Vegan Shiitake Mushroom Bacon

This Vegan Shiitake Mushroom Bacon is the perfect savory salad topping! It is super flavorful and satisfying but 100% meatless so everyone can enjoy it. This recipe is super quick and easy, made with only mushrooms, oil, paprika and salt, but it tastes amazing! I love to add it to the top of a big salad or stir it into a side salad. 

Why We Love This Recipe For Vegan Shiitake Mushroom Bacon

If you’re wanting vegan bacon, but think you won’t like this shiitake bacon because you’re not a fan of mushrooms, think again! The texture of this meatless bacon is nothing like a raw or even sautéed mushroom so don’t worry. It is hard and crispy with a little bit of leathery chew just like real bacon!

It’s a totally satisfying alternative to pork bacon and has a wide variety of uses. Shiitake bacon can be used to top off salads like this Vegan Tempeh and Cauliflower Power Salad, or these Meal Prep Wasabi Salmon Salads. I also like to use them in place of bacon in Vegan Broccoli Salad and to top off Corn Chowder. In actuality, you can replace bacon in just about any recipe, just stir them in at the end so they stay crispy!

For more mushroom love try this vegetarian mushroom carbonara, these roasted portobello mushroom recipe and my Sauteed Portobello Mushrooms to name a few favorites!

Key Ingredients For This Recipe

Shiitake Mushrooms

I’ll always advise that you purchase mushrooms from the bulk bin if you can—that way you can choose the freshest ones. We also recommend washing shiitake mushrooms by wiping the cap with a damp paper towel. Mushrooms are so absorbent that if you wash them under the tap they will retain some of the water. If this happens, place on a paper towel to dry for a few minutes.

Cooking Oil

Avocado oil or organic canola oil work best for this recipe but you can use olive oil as well.

Smoked Paprika

Smoked Paprika is the essence of the bacon flavor in this shiitake bacon. Look for it in the spice isle at large supermarkets. I only use 3/4 teaspoon, but you can add more to taste if you like a stronger smoke flavor.

Salt

Kosher salt is great for cooking but sea salt will work too, just make sure to use half as much as you would with kosher salt because it is higher in sodium. 

Step-By-Step Instructions To Make Vegan Shiitake Mushroom Bacon

Step 1: Prepare the oven and mushrooms.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Remove the stems from the shiitake mushrooms. Just pull them off by hand. The stems are tough and pithy so they’re really not good for eating. You can add them to vegetable stock or homemade chicken stock if you like. Next cut the caps into thin strips (a quarter-inch thick is perfect.) They shrink considerably while they are roasting, so you don’t have to make them paper-thin.

Step 2: Season Mushrooms

After they are sliced, toss them with oil. I like to use a neutral oil like avocado oil because I want the smoke to be the real starring flavor here. Because shiitake mushrooms are really absorbent, it is helpful to drizzle the oil along with the bowl (intentionally), then toss the shiitakes. The oil will be more evenly dispersed.
For flavoring, all you need is a little salt and smoked paprika. The smoky paprika will taste just like bacon! Add the seasoning in and toss again to coat as evenly as possible.

Step 3: Spread on a Sheet Pan

Next comes the roasting. Spread the mushrooms out over a large rimmed baking sheet. Try not to let them overlap too much.

Step 4: Stir To Bake Evenly

Transfer the baking sheet to the oven. Make sure to stir the shiitake bacon with a spatula a few times while it roasts, so that it crisps up evenly. Otherwise, the pieces on the edge of the pan may overcook and burn.

You’ll know the shiitake bacon is done when it is browning but not burnt. That means that most of the moisture is roasted out of it and the small amount of natural sugars are caramelizing a bit. You can read more about the interaction of moisture and caramelization of sugar here.

Let the “bacon” cool completely. It will become crisp as it cools.