Crispy Oyster Mushroom Burgers

Who said all burgers have to look the same way...!?! In this house, anything is up for grabs when it comes to them buns.

This past week I did a minor grocery haul, and noticed a great deal on oyster mushrooms. So naturally I did what any sane vegan would do, I snatched them immediately. So here I am now with an entire box of oyster mushrooms, and it's time to get creative.

The burger has entered the chat, and I needed a break from the black bean burger situation... so the oyster mushrooms were a perfect substitution.

Me and oyster mushrooms have been friends for a long time, but one thing I've never done is sandwiched it in between two buns with all the fixings. So, today seemed like the perfect opportunity to make that happen.

A couple things before we get started. First, I learned quickly that flattening the mushrooms help tremendously with the cooking time, and assembling them later on. Also, I noticed that the larger panko breadcrumbs had a harder time staying on the mushrooms. So if you can find some that are a little more fine, I would use those instead.

Now let's get into it!

Crispy Oyster Mushroom Burger

Ingredients:

Batter

• 1tsp Chili Powder

• 3/4 cup Flour

• 1tsp Paprika

• 1/4 tsp Pepper

• 1/2 tsp Salt

• 1tsp Sugar

• 1/2 Cumin

• 5 Spice (optional)

• 3/4 cup Water

• 2-4 Oyster Mushroom Clusters

• 1/2 Chili Flakes

• Panko Bread Crumbs

Condiments (optional)

• Ketchup

• Vegan Mayo

• Spicy Mustard

• Sriracha

Toppings (optional)

• Vegan Cheese

• Purple Onions

• Romaine Lettuce

• Tomato

Instructions:

Start with pressing your oyster mushroom clusters. This not only makes them easier to cook and assemble, but it also removes any access liquid.

Once pressed, combine all your batter ingredients into a bowl and whisk.

Your batter should be loose enough to drip from your whisk. So if you see that your batter is still thick, add small amounts of water at a time, until you receive the correct consistency.

Once your batter is fully combine, it's time to dredge the mushrooms. Since the clusters can be large, you will want to dredge each mushroom one at.

After your mushrooms have been dredged, coat them with your breadcrumb mix. Shake off as much excess breadcrumbs as you can. This will help keep the mess down, and also it will make sure that your breadcrumb coating isn't too thick - remember, you want these to cook as evenly as possible.

This next step depends on how you want to cook your mushrooms. You can either fry them in the oil of your choice, or you can do what I did, and air fry them. Since we pressed those mushrooms earlier, this will help make sure that your mushrooms cook great either way.

If air frying, make sure to lay your mushrooms in a single row, you don‘t want to overcrowd them.

Place your mushrooms in the air fryer at 375 degrees for 20-25 mins, flipping in between. You want to make sure to keep your air fryer around this temperature so that your breadcrumb coating won't cook quicker than your mushrooms.

Note:

It helps to spray the tops of your mushrooms with coconut oil/olive oil if air frying. This will help you achieve that perfect golden color, and add a little bit of extra crunch.

Once finished, remove your oyster mushrooms. If for whatever reason they have not cooked to your liking, and you want a little more crispy, toss them back in for an additional 5-10 mins.

Once cooled, assemble your burger anyway you like. I love to switch it up from time to time and make a vegan spicy mayo with sriracha.

You can also get fancy and dip them buffalo sauce, and really get down.

No matter how you make these girls, they are an amazing addition to your vegan recipe list. If you decide to try these out, let me know

ENJOY!