Easy Mushroom Carnitas Vegan Carnitas Recipe

Have you ever used oyster mushrooms in any of your recipes? If not, you’re in for a treat! These mushrooms are the perfect substitute for meat, and in our case, carnitas. They’re chewy but crisp and have a texture that’s eerily similar to actual pork carnitas. In other words, I love them. I was feeling a strong taco craving, and knew that I wanted to somehow incorporate my oyster mushroom stockpile. I decided to go for mushroom carnitas tacos, a savory mix of cooked oyster mushrooms, pickled onions, jalapeños, and a delicious cilantro sauce. Oh, and we can’t forget the splash of lime! These tacos are seriously mouth watering and have quickly become one of my favorite throw-it-together style meals. They’re tangy, slightly sweet, and mega filling.

Here’s what you’ll need

Mushroom carnitas make up the bulk of the filling. And while some vegetarian “meat” substitutes are filled with foreign, fancy ingredients, we’re keeping it simple here:

King Oyster Mushrooms: The oyster mushrooms (aka king trumpet mushrooms) are the star of these carnitas. We’ll be shredding them with a fork and then sticking them in the oven. Once sautéd, they’ll have a texture (and flavor) just like pork carnitas! (Find them in most health food or asian super markets.) Olive Oil: Olive oil is used to coat the mushrooms for baking. This will help crisp them up a bit. Worcestershire Sauce: We’ll be using vegan Worcestershire sauce to add flavor to the mushrooms. Spices: A quick blend of common spices take this mushroom carnitas to the next level. Orange and Lime Juice: Lastly, citrus juice gives these carnitas a tangy, bright flavor.

To assemble, you will need flour tortillas or corn tortillas (make your own flavored or plain tortillas), picked red onions, cilantro, jalapeños, and lime juice!

How to make these vegetarian carnitas tacos

Carnitas tacos are simple to make, especially when we’re using mushrooms instead of pork. These tacos require just five steps and involve shredding, baking, and sautéing the mushrooms, creating the sauce, and assembling the tacos!

Variations

Different Mushrooms: While king oyster mushrooms are best for vegan carnitas, you could also use regular oyster mushrooms. In a pinch, you can use portobello mushrooms, though they won’t have that same texture. Smoky Flavor: Add a smoky element with a dash of liquid smoke or by throwing in some adobo sauce (from a can of chipotle peppers)

Extra topping ideas

Tacos are just as much about the toppings as they are about the main ingredient. For these carnitas tacos, I like topping them with pickled onions, jalapeños, diced white onion, lime juice, and avocado slices, but why stop there? If you’re like me and love extra toppings, here are some ideas that you can consider.

Guacamole Picked red cabbage Shredded lettuce Tomatoes White onion Corn (try this Mexican Street Corn Salad on them!)

How to store leftovers

Pro Tip: Store any extra ingredients individually in securely sealed containers. When you’re ready to dig in to your leftovers, heat up the desired ingredients, and assemble! Enjoy leftovers within 5 days to maximize on the freshest flavors.