Lion's Mane Mushroom Recipes (2024)

These Lion’s Mane Mushroom Recipes will blow your mind, featuring a Vegan Mushroom Crab Cake so delicious you won’t believe it is meatless!

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If you have been hearing about a popular new ingredient called a lion’s mane mushroom (hericium erinaceus), you are not alone! Sometimes referred to as a lion’s head mushroom, this mushroom is popular in vegan and vegetarian recipes. It is absolutely delicious and provides an amazing hearty and firm texture, very similar to crab. It is mild in flavor and is an excellent vehicle to take on the different flavors that you are cooking with.

Cooking this mushroom is also surprisingly easy! It can be prepared in a number of ways including pan sauté, oven roasted and grilled! I want to share with you some of my favorite lion’s mane mushroom recipes, including my absolute favorite: vegan and vegetarian mushroom cake!

Why this recipe works

• If you have ever wondered how to cook lion’s mane mushroom, I will teach you how!
• This mushroom is super easy to work with, takes on the flavor you are cooking with and is super delicious even with basic preparations. If you are a vegetable lover, you will love my Roasted Asparagus and Roasted Beets.
• The mouth feel and texture is hearty and serves as an excellent meat or seafood substitute in many vegan and vegetarian recipes.

Ingredients in this recipe

• Fresh Lion’s Mane mushroom
• Egg or flax egg: To make a flax egg, mix one tablespoon of flaxseed meal with three tablespoons of water. Allow to sit refrigerated for about 10 minutes to thicken.
• Panko breadcrumbs: I love panko breadcrumbs in this recipe but you can also use regular breadcrumbs.
• Onion: Sweet onion recommended.
• Mayonnaise or Vegan Mayonnaise: If you are enjoying the vegan version of this recipe, I recommend this Vegan Mayonnaise.
• Worcestershire sauce
• Old Bay seasoning: If you don’t have old bay seasoning, you can use Cajun seasoning or Italian seasoning for a slightly different (but still delicious) flavor profile. You might also love my Tempero Baiano Brazilian Spice Blend.
• Dijon mustard: You can also use course ground mustard.
• Parsley
• Salt and pepper
• Oil (to fry cakes): Canola, vegetable or olive oil all work well.
• Optional Garnish: Lemon wedges.

How to make this lion’s mane mushroom crab cake

1. Hand shred mushroom into small pieces resembling texture of flakey crab.
2. In large bowl, combine egg, mayonnaise, onion, Worcestershire sauce, old bay seasoning, Dijon mustard, parsley (finely chopped), salt and pepper. Mix until fully incorporated.
3. Mix in mushroom until fully incorporated.
4. Mix in Panko breadcrumbs until fully incorporated.
5. Form mixture into 3-4 equal size round flat patties (about ½ to ¾ inch thick).
6. Heat oil in sauté pan on medium/high heat.
7. Cook patties for approximately 2-3 minutes per side. Should be golden brown and cooked throughout.
8. Add optional garnish, squeeze of lemon and enjoy!

Other lion’s mane mushroom recipes

This mushroom is super versatile and mild in flavor, making it an excellent choice for many lion’s mane mushroom recipes. Some of my favorite lion’s mane mushroom recipe preparations include:

• Pan Sautéed with butter
• Oven roasted with olive oil or butter and seasoning of choice
• Grilled
• Vegan crab cakes (my favorite!)

For some other more creative preparations, you can enjoy mushroom powder in a mushroom latte, lion’s mane tea or coffee or mushroom paste in a soup or pasta sauce.

Health benefits

An article published in the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health indicates that “Hericium erinaceusa culinary and medicinal mushroom is a well established candidate for brain and nerve health.” It cites that studies support “neurite outgrowth and neuronal health benefits” and could assist health problems and cognitive abilities in an aging population. To read the full article: Neuronal Health – Can Culinary and Medicinal Mushrooms Help?

Many companies sell lion’s mane in different forms such as supplement as capsules, pills, powder or extract.

Where to buy

You may be lucky enough to live in area where this mushroom is available in your grocery store or local farmer’s market. However, if you don’t live in area where lion’s mane is sold fresh, you have a few options.

Buying online is one option. There are a number of companies online that will sell and ship to you. I purchased my mushrooms on Etsy because of the additional Etsy protections should anything go wrong with your order. The price for this product can vary quite widely so if you are able to purchase fresh, you can avoid shipping costs.

Another option is growing them yourself. This is becoming very popular and you can purchase lion’s mane mushroom kits on Amazon and Etsy. You can also purchase the dried version on Amazon. The dried version is excellent in soups and rehydrated in pastas.

FAQ and expert tips

Looking for other delicious healthy recipes?

• Vegan Blondies
• Banana Flour Pancakes
• Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

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