them at 355 F (180 C) for 20-25 minutes. Be careful not to over crowd the air fryer. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to work in batches.
• Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce. Try my vegan garlic aioli , vegan BBQ sauce or my vegan chipotle sauce.

How To Make Fried Oyster Mushrooms (Without An Air Fryer)

1. Combine your soy milk and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Clean your oyster mushrooms by washing them with a damp cloth or paper towel. Cut them into 3-4 pieces vertically.
3. Combine the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika and salt in a large bowl. Put your panko breadcrumbs in a separate shallow bowl.
4. Put the King Oyster mushrooms in a bowl and drizzle the olive oil over the them. Mix until all the mushrooms are coated in olive oil.
5. Dredge the mushrooms in the flour mixture and set aside on a plate.
6. Add the soy milk/apple cider vinegar mix to the bowl with the remaining flour. Stir until a batter forms. If the batter is too thick, add a bit more milk.
7. Dredge mushrooms in batter until evenly coated. Now, dredge in panko breadcrumbs.
8. If you're frying on the stovetop, you'll want to heat at least 1 inch of vegetable oil in a large pot. If you're using a mini fryer, you'll need to fill it with oil and heat the oil to 375 F.
9. Using tongs, drop your oyster mushrooms into the heated oil. Fry for approximately 2 minutes, keeping a close eye on them as they cook.
10. Remove your fried oyster mushrooms from the oil and transfer them to a paper towel lined plate.
11. Enjoy!

Frequently Asked Questions

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📖 Recipe

Air Fried Oyster Mushrooms

Keri Bevan

These air fried oyster mushrooms are crispy on the outside and juicy and meaty in the center. They're the vegan's answer to perfect Southern fried chicken! Serve them hot out of the air fryer with your favorite dipping sauce!

4.90 from 48 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Course dinner, lunch, Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings 4 servings

Calories 380 kcal

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 1 cup soy milk
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
• 1 pound King Oyster mushrooms
• 1½ tablespoons olive oil *plus more for brushing
• 1½ cups all purpose flour or gluten free blend
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs

Instructions

 

• Combine the soy milk and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl. Set aside.*see note 1
• Clean the oyster mushrooms by washing them with a damp cloth or paper towel. Cut them into 3-4 pieces vertically. *see note 2
• Combine the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika and salt in a large bowl. Put your panko breadcrumbs in a separate shallow bowl.
• Put the King Oyster mushrooms in a bowl and drizzle the olive oil over the them. Mix until all the mushrooms are coated in olive oil.
• Dredge the mushrooms in the flour mixture and set aside on a plate.
• Add the soy milk/apple cider vinegar mix to the bowl with the remaining flour. Stir until a batter forms. If the batter is too thick, add a bit more milk.
• Dredge mushrooms in batter until evenly coated. Now, dredge in panko breadcrumbs.
• Grease the insert in your air fryer. Transfer the mushrooms to the air fryer and spray or brush with olive oil. Air fry for 20-25 minutes at 355° F (180° C), turning them over at the half way point and spraying again with olive oil. *see note 3

Notes

1. It's important to use soy milk in this recipe.  It has the highest protein content, and it's that extra bit of of protein that will help the milk curdle when it comes into contact with the vinegar.
2. Don't rinse the mushrooms.  They absorb water quickly, and can become waterlogged and lose their flavor.
3. Be careful not to over crowd the air fryer. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to work in batches.

Deep Frying Instructions

If you want to make fried oyster mushrooms, but you don't have an air fryer, you can still follow the above recipe through step 8, then proceed as follows:

1. If you're frying on the stovetop, you'll want to heat at least 1 inch of vegetable oil in a large pot. If you're using a mini fryer, you'll need to fill it with oil and heat the oil to 375 F.
2. Using tongs, drop your oyster mushrooms into the heated oil. Fry for approximately 2 minutes, keeping a close eye on them as they cook.
3. Remove your fried oyster mushrooms from the oil and transfer them to a paper towel lined plate.
4. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 380kcalCarbohydrates: 57gProtein: 13gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gSodium: 453mgPotassium: 674mgFiber: 5gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 533IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 125mgIron: 5mg

Keyword fried oyster mushrooms, vegan fried chicken

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