Vegan carnitas with a secret method for that perfect texture every time. Simply season and bake then add to tacos or a bowl with your favorite toppings!
This post was originally published on September 9, 2018.
I love component meals, meals where you simply prep a bunch of parts and then put them together to make different things throughout the week. These mushroom carnitas are the perfect addition!
Mushrooms as meat
When it comes to meat substitutes, the texture you are trying to achieve is the best place to start. With carnitas, you want that shredded like texture, so mushrooms are a great choice.
I tried making this vegan carnitas recipe with a few different types of mushrooms so that I could deliver something that was spot on. Oyster, Crimini and Portobello were my main choices because they are all pretty available. The result was that Oyster was too “wet”, Crimini was good but the pieces were a little too small, and Portobello was perfect.
Prepping
The prepping process is KEY here. You simply cannot just slice, season and cook a mushroom and think you’re getting away with a great carnitas recipe.
First, you want to use a fork to shred the mushrooms. I loved the consistency that the final recipe had due to the amazing shreds that the portobello stem gave, mixed with the mini crumble like shreds that the cap gave.
Second, mushrooms have a ton of water in them. Which is why you will not get a great texture with the slice and cook method. So what do you do? You need to get some of the moisture out, here is my special method to make sure the end texture is perfect:
- You put the shredded mushrooms in a colander, salt them, mix, and allow to sit. After about 5 minutes or so (about the time it takes you to clean up the mess so far and get out the rest of the ingredients you need), you will see a good amount of water coming out.
- Simply squeeze the shredded mushrooms to extract even more water, then put it all into a bowl. You will be left with about half the amount of mushrooms (so 2 cups shredded mushrooms leaves you with about 1 cup after you salt, sit and squeeze).
How to Make Vegan Carnitas
Here are the easy steps for the perfect end result:
- Prep the mushrooms.
- Add to a bowl with the ingredients.
- Bake on a piece of parchment on a baking sheet.
- Serve however you prefer!
Different ways to serve
The best thing about these mushrooms carnitas is how versatile they are! You can use them in so many ways. Here are some of our favorite!
- As tacos
- Over nachos
- In enchiladas
- On a salad
- In a burrito
- In a bowl
Topping ideas
Here are some of our favorite toppings:
- Salsa
- Avocado
- Guacamole
- Jalapeños
- Cilantro
- Onions
- Hot sauce
- Mexican flavored creamy sauce
- Vegan sour cream
Recipes to serve with
While these are amazing as a standalone meal, if you want a big Mexican Fiesta, here are some suggestions:
- Homemade Corn Tortilla Chips
- Mexican Black Beans
- Mexican Coleslaw
- Homemade Corn Tortillas
- Tomatillo Cabbage salad (see recipe below)
- Cilantro Orange Rice (see recipe below)
Common Questions
Shredding the mushrooms instead of cutting or chopping will give you the meaty texture of shredded meat.
If you don’t eat them all, store them in an airtight container in the fridge. They should last about 5-7 days.
Freezing is not recommended because it will make the mushrooms saturated with water again and the texture won’t be the same.
Simply bake again to reheat and get back the texture.
Shredded Mushroom Vegan Carnitas
Ingredients
- 4 Portobello mushrooms , gills removed if preferred
- 1 cup chopped sweet onion
- 4 cloves garlic , finely chopped
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoons dried oregano
- 4 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons chopped serrano chili or 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper , optional for added spice (see note)
Optional toppings/sides
Tomatillo Cabbage salad:
- 4 cups shredded cabbage , can use a mix of red and green or a prepackaged mix too
- ¾ – 1 cup avocado , about 1 average sized avocado
- ½ cup your favorite green tomatillo salsa
Cilantro Orange Rice:
- 1 cup cooked brown rice
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- 2 teaspoons chopped cilantro , can use more if you love cilantro
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper , optional for added spice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F/ 205 C
- Remove the stems of the mushrooms. Using a fork, scrape the stems until you have shredded them into thin pieces. Follow by doing the same with the mushroom caps, the caps will both shred and crumble but continue to use the fork to make the pieces. It works well if you face the caps gill side down, hold the top with your hand and scrape downwards with the fork. Same for the stems.
- Put the shredded mushrooms into a colander. Add the sea salt and mix around well. Allow to sit while you clean up and get out the rest of the ingredients, about 5 minutes.
- Squeeze out any excess water from the shredded mushrooms, and put it in a large bowl. You will have a little over 2 cups.
- Add the rest of the carnitas ingredients and mix well.
- Spread on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes. The edges will begin to crisp a bit and it will not be watery.
- Once the carnitas are done, serve as preferred!
Notes
- To remove the gills of the mushrooms, simply use a spoon and scrape them away. You don’t have to do this, but I think it leads to a better result.
- I tried these with and without the serrano pepper and crushed red pepper, and I loved the added flavor with it. The serrano pepper version isn’t too spicy if you remove the seeds. You can also use less to add a touch of flavor but remove most of the spice.
- To make the optional rice and cabbage simply combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix.
- Nutrition is for carnitas only.
Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.
Nutrition
Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.
Gena says
Do the mushroom Carnitas keep well if you make them ahead and serve them later in the week?
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Gena! I have eaten them as leftovers and love them. I would suggest warming back up in the oven with a touch of broth if they got too dry in the fridge.
Emilie says
Really like these. At first I thought it was too salty, but I think I found my mistake. I added 3/4 teaspoon of salt to the mushroom mixture – but this was already done when I salted the mushrooms at the start. Anyway, when I took it out of the oven, it looked like a pan full of meat! Loved the texture and taste. I”ll definitely make it again.
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Emilie! Yes, definitely do not salt them twice. I am so happy you liked them!
Emilie says
I made these again without the salt error 😄 and used you smoky tangy cream sauce from the cookbook. Soooo delicious. I’m thinking the mushroom mixture would also work well as a “steak” and cheese sub…..
veggiesdontbite says
So happy to hear!! And yes! Mix them with my cheese sauce!
Lea says
It’s weird that vegans or some vegans like when it looks like meat. ? I don’t want to resemble or taste like meat. I mean, if it does it’s fine but am not looking for a substitute. This does look very yummy. I love mushrooms!
veggiesdontbite says
Everyone is different. That’s what I love about creating food, there will always be some who love it!
Stacey says
Thank you, Sophia! I made these last night for my meat-eating son and husband. These cooked down quite a bit and these boys of mine are big eaters, so I added two cups of roasted walnuts ground with some cumin and stirred them into the mix in order to bulk up the portions. They tucked the mixture into warm tortillas slathered with avocado and they devoured them. My vegan daughter devoured them, too. (I’m vegan, but anti-mushroom, so abstained. ;)) Thank you so much for sharing such a delicious recipe that helps me better meet the palette of the carnivores in my family. I’m enjoying your cookbook, too! Your sauces are incredible.
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Stacey! Thank you so much for the awesome review! My husband is actually very anti mushrooms as well, but he loved these! I was really shocked. I think because of the trick to remove some of the water from the mushrooms, the texture really is different. I’m so happy you love the cookbook as well! If you are looking for another thing to serve with these, try my taco meat. It’s delicious and really filling! https://www.veggiesdontbite.com/high-protein-low-fat-vegan-taco-meat-made-with-whole-foods/
Cassie Autumn Tran says
Initially, I had to refresh my page because I thought that I saw REAL shredded pork instead of mushrooms. HOW do they look far too realistic?! This recipe looks delightful, so flavorful and delicious! I have to try making the carnitas and using them for EVERYTHING, LOL!
veggiesdontbite says
Ha! Thanks so much Cassie! My trick to remove some of the water makes it!
The Vegan 8 says
Girl this is amazing and your shredded mushrooms is genius! I have seen the pulled jackfruit everytime I turn on the computer, but THIS is new, haha! I can just smell it from here. Such a fantastic recipe….I totally thought it was black beans at first, the char looks amazing on those mushrooms!
veggiesdontbite says
Thanks friend! They key to the texture is getting some of the water out of the mushrooms. It makes a world of difference!
DEb f says
I’m going to Try this tonight!
veggiesdontbite says
Yay! Hope you like it as much as we do!
JD says
I have loved trying these in all versions! Burritos with some crunchy cabbage has been a favorite.