Crispy Breaded Mushroom Nuggets With Vegan Aioli Dipping Sauce

Vegan Mushroom Bites with Homemade Aquafaba Vegan Aioli

Whether it’s for a quick snack or an appetizer served to friends, vegan breaded mushrooms are an easy win. Crispy breadcrumb coating and juicy, tender mushrooms, dipped in an easy homemade vegan aioli sound pretty dreamy, don’t they?

It takes just a bit of coating and baking to prepare these little mushroom nuggets for munching. Once baked, it’s only a few more minutes of your time to make a garlic lemon aioli in the blender. 

By utilizing vegan egg wash made from chickpea flour and water and the aquafaba from canned chickpeas for the aioli, we’ve taken a well loved appetizer staple, and turned it into vegan snack heaven. 

Once you see how easy these are to prepare, and how delicious a vegan dipping sauce can be, I have a feeling that these healthy breaded mushrooms will be on your snack and party menus often. 

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Ingredients for Vegan Breaded Mushrooms & Aioli

Reworking traditional egg wash into a vegan form uses a few different ingredients. They all combine together easily, and turn out the most perfect crispy breaded mushrooms. 

I like white cap mushrooms for this, but if those aren’t available, I recommend using mushrooms of similar shape and texture. Baby bella, cremini, or brown button mushrooms would all work. Buying pre-sliced mushrooms can save you some time on the prep later. 

You can also use whichever breadcrumbs you prefer, so long as they’re unseasoned. Panko delivers a lovely crunch. 

For the mushrooms you’ll need: 

• White Cap Mushrooms
• Breadcrumbs
• Fresh Parsley
• Garlic
• Chickpea flour
• Water
• Salt

Making a vegan aioli with aquafaba is very simple too, you’ll need only 4 ingredients, 5 if you opt for the lemon juice. I like the zing, but you can leave it out for a more traditional garlic aioli flavor. 

The aioli ingredients are:

• Aquafaba
• Garlic
• Vegetable Oil
• Salt
• Lemon Juice

Aquafaba is the liquid found in a can of chickpeas. It’s a wonderfully useful ingredient that usually gets discarded. Not only does it work for this creamy thick aioli but you can also use it to make things like vegan meringue cookies!

If you’re opening a can just for this recipe, don’t worry, chickpeas are a fabulous ingredient for vegan eating. They’ll stay good in the fridge about 3 to 4 days after opening. As for any leftover aquafaba, it’ll keep in the fridge for a week. Both chickpeas and aquafaba freeze well too.

How to Make Healthy Breaded Mushrooms

When you’re ready to make these crispy bite-sized nuggets, start by preheating your oven to 400°F (or 200°C). If you need to slice your mushrooms, do that first. 

Next prepare your breading station. You’ll need two bowls, one for the chickpea flour, water, chopped parsley, salt, and minced garlic; and one for the breadcrumbs. 

Once your chickpea flour and water mixture is smoothly combined into a vegan egg batter, begin dipping the sliced mushrooms. Using tongs or a fork will make this an easier and cleaner step. After the mushrooms are dipped, transfer them to the breadcrumbs and coat them thoroughly. 

Spray down a baking sheet with oil or line it with parchment paper, and arrange the mushrooms in a single layer on top. Be sure not to overcrowd them, we want them to crisp not steam. Spray the tops of the mushrooms with oil to help with browning. 

Bake your mushrooms for 16 to 20 minutes, or until brown and crispy. Give them a check about halfway through to make sure there is no burning.

How to Make Vegan Aioli with Aquafaba

While your mushrooms are roasting, you can easily whip up your vegan aioli. You’ll need a blender or an immersion blender to get started. 

Begin with just the aquafaba and salt, blending them together until well combined. Then, with the blender still running, start to drizzle in the oil very slowly. 

It’s so important to do this slowly if you want a thick, creamy aioli. Adding the oil too fast will result in a runny liquid. Just go slow, and if you happen to notice any oil resting on top, stop adding oil and let the blender catch up. Once it gets mixed in, you can start adding the remaining oil again.

As you add the oil, the mixture will quite suddenly thicken. Add any remaining oil, continuing to do so slowly. After that, add in your garlic and lemon juice if using. Now you have a beautiful vegan dipping sauce for breaded mushrooms.

How to Store

If by some chance you have any leftovers, you can store mushroom nuggets in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. To reheat and get some crisp back, use your oven or toaster oven. 

The vegan aioli will keep in the fridge for about a week. I actually find that as the garlic infuses, the flavor gets better, so prepping your aioli a day ahead of serving the mushrooms is a great idea. 

If you’re interested in having these mushrooms ready to go at a moment’s notice, breaded mushrooms freeze well. You can even double or triple the batch just to prep some for freezing.

Simply bread and arrange them on a baking sheet and freeze. Once the mushrooms are partially frozen, you can transfer them to a freezer container or bag. 

When you’re ready to bake, arrange on an oiled or lined baking sheet, spray the tops with oil, and bake as directed. You’ll likely need to add a few minutes to the baking time. 

Final Thoughts

Adding crispy breaded mushroom nuggets and an aioli recipe to your vegan cooking repertoire is sure to be a hit with your family and friends. Breaded mushroom nuggets are a favorite appetizer and snack for a lot of people, and this vegan version hits all the key notes – flavorful, crispy, and best of all healthy. 

Enjoy serving these low fat bites to your family, and don’t forget to check out my vegan peanut butter protein balls for another healthy snack option. 

Stephanie Mantilla

Plant-Based Diet & Vegan Lifestyle Expert

Stephanie is the founder of Plant Prosperous, a plant-based vegan living, and parenting blog. She has been eating a plant-based diet for over 24 years along with a B.S. in Biology & Environmental Science. She also has over 14 years of experience working in the environmental and conservation sectors. Stephanie is currently raising her son on a plant-based diet and hopes to help others who are wanting to do the same. You can read more about her here.