If you love mushrooms, these crispy vegetarian air fryer portobello mushrooms are sure to be a new favorite! Portobello fries only require 7 to 8 minutes to air fry and pair well with black truffle aioli or spicy ranch dip!
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First things first, is it portobello or portabella mushrooms? It turns out both spellings are correct and can be used interchangeably. So pick your favorite, I'm going with portobello.
Portobello mushrooms have the perfect umami flavor and meaty texture to make fries with. They are filling enough to enjoy on their own but also perfect as a side dish. Portobello mushrooms are often used to make portobello steaks or vegan portobello burgers, but have you ever considered using them to make mushroom fries?
The first time I had portobello fries was when I was out with my daughter, Nena, at a restaurant in San Diego called Madison. They were served with a delicious avocado cilantro aioli chipotle-lime sauce. They were so good, I knew instantly I had to come up with my own portobello fries recipe!
I tried both frying the mushroom fries and air frying them, and found that air fried portobello mushroom fries were way better! Not only are they less greasy, but they're obviously healthier too! What's not to love about that?
Since foraging season is almost here in Montana, I plan on trying this recipe with various local mushrooms that grow on our property. I'm so excited, I feel like a kid waiting to open presents on Christmas morning!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Besides being delicious, portobello mushroom fries are lower in carbs and more nutritious than potato fries.
- Air fried portobello mushroom fries are less greasy than fried mushrooms. A light misting of oil is all that's required to make the fries nice and crispy!
- If you don't have an air fryer, no worries! You can still fry or, better yet, bake them in the oven.
- Mushroom fries can be prepared ahead of time so that you can enjoy them anytime you have a hankering for crispy mushroom fries!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Mushrooms: To make 2 servings, you'll need two 3-ounce portobello mushrooms. Since my husband doesn't like mushrooms, I usually eat one serving and freeze the remaining prepped mushroom fries for another time.
- Flour: All-purpose flour for coating the mushrooms.
- Eggs: Two to three large eggs. Start off with 2 and see if you need to add the third.
- Panko: Panko bread crumbs make these fries extra crunchy. However, you can substitute plain bread crumbs if you need to!
- Seasoning: I used Creole seasoning to keep it simple. You can substitute with my pork rub, or use your favorite spice blend. Another option is to season the flour and panko with salt, black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, cayenne, or any spices you'd like!
- Cooking Spray: I've been trying to move away from store-bought cooking sprays and recommend you do the same! Simply get a small spray bottle, I like this one, and fill it with olive oil to make your own olive oil spray. Avocado oil is another great choice!
Tools Required For This Recipe
- Air fryer (I have a Ninja Foodi)
- Mushroom cleaning brush
- Sharp knife
How to Make Mushroom Fries
Step 1: Add flour, egg, and panko bread crumbs to three wide and shallow bowls. Whisk ¼ teaspoon of creole seasoning into the flour and the remaining seasoning into the panko bread crumbs. Finally, whisk the eggs until blended.
Pro Tips: If you don't have wide bowls, pie tins are another great option!
Step 2: Gently wipe the mushroom caps with a damp paper towel then scoop out the gills with a small spoon. Slice off the stem before slicing the mushroom into strips.
Pro Tip: If some of the slices break into smaller pieces, save them to use in other recipes or freeze them for future use!
Step 3: Dredge mushroom strips in flour and shake off the excess. Next, dip into the eggs and allow the excess to drip back into the bowl. Finally, dip the mushroom strips into the panko crumbs and make sure they're coated on all sides. Continue until all the mushroom strips are coated.
Pro Tip: Use only one hand to prepare the mushrooms so that you have a clean hand to work with. Wearing a glove on the dipping hand is also recommended!
Step 4: Add olive oil to a spritz bottle (or use cooking spray) and spritz the air fryer basket. Add coated mushroom strips to the basket in a single layer and give them a quick spritz.
Pro Tip: Try not to overlap the mushroom fries so that they can cook evenly!
Step 5: Set the Air fryer temperature to 390℉ and air fry the mushrooms for 4 minutes. Use tongs to flip the fries and air fry for 3 additional minutes.
Serve the air fryer portobello mushrooms with ranch, blue cheese, catsup, hot sauce, or your favorite dipping sauce! See below for dipping sauce recipes.
Optional: Garnish the fries with chopped parsley or cilantro before serving.
Dipping Sauces For Portobello Fries
I can eat these air fryer portobello mushrooms without any sauce, and I'd still love them! However, if you enjoy a good dipping sauce, I've got quite a few that you can try!
- Spicy Vegan BBQ Sauce
- Tahini Sauce
- Creamy Cilantro Lime Sauce
- Lemon Garlic Aioli
- Soy Tamarind Sauce
- Cilantro Chimichurri Sauce
- Sriracha Aioli
- Big Mac Sauce
FAQs
Mushrooms are like sponges and can soak up water if washed. Instead, you should use a damp paper towel to gently wipe any dirt off of the caps. Another option is to use a mushroom brush.
Portabella mushrooms are super easy to cook in an air fryer. All you have to do is oil, season, and air fry the mushrooms for approximately 4 minutes on each side.
Although not poisonous, portobello mushroom gills aren't the tastiest part of the mushroom. They're also hard to clean. For this reason, the gills are usually removed, along with the mushroom's fibrous stem. Instead of tossing the gills and stems, they can be used to make mushroom soup broth.
Pro Tips
- If you'd like to add dried herbs to the flour and panko crumbs, I recommend parsley, thyme, oregano, or rosemary.
- To freeze the prepared fries, add them to a tray in a single layer and place them in the freezer. Once frozen, they can be stored in freezer bags.
- If you decide to freeze the portobello mushroom fries, just use the same air-frying instructions. No thawing or longer cooking is necessary!
- Don't toss the small pieces of mushrooms that may break off while cleaning or slicing the mushrooms. Use them in mushroom soup, or make a tortilla pizza!
- Store leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To reheat portobello fries, microwave them for 30 seconds, or reheat in a toaster oven at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes.
More Mushroom Recipes
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Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Add flour, egg, and panko bread crumbs to three wide and shallow bowls. Whisk ¼ teaspoon of creole seasoning into the flour and the remaining seasoning into the panko bread crumbs. Finally, whisk the eggs until blended.
- Gently wipe the mushroom caps with a damp paper towel then scoop out the gills with a small spoon. Slice off the stem before slicing the mushroom into strips.
- Dredge mushroom strips into flour and shake off the excess. Next, dip into the eggs and allow the excess to drip back into the bowl. Finally, dip the mushroom strips into the panko crumbs and make sure they're coated on all sides. Continue until all the mushroom strips are coated.
- Add olive oil to a spritz bottle (or use cooking spray) and spritz the air fryer basket. Add coated mushroom strips to the basket in a single layer and give them a quick spritz.
- Set the Air fryer temperature to 390℉ and air fry the mushrooms for 4 minutes. Use tongs to flip the fries and air fry for 3 additional minutes.
- Serve air fried portobello mushrooms with ranch, blue cheese, catsup, hot sauce, or your favorite dipping sauce! See below for dipping sauce recipes.
Nutrition
Notes
- If you don't have wide bowls, pie tins are another great option!
- If some of the mushroom slices break into smaller pieces, save them to use in other recipes or freeze for future use!
- Use only one hand to prepare the mushrooms so that you have a clean hand to work with. Wearing a glove on the dipping hand is also recommended!
- Try not to overlap the mushroom fries so that they can cook evenly!
- If you'd like to add dried herbs to the flour and panko crumbs, I recommend parsley, thyme, oregano, or rosemary.
- To freeze the prepared fries, add them to a tray in a single layer and place in the freezer. Once frozen, they can be stored in freezer bags.
- If you decide to freeze the portobello mushroom fries, just use the same air frying instructions. No thawing or longer cooking is necessary!
- Don't toss the small pieces of mushrooms that may break off while cleaning slicing the mushrooms. Use them in mushroom soup, or make a tortilla pizza!
- Store leftovers in airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To reheat portobello fries microwave them for 30 seconds, or reheat in a toaster oven at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes.
LAUREN says
So good!
Hilda Sterner says
Thank you, Lauren! I appreciate the review. 🙂
Carol c says
Delicious! I added a little corn starch to the flour for a little crispier texture. I made them into tacos instead of fries. I will be making this recipe often!!
Hilda Sterner says
Ooh, I like that idea, Carol! I will also give that a try. Thank you so much for the review!