This vegan Mushroom Carnitas recipe is a flavor-packed meal made from shredded king oyster mushrooms and a quick blend of seasonings! Baked into crispy perfections, this vegan carnitas is great on tacos or burrito bowls. Ready in under 45 minutes with minimal hands-on work, it’s a weeknight winner!
Have you ever used oyster mushrooms in any of your recipes? If not, you’re in for a treat! These mushrooms are the perfect substitute for meat, and in our case, carnitas. They’re chewy but crisp and have a texture that’s eerily similar to actual pork carnitas. In other words, I love them.
I was feeling a strong taco craving, and knew that I wanted to somehow incorporate my oyster mushroom stockpile. I decided to go for mushroom carnitas tacos, a savory mix of cooked oyster mushrooms, pickled onions, jalapeños, and a delicious cilantro sauce. Oh, and we can’t forget the splash of lime!
These tacos are seriously mouth watering and have quickly become one of my favorite throw-it-together style meals. They’re tangy, slightly sweet, and mega filling.
Reader rating
“This has become a house staple for the two of us who are trying to reduce the meat in our diet. Hurray for oyster mushrooms, and the treatment in this recipe keeps us coming back for more!” —Charles
Here’s what you’ll need
Mushroom carnitas make up the bulk of the filling. And while some vegetarian “meat” substitutes are filled with foreign, fancy ingredients, we’re keeping it simple here:
- King Oyster Mushrooms: The oyster mushrooms (aka king trumpet mushrooms) are the star of these carnitas. We’ll be shredding them with a fork and then sticking them in the oven. Once sautéd, they’ll have a texture (and flavor) just like pork carnitas! (Find them in most health food or asian super markets.)
- Olive Oil: Olive oil is used to coat the mushrooms for baking. This will help crisp them up a bit.
- Worcestershire Sauce: We’ll be using vegan Worcestershire sauce to add flavor to the mushrooms.
- Spices: A quick blend of common spices take this mushroom carnitas to the next level.
- Orange and Lime Juice: Lastly, citrus juice gives these carnitas a tangy, bright flavor.
To assemble, you will need flour tortillas or corn tortillas (make your own flavored or plain tortillas), picked red onions, cilantro, jalapeños, and lime juice!
How to make these vegetarian carnitas tacos
Carnitas tacos are simple to make, especially when we’re using mushrooms instead of pork. These tacos require just five steps and involve shredding, baking, and sautéing the mushrooms, creating the sauce, and assembling the tacos!
- Shred the mushrooms using forks or by hand
- Marinate the mushrooms briefly while the oven preheats
- Bake until crispy and golden brown
- Make the sauce, a creamy cilantro sauce (optional, but highly advised)
- Assemble into tacos and serve!
Variations
- Different Mushrooms: While king oyster mushrooms are best for vegan carnitas, you could also use regular oyster mushrooms. In a pinch, you can use portobello mushrooms, though they won’t have that same texture.
- Smoky Flavor: Add a smoky element with a dash of liquid smoke or by throwing in some adobo sauce (from a can of chipotle peppers)
Extra topping ideas
Tacos are just as much about the toppings as they are about the main ingredient. For these carnitas tacos, I like topping them with pickled onions, jalapeños, diced white onion, lime juice, and avocado slices, but why stop there? If you’re like me and love extra toppings, here are some ideas that you can consider.
- Guacamole
- Picked red cabbage
- Shredded lettuce
- Tomatoes
- White onion
- Corn (try this Mexican Street Corn Salad on them!)
How to store leftovers
Pro Tip: Store any extra ingredients individually in securely sealed containers. When you’re ready to dig in to your leftovers, heat up the desired ingredients, and assemble! Enjoy leftovers within 5 days to maximize on the freshest flavors.
More ways to use oyster mushrooms
Oyster mushrooms are so versatile, which is why they’re one of my favorite ingredients! For more delicious mushroom recipe ideas, try these:
- Oyster Mushroom Philly Cheesesteak
- King Oyster Mushroom Pulled Pork
- Buttermilk Fried Mushrooms
- Corn Pulled Mushroom Vegetarian Tacos
Or for a fun twist on carnitas, try our jackfruit carnitas!
Reader rating
“Between the seasoning and the texture it’s so spot on and I don’t feel heavy and bloated. One of my favorite recipes!” —Molly
Ingredients
Mushroom Carnitas
- 2 lbs king oyster mushrooms 900 g
- 4 Tbsp olive oil 60 mL
- 2 Tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce 30 mL
- 2 tsp each garlic powder, ground coriander seed
- 1 tsp each oregano, cumin, salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ cup orange juice 120 mL
- 1 Tbsp lime juice 15 mL
Cilantro Sauce (optional)
- ½ cup fresh cilantro
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt 60 g
- 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar 30 mL
- 2 Tbsp olive oil 30 mL
- 1 tsp mustard 5 g
- 1 clove garlic
- ¼ tsp each smoked paprika, cumin, black pepper
Assembly
- flour or corn tortillas
- cilantro, jalapeño, white onion, pickled red onions
Instructions
- Shred Mushrooms: Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel. Using two forks, shred the stems and caps roughly into pieces.
- Marinate: In a large bowl, toss shredded mushrooms with all Mushroom Carnitas ingredients except for the lime juice. Let mushrooms marinate while oven preheats to 400°F (204°C).
- Bake: Spread mushrooms into a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, then use a spatula to flip over all the mushrooms. Return them to the oven for 10 to 20 minutes, or until crispy and brown. (Cook time will depend on how thick or thin your mushroom shreds are.) When finished cooking, drizzle Mushroom Carnitas with lime juice.
- Sauce (optional): Meanwhile, add all Cilantro Sauce ingredients to a blender and blitz until smooth.
- Assemble: Spoon mushrooms into tortillas, topping with the Cilantro Sauce and your favorite fixings.
Charles McMeekin says
This has become a house staple for the two of us who are trying to reduce the meat in our diet. Hurray for oyster mushrooms, and the treatment in this recipe keeps us coming back for more!
Jaymee says
This looks fantastic. Thank you for all these wonderful recipes. I can not wait to get cooking!
Sarah Bond says
Yay! I’d love to hear how it goes, Jaymee! 😀
Molly says
OMGGGG loveeee.
I love mushrooms so I love this alternative for carnitas tacos, between the seasoning and the texture it’s so spot on and I don’t feel heavy and bloated. One of my favorite recipes!
Sarah Bond says
YAY! I’m so happy you loved it! 😀
Krista says
Just made this and it was so good! The flavors all came! Tasty! I used kite hill plant based yogurt.
Nicole A. Fleshman says
Looks like pulled pork but that’s about it. Lots of work to prepare. Mushrooms are too chewy nothing like pork. But I do appreciate all of your recipes. Just not for me!