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The marinated mushroom filling in these meaty Oyster Mushroom Tacos is perfectly smoky and seared until crispy, giving regular vegan tacos a run for their money! Vegan, Gluten-Free, & Nut-Free.
Boring tacos will be a thing of the past after you give these Vegan Mushroom Tacos a try. Made with a meaty, smoky, and crispy pulled oyster mushroom filling, they put a wholesome and extra delicious twist on classic vegan taco meat-filled tacos. They only require 20 minutes of hands-on work and can be served with salsa verde, cilantro, and your other favorite taco toppings!
Table of Contents
All About The Best Mushroom Tacos
If you’re trying to convince the mushroom skeptic in your life to learn to love these meaty and versatile fungi, then I have the perfect recipe for you… Oyster Mushroom Tacos! They’re crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and bursting with incredible tangy and smoky flavors.
The secret to these mouthwatering mushroom tacos is the shredded oyster mushrooms and amazing marinade. By pulling the oyster mushrooms apart, they take on a meatier texture that’ll remind you of pulled pork or jackfruit. These thin pieces are marinated in a smoky, tangy sauce before being seared in a hot skillet to make them extra tender and crispy. It’s a simple process that gives you an amazing vegan mushroom taco filling after just 20 minutes of hands-on work.
Pack them into tortillas with your favorite toppings and there you have it—an epic centerpiece for Taco Tuesday that even mushroom haters will love!
Ingredients for Vegan Mushroom Tacos
This recipe calls for a handful of fresh mushrooms and 5 ingredients for the simple yet flavorful marinade. You may even have most of the marinade ingredients in your pantry already!
- Oyster Mushrooms: there are several types of oyster mushrooms to choose from but regular oyster mushrooms are the way to go for this taco filling. Their round tops make them easy to hand-shred into thin, pulled pork-esque strips.
- Orange Juice: the acid from fresh or bottled orange juice tenderizes the mushrooms, while its fruity tropical taste balances the bolder ingredients in the marinade.
- Avocado Oil: coating the mushrooms in this high-heat oil encourages them to brown and become crispy while searing. If you’d rather use another cooking oil, I’d recommend using high-quality olive oil, vegetable oil, or refined coconut oil instead.
- Chipotle Pepper in Adobo: you can usually find cans of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce in my pantry because they add a bold punch of flavor to everything! Both the peppers and the sauce are sweet, smoky, and a little spicy, instantly making this mushroom marinade pop. If you have extras, I’d recommend using them up in this Vegan Chipotle Mayo or these Instant Pot Chipotle Black Beans.
- Seasonings: a simple mix of fresh garlic cloves, cumin, and oregano gives the marinade a good savory-smoky-herby balance. Dried oregano is a convenient option but 1 tablespoon of fresh oregano works well, too.
How to Make Oyster Mushroom Tacos
- Whisk the orange juice, avocado oil, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, garlic, and seasonings together in a small bowl.
- Transfer the mushrooms to a ziplock bag and pour the marinade over top. Seal the bag and toss to coat the mushrooms.
- Refrigerate the mushrooms in the marinade for 2 hours or up to 2 days.
- Sear half of the marinated mushrooms in a cast iron skillet until browned on all sides. Sprinkle them with salt, toss well, and transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining mushrooms, then add the first batch back to the pan over low heat.
- Serve the pulled oyster mushrooms in tortillas with your favorite taco toppings. Enjoy!
Caitlin’s Cooking Tips
- Shred the mushrooms for the best texture: Just like with my BBQ Jackfruit Sandwiches, there’s a reason why the mushroom taco filling is so meaty…. It’s all thanks to the shredded texture! The seared oyster mushrooms will be the most tender, crispy, and meaty if you tear them into strips beforehand. To shred the mushrooms, either pull them apart with your hands, scrape the stems with a fork, or slice them finely with a sharp chef’s knife.
- The longer they marinate, the better: The mushrooms will taste good after a 2-hour soak but marinating them overnight or up to 2 days is really where it’s at. This gives them plenty of time to tenderize and absorb as much flavor as possible.
- Overcrowding in the pan = mushy mushrooms. Trust me, you have to sear the mushrooms in TWO batches! It’s the key to cooking browned and tender mushrooms with perfect crispy edges.
Serving Suggestions
Warm up your tortillas and grab all of your favorite mushroom taco toppings because we’re using the king oyster filling to make some epic vegan tacos! There’s no limit to the toppings you can add—think shredded vegan cheese or cheese sauce, pickled red onions, diced avocado or guacamole, vegan sour cream, sliced white onion, fresh cilantro, salsa verde, pickled jalapeno slices, hot sauce, and anything else you can think of!
Are you planning on serving these shredded mushroom tacos for Taco Tuesday or a regular dinner? Pair them with a few Mexican or Tex-Mex-inspired side dishes for a well-rounded meal. I’d recommend this Tex Mex Black Bean Salad or this Grilled Romaine & Charred Corn Salad and this Easy Avocado Salsa with tortilla chips for dipping.
If you’re looking for more vegan taco recipes, you’ll also love these Mango Curry Jackfruit Tacos, these BBQ Tempeh Tacos, and these Crispy Avocado Tacos!
How to Store Leftover Seared Mushrooms
The leftover mushroom filling will keep for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. Wait for the leftovers to cool to room temperature before transferring them to an airtight container.
To reheat, add the leftover mushrooms to a cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat. Toss them with a drizzle of olive oil to prevent them from drying out and heat until they’re warmed through and slightly crispy again.
Substitutions and Variations
- Optional Vegetable Add-Ins: Add thinly sliced onions and bell peppers to the bag with the mushrooms and marinade, then sauté them in two batches as normal.
- Mushroom Substitute: It’ll no longer be an oyster mushroom taco recipe, but you can make the filling with any variety of earthy, mild mushrooms instead. I recommend using maitake mushrooms for a similar result. Cremini or button mushrooms also work well but the filling won’t be as meaty.
Recipe FAQs
I promise you don’t have to go foraging for your oyster mushrooms! While not as popular as cremini or button mushrooms, they are almost as easy to find in most major grocery stores, at farmer’s markets, or in specialty produce stores.
They’re called oyster mushrooms because their cap and short stem make them look like real oysters.
Oyster mushrooms have subtle seafood-like flavors but taste much more woodsy and meaty when cooked.
Yes, any leftover marinade can be reused for a second batch of marinated mushrooms. Transfer what’s left in the bag to a clean container and store it in the fridge. I’d recommend using it within 2 days.
Use it as a warm topping on a vegan taco salad or grain bowl; stuff it into veggie wraps, burritos, or lettuce cups; or use it anywhere you would use my Vegan Taco Meat!
Enjoy! If you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I would also love it if you could leave a comment below with a recipe rating! Thank you for the support 😊
Oyster Mushroom Tacos
Ingredients
- 16 ounces oyster mushrooms, ends trimmed and shredded
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil plus more for cooking
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo fine dice
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce from canned chipotle
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- kosher salt to taste
- 8-12 corn tortillas or your preferred tortilla
- Serving suggestions: dairy-free cheese white onion, cilantro, avocado, salsa, hot sauce
Instructions
- Prep the Mushrooms: Brush off any dirt or debris from your mushrooms with a damp paper towel or mushroom brush. Trim the thick “root” ends off of the mushroom clusters. Then, use your hands to separate the mushrooms, tearing the larger mushrooms into 1/2" or so “strips”. Transfer the mushrooms to a gallon-sized ziploc bag and set aside.
- Make the Marinade: Add the orange juice to a small jar along with the avocado oil, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, garlic, cumin, and oregano. Seal the jar and shake the marinade vigorously, until the oil and juice are emulsified.
- Marinate: Pour the marinade into the bag of mushrooms and seal the bag; toss the bag and use your hands to massage the marinade into the mushrooms until they are all evenly coated. Place the mushrooms in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours or up to a maximum of 2 days.
- Sear the Mushrooms: For the best color and texture I recommend using a cast iron pan, but you can also use a stainless steel or nonstick pan. Warm the pan over medium heat and add enough oil to the pan to lightly coat the entire bottom of it. Add half of the mushrooms to the pan (overcrowding = mushy mushrooms). Quickly toss the mushrooms in the oil until they are evenly coated, then spread them out evenly across the bottom of the pan. Let the mushrooms sear for 3 to 5 minutes, until the bottom edge is brown. Do your best to flip the mushrooms and spread them out again; sear the mushrooms for an additional 5 to 8 minutes, turning the mushrooms every 2 minutes or so until all sides are golden. Sprinkle the mushrooms with salt and toss well before removing from the pan.
- Repeat: Add more oil to the pan if necessary. Add the remaining mushrooms to the pan and repeat the same cooking process. Season the mushrooms with salt and toss well. Add the first batch of mushrooms to the pan and mix well. Keep the pan over low heat to keep the mushrooms warm while you warm your tortillas and taco toppings (or however you want to serve these!).
- Assemble: Fill each taco with a generous amount of mushroom “taco meat” and top as desired. Serve warm; leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Recipe Notes
- Mushroom Substitutions: I think that oyster mushrooms or maitake mushrooms will give the best meat-like texture for these mushroom tacos. However, this recipe will also be just as delicious if you use cremini or button mushrooms (just less meaty). I recommend using the same weight of mushrooms – clean the mushrooms well, then slice into 1/8″ strips before transferring to a bag to marinate
