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
- Hand shred mushroom into small pieces resembling texture of flakey crab.
- In large bowl, combine egg, mayonnaise, onion, Worcestershire sauce, old bay seasoning, Dijon mustard, parsley (finely chopped), salt and pepper. Mix until fully incorporated.
- Mix in mushroom until fully incorporated.
- Mix in Panko breadcrumbs until fully incorporated.
- Form mixture into 3-4 equal size round flat patties (about ½ to ¾ inch thick).
- Heat oil in sauté pan on medium/high heat.
- Cook patties for approximately 2-3 minutes per side. Should be golden brown and cooked throughout.
- 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 erinaceus a 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
Store fresh lion’s mane mushrooms in a paper bag in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Some Whole Foods locations sell fresh lion’s mane mushrooms, as well as other derivative products such as lion’s mane powder, capsules or coffee/tea. You can search by location on the Whole Foods website.
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Lion’s Mane Mushroom Recipes: Crab Cakes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 oz Lion's Mane mushroom
- 1 egg (or flax egg)
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup onion (finely diced)
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise or vegan mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¾ teaspoon old bay seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon parsley (finely chopped)
- ¼ teaspoon salt (to your taste)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2-3 tablespoon oil (to fry cakes)
- 2 optimal garnish: lemon wedges
Quick Tartar Sauce
- ¼ cup mayonnaise or vegan mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon dill pickle relish
- ¼ teaspoon old bay seasoning
Instructions
- Hand shred Lion's Mane Mushroom into small pieces resembling texture of flakey crab.
- In large bowl, combine egg, mayonnaise, onion, Worcestershire sauce, old bay seasoning, Dijon mustard, parsley (finely chopped), salt and pepper. Mix until fully incorporated.
- Mix in Lion's Mane Mushroom until fully incorporated.
- Mix in Panko breadcrumbs until fully incorporated.
- Form mixture into 3-4 equal size round flat patties (about ½ to ¾ inch thick).
- Heat oil in sauté pan on medium/high heat.
- Cook patties for approximately 2-3 minutes per side. Should be golden brown and cooked throughout.
- Add optional garnish, squeeze of lemon and enjoy!
Notes
- Leftovers and Storage: Transfer to airtight container or dish. Refrigerate for up to 48 hours. Can reheat and serve.
- Vegan/Vegetarian Substitutions or Omission: You can use vegan mayonnaise and flax egg in place of regular mayonnaise and egg in this recipe.
Artemisia
I tried this today and wondered why mine were a bit too wet; then I realized I forgot to add the panko. Either way, they still held together loosely, and were delicious even though I forgot that ingredient. The seasoning and textures were excellent, and it was a very easy and quick recipe. Fresh herbs really are great here–I had some fresh Mexican tarragon from a produce box, so I added some of that chopped, and it was divine! Fresh dill would probably also be very good–these are very easy to customize and adapt. A keeper recipe!
Aubrey
So happy you enjoyed! Thank you!
Claudia G.
Yes!!! Delicious. I added a little cajun curry and BOOM!
Thanks for the initial recipe!
Aubrey
So happy you enjoyed! Great tip!
John
I used more than the prescribed amount and I used two eggs. It came out incredibly and tasty. This is a winner.
david h
Has anyone tried cooking these in the air fryer? If so, any time and temp recommendations?
Tracy
I did air fry at 375 for 10 minutes. They were perfect. Other changes were I used shallots instead of onions, because I had some chopped. I did use flax egg and vegan mayo (homemade cashew cream mayo). I added finely diced red pepper too. They weee perfect.
Aubrey
So glad you enjoyed and thank you for the air fryer tips!
Stacey
Mine is Looking delicious!! I’m going to try to bake vs. fry.
Aubrey
Can’t wait to hear how they turn out!
Hillhikerz
My 5th time making this recipe. It’s moving up the monthly list fast, meaning it will probably be a once a month staple. My vegan friends were completely taken with it. Myself I’ve added scallops, crab and shrimp but one doesn’t need to.
Aubrey
Thank you so much for your kind words! I am so happy you are enjoying!
Sheila
5 star restaurant quality….these are AMAZING! I made mine with creole seasoning and added some cut up nori and used onion powder instead of diced onion. Sooo good!
Aubrey
Thanks Sheila! So happy you enjoyed! I so appreciate your kind words.
SPerry
So, today at a local Farmers Market in OC, MD, this guy had some fresh mushrooms. His oyster mushroom in that past were fabulous, but he only had Lion’s Mane, of which I never heard. He said that they are a great substitute instead of crab in a crab cake. Well, being the newbie in cooking now that I’m retired, I took the plunge and found this recipe. They. Were. Delish! I’m grabbing some more next week. Thnx.
Aubrey
So happy you enjoyed! 🙂
Meg
Found Lion’s Mane at the Berlin Farmers Market today and making the crab cakes tonight. I was so happy to see your review, what did you make with the oyster mushrooms?
Meg
The Lions Mane crab cakes were delicious 😋
Lori
These are AMAZING! Sprinkled a little lemon juice and extra Old Bay instead of tartar sauce – yummy!
H
Great recipe, normally I try something once and move on to something else. This is being printed out and is making it into the favorites folder.
Thanks
Jan
These “crab” cakes were amazing. As a Marylander, I had to change two things. I did not use panko but fresh bread crumbled into little pieces (per the recipe on the Old Bay can), and I baked them at 400 degrees rather than fried them. When they came out of the oven I brushed with melted butter. Scrumptious!
Roy
Thanks Jan,
As someone from the Bay Area, I would use bread crumbs, not panko, and Japanese KEWPIE mayonnaise (in the squeezy container). And I would not use butter, since I am lactose intolerant. I wonder how a topping of olive oil would do.
Kay
Jan: How long did you bake them at 400?