Crispy Portobello Mushroom “Bacon”

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Parchment-lined baking sheet topped with a cooling rack filled with Vegan Portobello Bacon

I hosted a ladies’ brunch recently and was looking for a “meaty” side to accompany the mains I was serving.

And while I already have recipes for eggplant and coconut bacon on the blog, I was craving mushrooms because they mock the texture of meat so well. After some experimenting with both portobello and shiitake mushrooms, I settled on this beauty of a recipe.

Friends, behold Portobello “Bacon” — just 10 ingredients and simple methods required!

Ingredients for making Portobello Bacon slices

The base of this marinade is a mixture of spices including paprika, salt and pepper, miso paste for depth of flavor, maple syrup for sweetness, and coconut aminos or tamari for a salty kick.

Once mixed, add your thinly sliced mushrooms and toss to coat.

Bowl of portobello mushroom slices coated in seasonings for our Portobello Bacon recipe

This “bacon” crisps up better when baked on a cooling/baking rack. But if you don’t have that, fret not. It still works. I prefer my “bacon” on the crispier side, so the cooling rack and a slightly longer baking time does the trick.

Fresh from the oven Portobello Bacon on a cooling rack over a parchment-lined baking sheet

We hope you LOVE this “bacon”! It’s:

Crispy
Flavorful
Versatile
Easy to make
& SO delicious!

This would make the perfect companion to things like our 1-Bowl Banana Oat Pancakes, Oil-Free Roasted Vegetables, Vegan Scrambled Eggs, Vegan BLT Sandwich, salads, and more!

If you’re into mushroom “bacon,” also be sure to check out our Tempeh Breakfast Sausage, Crispy Eggplant “Bacon,” Portobello Steaks with Chimichurri Sauce, and Coconut “Bacon”!

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!

Plate of freshly baked sweet potatoes and Portobello Bacon topped with fresh parsley

Crispy Portobello Mushroom “Bacon”

Vegan Portobello Mushroom “Bacon” baked to crispy perfection! Just 10 ingredients required, BIG flavor, and perfect for adding to scrambles, omelets, sandwiches, salads, and more! 
Author Minimalist Baker
Print
Crispy vegan Portobello Bacon on a wire rack over a parchment-lined baking sheet
4.56 from 27 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 4 (Servings)
Course Breakfast
Cuisine Gluten-Free, Vegan
Freezer Friendly No
Does it keep? 3-4 Days

Ingredients

MARINADE

  • 2 Tbsp avocado oil
  • 1 ¼ Tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 ¼ Tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 ½ Tbsp coconut aminos (or tamari, but start with half and work your way up as it’s saltier)
  • 1 heaping tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp sea salt, plus more to taste
  • 1 dash liquid smoke (ensure gluten-free friendly as needed)
  • 1 rounded tsp chickpea (or soy) miso paste
  • 3/4 tsp ground black pepper, plus more to taste

MUSHROOMS

  • 2 medium portobello mushrooms, stems removed + sliced into 1/8th inch-wide strips (or sub comparable amount of other mushrooms, such as shiitake)

FOR SERVING optional

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (204 C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set an oven-safe baking/cooling rack on top for crispiness (if you don’t have a cooling / baking rack, just omit — it helps the “bacon” get crispier but isn’t necessary).
  • Prepare marinade by adding avocado oil, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, coconut aminos, paprika, salt, liquid smoke, miso paste, and black pepper to a medium mixing bowl and whisking to combine. Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more liquid smoke or paprika for smokiness, pepper for spice, vinegar for acidity, maple syrup for sweetness, or salt to taste.
  • Once the marinade is seasoned to your liking, add the sliced mushrooms to the bowl and gently toss / stir to coat. I prefer using my hands to toss the mushrooms in order to handle them more carefully and coat them more thoroughly.
  • Lay mushrooms on the oven-safe baking/cooling rack set over the parchment-lined baking sheet (or just directly on the parchment paper) and spread into an even layer, making sure the mushrooms are touching as little as possible.
  • Bake for 15-25 minutes in the top third of the oven, or until darker golden brown in color and fragrant. How long you bake the mushrooms depends on how crispy you like your mushroom “bacon.” Check at the 15-minute mark and every 5 minutes thereafter to check for doneness.
  • Remove from oven, peel off of cooling rack, and enjoy immediately with your favorite breakfast items, such as roasted sweet potatoes or in a scramble. Would also be delicious in vegan/vegetarian BLT sandwiches, wraps, or salads!
  • Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator up to 3-4 days and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until warm. Not freezer friendly.

Video

Notes

*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without optional ingredients.
*Recipe adapted from my Eggplant Bacon and Laura’s Eggplant Bacon from The First Mess Cookbook.

Nutrition (1 of 4 servings)

Serving: 1 servings Calories: 100 Carbohydrates: 8.5 g Protein: 1.2 g Fat: 7 g Saturated Fat: 0.8 g Sodium: 803 mg Potassium: 175 mg Fiber: 0.9 g Sugar: 6.9 g

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My Rating:




  1. Carolyn says

    This recipe was so easy. I fully became a “Vegan” a year ago my resolution for 2023 to myself was to eat healthier to avoid prescription medication and I love plant based eating. These mushrooms are delicious I will be making them all the time. I see lots of other recipes on your site that I will be trying since I actually enjoy cooking know. Thank you 😊

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Carolyn! Thank you for the lovely review! We’re excited for you to try more of our recipes 🙂

  2. Carol Burke says

    This recipe and the others look delicious. I would try them more often if I knew how many milligrams of sodium the recipe contains. I’m on a sodium restricted vegan diet and cannot allow myself more than 1,500 mg of sodium per day.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Carol, you can find the nutrition information at the bottom of each recipe. Hope that helps!

  3. DJ says

    I tried different recipes for eggplant bacon and was never a fan but this portobello one is a winner. Easy and quick, it’s worth tasting and adjusting the marinade to taste. I used smoked sea salt instead of liquid smoke and gradually added the tamari to control the saltiness. I wasn’t going to add the maple syrup but I’m glad I did – it doesn’t make it sweet but somehow balances everything out.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Amy, another reader reported doing that with success and saying it was a similar texture to jerky. Let us know if you try it!

  4. Maureen says

    For anyone wondering, I made this recipe in my brand-new air fryer in an attempt to use some mushrooms from my CSA (I don’t love mushrooms). Followed as written, using canola oil (I’m cheap), traditional soy miso, tamari (about 1 1/2 tablespoons, but I like salt), very little kosher salt (Morton’s), and omitting liquid smoke because I didn’t have any.

    The mushrooms cook up veeeery fast in the air fryer. I set mine to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and my first batch were already burned when I went to check them at the 7 minute mark. I would say this only takes about six minutes per batch, flipping/shaking halfway through (though honestly the mushrooms are thin enough that you can get away with not flipping). The mushrooms can go from soggy to chewy to burnt very easily in the air fryer, so check frequently with your first batch in order to avoid waste. I would also recommend way less oil, since the air fryer can achieve crisp results without it and I think it did make some of the mushrooms a little soggy/greasy. But hey, I guess that helps them to mimic bacon.

    I really like the flavor of these on their own, and am not vegan or vegetarian so I’m not planning on using them as a bacon substitute. Today, I put them in tacos along with some zucchini I roasted in the leftover marinade, and they tasted great topped with favorite toppings/homemade pico. I think they will also go well in a quick “use up leftovers” style pasta or fried rice, on a sandwich, or as a pizza topping. Very versatile and not too mushroom-forward or watery for me.

  5. Marie says

    VEGAN JERKY! I know this is a bacon recipe, and I have made it many times as bacon and it is amazing, however it also makes a crazy good jerky. First of all, I am that person that “does not like mushrooms” but I have been vegan less than a year and a very restrictive one to say the least. I have been trying to add more food into my diet and mushrooms are coming along. I skip the miso paste since I avoid soy but I know it would be extra delicious with it. Hoping to find the chick pea miso paste! My husband has been using the dehydrator quite a lot with COVID stay home orders and yesterday after I pulled out the “bacon” to check it, it was not yet crispy so I thought I would try it out in the dehydrator. What I got in return was the most amazing jerky. I am so excited to have this now. It is not like bacon, it is like jerky. I just love this website and I cannot say enough about the quality of ingredients used in the recipes I find here. THANK YOU AGAIN!

  6. AbbyT says

    The flavor of these is amazing, but mine never crisped, just shrunk drastically, got chewy and stuck to the rack. But! There were a few that didn’t fit which I put directly on the parchment and those got crispy. So I think I’ll go that route next time! Easier cleanup, too. I won’t give up, but next time I may try the method (and the mushrooms) in your crispy shiitake recipe with the cast iron skillet. They’ll be great on my sandwich later!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Abby, Sorry to hear they had trouble crisping up with this method. Did you modify the amount of oil by chance? Let us know how it goes with the parchment or skillet!

      • AbbyT says

        I used the same amount of oil, so it may’ve been a fluke. But I won’t give up, I’ll try try again! :) It still tastes lovely!

  7. marie-josée dumoulin says

    Hello, i really enjoy your recipe and also I follow you on instagram. My question is there a way they would be less publicity on you site. It is really hard to follow a recipe. Adds are always in the way.

    Thanks for all your recipe they are delicious
    I did the portobello bacon and i added left over glazing from portobello hamburger ‘beer and maple sirop’. Sooooooo delicious 5 stars

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We’re so glad you enjoy our recipes! Thanks for the feedback and sorry for any inconvenience. We always try to optimize for user experience, while also having ads to keep the content free. We’ll give it a look to see if we can make any improvements!

  8. Kim N says

    Delish. No miso, portobello caps pre sliced, coconut aminos not tamari—subtle baconesque flavor, more chewy than crisp at15min. Tossed a handful of sliced almonds in remaining marinade—and roasted for 7 minutes alongside the bacon. Very nice savory crunchy topping for a salad or roasted vegetables.

  9. Cindy says

    THE BEST Vegan BLT EVER!! I made the marinade and let my mushrooms sit in it for the afternoon. We grilled these too. Absolutely perfect!

    • Cindy says

      BTW – I did not use oil and actually forgot to add the vinegar. I skipped the miso too – just put another tablespoon of aminos in.

  10. Marcia Maiten says

    Can this be made successfully without using oil? Without oil, should any other ingredient be adjusted

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hmm, we think it might have trouble getting crispy. But let us know if you try it!

  11. Judi Sweat says

    This was a disaster. Wasted 2 perfectly good portabellas. It never turned crispy. Just went too burned. Had to throw the whole thing away. Will not do this again.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Oh no! We’re so sorry to hear that, Judi! We wonder if maybe your oven runs hot? We’ll also double check the temperature.

  12. Amanda says

    The first time I made this, I adjusted the recipe to 1.5 times, and it was sooooo good! Like I’ve never tasted something so amazing.
    The next two time’s I made it, I doubled the recipe, and it was so so so salty it was inedible. I thought at first I did something wrong, but the second time I doubled it, it was just as salty. I used all the same ingredients. I think the 2 teaspoons of salt is just way too much.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Sorry to hear that happened, Amanda! We’ve never tried doubling it, but yes, maybe reduce the salt and see if that helps next time!

  13. Luna says

    My first time making mushroom bacon as I’m trying to find a veggie alternative and morning star ain’t it. These were awesome and like another user said, I almost didn’t have enough for my dish as I kept munching on them. I accidentally left out the vinegar and they were perfect IMO. I will probably leave it out from now on. Putting them on a cooling rack was excellent advice as it helped with the crunchy texture.

  14. Kim says

    This recipe was good except 15mins was too long in my oven and they were a bit burnt around the edges. I did my second batch for 10mins and i could taste the mushroom finally. Also a bit too salty for me so i will trim back on those items next time.
    Thanks

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Kim, thanks for sharing your experience! The cooking time may vary a little based on how thinly you slice the mushrooms. Also, if you use tamari, it will be saltier than coconut aminos, so start with less. Some brands of coconut aminos may also be saltier than others. Let us know how it goes next time!

  15. Yolanda says

    Oh my goodness… so so so good!!! These are absolutely delicious. Unfortunately I didn’t make enough. As I was preparing my homemade salad dressing I found myself constantly going back and snacking on a few. Now I have very little for my salad.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Thanks so much for the lovely review, Yolanda. We are so glad you enjoyed it and it sounds like you need a double batch next time =) Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo

      • Yolanda says

        I must find another dish to eat these with. I found the salad overpowered the taste. These are much too good to be buried into a salad.

  16. Ashley says

    This is hands-down the best veggie “bacon” recipe I’ve ever tried. The addition of the miso is genius. I used just a splash of vinegar because I can’t stand the smell or taste but appreciate the tang it adds.

  17. T says

    I normally really like your recipes, but the vinegar here makes me give a poor rating. It’s so much vinegar it’s gross. After trying as is, I made it adding half and then none. My suggestion: if you like the taste of vinegar in your food (and your faken’ – not me!) then add half. I prefer with no vinegar at all. Thanks for the base recipe though.

  18. Joan says

    I absolutely loved this recipe. I ended up leaving out the maple syrup and liquid aminos. Despite that, they turned out great. I made the most delicious sandwich the next day With the mushrooms, feta cheese, and tomatoes– very meaty and satisfying.

  19. Christy says

    I’ve never reviewed a recipe in my life but this was soooo good I had to. Could eat these all day!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hmm, perhaps next time try slicing your mushrooms thinner? And/or you could cook at a lower temperature for slightly longer.

  20. Nicki says

    I made this tonight for PLT’s (Portobello, lettuce, & tomato sandwiches :D ). This was so delicious! Husband raved too. As stated, we used portobello mushrooms, but I had some shitakes leftover from the farmers market so I threw some of those in too. Served with a fresh green bean salad and blue berries as a side. I’d love to know if anyone tries this marinade on thin tofu slices- I bet it would be awesome that way also.
    Thanks Dana! I think I’ve said this before, but we’d starve without you!

  21. Chris Pernot says

    I just made a “bacon,” lettuce and tomato sandwich with my portobellos! DELICIOUS!! I baked them at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Mine did not burn on the edges like someone else mentioned. Love the flavor! Thanks for another great recipe!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Thanks so much for the lovely review, Chris. We are so glad you enjoyed it! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! xo

      • Chris Pernot says

        5 stars! Today I had leftovers and reheated the mushrooms in the oven. They turned out even crispier. Delicious again!

  22. Valerie says

    Made this recipe using an 8oz container of sliced shittakes. There was left over marinade for more. They came out delicious!! I kept them about 25 min +. Big hit with my husband and 3 boys.
    Now I need to think of Foods to pair them with :)

  23. Toni says

    This. Looks. Amazing. I am a flexitarian who loves vegan food and am married to a long-time vegetarian. On the rare occasions I use naturally-processed (meat) bacon as a supper condiment, we have a frozen veggie brand I put onto his share. It tastes pretty good, but I won’t eat it because it’s so highly processed it makes me uncomfortable. But THIS! Might make us both really happy! Thanks, I can barely waot to try it!

    Love the new flexible approach here on the blog. This blog has been a household name here since your roasted garlic mac and (cashew) cheese first became one of my son’s and my most repeatable suppers! Keep these amazing recipes coming.

  24. Cassie Autumn Tran says

    OMG this looks absolutely phenomenal! Do you know if this recipe would work in an airfryer?

  25. Annette Heller says

    This portobello bacon recipe is the bomb. The marinade is so flavorful, I ended up soaking the sweet potatoes in it before I roasted them. I didn’t have the liquid smoke and used a citrus soy in place of the miso paste. Only make if you want everyone to love your cooking.

  26. T says

    Yikes! This has the potential of being really good, but the temperature was way to high, at least for my oven. The mushrooms burned on the edges which gave them really horrible burnt taste. Not sure this is what you refer to as “crispy”. I’d rather soggy if it’s going to taste like this.
    I’ll give it one more try at lower temperture but longer time in hope that the slices will dry out a bit instead of burn.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      T – not sure what went wrong. I’ll double check the temperature. Crispy edges are a little browned but shouldn’t be burned. Perhaps you’d prefer them cooked either at a lower temp for longer, or at the same temp for shorter.

  27. Kyra says

    Hello, I would like to make this recipe, however I cannot find miso anywhere. ( I live in a very small town). Any suggestions on substitutions that would be successful in this recipe. Thank you!