Vegan Mushroom Bacon
Vegan mushroom bacon is thinly sliced portobello marinated in a smoky, lightly sweet sauce, then fried until golden and crisp. It gives you that salty, smoky, chewy-crisp “bacon” hit with no animal products and almost no fat, and it is incredible piled into sandwiches. The whole thing comes down to one clever marinade plus a hot pan, and I will walk you through both below.
I know it might sound peculiar at first. You most definitely know plenty of recipes with mushrooms and bacon in them separately that are totally not vegan, yet this is different. So what if I told you that making this vegan bacon will cover a lot of your nutritional needs without adding much weight on you, and will be as tasty as the real thing? A little work is involved. It is not quite the same as slapping some meat in a pan and sizzling it for five minutes, but believe me, the taste is totally worth it. Though I would not blame you if you just wanted to eat this alone, just like I did.
Why portobellos make the best mushroom bacon
Mushrooms are a great base for a filling vegan dish because they carry savory flavor beautifully and hold their shape while cooking. Portobellos in particular are large, meaty, and firm, so once you slice them and remove the stem you get wide, sturdy strips that stand in for bacon rashers. Their spongy texture soaks up the marinade fast, and their high water content is exactly what lets them shrink, concentrate, and crisp up in the pan. Look for portobellos with tightly closed, dry caps and no slimy patches, and slice them a touch thicker than you think, because they lose a lot of volume as they cook.
The marinade is where the “bacon” flavor lives
The secret to the bacon taste is in the marinade, the same trick behind most vegan bacon recipes you will find online and on my blog. Here every ingredient is doing a specific job. Liquid smoke delivers that campfire, cured-over-wood aroma that our brains read as bacon. Smoked paprika layers on a second, gentler smokiness plus color. The pinch of brown sugar helps the edges caramelize and balances the salt, while the salt itself seasons and draws moisture out so the slices firm up. A little vegetable broth or water loosens the marinade so it coats every slice, and the melted vegan butter (or coconut oil) carries the fat-soluble flavors and helps everything sear. Do not skip the 20-minute rest. That is the window when the portobello actually absorbs all of it.
How to fry it so it turns crispy, not soggy
The single most common mistake is crowding the pan. Portobellos release a surprising amount of water, and if the slices overlap they steam in their own juices and turn rubbery instead of crisp. Heat your pan properly over medium before the mushrooms go in, then lay the slices out in a single layer with space around each one. Let them cook undisturbed for a few minutes per side, about 7 minutes total, until the edges are golden and the surface looks dry and lacquered. If your pan is small, work in batches rather than piling everything in at once. Drain the finished slices on a paper towel so any excess oil comes off and the crisp edges hold.
What to serve vegan mushroom bacon on
This is a topping and a condiment as much as a snack, so scatter it wherever you want a smoky, salty crunch. It is unbeatable layered into a sandwich, and it turns a bowl of cream of mushroom soup with thyme or a hearty vegan red lentil soup into something with real texture on top. Crumble it over a vegan Buddha bowl for a savory finish, or fold it through a low-fat Olivier salad the way you would use real bacon bits. It also fits right into American-style breakfast plates and brunch bowls.
Making it ahead and storing leftovers
Mushroom bacon is best eaten fresh from the pan, while it is at its crispiest, but it keeps well for a couple of days in an airtight container in the fridge. It will soften as it sits, so to bring back the crunch reheat the slices in a dry hot pan for a minute or two rather than the microwave, which steams them. You can also get a head start by mixing the marinade and slicing the portobellos in advance; let them marinate up to a few hours in the fridge, then fry when you are ready to serve. A little smoky mushroom bacon on hand makes it easy to dress up soups, salads, and quick sandwiches all week.
I hope this recipe turns out great for you, and that you share it with your family and friends. If you make it, please rate the recipe below and leave a comment telling me how crispy you got your slices, whether you piled them into a sandwich or ate them straight from the pan, or any tweak you discovered that makes it even better.
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Vegan Mushroom Bacon
Ingredients
- 2 Portobello large, sliced, stem removed
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
For the marinade:
- 2 Tbsp vegetable broth or water
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp brown sugar
- ¾ tsp liquid smoke
- 1 tsp vegan butter melted; or coconut oil
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine all marinade ingredients.
- Add the sliced mushrooms and let marinate for about 20 minutes.
- Heat a large pan on medium heat with olive oil. When hot, add the mushroom slices in a single layer.
- Fry until golden and crispy, for about 7 minutes, on both sides.
- Remove to a paper towel.
- Serve and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. It is made from portobello mushrooms marinated in a smoky sauce and pan-fried with just a small amount of oil, so it is very low in fat and contains no animal products. Mushrooms bring savory flavor and substance without the saturated fat of pork bacon, which makes this a light way to get that smoky, salty hit.
Large portobellos are ideal because they are firm and meaty, so once sliced and de-stemmed they give you wide, sturdy strips that hold together in the pan. Their spongy texture also absorbs the marinade quickly and crisps well. Choose caps that are dry and tightly closed with no slimy spots.
Liquid smoke is the ingredient that gives this its signature cured, over-the-fire bacon aroma, so it does most of the flavor work. If you leave it out you will lose that campfire note, though the smoked paprika still provides a gentler smokiness. For the closest match to real bacon, keep the liquid smoke in.
The usual cause is crowding the pan. Portobellos release a lot of water, and when the slices overlap they steam instead of frying and end up rubbery. Cook them in a single layer over properly heated medium heat, give each slice space, and work in batches if your pan is small.
Use it anywhere you want a smoky, salty crunch. It is excellent in sandwiches, crumbled over Buddha bowls and salads, or scattered on top of soups like cream of mushroom or red lentil. It also works on breakfast and brunch plates in place of regular bacon bits.
Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple of days. It softens as it sits, so reheat the slices in a dry hot pan for a minute or two to bring back the crisp edges rather than using the microwave, which steams them. It is at its best fresh from the pan.
what if dehidrates the mushroom..they become someting like beef jerky?..just a figure
Yes, something like that! 🙂