Vegan Stuffed Mushrooms

When stuffed with a filling of crunchy carrot, punchy garlic, crispy panko bread crumbs, and savory vegan parmesan cheese–juicy cremini mushrooms turn into perfect little bite-sized snacks! 

Stuffed mushrooms make for a magical recipe. They can be a side dish or an appetizer that people ohh and ahh over. All you have to do is set them on a table, and one by one, the little gems will disappear!

In addition to serving these as an appetizer at holiday parties, I also sometimes whip up a batch as a veggie side dish to accompany a regular ol’ weeknight dinner. Even though I am constantly coming up with new recipes to share with you here, when it comes to getting dinner on the table for my family, I too can get stuck in a rut from time to time! 

Staple veggies like green beans and peas are great–especially on very busy nights–but these stuffed mushrooms make for a slightly more interesting meal and are really not that much more effort.

Plus, there is a really good chance that you have most of the ingredients for these easy vegan stuffed mushrooms already in your pantry. They may taste festive, but there is no need to save these little bites for a holiday!

Ingredients for Vegan Stuffed Mushrooms

• Whole mushrooms – Look for medium-large mushrooms, either white button or cremini mushrooms (also sold as “baby bella”). It is ideal to get these from the bulk-bin if your market has one, as this will allow you to handpick the mushrooms to ensure they are similarly sized and free from cracks. Make sure to clean them before chopping. 
• Carrots – You can use either 1 large or 2 small regular carrots here, or an about equal amount of baby carrots if you already have those on hand. 
• Extra virgin olive oil – For sauteing the veggie and bread crumb mixture. 
• Garlic paste – I like to use store bought garlic paste for this recipe as I find it distributes the garlic flavor nice and evenly throughout the filling. You can usually find this item in the produce section of your grocery store. Regular garlic will work too of course, just peel and finely mince 2 cloves.
• Panko breadcrumbs – Panko crumbs are extra crispy and usually my go-to choice for bread crumbs, but just about any variety will work here. If you have other store bought or seasoned crumbs, those will do fine, or use homemade breadcrumbs if you like.
• Italian seasoning – Use your favorite store bought Italian seasoning or make your own homemade blend.
• Black pepper – Black pepper is one of my favorite flavors. I find that freshly cracked or ground black pepper is far more flavorful and nuanced as compared to pre-packaged ground pepper and always recommend using a pepper grinder if you have one. 
• Vegan parmesan cheese – I prefer to make my own vegan parmesan (it takes just 5 minutes!) but if you have a favorite store bought parm, that will work great too. 

How to Make Vegan Stuffed Mushrooms

1. Preheat and prep. Preheat the oven to 350℉. Pop the stems out of the cleaned mushrooms and set the caps aside until later. 
2. Chop stems. Place the mushroom stems in a food processor and pulse a few times until the stems are finely chopped. Transfer them to a bowl and set aside. 
3. Chop carrots. Peel carrots and chop them into a few large pieces. Place them in the food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add them to the bowl with the chopped mushroom stems. 
4. Cook veggies. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped mushroom stems and carrots, stir, and sauté for about 10 minutes.
5. Add seasonings. Add garlic, panko bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper, and vegan parmesan cheese to the cooked veggie mixture. Stir and cook for 2 more minutes, then remove from the heat. 
6. Stuff and bake. Place all of the mushroom caps stem side up on a baking sheet. Fill each mushroom cap with a spoonful of the cooked filling, then press it into the cap and add another spoonful on top so that some of the filling sticks up above the rim of the mushroom. Place the stuffed mushrooms in the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. 

7. Serve! These vegan stuffed mushrooms are wonderful when nice and hot, but also good at room temperature too. Enjoy them however you like!

Watch Us Make Vegan Stuffed Mushrooms

Chef Tips 

If you don’t have a food processor, you can use the largest holes on a box grater (cheese grater) to “finely chop” the mushroom stems and carrots–just watch those knuckles! You can of course chop them by hand too if you prefer, but this will of course take a bit more time. 

Use a damp kitchen towel or paper towel to gently wipe off the surface of the mushrooms in order to clean them. No need to press too hard, just gently brush away any dirt or debris. Cleaning mushrooms this way keeps them from too much water exposure, which can turn them spongy. 

If you are using baby portobello mushrooms, you’ll notice that their outer skin is naturally dark and somewhat “dirty” looking, but this layer is just fine to eat and does not need to be removed. 

How to Store 

Refrigerating. Place leftover cooked stuffed mushrooms in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will keep for up to 2 days. 

Freezing. I do not recommend freezing your stuffed mushrooms as due to their spongy nature, mushrooms are extremely prone to textural changes during freezing and defrosting. If you wish to experiment with it though, I recommend freezing them before cooking. Then cook them from frozen, do not defrost first. You will need to bake them for longer than the original recipe calls for.  

Reheating. Place the stuffed mushrooms on a baking sheet and warm them in a 350℉ oven for about 5 minutes, just until warmed through.