Breaded and air-fried, these air-fried mushrooms are crispy on the outside and hot and soft on the inside. Dipped in vegan ranch or your favorite, dip this little bite-sized air-fried mushroom recipe is simple to die for!
I love fried mushrooms, but I don't eat them because they're battered and deep fried. When my husband asked if I could make healthy fried mushrooms, I immediately thought of my air-fryer. So, I decided to I could make air-fryer mushrooms without any oil, and wow! Air-fried mushrooms are quite easy to make, yet they taste amazing. Then, I opted to dip them in vegan ranch dressing. Not only is this air fried mushroom recipe tasty, but they are also low in calories.
How to Choose Mushrooms
I chose organic baby Bella mushrooms and looked for the smallest ones. Since I wanted to cook bite-sized air-fried mushrooms, picking small mushrooms made the most sense. But this air-fried mushroom recipe also works with larger mushrooms.
Although people suggest only wiping away the debris on mushrooms instead of washing them, I chose to wash them. Because I first dredged the mushrooms in plant milk, washing them seemed harmless and a cleaner option.
When choosing mushrooms, make sure the caps are firm without blemishes. Avoid mushrooms with brown spots or a slimy exterior. For instance, the freshest mushrooms contain a firm surface. Also, look for mushrooms of similar size, so they cook evenly.
Air Fried Mushrooms Ingredients
To prepare the mushrooms, gather the following materials in three separate shallow bowls:
- Bowl 1: Plant Milk of Choice: I prefer oat milk for its creaminess, but any unsweetened, unflavored plant milk works.
- Bowl 2: Flour of Choice: I used gluten-free garbanzo flour. I prefer this type of flour because it's outstanding in texture.
- Bowl 3: Corn Meal, Bread Crumbs, and Nutritional Yeast: Although I make my bread crumbs, any bread crumbs suffice.
Air Fried Mushrooms Ingredient Substitutions
- Any unsweetened, unflavored plant milk works.
- Another option is to use aquafaba mixed with 2 Tablespoons of water.
- Any flour works, even gluten-free flour of any kind.
- If you don't have cornmeal, add additional bread crumbs to make up for the difference.
- Gluten-free bread crumbs work as well.
- Dried onion flakes or Brewer's yeast replace the recipe's nutritional yeast.
How to Cook Breaded Mushrooms in an Air-Fryer
I left the stems on the mushrooms for this air-fried mushroom recipe to make a handheld appetizer.
To prepare the mushrooms, dredge each mushroom into the plant milk, then the flour, back to the plant milk, and lastly, the breadcrumb mixture.
Now, cook the mushrooms at 370 degrees for 8 minutes, check every few minutes, and toss halfway through cooking.
- So that you know, the time may vary depending on the size of the mushrooms. For example, I chose small mushrooms, which required 8 minutes, but larger mushrooms may take longer to cook.
- Another factor in cooking time varies due to the type of air-fryer, so always check the food as it cooks to avoid overcooking and undercooking.
Dipping Options
Generally, my family loves vegan ranch dressing, but several other dipping options taste fabulous with this air-fried mushroom recipe. However, I love different sauces to dip the air-fried mushrooms.
- Mustard Dipping Sauce
- Romesco Sauce
- Healthy BBQ Sauce
- Lemon Basil Dressing
- Maple Dijon Dressing
- Miso Tahini Dressing
- Vegan Southwest Dressing
- Thousand Island Dressing
- French Dressing
Recipe FAQs
The air fryer is the healthiest way to fry mushrooms without using oil or fat.
Halve your clean and dry mushrooms (or quarter if they're large) and place them in a mixing bowl. Add all remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix well. Place them in your air fryer basket and set them to 390 degrees F, cooking for 8-10 minutes. Shake your basket or mix the mushrooms every few minutes.
You cook sliced or chopped mushrooms in a hot pan without adding fat, liquid, or sauce. As the mushrooms heat up in the pan, they release their juices and cook in their liquid, concentrating the flavor of the mushrooms.
Tips:
- Whenever I use the air fryer, I spray water in the base instead of oil, so my food doesn't stick.
- Always cook in batches, filling the base in a single layer, not overlapping the mushrooms.
- Check the food every few minutes, and once half cooked, toss around so the mushrooms cook evenly.
- Keep cooked batches warm by placing a towel or aluminum fold over the mushrooms or place on a cookie sheet in a preheated 200-degree oven.
Regardless of the dip chosen, these bite-sized crunchy, savory mushrooms are to die for! So, if you're craving delicious fried mushrooms, try my healthy air-fried mushroom recipe.
Vegan Appetizer to Try!
If you love this air-fried mushroom recipe, give us a 5-star review and comment below. We would love to hear from you!
📖 Recipe
Air Fried Mushrooms
Ingredients
Mushrooms
- 8 ounces organic small baby Bella mushrooms
Bowl 1
- 1 cup oat milk or plant milk of choice
Bowl 2
- 1 cup garbanzo flour or flour of choice
Bowl 3
- ½ cup cornmeal
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 cup bread crumbs
Vegan Ranch
- 1 cup vegan ranch recipe
Garnish
- Microgreens
Instructions
Mushrooms
- Wash and remove any debris and dirt from the mushrooms.
- Keep stems on mushrooms; set aside.
Prepare Dredging Bowls
- In one bowl, pour the unsweetened, unflavored plant milk.
- In the next bowl, add the flour.
- Combine the bread crumbs, nutritional yeast, and cornmeal in the third bowl.
- Stir to combine.
- Dip each mushroom in plant milk, flour, and plant milk, ending in the bread crumb mixture.
- Be sure to roll the mushroom around in each bowl to ensure it is coated.
Air-Frying the Mushrooms
- Set the air-fryer temperature to 370 degrees.
- Place a single layer of breaded mushrooms in the base of the basket.
- Cook for 8 minutes, opening and tossing the mushrooms halfway through cooking (4 minutes).
- Remove the first batch, place it on a baking sheet, and cover it with a towel or aluminum foil while you cook the next batch, or put it in a 200-degree preheated oven to keep warm.
- Serve with vegan ranch or your favorite dipping sauce.
Baking
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Using a silicone baking mat or parchment paper, cover a baking sheet
- Place the breaded mushrooms in a single layer and cook for 16-28 minutes.
Notes
- Whenever I use the air fryer, I spray water in the base instead of oil so my food doesn't stick.
- Always cook in batches, filling the base in a single layer, not overlapping the mushrooms.
- Check the food every few minutes, and once half cooked, toss around, so the mushrooms cook evenly.
- Keep cooked batches warm by placing a towel or aluminum fold over the mushrooms or place on a cookie sheet in a preheated 200-degree oven.
Nutrition
Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂
Marian Polh
Thank you for always being so giving in sharing your recipes.
We just bought an airfryer on black friday, upgrading from a small dollar store one.
Our questions are regarding your comment about putting water on the bottom....
1. Wouldn't that make mushrooms doggy/less crisp?
2. The one we bought had 3 interlocking wire shelves. We used it to make potato pancakes and they stuck!!!! So i put parchment on the shelves, but they didn't cook well at all, probably due to air not being able to circulate.
Is ot the airfryer or us?
Wr will try it one more time with your delicious mushrooms.😃
.
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Marian, I use a spray bottle and lightly mist the bottom of the basket, so it isn't enough water to make anything soggy. Recently, I invested in parchment paper for my air-fryer, and I love it. The air fryer with the write shelves differs from the non-stick version I spray water on. The wire shelves should be fine without spraying the wire trays with water. Let me know if you like the mushrooms.
Sandi
What is Dave’s bread?
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Sandi, Dave's Bread is an oil-free whole-grain bread sold at most local grocery stores and Costco. But, you can use any bread you like. That is just the one I use to make my own bread crumbs. But you can also buy bread crumbs or Panko.