Oven-baked, crispy Lion’s Mane nuggets are super easy to make and perfect as an appetizer. Meatless recipe that everyone will LOVE.

Mushrooms are seriously an underrated ingredient. I think many people don’t know how to cook with it or are unaware of mushroom varieties available in the market. I find Asian grocery stores and farmers markets to be the best place to get mushrooms from. Recently, I was given few different kinds of mushrooms by Dryad Grove, a mushroom farm based in Weatherford, TX. Out of all the mushroom varieties, I was intrigued by the Lion’s Mane mushroom, a fuzzy-looking mushroom that grows in large, bulbous clusters. I immediately got to work and made a platter of oven baked Lion’s Mane nuggets. I used my go-to method for oven baked chicken nuggets and I thought they were pretty tasty and easy to make.

Lion’s Mane mushrooms (aka ‘pom pom’ mushrooms) are known for their soft, spongy texture similar to crab or lobster. When cooked, the it does have a slight meat-like texture, making them a great alternative in vegetarian dishes. Jason from Dryad Grove told me that his customers love making ‘crab’ cakes with Lion’s Mane mushroom.

Lion’s Mane mushrooms are widely popular in China, India, Japan and Korea and used in traditional Chinese medicine. Studies have found that Lion’s Mane mushrooms contain two special compounds that can stimulate the growth of brain cells: hericenones and erinacines, which helps slow down the decline of mental functioning, particularly for dementia & Alzheimer disease. Lion’s Mane mushrooms has the fourth highest antioxidant activity, which helps against the inflammatory diseases. Additionally, eating Lion’s Mane mushroom can benefit gut health, heart health, and blood sugar management.

To make Lion’s Mane Nuggets (Baked), you are going to need just few ingredients from your pantry.

• all purpose flour for breading the Lion’s Mane mushroom

• beaten eggs as a binder for your breadcrumbs

• panko breadcrumbs – these are dryer and flakier than regular breadcrumbs. I find panko makes baked/fried foods lighter and crispier in texture

• salt, pepper, and other dried herbs/spices of your choice

• oil or cooking spray

Once you have Lion’s Mane breaded, just arrange them on a greased wire rack and bake until golden crispy. Wire rack allows the nuggets to stay crispy so I highly recommend this step.

Lion’s Mane Nuggets (Baked) Recipe

For 2-3 servings

Ingredients

150 g fresh Lion’s Mane mushroom, tear into chunks
1/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
1 large egg, beaten
salt, pepper
seasonings such as onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, curry powder etc
Cooking spray or 1-2 tablespoon oil

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.

2. In a medium bowl, add all purpose flour and set side.

3. In a separate bowl, mix with spices salt, black pepper and seasoning of your choice.

4. Line a baking sheet with an oven safe wire metal rack. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.

5. Dip Lion’s Mane mushroom pieces into the flour, shake off the excess then, dip into the egg mixture. Use a tong or a fork to grab each Lion’s Mane mushroom nugget and toss into the breadcrumb mixture coating it completely. Transfer the breaded Lion’s mane mushroom to the wire rack, placing about 1 inch apart.

6. Spray the tops of the Lion’s Mane nuggets with nonstick spray. Bake in the oven for 15-17 minutes until the outside and golden and crispy.

7. Serve with ketchup or your choice of dipping sauce.

Notes:

• You can crisp up the panko breadcrumbs ahead for an even golden brown color. Spread panko breadcrumbs to a large baking sheet and spray with cooking oil and bake for 2-3 minutes until it’s crispy. Shake the pan and bake more for couple more minutes if needed.

• For even color and bake on both sides, do turn Lion’s Mane nuggets halfway through baking.

I hope you are able to get your hands on fresh Lion’s Mane Mushrooms so you can give these Lion’s Mane Nugget (Baked) a try. I will certainly be making them again in the near future.

More appetizer friendly recipes for you to try: