Crispy, delicious vegan shrimp made simple with this incredibly easy and fast recipe! Panko crusted king oyster mushrooms stems sliced in to shrimp shapes, battered and breaded then pan-fried until crispy and crunchy!
King oyster mushrooms are soaked, breaded and then fried until perfectly golden brown. Serve with vegan sauce for a crowd-pleasing appetizer or as a main in your favorite shrimp dishes like a vegan shrimp po'boy, crispy vegan shrimp & grits, vegan shrimp scampi or in a taco with vegan tartar sauce and slaw.
Store-bought vegan shrimps tend to have more of a chewy texture than a mushroom so if you can get your hands on one, try it out and see what you think.
But mushrooms are more readily available so I thought this would be a much better homemade option. You could also call this a fried mushroom and you wouldn't be wrong but the texture and taste are very similar to shrimp but whatever you end up calling it- it'll be a hit!
What is Vegan Shrimp?
Vegan shrimp can be made of many different things. In this recipe, I opted to use King Oyster Mushrooms and I thought the taste and texture were delicious!
I've seen homemade vegan shrimp recipes made from vital wheat gluten, hearts of palm, soy curls and there are many different store-bought options as well that are typically made of Konjac powder or root.
Konjac is a root vegetable and it's combined with starches and seasonings when making vegan shrimp. I've had a few brands at restaurants that tasted very close to the texture of real shrimp.
Store-Bought Vegan Shrimp:
- Vegan Imitation Shrimp by All Vegetarian
- Plant Based Shrimp by Sophie's Kitchen
- Vegan Prawns by May Wah
- Vegetarian Shrimp by The Plant-Based Seafood Co
- Fresh Ocean Vegan Shrimp by Loving Hut
- Shrimp by New Wave
- Plant Based Seafood and Shrimp by Zeastar
- Vegan Shrimp by BeLeaf
Recipe Ingredients
- King Oyster Mushrooms
- Panko Breadcrumbs
- Plant Based Milk
- All Purpose Flour
- Old Bay Seasoning
Ingredient Notes
- King Oyster Mushrooms: Our vegan shrimp recipe gets the shrimp-like texture from King Oyster Mushrooms. When sliced they even look similar to little shrimps! In this recipe, we are using the king oyster mushroom stalks.
- Soy Milk + Apple Cider Vinegar: Mixed together to create a vegan buttermilk.
- All Purpose Flour: Mixed with the soy milk to create a loose batter.
- Panko Breadcrumbs: Once battered, the mushrooms are tossed in panko breadcrumbs and then fried to crispy, crunchy perfection. Please note that not all panko breadcrumbs are vegan so be sure to checkout the ingredients.
- Seasonings: Old bay, sea salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder are used to add flavor!!
How to Make This Recipe
Slice the tops off the king oyster mushrooms- save those for another dish, we won’t be using them in this recipe.
Slice the king oyster mushroom stems in to scallop size pieces and then carefully cut a wavy line down the middle to create “shrimp” like pieces. Don’t overthink this part- doesn’t need to be perfect.
Soak in a bowl of water for 15 minutes.
Whisk together the soy milk, apple cider vinegar and all-purpose flour together in a small bowl. Set aside.
Stir together the panko breadcrumbs and the seasonings together in a separate small bowl.
Drain and dry the oyster mushroom pieces. Then, dip each piece in the wet batter and then in to the dry. Transfer them to a baking sheet while the remaining mushrooms get battered.
Add the oil to a frying pan until the base of the pan is coated in a layer of oil on medium-high heat.
When the oil is hot, add the shrimp in small batches and fry until crispy and golden brown. They cook fast so keep an eye on them! Drain on a wire rack or paper towel to drain off excess oil and continue to fry the remaining shrimp.
Tips & Tricks
Keep one hand dry when battering the shrimp!! This is incredibly important. Simply assign one hand to the wet batter and the other hand to the dry ingredients to ensure the dry batter doesn't start to clump together- if this happens, the batter won't stick to the mushroom.
Make sure your oil is hot! They cook fast- when the oil is hot enough they will cook in about 1-2 minutes on each side.
Don't want to fry them? If you wish to bake them, preheat the oven to 400F. Bake until crispy and golden brown- about 15-20 minutes.
Recipe Variations
Substitutions
Mushrooms: Don’t like mushrooms? Try heart of palm, soy curls or a store-bought vegan shrimp and use the breading recipe below.
Apple Cider Vinegar: Lemon juice or white wine vinegar.
Additions
Want crispy vegan coconut shrimp? Substitute ¼ cup of the breadcrumbs with finely shredded coconut!
Serving Ideas
Serve this vegan alternative to shrimp as finger food or as a main dish!
Dips: I love serving mine with my Homemade Bang Bang Sauce– it’s sweet and creamy and absolutely delicious made from vegan mayo and sweet chili sauce. You could also serve them with Vegan Tartar Sauce, Spicy Mayo, Vegan Cocktail Sauce, or your favorite sauce!
Dishes: You can eat these like popcorn chicken with a dip, on top of salads, vegan shrimp scampi, as shrimp and grits, on a po’boy, make vegan shrimp tacos or in replace of shrimp in your favorite shrimp recipes! The options are endless.
Storage & Reheating
Storage: Store leftover vegan shrimp in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Reheating Instructions: Reheat leftover shrimp in a 350F preheated oven or air fryer until warmed through- about 10 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Typically, store-bought vegan shrimp is made of Konjac. But homemade versions tend to be made from mushrooms, hearts of palm, soy curls or a mix of a few different ingredients.
I'm not a huge fan of mushrooms and I loved the flavor and texture of this recipe.
They are very meaty and chewy- the texture has been compared to scallops.
Throw in a soup, stir fry or pasta!
More Vegan Seafood Recipes You’ll Love
If You Make This Recipe:
I would greatly appreciate it if you share your review in the comments below and leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating. I really appreciate it- it helps me out so much! Don’t forget to add if you made any fun substitutions. Thank you!
Easy Vegan Shrimp
Ingredients
- 10 oz King Oyster Mushrooms 3-4 mushrooms
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup Soy Milk or other non-dairy milk
- 1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- ¼ cup All Purpose Flour
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay
- ½ teaspoon Onion Powder
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
Instructions
- Slice the tops off the mushrooms- save those for another dish. Then, slice the mushrooms in to scallop size pieces and then carefully cut a wavy line down the middle to create "shrimp" like pieces. Soak in a bowl of water for 15 minutes.
- Whisk together the soy milk, apple cider vinegar and all purpose flour together in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Stir together the panko breadcrumbs and the seasonings together in a separate small bowl.
- Drain and dry the oyster mushroom pieces. Then, dip each piece in the wet batter and then in to the dry. Assign one hand to the wet and the other hand to the dry to ensure the dry batter doesn't start to clump together- if this happens, the batter won't stick to the mushroom.
- Transfer them to a baking sheet while the remaining mushrooms get battered.
- Add the oil to a frying pan until the base of the pan is coated in a layer of oil and heat on medium-high.
- When the oil is hot, add the shrimp in batches and fry until crispy and golden brown. They cook fast so keep an eye on them! Drain on a wire rack to drain off excess oil and continue to fry the remaining shrimp.
- Serve and enjoy with a sauce of your choice.
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