I serve these vegan stuffed mushrooms at gatherings where they disappear quickly. They are savory, cheesy and crispy: the perfect finger food!
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An elegant finger food
These vegan stuffed mushrooms are my go-to for delicious gatherings with family and friends. They are at once elegant and so easy to put together, and everyone loves them.
The mushrooms roast up perfectly al dente and juicy and the stuffing, made of walnuts, herbs and nutritional yeast, is cheesy, crispy and savory.
This is a secretly healthy recipe where everything in each flavorful mushroom cap is wholesome and nourishing. As the cook you will love how easy these stuffed mushrooms are to make: you need just about 15 minutes to chop and cook the filling. After that, the oven will roast them up to the perfect texture in 20 hands-off minutes.
The recipe is soy-free, nut-free and you can easily make it gluten-free by using gluten-free bread crumbs. If you are eating low-carb, use almond flour instead of bread crumbs.
Which mushrooms are best for stuffing
Mushrooms with perfectly rounded caps, like cremini mushrooms or button mushrooms, are ideal for this recipe. Portobello mushrooms can be stuffed too but because they are larger they won't work as finger food. Pick cremini or button mushrooms with caps that are at least 2 to 3 inches in diameter for stuffing.
Do I need to pre-bake the mushrooms?
You don't need to pre-bake mushrooms in this recipe. After 20 minutes in the oven the mushrooms will be pleasantly tender with some texture that contrasts nicely with the crispy filling.
Adding flavor to filling
Because mushrooms themselves don't have a lot of flavor, it is important to pack all the flavor you can into the stuffing or filling. I blend the walnuts, which add terrific texture to the filling, with garlic powder, onion powder, nutritional yeast, rosemary, oregano and ground black pepper. This tasty mix is then quickly sauteed with onions and panko breadcrumbs for maximum crunch and yum. As the stuffed mushrooms bake, the flavors of the filling permeate the mushrooms.
How to keep stuffed mushrooms from getting soggy
Mushrooms have a high water content but the high oven temperature (400 degrees F/205 degrees C) helps keep the mushroom caps juicy and toothsome without becoming soggy. Here are a few more tips to keep the mushrooms from getting waterlogged:
- The mushroom stems will express juices when cooking the stuffing. Make sure all of that liquid is cooked out before you add the breadcrumbs and walnut mixture. Make sure all of the wine has evaporated as well.
- Resist the temptation to salt or season the mushroom caps before you stuff them, because that will cause the mushrooms to express their liquid.
- It's tempting to add more veggies to the stuffing, but if you do, add veggies that have a low water content, like bell peppers and carrots. Chop the veggies really fine or grate them, and, again, make sure that any liquid in the wok or skillet has evaporated before you stuff the mushrooms.
Serve
Serve the vegan stuffed mushrooms as an appetizer or as a finger food. You can also serve it as a side dish.
Store
- Refrigerate: Store the vegan stuffed mushrooms before or after baking for up to four days in the fridge. Use an airtight container to store them.
- Freeze: Freeze the stuffed mushrooms before baking in a freezer-safe container, for up to three months. The stuffed mushrooms do not freeze well after baking.
- Reheat: Bake or reheat the stuffed mushrooms in a 400-degree Fahrenheit/205-degree oven.
Recipe card
Vegan stuffed mushrooms recipe
Ingredients
- 16 oz cremini mushrooms or button mushrooms or button mushrooms. Choose larger mushrooms if possible, about two to three inches in diameter.
- ½ cup walnuts
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1½ teaspoons dried rosemary (divided)
- 1½ teaspoons dried oregano (divided)
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion (finely chopped)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced or crushed)
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- ¼ cup dry white wine (optional)
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- Zest of 1 lemon (optional)
- 2 tablespoons parsley (chopped)
Instructions
- Separate the mushroom caps from the stems. Finely chop the stems. If you have a few very small mushrooms you can chop those too and add them to the stuffing.
- Blend the walnuts, garlic powder, onion powder, nutritional yeast, half a teaspoon of rosemary, half a teaspoon of oregano, salt and ground black pepper in a blender or food processor. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit/205 degrees Celsius.
- In a skillet or wok, place the olive oil with garlic and onions. Add salt and ground black pepper to season and sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft, 2-3 minutes.
- Stir the chopped mushroom stems and the remaining teaspoon each of the rosemary and oregano into the onion-garlic mixture. Add the wine, if using, and sauté until it has evaporated (if using a gas stove, turn the flame to low or turn it off while adding the alcohol and turn back on to medium heat).
- Stir in the red pepper flakes, if using.
- Add the walnut mixture and the panko breadcrumbs to the skillet and mix well. Sauté for a couple of minutes. Check seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed. Stir in the parsley and optional lemon zest.
- Place the mushroom caps on a baking sheet. Using a spoon, mound the stuffing inside each mushroom cap.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the stuffing is golden and crispy.
Nutrition Information
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Anonymous says
Hi, why do we need nutritional yeast in this recipe. If I cannot get it, is there any substitute for it?
Vaishali Honawar says
It adds cheesy flavor, but you can skip it if you don't want to use it.
Anonymous says
Thank you for quick response!!