You will love this vegan shrimp recipe! The shrimp are made from scratch using oyster mushrooms, and then topped with a delicious breaded coating to make these vegetarian shrimp taste just like traditional fried shrimp or coconut shrimp. Served with a homemade shrimp cocktail sauce this dish is a crowed pleaser that even non-vegans will love!
Table of Contents
Why you will love this recipe:
- The taste! It’s seasoned just like regular shrimp, and has the texture of real shrimp so these vegetarian shrimp end up tasting almost identical to the real thing.
- These homemade vegan shrimp can be baked, fried, or cooked in your air fryer so you can use whatever cooking method you prefer.
- You can easily make this shrimp recipe gluten free since everything is made from scratch.
- This shrimp recipe is healthy, dairy free, low sugar and safe for diabetics, vegans and vegetarians!
If you love vegan snacks you will also love homemade vegan popcorn and vegan protein chocolate chip cookies.
Ingredients and substitutions:
- A vegan egg replacer - this is key for making this recipe work. I've tried making these shrimp without it and the breading just doesn't stick to the mushrooms the same way. I recommend either Bob's Red Mill Vegan Egg Replacer, Neat plant based egg replacer or Follow Your Heart Vegan Egg.
- Oyster mushrooms or king oyster mushrooms - this is what is used for the "shrimp" in this recipe. The mushrooms have a great shrimp-like texture to give these imitation shrimp the texture of seafood.
- Coconut milk - this is used to help the coating stick to the mushrooms. I recommend using full fat coconut milk.
- All purpose flour - this is part of the delicious coating for these shrimp. You can use gluten-free all purpose flour if you are gluten free. You could also use almond flour.
- Bread crumbs - another key ingredient for the delicious shrimp coating. You can substitute this with gluten-free bread crumbs or panko breadcrumbs.
- Spices - the combination of sea salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and paprika blend perfectly to give these shrimp the most incredible flavour.
- Cocktail sauce ingredients: to make your own shrimp cocktail sauce you will need horseradish, ketchup and lemon juice.
How to make (step-by-step):
To bake in the oven:
Step one:
First, preheat your oven to 400 degrees Farhenheit.
Step two:
Next, wash and dry the oyster mushrooms and slice the mushrooms so they resemble shrimp shapes.
Step three:
Then put the coconut milk into a small bowl and whisk in the egg replacer. Let it sit for a couple minutes to thicken. In another medium bowl combine the breadcrumbs, flour and spices.
Step four:
Now dip each mushroom piece into the coconut milk and then in the flour mixture to coat it completely.
Step five:
Lastly, place a piece of parchment paper or silicone liner on a baking sheet and lay all the coated mushrooms on the baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown and crisp on the outside. Let the shrimp cool for a few minutes before serving.
Step six:
While the coated mushrooms are baking you can make the shrimp sauce by placing all the ingredients into a bowl or large glass measuring cup, and stirring until you have a smooth sauce.
To make in an air fryer:
Step one:
Spray the trays or basket of your air fryer with a little oil (to prevent the shrimp from sticking).
Step two:
Place the coated shrimp on the trays or in the basket or your air fryer and cook for 13-15 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
** Note: I love cooking them this way as the mushroom shrimp turn out extra crispy and there is no need to fry them in oil!
To pan fry:
Step one:
Place a frying pan on the stove on medium-high heat and fill the pan with enough oil so that it's ~1/2 inch high in the pan once melted (I like coconut oil personally).
Step two:
Once melted, add the coated mushrooms and cook for 3-5 minutes per side (how much time you need will depend on the size of your shrimp).
Step three:
Once cooked, place shrimp on a wire rack and allow them to cool and remove any excess oil.
** Note: if you cook them this way, be careful when flipping the mushroom shrimp- if you flip them too quickly some of the coating may come off. I find rolling them over gently in the oil when frying them works best. I personally find this way of cooking them to be the most finicky and would recommend either the baking method or air fryer method instead.
Top Tips:
- I personally recommend using the oven or air fryer method to make these vegan coconut shrimp. These two cooking methods are easier and faster then frying these shrimp on the stovetop.
- Instead of making your own shrimp cocktail sauce you could easily buy a pre-made one.
- Depending on how large or small you cut your mushrooms, you may have to alter the cooking times of this recipe slightly (the larger they are the more time they will need to cook).
Variations and add ins:
- Instead of oyster mushrooms you can also use king oyster mushrooms. You would just want to remove the stems first.
- To make this mushroom shrimp gluten-free: use gluten-free breadcrumbs and either a gluten-free all purpose flour or almond flour.
- Instead of coconut milk you can use another dairy free milk such as unsweetened almond milk, cashew milk, oat milk, or soy milk.
- To give these shrimp a different flavour you can season these plant-based shrimp with Old Bay seasoning.
How to serve:
I love serving this shrimp with homemade vegan cocktail sauce or vegan tartar sauce but you could also use your favourite sauce to dip these shrimp including homemade barbecue sauce, honey mustard dip, cajun garlic sauce, or ketchup. Feel free to give them a squeeze of lemon before serving.
You can also use these shrimp in other ways such as adding them to pasta dishes, salads, rice dishes or making vegan shrimp tacos.
How to store:
Store any leftover shrimp in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days if you don't eat them right away.
I don't recommend trying to freeze these shrimp.
Frequently asked questions:
Unlike the name implies, horseradish has nothing to do with horses, so it's safe for vegans to eat. Horseradish is actually a plant, and prepared horseradish is a condiment made from the large, white root of the horseradish plant. The grated root can be used fresh, or it can be dried or powdered. The leaves of the plant are also edible.
No, vegans don't eat any seafood, which is why this vegan shrimp recipe uses mushrooms instead of real shrimp or other fish. You'd be amazed how many vegetables can be used to make vegan seafood recipes. Besides mushrooms I've seen other recipes use heart of palm and even cauliflower!
This plant based shrimp recipe is made from oyster mushrooms or king oyster mushrooms and then given a delicious breaded coating to make these shrimp taste just like real coconut shrimp.
Homemade vegan shrimp recipes are often made from different vegetables including oyster mushrooms or king oyster mushrooms, while most store bought brands use soy curls, konjac powder or soy protein.
Other vegan recipes you will love:
- The best vegan Caesar salad dressing
- Easy vegan mascarpone
- Vegan apple pie bars
- Easy Vegan sun-dried tomato pasta
- Vegan risotto
Since you made it this far we are basically best friends so be sure to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok and Facebook where I share even more recipes and healthy living tips! And don’t forget to leave this recipe a star rating before you go!
Recipe
Vegan Shrimp
Ingredients
Shrimp Ingredients
- 100 grams oyster mushrooms (or king oyster mushrooms)
- 2 cups coconut milk
- 2 tablespoon vegan egg replacement
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Shrimp Cocktail Sauce Ingredients
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoon horseradish (or more to taste)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
Shrimp Instructions (oven method)
- Preheat your oven on to 400F.
- Wash and dry the oyster mushrooms and then slice the mushrooms so they resemble a shrimp shape.
- Add the coconut milk to a bowl and whisk in the egg replacer. Let it sit for a couple minutes to thicken. In another bowl combine the breadcrumbs, flour and spices.
- Dip each piece of mushroom into the coconut milk and then in the flour mixture to coat it completely.
- Place a piece of parchment paper or silicone liner on a baking sheet and lay all the coated mushrooms on the baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until crisp on the outside. Let the shrimp cool for a few minutes before serving.
Shrimp Cocktail Sauce Instructions
- While the shrimp are cooking, combine all the sauce ingredients in a bowl, and stir well until smooth.
Notes
- Nutritional values are an estimate and will vary depending on the exact ingredients used.
- Instead of oyster mushrooms you can also use king oyster mushrooms.
- Instead of coconut milk you can use another dairy free milk.
- Depending on how large or small you cut your mushrooms, you may have to alter the cooking times slightly (the larger they are the more time they will need to cook).
- If you would rather make these in the air fryer or on the stovetop, refer to the directions in the body of text in this post for how to do it.
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