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.
Renay
Awesome recipe! Easy and so tasty! Even my son tried them and he hates mushrooms, but loves crab cakes. He actually asked for another and another .
Aubrey
Thanks Renay! So happy to hear!!! 😁
Kaitlin
Love love love this recipe! I’m allergic to shellfish and I made these cakes for me and my man one night. Not only were they delicious but he said that they had almost the exact same flavor and texture of actual crab cakes. I am so thrilled that I have a way to enjoy something that I would normally not get to experience!
Aubrey
Thanks Kaitlin! That makes me so happy to hear! 😁
Maija
Not going to lie, I’m HOOKED! These are incredibly delicious. We made them with gf panko since I can’t have regular panko, and it was just as delicious! Flavor and texture are awesome, thanks for beautiful recipe!
Aubrey
Thank you Maija!!! You made my day! 😁
Carolina J
These were amazing! I actually read several recipes for this dish and landed on yours with a twist. One food writer suggested “sweating” the mushrooms in 2 T of water and 2 t of salt. Since sweating mushrooms was new to me I carefully followed the instructions. It makes a difference! The other adjustment was fresh chopped cilantro from the garden and just a kiss of smoked paprika to accompany the Old Bay. It worked! Thanks for the recommendation on sweet onions. I used Vidalia instead of the scallions I was thinking of. And I love the quick tartar. Yum. Finally, the flax egg worked out quite nicely. Even though I am a 30 plus year vegetarian I still can’t stand the sight of eggs! Your proportions and “notes” were invaluable. Only thing is I made a little too much—but per your notes I’ll be happily snacking on these for another 48 hours. Shalom and much appreciation.
Aubrey
Hello Carolina – I am so happy you enjoyed! I cannot thank you enough for your kind words and thoughtful feedback and awesome tips! ❤️
Emily
These are awesome! I’ve made them a few times now and they are delicious. So easy too!
Connie
Thank you Aubrey for these delicious “crab”-cakes. First time we had crabcakes and your recipe is super!! No need for real crab here.
Aubrey
Thanks Connie!!! So happy you enjoyed!
Monica
Greetings Aubrey,
Have you attempted to make the cakes ahead of time (freeze or refrigerate) to cook and a later date?
Thank you!
Aubrey
Hello Monica! I have never frozen the cakes. However, if you make them ahead of time and refrigerate, I would let them come to room temperature before you cook them and they should turn out well. Let me know! 😁
Kaitlynn
So tasty!! I love foraging mushrooms and absolutely adore trying new recipes; this is definitely a winner and the quick tarter sauce was great as well!
Aubrey
Thanks Kaitlynn!!!
Jill
This was amazing…never going back to crab. Going to make eggs Benedict with them!
Aubrey
Thanks Jill! Lion’s mane eggs Benedict sounds amazing!
Lydia L
I also used my leftovers for eggs Benedict’s! Such a good recipe. Already made them twice this month!
Aubrey
Thanks Lydia! That’s sounds delish!!!
Allie
I made these for dinner tonight and they were SO GOOD! The lions mane really does resemble crab when you pull it apart and the flavors here worked perfect. I added lots of lemon juice to the tartar sauce and served it over a bed of arugula. I will be saving this recipe forever!
Aubrey
Thanks Allie! So happy you enjoyed!
Lucy
I made these today. The recipe was very easy to follow and the finished cakes turned out very good. I made them vegan, using a flax egg and vegan mayo. Thinking I might try it with Just Egg next time to see if that’s a suitable egg substitute in this situation.
Thank you so much for this!
Aubrey
Thanks Lucy! I am so happy you enjoyed! Thank you for your helpful tips as well!
Julie
This was so good!
Aubrey
Thanks Julie! So happy to hear!
Katie
WOW! These were absolutely incredible. Took me back to my Baltimore days. Don’t change a thing.
Aubrey
Thank you Katie!
Carol N
Excellent recipe! Even my picky 26 year old son who doesn’t like mushrooms or crab really liked it and wants me to make it again! I, on the other hand, adore crab, and also loved this recipe. The whole family said it’s a winner.
Aubrey
Thank you so much for your kind words Carol! I am so happy you and your family enjoyed! 😁
Heidi
Aubrey, these were delicious and easy–and my first try with lion’s mane mushrooms! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Aubrey
Thanks Heidi!!! So happy to hear!