One of the best vegan “bacon” options out there! If you’re vegan you must absolutely try this.
Let me say for the record: I have no desire to eat bacon. I prefer for pigs to keep their own bellies and backsides. However, I’m not at all opposed to having good ways of adding crispy, salty, savory, smoky goodness to my meals.
I know I go on about king oyster mushrooms a lot, but I think they are an underutilized cultivated mushroom. I was experimenting with one a few weeks ago, and tried taking thin slices of it and pan-frying it. Delicious! But a little bit one-note. The idea went on the back burner, and then I realized what was missing: a dry rub.
For today’s version, I kept it super simple: Maldon (aka the world’s greatest salt), pepper, sugar and smoked paprika. You could amp that up in any number of ways: brown sugar, chilis, coriander, coffee, cumin, garlic, tomato powder – whatever strikes your fancy. If you find that the formula below is a bit on the bitter side for you, halve the smoked paprika and increase the sugar.
I highly recommend a mandoline for slicing the mushrooms as it will be hard to cut them to a consistent thickness by hand.
Once you’ve got the vegan “bacon”, you can go nuts with what to do with it. Sandwiches, pasta, fried polenta, you name it. Think what omnivores do with bacon and it will give you plenty of ideas. The only caution is that it will lose crispness when exposed to moisture, so think about adding it last before serving.
King oyster mushrooms come in a variety of sizes; I used small ones, so you are seeing 3-inch chips of “bacon”, but you can often find bigger ones.
More Great Vegetarian Recipes
- Grilled sweet and sour squash with lentil salad
- Wild Mushroom Pot Pie with Fennel and Camembert
- Easy Vegan Enchiladas
- Tofu with Radish and Shiso
- The Original Carrot Bacon Recipe
Vegan “Bacon” From King Oyster Mushrooms
4
servings25
minutes10
minutes35
minutesOne of the best vegan “bacon” options out there! If you’re vegan you must absolutely try this.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon Maldon – use 1 1/2 teaspoons for any other kind of salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons smoke paprika
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
King oyster mushrooms (however many you want)
Vegetable oil
METHOD
- Prepare the coating
Slightly grind the salt to a finer texture. You can do this with your fingers or a mortar and pestle. In a small bowl, whisk together the Maldon salt, sugar, paprika and black pepper. Unless you are doing a lot of mushrooms, this will be more rub than you need, but you can save it. - Prepare the vegan ”bacon” mushrooms
Slice the king oyster mushrooms lengthwise on a mandoline to about 2mm thickness. Rub both sides of each slice of the mushrooms with the dry rub mix (you probably won’t need all of it) and set aside for at least 15 minutes. Wipe off excess rub. - Cook the vegan ”bacon” mushrooms
Line a plate with paper towels. Heat a large skillet, preferably cast-iron over medium-high heat. Add a thin layer of vegetable oil. When it shimmers, add strips of mushroom in a single, sparse layer (working in batches as needed) and cook until golden brown (about 1 minute), then flip and brown the other side. Transfer to the paper towels. It will crisp up as it cools (just 20 seconds or so). - Enjoy!
