If you want a healthy, nutrient-dense way to add major flavor and irresistible crunch to your meals, these Crispy Roasted Mushrooms are IT.
Even mushroom haters love these (I promise) because the method completely transforms the texture of mushrooms from what some describe as rubbery or soggy into crispy, crunchy, salty morsels.
Plus, they’re so easy to make (most of the cook time is hands-off!) and all you need are mushrooms, oil, salt, and pepper.
Shower these umami-rich crispy bits over creamy soups or rice and grain bowls, serve with tofu in noodle salads or lettuce wraps, or simply scoop them up by the handful and snack on them like crispy vegan jerky bites!
In this post:
How to convert a mushroom-hater
Longtime readers know that one of my missions is to transform disliked foods into something genuinely delicious. Particularly for foods that my partner Max dislikes.
He’s been a lifelong avid mushroom hater, and while I’ve gotten him to enjoy a few mushroom dishes, like my Mushroom Risotto and Mushroom Stroganoff, he’s still a bit squeamish about the texture.
Enter: these ridiculously good crispy-chewy roasted mushrooms. The method I developed—the dry heat of a hot oven plus simple ingredients with oil, salt, and pepper—transforms rubbery mushrooms into something radically different.
So radically different that Max now happily showers his pasta bowls with these little fun-guys (see what I did there? 😏).
Ingredient notes
- Oyster mushrooms: These are the best variety for this method, along with maitake and king oyster mushrooms—these varieties get genuinely, honest-to-goodness crispy when roasted.
- Olive oil: Mushrooms are virtually fat-free, so in order to get them to crisp up and turn into their most flavorful selves, we need a fat source. I love using olive oil for its flavor and heart-healthy fats, but you could use any neutral-flavored oil you like (i.e. avocado oil, sunflower oil).
- Salt and pepper: You’d be surprised how far just salt and pepper go towards seasoning these. Okay, fine….I also finish them with a pinch of flaky sea salt for that extra finishing pop.
Substitutes: If the only mushrooms you have access to are cremini/button or shiitake, they’ll be delicious but keep in mind they don’t really get crispy—rather, they’ll get chewy with a subtle crisp.
From a nutritional standpoint however, any edible mushroom variety will do good things for you. Mushrooms are loaded with antioxidants, B vitamins, and potassium, making them heart-healthy and supportive of brain health!
Shopping Tips
Luckily, oyster mushrooms are becoming more and more widely available.
You can find them at well-stocked grocery stores as well as Asian markets and farmers’ markets (the latter two often have many different varieties of mushrooms, including maitake and king oyster).
Step-by-step instructions
- While the oven preheats to 425ºF/220ºC (arrange racks in the top third and bottom), prep your mushrooms. Clean any dirt off with a clean dish towel or paper towel.
- Slice off any thick bottom white stems, then tear the mushrooms into strips (the thinner they are, the crispier they get but they also burn more quickly). See the Recipe Card for more specific prep instructions for different mushroom varieties.
- In a bowl, toss the torn mushrooms with the oil until well-coated. Season with kosher salt and a generous amount of black pepper, and toss again.
- Divide the mushrooms across two oil-brushed sheet pans. It’s okay if they touch but they shouldn’t overlap too much on top of one another.
- Roast for 15 minutes until the mushrooms are browned and have shrunken significantly. Take them out of the oven and consolidate onto one pan.
- Roast for 10 more minutes on a single pan, or until deeply browned and crispy. Finish with a pinch of flaky sea salt if desired!
Tips for turning mushrooms into crispy goodness
Skinny mushrooms get crispiest…but also burn quickly
Tearing the mushrooms into skinny pieces maximizes their potential for crispiness, but makes them more prone to burning quickly. If you’ve got very thin mushroom pieces, watch them like a hawk in the oven.
General guidance: For oyster mushrooms, I typically keep small pieces whole and tear larger pieces into a few strips.
Visual learner? Here‘s my video on how I tear mushrooms. Under Vegetable Techniques, click the button that says “Mushrooms.”
Check the mushrooms periodically
After consolidating the mushrooms onto one pan and returning them to the oven for the final portion of the roast, know that the 10 minutes listed in the recipe card is a guideline—check periodically and lean on your knowledge of your oven to decide when to take the mushrooms out.
General guidance: If your oven runs hot, peek in there a bit earlier than the recommended 10 minutes.
If you like your mushrooms extra crispy, keep an eye on them but feel free to add a few minutes to the roasting time.
Keep them simple
For the best texture, keep the seasonings simple—just salt and pepper.
In developing this recipe, we tried roasting the mushrooms with spice blends and found that the spices gave the mushrooms a somewhat dry mouthfeel and reduced their crispiness (unacceptable for a recipe with “crispy” in the title).
That said, it’s not impossible to add spices. I do just that in the Mushroom Carnitas Tacos on page 540 of my cookbook Big Vegan Flavor—but you’ll need to temper the spices in oil in a frying pan first, then toss the spiced oil with the roasted mushrooms.
How to use crispy roasted mushrooms
There are so many ways to use these savory, salty morsels. You can snack on them like jerky, or add them to any number of meals. Here are some ideas!
Shower these on soups
- Creamy soups like this Thai Pumpkin Soup or Creamy Vegan Cauliflower Soup
- Noodle soups such as this Creamy Umami Noodle Soup (this one already features crispy mushrooms as a topper!) or Malaysian Curry Noodle Soup
- Bean soups, particularly this Really Good White Bean Soup
Use as a topper for beans or lentils
- Sprinkle over a pot of beans—the meatiness of mushrooms brings out the natural savoriness of beans and lentils. Check out page 233 of Big Vegan Flavor for A Really Good Pot of Saucy Beans, and page 263 for Creamy Tahini Lentils.
- Also a fabulous topper for a bowl of polenta (see photo above). For my oven-baked polenta recipe, see page 513 of Big Vegan Flavor.
Add a crunchy topping for grain bowls
My foolproof building blocks for a dynamite grain bowl:
- Whole grain of your choice: brown rice, farro, or wheat berries
- Pick your protein: baked tofu, fried tofu, or air fried tofu are my go-tos
- Gotta have a condiment: vegan aioli, avocado crema, spinach pesto, or roasted red pepper hummus would all be fabulous
- Crispy action: these crispy roasted mushrooms 🎉🎉🎉
- Greens: broccoli sprouts, microgreens, or arugula to top
Top your savory oatmeal
- These are FABULOUS over my Savory Oatmeal with Chili Crisp (think: congee vibes)
Add to noodles and lettuce wraps
- A variation of these roasted mushrooms feature in these epic Crispy Sesame Tofu and Mushroom Lettuce Wraps
- They’re also delish in this Rainbow Veggie Noodle Salad, or as a topper for these weeknight-friendly Garlic Peanut Noodles and Sesame Noodles!
Frequently Asked Questions
These days, most mushrooms are grown in controlled indoor environments and therefore have little dirt on them (this is particularly true for oyster mushrooms).
If I do see any dirt patches, I simply rub them off with a paper towel or a dry dish towel. Check out this article for more instructions.
Sure! They’ll be delicious, but they don’t really crisp up in the oven. Their final texture will be more chewy than crispy.
Kept in an airtight container in the fridge, these will stay good for 4 to 5 days and—most importantly!—will still retain some of their crispness.
To revive their crispiness even more when reheating them, my preferred method is to add them to a frying pan over medium to medium-low heat. Microwaving them will also work, but it will zap out some of the crispiness.
Did these crispy roasted mushrooms upend your expectations about mushrooms? Let me know by leaving a rating and review! It makes my day to hear from you—and it helps other readers find recipes they’ll love! 💕
Introducing
Big Vegan Flavor
Techniques and 150 recipes to master vegan cooking.
Crispy Roasted Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds (24 oz / 680g) oyster, maitake, or king trumpet/king oyster mushrooms (see Note 1)
- 2 tablespoons (28g) extra virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing the pans
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (see Note 2)
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- Flaky sea salt, as needed
Instructions
- Arrange a rack in the top third and in the bottom of the oven. Preheat to 425ºF/220ºC. Brush two rimmed sheet pans with oil to prevent sticking.
- For oyster or maitake mushrooms: Cut off the tough white stem at the bottom and use your hands to tear the mushrooms into strips. For small or skinny mushrooms, keep them whole. The thinner the strips, the crispier they will get, but you'll need to pay closer attention to prevent burning.
- For king trumpet mushrooms: Slice the caps off. Grip each stem with one hand and start shredding with the fork in the other hand. Once you get a decent amount of shredding done, you can switch to shredding with your hands. Slice the caps about the same thickness as the stems (see Note 3).
- In a large bowl, combine the mushrooms and oil, tossing well to coat. If they seem dry, add a touch more oil. Season with 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (see Note 2) and with a generous amount of pepper and toss again to coat.
- Divide the mushrooms between the two oiled pans, spreading out as best you can. It’s okay if some mushrooms touch, but they shouldn't overlap too much on top of one another.
- Roast in the oven for 15 minutes (if your oven runs hot or your sheet pans are well worn, check at 12 minutes), or until the mushrooms are somewhat browned and have shrunken in volume quite a bit.
- Remove from the oven and stir with a spatula. Consolidate all the mushrooms onto one pan and spread them out. Roast on one pan for 10 more minutes, or until mushrooms are deeply browned and crispy. Taste, adding a pinch of flaky sea salt as desired.
Notes
- You can use this method with any mushroom, including cremini/button mushrooms and shiitake. However, they will get more chewy rather than crispy. Still delicious though! If using these methods, slice the mushrooms thinly, but not paper thin. Remove any shiitake stems that are tough.
- Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt is less salty, teaspoon for teaspoon, compared to most salts. If using table salt, use ½ teaspoon. If using sea salt or Morton’s kosher salt, use a heaping ½ teaspoon.
- Here are my video instructions on prepping mushrooms. Under Vegetable Techniques, click the button that says “Mushrooms.”
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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