Spicy Maple Fried Mushroom Sandwich
Crispy, crunchy, and the prefect balance of sweet and spice. Made with vegan buttermilk-marinated oyster mushrooms, it’s deceptively meaty!
It’s no secret, we love a fried chicken sandwich, vegan of course. Our version of this popular sandwich is made with meaty oyster mushrooms marinated in a vegan buttermilk and fried until golden and crispy. Topped with a miso mayo, shredded lettuce, sliced pickles, and doused in a spicy maple syrup all on a toasted brioche bun.
We created this recipe in our recent food truck video and loved it SO MUCH we had to make it official – it deserved a permanent place on the blog. Whether you’re craving something comforting or you’re looking to impress the non-vegans in your life, this is the recipe to do it. Anytime we make something with this oyster mushroom fried “chicken” everyone is obsessed!
Why you’ll love this recipe:
Golden and crispy with a meaty texture.
Easy enough to make at home!
Perfect balance of sweet and spicy.
Top tips for making Vegan Fried Oyster Mushroom Sandwich:
Keep your mushrooms in clusters. For the best texture keep your mushrooms in small clusters. Clusters are the perfect way to get a great balance of exterior crunch and a tender interior.
Allow the mushrooms to marinade. We’re treating the mushrooms like chicken in this recipe and marinating them in a vegan buttermilk mixture. This adds flavour and helps create the perfect texture by tenderizing the mushrooms.
Use a neutral oil. When frying, use a recipe that has a high smoke point and is neutral tastign so it doesn’t affect the flavour of your recipe.
Toast the buns and shred the lettuce. To make the perfect fried mushroom sandwich you must also to do right by the toppings. A toasted bun and shredded lettuce are the perfect accompaniment to this sandwich.
How to make a Spicy Maple Fried Mushroom Sandwich:
Prep Time: 40 Min | Rest Time: 30 Min | Cook Time: 15 Min | Total Time: 1 Hr 30 Min
Makes: 2 sandwiches
Ingredients
2 vegan brioche buns
200 g oyster mushroom clusters
vegetable oil, for deep frying
Toppings:
¼ cup vegan mayo
1 tbsp miso paste
½ cup shredded lettuce
6-8 slices bread and butter pickles
¼ cup maple syrup
2 tbsp hot sauce
Vegan Buttermilk Marinade:
1½ cups soy milk
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
¼ cup hot sauce
salt & pepper, to taste
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
Dredge:
90 g (¾ cup) all-purpose flour
96 g (¾ cup) corn starch
salt & pepper, to taste
2 tbsp smoked paprika
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried parsley
Instructions
Tear oyster mushroom clusters into smaller pieces (2-3 mushrooms per cluster).
Make the vegan buttermilk marinade by combining soy milk, apple cider vinegar, hot sauce, salt & pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder – stir to combine. Add mushroom clusters and allow to marinade for at least 30 minutes.
Make the maple miso mayo by combining mayo and miso paste in a bowl until smooth. Store in the fridge until needed.
Make the hot maple syrup by combining maple syrup and hot sauce in a squeeze bottle. Store in the fridge until needed.
To make dredge combine flour, cornstarch, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and dried parsley – mix to combine.
Once the mushrooms are finished marinating, transfer to the dredge and toss to coat. Repeat for all mushrooms.
Heat vegetable oil in a heavy bottomed Dutch oven to 350°F.
Once the oil has reached temp, fry the coated mushroom clusters until a deep golden brown on all sides.
Transfer to a wire rack and sprinkle with salt. Repeat until all mushroom clusters are fried.
In a dry, non-stick pan over medium heat toast the buns until golden.
Construct your sandwich by spreading some mayo on both buns, then shredded lettuce, fried mushrooms, drizzle with a generous amount of hot maple syrup, 3-4 slices of pickles, and finish with the top bun.
Ingredient Notes:
Oyster Mushrooms – Oyster mushrooms create the best, most chicken-like texture. However if you don’t have access to oyster mushrooms tofu is also a great option. Try the freezing and thawing technique from Mary’s Test Kitchen for the best results using tofu.
Miso Mayo – Mayo is a must on every fried “chicken” sandwich, but have you ever tried miso mayo? The miso adds that extra little bit of umami flavour that sets this sandwich over the top with flavour. And of course, it’s all vegan! You can omit the miso if you prefer but we recommend it.
Vegan Buttermilk – We use a vegan buttermilk made with soy milk, apple cider vinegar, hot sauce, and seasonings. It serves a couple different purposes; flavour and tenderizing. We don’t recommend you skipping this.
Seasoned Dredge – That crispy, golden “skin” is all because of this delicious flour dredge. You can just use flour, but we like to add a bunch of seasoning to create the perfect flavour. Feel free to adjust seasonings to your own taste.
Hot Maple Syrup – The finishing touch to this delicious recipe is a spicy maple syrup made with Canadian maple syrup and your favourite hot sauce. We like to use sriracha or a buffalo sauce for this.