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By shredding king oyster mushrooms, seasoning with spices, and baking, you can create a vegan mushroom pulled pork that rivals the real stuff! This foolproof vegan pork has been devoured in kitchens all over the world (and our step-by-step photos will walk you through how to make it perfectly every time).
save this recipe!This is one of the most popular recipes on Live Eat Learn. And for good reason! This pulled mushrooms recipe is:
- Stupid easy, just shred, bake and saute.
- Meat-eater approved, just check the comments!
- A fun new technique to add to your vegetarian dinner recipe arsenal.
And the thing is, I didn’t even like mushrooms when I first created this recipe back in 2018. But this recipe changed it all for me. Now, mushrooms are one of my favorite ingredients to cook with, and we have hundreds of mushroom recipes on the site.
Ready to try out your new favorite vegetarian meat substitute? Let’s cook!
Reader rating
“Invited my meat eater friends over for pulled pork sliders…after a couple of servings someone asked “I thought you didn’t eat meat?” I responded…I don’t but I eat mushrooms!!!” —Diane
You just need a few ingredients
This is just an overview! Jump to the recipe card for full measurements and instructions.
- King Oyster Mushrooms: The thick stem shreds into perfectly “pulled pork” pieces. Find king oyster mushrooms in almost any or Asian supermarket and some health food stores. You can substitute the smaller version of these mushrooms–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 barbecue sauce! We love Sweet Baby Ray’s around here (it’s a vegan BBQ sauce we always keep stocked), but any sauce will do.
Reader rating
“Absolutely incredible and genius!!! You would never know you were eating mushrooms or anything other than pulled pork or chicken!!” —Erin
Serving
What’s BBQ without the condiments you serve it with? We paired this BBQ pulled mushroom with coleslaw on burger buns, but it’s also delicious on vegan nachos, in mushroom carnitas tacos, or even as a filling for vegan bao buns.
Next-Level BBQ Pulled Mushrooms
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°F (204°C). Clean 4 king oyster 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 half of the oil, 1 tsp smoked paprika, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp cayenne pepper, and 2 cloves garlic (minced). 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 oil in a large saute pan over medium/high. Transfer cooked mushrooms to pan and add ¼ cup 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! (Our favorite way? On a soft bun with sliced red onion and shredded cabbage!)
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!More ways to use oyster mushrooms
Now that you’ve fallen in love with oyster mushrooms, here are a few of our favorite oyster mushroom recipes to inspire your vegetarian cooking!
- Vegetarian Philly Cheesesteak made with flavorful oyster mushrooms? Yes please (this went viral on Tastemade!)
- Buttermilk Fried “Chicken” isn’t chicken…and it’s not even fried. Battered oyster mushrooms cooked in the air fryer!
- Pulled Mushroom Tacos seasoned with TexMax flavors and loaded with toppings.
Could this be made in an air fryer?
While I haven’t tried it, I think it would work! Just keep an eye that it doesn’t burn.
This made my husband actually want to eat mushrooms! That never happens!
SO AWESOME! Happy to hear it, Kristin! 😀
aaah! How many grams in 3 heaping cups – https://www.convertunits.com/from/cup+%5BCanada%5D/to/grams UK, US and Canadian cups differ!
Please! Your recipes are amazing – stop using inaccurate measurements.
Happy to hear you’re liking the recipes! I usually provide metric units as well, but for this recipe it’s a bit difficult. I will say this recipe is also quite flexible, so don’t get too wrapped up in the exacts. I usually do 3 handfuls of mushrooms and season to taste! 😀
Thanks for this delicious recipe!
It looks amazing!
I have a question, whay did you bake them instead of making it directky in the pan?
Thank you
Baking makes them dry out a bit and become crispy, which transforms the flavor from chewy mushrooms into “pulled pork”! 😀
By the way, in case it’s not clear…your recipes are amazing! My frustration over the imprecise measurements are more my issue than yours.
I return to your site time and again because they are so very, very good and you are a real inspiration in this time of insanity. Stay safe, thank you and be well.
Aw, I’m so happy to hear that, Steve! Happy cooking! 😀
I’m just gonna say you’re a genius. I’ll treasure this recipe for ever! My first time ever trying this out. I couldn’t find king oyster mushrooms luckily found regular oyster mushrooms in Whole Foods. This tasted just like pulled chicken. Took me back to summer days with the barbecue sauce. Thank you so much for this recipe. New to your site and definitely going to stick around.
I’m so happy to hear it, Stephannie! Enjoy! 😀
Do you have an Asian store in your area? That is an alternative place to find these kind of mushrooms.
I don’t even like mushrooms but WOW this was so good I will be making it again!!
It taste amazing and it’s easy to make too. The texture taste like pulled pork and my teenager daughter who is very much a vegan absolutely love it. We make this for taco and burritos too. Love it 😍
The degrees were far too high and burnt them to a crisp before 15 minutes had gone by. I made another batch and put it in for a shorter time and the result was underwhelming but edible. I feel terrible about leaving a review less than 5 stars which I never do, I just don’t understand how so this many people rave about this recipe.
Sorry to hear it, Lucy! Everyone’s oven is a little different, so indeed just bump down the temp a bit next time. You might try another BBQ sauce, because this recipe should be delish! 😀