These shredded mushroom carnitas are made with king oysters and are an ultra flavorful, delicious, meaty, and easy recipe! They’re perfect for filling tacos, burritos, and more!
I never thought I’d say this, but I’m crazy for vegan mushroom carnitas. They’re ultra savory, balanced with a hint of sweet. The texture delightfully chewy with crisped edges–downright meaty, for lack of a better word.
I love them stuffed into tacos. Fresh corn tortillas piled high with the carnitas and topped with jalapeño, onion, cilantro, and creamy avocado.
Before you know it, I’ll down 3 of these loaded up shredded mushroom carnitas tacos!
That’s right, you heard me!
Shredded. Mushroom. Carnitas. Tacos. *Checks website address to make sure we’re at the right place.*
I might have a reputation for not loving mushrooms (and if I didn’t, I probably do now). I’m team: mushroom flavor–amazing! mushroom texture–ehhhhh…
But, I’m surrounded by mushroom lovers (my husband Omar, my family, and probably most of you as well) and firmly believe in expanding taste horizons, especially my own, so do make the occasional mushroom dish.
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And I’ll be honest with you, even then I kinda hide them, sneak them in, and probably use about 1/3 the amount that both Omar and you wish I would use.
This recipe for shredded mushroom carnitas are different. It’s an ode to the king oyster mushroom. There’s no hiding mushroom when the entire recipe is about highlighting the crazy (and a bit freaky, I mean, do we even trust mushrooms?) texture and transformative properties of the king oyster!
And I have to say, I was there for it! Like all of it! I ate my fair share (maybe a bit more even) of mushroom tacos! These are just that insanely good!
Let’s just put it out there: not all mushrooms are created equal!
And the aptly named king oyster mushrooms are at the top of the list (a spot they share with quite a few other great varieties such as maitake, chanterelle, morels, shiitake, porcini, & enoki).
King oyster mushrooms have thick and firm stems that can be shredded, diced up, or cut into medallions and cook up to have such a great texture.
How to make the vegan mushroom carnitas:
Shred king oysters between two forks to create varying shapes and sizes and tear up the caps. Then toss the mushrooms in a dry rub along with a bit of oil to help things stick to the mushrooms and the flavor absorb.
Then the mushrooms are baked to cook out water and turn them into tasty, perfectly chewy vegan mushroom meat.
Meanwhile on the stove, sauté onion, garlic, and jalapeño until soft and just a bit caramelized.
Add the orange juice, some vegan worcestershire sauce for extra savory notes, and the baked mushrooms, and let cook until the mushroom carnitas are browned and sticky.
It really couldn’t be simpler!
To serve, I stuffed the shredded mushroom carnitas into warmed corn tortillas.
Then topped them with fresh jalapeño, minced white onion, cilantro, and avocado. Lastly, a squeeze of fresh lime overtop before we polished them off!
You could also use them to fill a burrito, or top on nachos, stuff into a quesadilla, or in any place you’d use a [vegan] taco meat. The world is your oyster (ha)!
Now, while these mushrooms carnitas may taste super flavorful and meaty, they are mushrooms and aren’t super filling on their own. Loading up your tacos with some avocado definitely helps the “fill” factor, or enjoy them as a lighter meal!
You can pair them with one of my other Mexican recipes to make a flavorful and hearty vegan meal!
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If you make these vegan shredded mushroom carnitas, leave a comment below and rate the recipe on the recipe card. And please share your photos with me on Instagram, tag @thecuriouschickpea and #thecuriouschickpea. I love seeing your recreations!
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Shredded Mushroom Carnitas
Shredded mushroom carnitas are made with king oysters and are an ultra flavorful, delicious, meaty, and easy vegan and gluten free recipe! They're perfect for filling tacos, burritos, and more!
Ingredients
- 10oz king oyster mushrooms (5-6 large mushrooms)
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 small white onion, small dice
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 jalapeño, diced (optional: deseed for mild heat)
- 1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice, 1-2 oranges
- 1 tsp vegan worcestershire sauce (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 ºF and line a baking tray with parchment paper or a silicon mat.Trim the ends of the king oyster mushrooms and shred the stems and caps between two forks.
- Toss the shredded mushrooms in the oregano, cumin, coriander, 1/4 tsp salt, black pepper to taste, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Spread evenly over the lined baking tray.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes at 400 ºF until the mushrooms are chewy with some crispy ends. Stir halfway through for even cooking.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat and add the remaining tablespoon of oil along with the onion, garlic, jalapeño and a pinch of salt. Sauté until soft, translucent and lightly caramelized, about 8-10 minutes.
- Add the baked mushrooms, the orange juice, and vegan worcestershire sauce (if using). Salt and pepper to taste. Sauté until the juice is absorbed and sticky, stirring just once or twice to allow the mushrooms to crisp on a couple of sides, about 5 minutes.
Notes
If gluten free make sure to use a certified gluten free and vegan worcestershire sauce, or leave it out.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 101Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 70mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 3gSugar: 7gProtein: 3g
Ruth
Thursday 3rd of November 2022
Made this (probably the fifth time) today. It is so good w Mexican tortillas! Impressed our vegan friends with them earlier this year. A 10/10!
Alina Loguidice
Wednesday 24th of March 2021
This is amazing!! Never used oyster mushrooms before.
Jesusa Spencer-Plant
Tuesday 21st of January 2020
The orange juice made it two sweet for me. I may make it again reducing the amount of orange juice. The sweetness was dominant and I didn't get any of the other flavors coming through
Heather
Tuesday 23rd of July 2019
WOW! What a recipe. So so good!
serina
Monday 27th of May 2019
I don't know what a dry rub along is? in this recipe instruction I get rub with oil b4 the bake but how do you do a dry rub along please? Also thanks for your site with a bit of forethought I can get in from work and have your yummy dishes ready to go i.e. thanks Palak Paneer Recipe in 10 minutes........ when pressing the water out of Tofu for something else, I always do up the spice for this dish in a small container with lid, shake the tofu in the box and put in the fridge ready to go for the next day..... If I pre-fry the tofu cubes, & pop in the fridge but there won't be many left for the recipe, they are so moreish!........ Whizz the defrosted onion base and spinach in the blender then heat it up either microwave or pan, chuck in fried tofu, literally under 10 mins or less if you have already fried the tofu. Yours is the best paneer recipe. I shared it on FB
thecuriouschickpea
Tuesday 28th of May 2019
Hi Serina,
I’m so glad you enjoy my palak paneer recipe so much! Love the short cuts you take for speedy dinners!
As for the dry rub, all it means is you add spices to the shredded mushrooms. So in a bowl combine the shredded mushrooms, the oil, and the dried spices and toss everything together. This coats the mushrooms in the spices so when they bake they absorb some of that flavor.
It’s easy, dry rub is just a fancy term for it that is typically used when talking about meat and wings. It differs from a “wet rub” which also involves adding liquid with the spices. I hope that clarifies things!
serina
Monday 27th of May 2019
whoops the dry rub along was from the Shredded Mushroom Carnitas recipe