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.
Libby T
This was BONKERS good, and so quick and easy to make. I found some Lion’s Mane while mushroom hunting, and this was my first time cooking with it. Hands down the tastiest thing I’ve made from foraged food, and honestly one of the tastiest things I’ve made in the last year, period. Thank you so much for this recipe!!
Aubrey
Thanks so much Libby! I am so happy you enjoyed and thank you for the kind words. You made my day! 🙂
Christine
These were amazing! My whole family loved them. I used a honey dill dejon mustard because it was what I had on hand. I highly encourage you to give this recipe a try, it’s simply devine!
Kevin S
These are so awesome! My wife and I tried them last week, and now I’m making them for the kids tonight too! We cannot believe how much these resemble real crab cakes. I make the recipe x2, and it works perfectly. Thanks!
Suzy
Excellent vegan crab cakes! My husband & I loved them! Next time will make more at one time. Made recipe with bread crumbs instead of panko, as was out. Only had 6 oz lions mane mushrooms as that was the package size available to purchase at our Sprouts. Shredding took longer than I thought and will do ahead next time. Baked at 400. 10” each side, which was perfect. I’ll try air frying next time. Definitely a long time keeper and will try as an appetizer. Thank you!
Dawn
After becoming gf and then vegan, as someone who grew up eating crab cakes, I was resigned that I would forever miss the taste and texture of crab. These are SPOT ON and delicious. Thank you so much for posting this.
Aubrey
So happy to hear! Thanks Dawn!
Linda
Oh my! These are delicious. Plan on serving them with a poached egg and hollandaise sauce on top!
Aubrey
Thanks Linda! That sounds delicious!
Seneca S.
I found two different lion’s mane recipes that were pretty different, and had a hard time choosing which one to make, but I went with this one. I considering trying a mash-up of the two, but as I haven’t made lion’s mane cakes before, I wanted to start the first time just following a recipe as it’s written before considering modifications.
So I made them exactly as per the recipe, and my wife and I both thought they were absolutely delicious and I can’t wait to make them again. I served them on toasted rolls as a sandwich. I did make the tartar sauce but added more old bay, a bunch of smoked paprika, and some cayenne. It was too mild for me otherwise. I look forward to using these as a base for an eggs benedict sometime soon, too.
And I just may need to get myself a lion’s mane growing kit, I did that once a long time ago and it was a lot of fun but I had no idea how to cook them at the time.
Libster
I don’t often review recipes but had to with this one- it was great! I thought I was eating a crab cake and my kids even loved them- just served with fresh lemon.
Aubrey
So happy you enjoyed!!! 😁
Tamar
This is a showstopper! The dish pleased friends who hate mushrooms AND vegetarian cuisine. The comment was that it can be a whole meal without a protein, indeed the texture is an excellent substitution for crab. I’ve substituted yogurt for the mayo successfully and I’ve used both fresh and dried lions mane, the dry variety is more available where I live. I find it in my Asian market. I also bake the cakes at 400-450 rather than frying to lower the fat from oil. Please give this a try 🙂
Aubrey
Thanks Tamar! So happy you enjoyed and wonderful tips!!!
Ramya
Brilliant! Very easy to make and was delish. Thank you for a great recipe and a great blog. This recipe takes lion mane to a different level.
Kim W.
I don’t comment on many recipes, but this one requires one. I made these for myself as a special treat, and holy crab (pun intended)! These are some of the best d*#$ things I’ve ever tasted!!! Thank you for this one. So good.
Aubrey
Thanks Kim! That makes my day! So happy you enjoyed. 😁
Laura
These Lion” Mane crabcakes are delicious!!!!
Kelly C.
So good. You wouldn’t know that this wasn’t crab if you were not told. I’m allergic to crab, but love it, so this is a real treat.
Eff
Just made this and it’s 🔥. My teenage son said it was 5 out of 5 and it was definitely gone in less time than it took to cook so THANKYOU for the recipe 😁🤗
Elissa
This recipe is so good! The flavors are on point. I’m avoiding fried food at the moment so I baked them at 350 for around 15 minutes. They fell apart a little bit but otherwise it worked great. Can’t wait to make this again.