5 from 19 ratings

One of our favorite vegan mushrooms, these vegan marinated mushrooms are SO YUMMY and the perfect vegan appetizer to add to a party spread! They have just a few pantry ingredients and are done in 30 minutes, but last for weeks in the fridge!

hand holding a marinated mushroom on a toothpick over open jar of mushrooms.

I. Love. Mushrooms. Like, a lot a lot.

These mushrooms in particular will always and forever remind me of Christmas, even though my family never had them. I think this is a total throwback recipe, 80's or 90's or something - did you eat these as a kid? My next door neighbors in Japan made these for almost every holiday, and I LOVED them. I think they used Italian dressing and canned mushrooms, no shame in that game, and the chewy mushroom in the tangy vinaigrette was just my favorite thing ever.

I'm all about anything tangy or pickled, and I think these are such a great addition to a holiday party. They're so light and bright and a perfect complement to the heavier dishes that we have this time of year. I like having them as part of an appetizer spread with some pimento cheese or buffalo chicken dip; they're vegan and gluten free so everyone can enjoy them.

Ingredients

You need mushrooms, duh. They get boiled first in water and white vinegar. Then the marinade is lemon juice, olive oil, crushed red pepper, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and oregano. So simple and flavorful!

When I was researching recipes for this I saw a bunch of methods that used fresh garlic and herbs and involved a lot more steps. I think those things would be delicious too, but these were phenomenal with just pantry items.

For the mushrooms, you can use white mushrooms, cremini (what I have in these pictures), or even a fancy blend of some sort. Any mushrooms you like are delicious here.

Step By Step Instructions

cremini mushrooms cut into quarters on cutting board.

First, bring the water and vinegar to a boil and cut the mushrooms into bite-sized pieces. I leave smaller mushrooms whole and cut the rest into halves or quarters so they are all about the same size.

marinade ingredients with spices in the bottom of a glass bowl.

When the water and vinegar boil, add the mushrooms and let them boil for 3 minutes, then drain them and let them sit while you make the vinaigrette. Whisk everything together in a bowl, and make extra - this is a great salad dressing!

mushrooms stirred into marinade with black plastic spoon in glass bowl.

When the marinade is done, add the warm mushrooms to the bowl and stir to combine.

bowl of mushrooms pickled raw in white bowl with checkered napkin.

That's it! These are delicious right away, served warm or at room temperature, or you can keep them in the fridge for a few days until you'd like to serve them. It all works.

I'm all about these on salads, for snacking, and as part of an appetizer table at a party. The flavor is just SO good, and I wouldn't hate getting these as a gift in a pretty jar either - but maybe a jar of mushrooms as a gift is a little much for some people.

Variations

This marinade is great as a salad dressing, but the pickling/marinating method can also be used for other veggies! Okra, carrots, and green beans also work really well boiled for 3 minutes and then marinated in this mixture.