Crumbed mushrooms are crispy on the outside and succulent and juicy on the inside. Whole fried mushrooms are the perfect way to get the party started. Be they an appetizer for all occasions or a sensational side dish these mushies have a lot going for them! This crumbed mushroom recipe is a delicious 1 to 2 bite finger food that shines.
Recipes like the Cocktail Sausage Rolls, Rolled Sandwiches and Jalapeno Pinwheels are delicious appetizers that don't take hours to prepare.
The Crumbed Lamb Cutlets allow us to use panko breadcrumbs to create a crispy seasoned shell.
🤍 Recipe Highlights
I have summarised everything that you will come to know and love (LOVE ❤) about the recipe in the points below:
- Party food: everyone loves to get something to eat as soon as they get to the party and these 1 - 2 bite size appetizers are the perfect snack to get things started.
- Vegetarian: this opens up the possibility of more people being able to dive right in. A great way to cater to the crowd and even the most meat loving person will love the crunch and juicy texture of these panko mushrooms.
- Any occasion: be it game day, a party, neighbourhood gathering, or any other special occasion. This breaded mushrooms recipe is versatile and they lend themselves to being served just about anywhere for any occasion!
- Taste and texture: the panko breadcrumb mixture crisps to golden brown perfection after a light fry in oil which is the 1st bite. The second bite is all about the juicy succulent mushroom. These battered mushrooms are a winning combination!
- Worth the effort: sometimes I say things are quick and easy. Sometimes I say that things take minimal effort, yet deliver maximum results. This one my friends is a little different. They do take a little bit of time, they do take a little bit of repetition and effort and there is more than minimal effort involved. You might think this with fingers covered in egg and breadcrumbs. But persist my friends cause ermagawd when you take that 1st bite into the crispy coating and the juices flood from the vegetable, you are going to understand this point that every second that goes into them is worth your time and effort 😉👍.
🥗 Ingredients
The photo below is to show you everything you need to make the recipe. Please refer to the printable recipe card for specific ingredient measurements as well as detailed instructions.
As you can see the recipe calls for:
- Eggs: these are used as one of the 3 steps in the dredging process for crumbing the mushrooms.
- Olive oil: a popular and fragrant oil, this is used to lightly fry the mushrooms on the stove.
- Salt and black pepper: we use a little of each of these to season the breadcrumb mixture.
- Onion powder: look for it in the same place as the garlic powder above. These are excellent for adding flavour to recipes as a dry ingredient.
- Garlic powder: you will find this in the herbs and spices section of the supermarket.
- Paprika: vibrant in colour, yet mild in flavour. This bright red spice is made from bell peppers.
- Dried parsley: a handy herb to have in the pantry as it is very versatile and can be used for so many recipes!
- Pecorino romano cheese: a sweet cheese made from sheep's milk. It adds a depth of flavour to the crumb that you and the eaters will delight in.
- Panko breadcrumbs: bright and white with a larger crumb than regular breadcrumbs. They are perfect to use when wanting a crispy, crunchy coating on your food. Breaded fried mushrooms need a crunchy coating and the panko crumbs will tick this box and then some.
- Flour: plain flour (all purpose flour) is what we need. No need to sift, simply measure and it is good to go.
- Button mushrooms: these little babies are cute and 'button' like. Hence the name. They are white mushrooms in a miniature form. These work perfectly for the recipe as they make a 1-2 bite appetizer. The smaller the mushrooms the better!
Tasty Tip: I like to offer a number of substitutions and variations to give you options when making the recipe. If in doubt of any of the above ingredients, or wanting alternatives, read this section before diving into the instructions on how to make the recipe below 👍😉.
🍳 Instructions
Here are the step by step instructions to make the crispy fried mushrooms. We start by gathering the ingredients needed to make the seasoned breadcrumb mixture. You will need a mini sized bowl and mini whisk (or fork):
- Gather seasonings (Photo 1)
- Add to bowl (Photo 2)
- Whisk to combine (Photo 3)
- Rinse, remove dirt from mushrooms (Photo 4)
👩🍳 How to Make Crumbed Mushrooms
To make the mushrooms, start by gathering the ingredients to season the breadcrumb mixture. Add the panko breadcrumbs, pecorini romano cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper to a medium sized bowl and whisk to combine. Then set aside.
Rinse the mushrooms, drain the water and then use a folder piece of paper towel to wipe mushrooms, removing dirt on their surface.
You don't have to be too diligent about this, see it as a little extra protein if you miss a bit here and there 🤣.
Next, we want to start the dredging process to coat the mushrooms in the breadcrumb mixture.
- Coat mushroom in flour (Photo 5)
- Dip into whisked eggs (Photo 6)
- Roll around in the breadcrumb mixture (Photo 7)
- Repeat for till all mushrooms are crumbed (Photo 8)
🥙 Easy Crumbed Mushrooms Recipe
You want to place the whole mushroom into the flour, egg and breadcrumbs at each step. Coat mushrooms fully so that no skin is visible. Complete the dredging process by repeating the flour, egg, breadcrumb pattern until all of the mushrooms are crumbed.
- Heat oil on high temperature on the stove (Photo 9)
Next place a large cast iron pan or deep frying pan onto the stove and pour in half of the olive oil. Allow this to heat for at least 3 to 4 minutes.
Test that the oil is hot enough by dropping a spare breadcrumb (from the chopping board) in.
If the oil is ready the breadcrumb will start to sizzle and cook. If it is not hot enough, give it a bit more time then try again with another panko crumb.
- Cook for 4-5 minutes (Photo 10)
🥢 Crispy Fried Mushrooms
Work in small batches of about 10 to cook the mushrooms. Use tongs to place them gently into the hot oil so it doesn't splash back at you. Once they have been in the oil for around 2 minutes, use the turner to move and rotate them. We want all sides to be a golden brown colour.
The total cook time is around 5 - 7 minutes per batch. This allows you time to remove the most cooked crispy looking mushrooms as well as let the others keep cooking until they reach this point also.
Once cooked, use a slotted spoon to lift the cooked crumbed mushrooms up and out of the pan. Place these into a paper towel lined bowl.
- Rest the cooked mushrooms on paper towel (Photo 11)
Top up the olive oil in the pan, ensure it is hot, then continue to work in batches until all of the mushrooms are cooked.
For the volume you see in the ingredients photo, this takes 3 batches of about 10 mushrooms to complete.
Once done, you can get ready to serve the crispy fried mushrooms!
🍽 Serving Suggestions
You need a dipping sauce!!! Or should I say, don't mushroom without it 🤣👍! (Sauce, sauce, sauce it up!).
It just so happens, I have a few to suggest 😉👍. The Parsley Yogurt Sauce is the one you see in the photos throughout the post.
The Herbed Yogurt Sauce, Cilantro Lime Yogurt Sauce or Lime Yogurt Sauce will also work well.
The Horseradish Yogurt Sauce, Spicy Yogurt Sauce or Mustard Yogurt Sauce also will all pair well with dipping, dunking or dolloping.
As I like to serve these crispy fried mushrooms with freshly sliced lemon wedges, I don't tend to use the Lemon Yogurt Sauce, however, if that one is right up your alley, feel free to try the pairing with that sauce. Otherwise the Lime Yogurt Sauce offers an alternate citrus pairing.
For a creamy non yogurt based sauce the Gorgonzola Sauce will tick a lot of boxes. The gorgonzola offers a blue cheese sauce, store bought garlic aioli will work as wil tartare sauce or sour cream.
These mushrooms will work well before a number of main dishes, meat ones compliment the mushrooms exceptionally well.
Try the BBQ Lamb Ribs, Oven Baked Pork Ribs or Sticky Pork Ribs can follow.
👍 How to Guide
How to Store
You can cook the mushrooms on the stove and then reheat later in the oven or air fryer if you wish to.
Store leftovers in a sealed, airtight container in the fridge for 2 - 3 days and reheat prior to serving.
How to Freeze
I don't recommend freezing these. They are best enjoyed cooked and consumed straight away.
How to Reheat
The air fryer or the oven is the best way to reheat this as it will support the crispy texture of the panko breadcrumb mixture.
You can also reheat them in the microwave, however, you may loose a little bit of the crispy texture.
😉 Substitutions and Variations
Here are my sub ins and outs that you might be thinking about as you read the post and I will tell you if I think they will work or why they won't:
- You can switch out the paprika and in with cayenne pepper (equivalent amount). This will add a little heat to the seasoning mixture.
- Dried basil can be used in place of the dried parsley as the herb in the breadcrumb mixture.
- Parmesan cheese can be use in place of the pecorino romano cheese. It has a bolder, sharper taste and is made from cow's milk.
- You can use regular breadcrumbs if you have them and prefer to use.
- Use your favorite sauce if none of the options are up your alley and you have one in mind you think will pair well.
💡 Tasty Tips
Here are my top tips and tricks that I want to share with you so that you master the recipe from the get go:
- Put a little elbow grease into the mixing of the breadcrumb mixture. This will ensure it is consistent without the spices sitting at the bottom of the bowl.
- The dredging process can get a little messy! So have some paper towel sheets already pulled into single sheets and rinse your fingers under the tap and dry as needed.
- Try and keep both the flour and breadcrumb plates free from moisture or liquids. To achieve this, ensure you shake off any excess whisked egg before placing the mushrooms into the panko mix.
- We don't add all of the olive oil to the pan at once. You can start with ½ cup and then top up in between batches. We are shallow frying them, so only the base will be covered in oil, not the whole mushrooms.
- A trick to test the oil temperature is to hold your hand above the oil and see if you can feel the heat rising.
🤓 Frequently Asked Questions
What does battered mushrooms mean?
Battered mushrooms refer to mushrooms that have been breaded or crumbed with a breadcrumb mixture before being shallow fried.
Is battered and breaded the same thing?
Battered refers to a wet coating for foods, whereas breaded refers to a dry ingredient coating for foods.
Why do you put flour before panko?
Dredging is the name for the 3 step process to crumb foods. The 1st step is to dip the food into all purpose flour. Doing so creates a dry layer on the food. The next step is to dip the food into whisked eggs. This creates a wet layer on the foods. The final step is to dip in panko breadcrumbs, which easily stick to the food because of the wet egg layer.
😍 More Easy Party Foods
Getting the party started is easy when you have some fun and interesting recipes up your sleeve to whip out as required. Here are some sweet and savory options that I know will work:
- Ham Cream Cheese Roll Ups
- Wagyu Meatballs
- Cocktail Sausages
- Air Fryer Party Pies
- Coco Pop Cakes
- Jalapeno Pinwheels
- Air Fryer Sausage Rolls
- Air Fryer Frozen Samosa
- Cheese and Tomato Pinwheels
- Honey Crackles
Its time to let the finger food do the talking my friend. You can also find all of my homemade sauces in the one spot if you want to explore them all!
Adrianne
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📖 Recipe
Crumbed Mushrooms
Equipment
- 1 Large measuring jug to rinse the mushrooms in
- 1 Colander
- 1 Chopping board
- 1 Paper towel
- 1 Large cast iron pan
- 1 Silicon slotted turner
- 3 Side plates with rim for the dredging process
- 1 Bowl to place the cooked crumbed mushrooms into
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup panko breadcrumbs Note 1
- ⅓ cup pecorino romano cheese finely grated with a micro plane zester, Note 2
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cups button mushrooms Note 3
- 1 cup plain flour
- 4 eggs whisked, Note 4
- 1 cup/250 ml olive oil Note 5
Instructions
- Breadcrumb mixture: gather the breadcrumb seasoning ingredients. Add the panko breadcrumbs, pecorino romano cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, dried parsley, paprika, salt and pepper to a small bowl. Use a mini whisk to consistently combine. Then set aside.
- Mushrooms: add mushrooms to a large jug, fill with water and swish around for a minute or 2. Then use a colander to drain the mushrooms and discard the water. Fold a piece of paper towel into a square and then use this to remove any dirt from the mushrooms.
- Dredging: set up 3 side plates with a rim alongside each other. Start with the flour and coat the 1st mushroom in this. Then dip the mushroom in the whisked egg, shake off any excess and then pop it into the seasoned bread crumb mix and coat. Place crumbed mushroom onto clean dry chopping board. Then repeat for remaining mushrooms.
- Cook: add olive oil to a large cast iron pan and turn the heat to high. Allow the oil to heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Test by dropping a spare breadcrumb into the hot oil and see if it starts to sizzle. If it does, work in batches and add around 10 crumbed mushrooms to the hot oil. If it is not hot yet, wait until it is. Cook the mushrooms for 4 to 5 minutes, using a silicon slotted turner to push them around the pan as they cook. Flip to ensure that all sides are golden brown. Once cooked, use the slotted turner to lift the mushrooms up and out of the oil. Place into a paper towel lined bowl. Then repeat till all the mushrooms are cooked.
- Serve: place the crumbed mushrooms on a serving plate and provide a sauce for dipping. Note 6. Provide lemon wedges for serving and sprinkle some finely chopped fresh parsley over the top for garnish.
Notes
- Note 1 Panko breadcrumbs: try and keep this ingredient away from any liquids or moisture. Shake off the excess egg before dunking the mushrooms into the breadcrumbs and repeat.
- Note 2 - Pecorino romano cheese: you can substitute the equivalent amount of parmesan cheese if you have it and prefer to use that cheese. The difference is pecorino romano cheese is made from sheep's milk and parmesan cheese is make from cow's milk. The parmesan has a bolder flavour. The pecorino is sweeter and quite unique.
- Note 3 - Mushrooms: we want to get the smallest whole white mushrooms you can get. These are known as 'button mushrooms'. They are smaller than standard white mushroom cups and are cute, miniature mushrooms. For Aussies this is 2 x 200 gram packets of button mushrooms. For my USA friends, this is approximately 7 oz.
- Note 4 - Eggs: you can start with 2 of these. Whisk them and see how you go. If you shake off each mushroom after dunking in the whisked egg, they might stretch you all the way for all of the mushrooms. However, I have indicated 4 as it is likely that you will need more than 2 eggs as we want to fully dunk every mushroom into the whisked egg before popping in the breadcrumb mixture.
- Note 5 - Olive oil: we don't add the full amount of oil to the pan to start with. Rather, we want to start with ½ cup (125ml) and top up in between batches. We also want to ensure that the oil is very hot before adding the crumbed mushrooms. You can test its heat by adding a spare breadcrumb from the chopping board and dropping it into the oil. The oil is ready if the breadcrumb starts to sizzle. If not, wait until it is hotter then start cooking.
- Note 6 - Sauce: the sauce you see in the photos throughout the post is the Parsley Yogurt Sauce. It is also here on the blog, click the link to get the ingredients and instructions.
Jordan K says
We served these as an appetizer and they were very popular.
Adrianne says
That is great to heat Jordan! Thank-you for your feedback.
Monica C says
Lovely!
Adrianne says
Thanks Monica for your feedback 😁.
Tara Goldstein says
Yes! What a great recipe. The mushrooms are delicious and rhe coating is very crispy!
Adrianne says
Thanks Tara 😄.