Make your own vegan shrimp for your favorite recipes like shrimp cocktail, shrimp scampi, or fried shrimp. This simple shrimp substitute will satisfy your cravings for seafood and is the perfect addition to pasta, soups, or spring rolls. Use store-bought vegan prawns or make homemade vegan shrimp from king oyster mushrooms and seasonings.
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You have a few choices when it comes to vegan shrimp substitutes. If you are looking for a truly authentic mock shrimp, there are a few on the market. The Loving Hut brand shrimp is pretty realistic looking and close in taste and texture as well. I find it in the frozen section at my local Asian market, but you can also buy them from Vegan Essentials. If you can't find these faux shrimp near you, they can also be made at home with king oyster mushrooms (aka trumpet mushrooms) and seasonings.
Whether you use homemade or store-bought shrimp, you can use either one in your favorite shrimp recipes.
🧾 Ingredients and substitutions
- King Oyster Mushrooms - these can also be referred to as king mushrooms or king trumpet mushrooms. They have a large meaty stalk and a small brown cap. I always find them at Asian markets, and sometimes get them at whole foods or large grocery stores.
- Kelp Flakes - for a seafood flavor. You can also use a sheet of nori instead.
- Old Bay Seasoning - for flavor and color. You can also use paprika instead.
- Salt - for the salty seafood flavor.
- Paprika - for color.
- Vegan Butter - for sauteing the shrimp. You can also use any neutral-flavored oil for pan-frying. You can use any oil or margarine that you want or my homemade vegan butter.
🔪 How to use king mushrooms
Always cut the brown cap off the top of the mushroom and discard it. It has a strong flavor that you don't want. The bottom section of king oyster mushrooms is also hard and doesn't have the soft seafood-like texture that you are looking for. Cut off the bottom inch or so where it feels harder than the rest of the stem.
🥄 Instructions
- Cut the brown caps off the top of the king mushroom as well as the inch or so at the bottom of the stem.
- Slice the mushroom stems into rounds about 1/4 inch thick. Then cut the circles into the shape of a shrimp.
- In a saucepan, heat 1/3 cup of water, 1/2 teaspoon kelp flakes, 1/2 teaspoon of Old Bay seasoning, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Heat until it starts to boil then take off the heat and pour the broth over the cut mushrooms.
- Allow the mushrooms to marinate in the broth for about 20 minutes.
- Heat vegan butter in a skillet until melted, then add the marinated "shrimp."
- Saute the shrimp over medium heat for about 3 minutes on each side. You can also add some minced garlic for extra flavor and sprinkle them with a little paprika to give them a red color. They are also delicious with a squeeze of lemon juice if desired.
- Serve as you would shrimp or toss them into your favorite recipes that call for shrimp.
👩🏻🍳 Pro tips
- Allow the king mushrooms to marinate for at least 20 minutes in the broth to allow time to absorb the flavor.
- Saute the shrimp mushrooms over medium-low heat so that they cook without burning or getting charred.
🍤 How to make store-bought vegan shrimp
The frozen vegan shrimp brands, like Loving Hut brand or others that you can sometimes find in Asian markets, need to be cooked before they are eaten. There are no cooking instructions on the package, but the taste and texture are much improved when sauteed in a little butter and garlic.
Simply pan-fry the shrimp in 1 tablespoon of vegan butter for about 3-5 minutes on each side. (You can put them in the pan directly from the freezer. There is no need to thaw the shrimp first. For more flavor, add 1-2 cloves of fresh minced garlic during the last minute or two of cooking.
🦐 Vegan Shrimp Cocktail
If you want to make a vegan shrimp cocktail, simply saute the vegan shrimp in a little vegan butter or oil for about 2-3 minutes on each side then allow them to cool. To make the vegan cocktail sauce, mix together 1/4 cup of ketchup with 2 tablespoons ground horseradish and stir well. Place the cocktail sauce in a fancy dish or bowl and arrange the shrimp substitute around the edges of the rim.
🥣 How to use vegan shrimp
Use your "shrimp" as you would shrimp in any recipe. Toss them into pasta dishes like vegan alfredo, creamy pesto pasta, tomato basil pasta, lemony spinach orzo, or make vegan shrimp scampi.
Add your mock shrimp to rice dishes like vegan fried rice, Thai coconut rice, or red Thai curry.
They are also delicious in summer rolls for in soups like Tom Yum or Tom Kha.
My favorite thing to do with vegan shrimp is to batter and fry it making a classic vegan fried shrimp in a basket.
🥡 Storage and reheating
Refrigerate: These homemade vegan shrimp will keep well in the fridge for 3 - 5 days in a sealed container.
Reheating: Reheat the "shrimp" by pan-frying in a little oil for a few minutes until warm.
📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!
Vegan Shrimp
Ingredients
- 2 large king oyster mushrooms
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon kelp flakes or a sheet of nori
- 1/2 teaspoon old bay seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter
- 1 clove garlic minced (optional)
- 1 squeeze lemon juice (optional)
Instructions
- Cut the brown caps off the top of the king mushroom as well as the hard bottom inch or so.
- Slice the mushroom stems into rounds about 1/4 inch thick. Then cut the circles into the shape of a shrimp.
- In a saucepan, heat 1/3 cup of water, 1/2 teaspoon kelp flakes, 1/2 teaspoon of Old Bay seasoning, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Heat until it starts to boil then take off the heat and pour the broth over the cut mushrooms.
- Allow the mushrooms to marinate in the broth for about 20 minutes.
- Heat vegan butter in a skillet until melted, then add the marinated "shrimp."
- Saute the shrimp over medium heat for about 3 minutes on each side. You can also add some minced garlic for extra flavor and sprinkle them with a little paprika to give them a red color. They are also delicious with a squeeze of lemon juice if desired.
- Serve as you would shrimp or toss them into your favorite recipes that call for shrimp.
Notes
- Allow the king mushrooms to marinate for at least 20 minutes in the broth to allow time to absorb the flavor.
- Saute the shrimp mushrooms over medium-low heat so that they cook without burning or getting charred.
Nutrition
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Click the stars above or leave a comment! I'd love to hear from you!
Hi, I may need to substitute shiitake mushrooms for the king oyster mushrooms. Can you give me an idea of how many ounces for the substitute? Thanks!
I usually use about 10 oz of mushrooms. Shitake mushrooms have a stronger flavor than king mushrooms, so you may want to look for another type that has a more neutral flavor.
Thank you so much for answering so quickly and for the advice! Can't wait to try this recipe.
You're welcome. I hope that you like it! 🙂
Hi, I'm trying to be added oil free so do you have any suggestions as to how to do the part of the recipe where you're frying in oil?
You could try using a few tablespoons of vegetable broth instead of oil for frying.
Hi there, I'm wondering if I can marinate the mushrooms overnight? I'm making a vegan creole boil when we are camping and trying to get as much done as possible ahead of time.
Yes, that should work fine. Wow! A vegan creole boil sounds awesome! Enjoy! 🙂
This recipe was amazing, perfect taste and texture! I used to love shrimp and it's hard to find store-bought mock shrimp, so I was super excited to try this, and as usual your recipe did not disappoint. Doubled the recipe because I didn't know what I'd do with the other 2 mushrooms in the pack, and I'm glad I did because it was all devoured!
I'm so happy that you liked the recipe, Julie. I love king mushrooms, my only issue is running out of them and craving more. 🙂
Hi I'd like to try this today. Can I freeze some of the mushrooms for future use? Thank you in advance.
Yes, it will change the texture a tiny bit, but you can freeze them. 🙂
First time trying recipe. Have shrimp marinating now. Can’t wait to try them. Do you have suggestions for using the king mushroom leftovers? Have a hard time letting what’s left go to waste.
Thank you for being one of the best vegan recipe resources.
Aww, thanks so much! It makes my day to read nice comments like this! I love king mushrooms just sauteed in a little vegan butter or you can chop up the leftovers and make my vegan clam dip out of them! Here is that recipe... https://thehiddenveggies.com/vegan-clam-dip/
Hi There,
I am having a hard time finding oyster mushrooms. Is it ok to use white mushrooms instead?
You can use any mild-flavored mushroom instead. The large king oyster mushrooms are the most like seafood, but white mushrooms should also work. Enjoy! 🙂
Hi Monica! I tried this recipe yesterday, and added the shrimp to my vegan Paella. I found out that the leftover broth is actually really good vegan fish stock! Thanks for this amazing one 🙂
You're welcome, Klara! I'm so happy that you liked it!
These were awesome! I put them in some pasta with vegan butter and spinach and had some left over so I made your fried shrimp too! Both were delicious!
I finally got ahold of some king oyster mushrooms and made your vegan shrimp with them. I missed seafood so much and this really satisfied my craving for it! Thanks!
I'm so happy that you were able to find the king mushrooms and try this recipe! I'm a seafood lover too, and this is one of my favorite recipes!