By shredding king oyster mushrooms, seasoning with spices, and baking, you can create a vegan mushroom pulled pork that rivals the real stuff! The perfect pulled pork alternative for sandwiches, tacos, nachos…or whenever you need vegan pulled pork.
Back in March I had a week break between finishing my master’s thesis and beginning my internship with Unilever. And in that week I cooked up a storm. A hurricane. A typhoon of all the recipes to be shared on the blog in the foreseeable future so I could focus on creating popsicles for the soon-to-be (next spring!) cookbook. But then I made this mushroom pulled pork and my plan nearly went out the window. Because I love the stuff so much that I wanted to share it ASAP!
But I couldn’t share it. Because mushroom week was so far away and my Type A personality was not about to break from our featured ingredient tradition. So I sat. And waited. And then suddenly summer came and as if it were Christmas…MUSHROOM WEEK is HERE! And so, friends, I can finally share one of my most favorite new recipes with you.
BBQ Pulled Mushrooms Video
We make this vegan pulled pork no less than once a week, sometimes with a different blend of spices or sauce, but always with the same core: king oysters shredded with a fork + baked til the edges are crispy. The pulled pork loving tulip-man happily gulfs them down on sandwiches, salads, nachos, and tacos. Ready to try out your new favorite vegetarian meat substitute?
Ingredients for vegan pulled pork
- King oyster mushrooms: The thick stem shreds into perfectly “pulled pork” pieces. Find king oyster mushrooms in a health food store or Asian supermarket. You can substitute regular oyster mushrooms if needed (about 3 heaping cups worth).
- Spices: The spices can be adapted to what you like, but we tend to use smoked paprika (for that roasted flavor), salt, and a bit of cayenne.
- BBQ sauce: It’s not a pulled pork alternative without the best BBQ sauce! We love Sweet Baby Ray’s (like…I bring it back to Europe in my suitcase every time I visit).
How to make vegan pulled pork
To make this finger-smacking tasty vegan alternative pulled pork, you’ll just toss the shredded mushroom in spices and bake until the edges are all crispy. Baking (rather than sautéing) gives the mushrooms a firmer texture that more closely resembles pulled pork. Then toss with your favorite BBQ sauce and serve!
Enjoy this pulled “pork” on nachos, in tacos, or even in vegetarian bao buns!
Ingredients
- 4 king oyster mushrooms*
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 30 mL, divided
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup BBQ sauce 60 g
Instructions
- Shred Mushrooms: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (204 C). Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel. Using two forks, shred the stems and caps roughly into pieces. Set on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Bake: Drizzle with 1 Tbsp of the oil, paprika, salt, cayenne, and garlic. Toss around to evenly coat the mushrooms, then bake for 20 minutes, or until mushrooms are a bit crispy and brown on the edges.
- Sauté: Heat remaining 1 Tbsp oil in a large saute pan over medium high. Transfer cooked mushrooms to pan and add BBQ sauce. Stir and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until mixture is thick and fragrant. Serve warm on sandwiches, nachos, salads, tacos…or whenever you eat pulled pork!
Jeanette says
Holy moly! It looks like pulled pork, it tastes like pulled pork, it’s only a little spongier in texture but it’s SO GOOD. I will definitely be using this recipe again!!! I only had a small bunch of mushrooms but I wish I had more so I could have leftovers.
brit says
I’ve made this before but I couldn’t find the exact recipe and this is the first thing that comes up on Google. The cook time was not near long enough for me. Did the 20 minutes and cooked in the pan but the mushrooms were hard to chew and had an unpleasant texture. I cooked them longer a different day and now it’s great! But I had to double the time
David belfonte says
Super easy and delicious!
Geraldine says
I made this recipe, though I’ll admit I didn’t bother with the frying part as I loved it how it was after being in the oven. Will definitely make again!
Theshia says
This was absolutely delicious! Easy to make and tasty!!
Jen says
Amazing! We made this for dinner, hubby had his on a sandwich and I made a BBQ salad. We’ll definitely use this recipe in our regular rotation!
Jan says
Crazy good! Added a bit of onion power and a couple dashes of liquid smoke for a bit more flavor and served on toasted brioche buns. So good!
Bev says
I love it ! Thank you ! It’s a keeper !
Carol says
Can this be adapted to a crock pot?
Sarah Bond says
I haven’t tried this in the crockpot so I can’t say for sure. I think I would prefer oven though because it gives us those crispy, dried out pieces (similar to pork)
Amy Leventhal says
Winner, winner, pulled pork dinner! LOVED this. I added a whole caramelized onion for a little extra zing and to try and add a little more quantity to the mushrooms to make sure we had enough to feed 4 and it worked like a charm. Thanks for this great recipe! Can’t wait to try it in a taco, and as a sandwich. This time, I just sauteed up some bok choy for a little green crunch.
Sarah Bond says
YAY! So happy to hear it, Amy! Enjoy! 😀
Lynn says
OMG. This was so good. Will definitely make it again. I’m not vegan but trying to eat more plant based foods. Salad gets boring all the time.
Sarah Bond says
I’m so happy you liked it, Lynn! Oyster mushrooms are pure magic. Enjoy! 😀
Jorn says
Tried it out and completely convinced this is now going to me a regular at our place.