As climate concerns grow more prominent in today’s society, so has vegetarianism. It is a great way to reduce your impact on the environment, while caring for animals and also your health!
Mushrooms are a very popular meat substitute for those switching to a vegetarian diet. In this post, I’ve even added an easy recipe for frozen breaded mushrooms that you can make in the air fryer. Follow to make these yummy bites at home!
Table of Contents
- What makes breaded mushrooms so great?
- What do air fryer mushrooms go well with?
- How do air fryers work?
- Breaded air fryer mushroom recipe from scratch
- How long should I cook frozen breaded mushrooms for?
- FAQs About Cooking Frozen Breaded Mushrooms
- Which air fryer is the best to use?
- Air fryer frozen mushrooms – easy peasy, right?
What makes breaded mushrooms so great?
Breaded mushrooms are a good way of getting your vegetables in, and you can easily buy pre-made breaded mushrooms from the frozen section of your local supermarket.
Before the invention of air fryers, these delicious bites would probably need to be put in the deep-fryer to get them to taste good. While you can put them in the oven, they often come out undercooked underneath and hardened on top.
This is why air fryers have become so popular in recent times. Air fryers can now provide similar cooking to a deep fryer, without the huge safety hazard of having hot oil. The reduced oil consumption is monumentally healthier too.
What do air fryer mushrooms go well with?
These mushrooms are a fantastic finger food if you’re having guests over. These days, its important to have a few vegetarian options as its such a common lifestyle.
These pair really nicely with your favorite tasty dip, or if you’re making them as a side dish, they’re really tasty with a steak!
How do air fryers work?
Air fryers work utilizing grill and fan technology. The upper interior of the air fryer had a grill system, with a fan behind it, which enables the hot air to circulate the basket, which allows food to be heated from all sides. This ensures that food is cooked evenly throughout.
The grill heats up to the temperature that it’s programmed to, and the hot air circulating will crisp up the exterior of the food, while leaving the inside soft and moist.
A great tip for using the air fryer is to give your food a spritz of low-calorie olive oil spray or lightly drizzle your preferred oil over the food. This will really help make the exterior crispy, and give you the best results!
Air fryers are so diverse too. There are so many different foods you can cook in them. Almost every freezer item I can think of can be put in the air fryer!
Why should I use an air fryer?
Huge versatility
While you might think air fryers are a replacement for deep-fryers, they’re actually capable of so much more! You can use your air fryer for baking, grilling, and even roasting some food.
You can bake cookies and churros, grill sandwiches and bacon, and roast vegetables. Depending on the model you purchase, you can even roast a whole chicken!
Quick, evenly heated food
Air fryers are great too because they heat up so quickly, compared to your grill, deep fryer, or oven. So if you’re looking to heat up left over food, I often pop it in the air fryer. It will heat your food much more evenly than a microwave
Healthier option
If you make lots of food from frozen in a deep-fryer, then you should definitely consider using an air fryer. Air fryers need little to no oil, which greatly improves the nutrition of your food.
If you use a low-calorie oil spray on your food to make it crispy, even better! You’ll get very similar results to that of a deep fryer while making your food much healthier. Air fryers are also great for making delicious roast vegetables, so make sure to give them a try too!
Note: Of course, fried foods should be made in moderation and eaten as part of a balanced diet.
Breaded air fryer mushroom recipe from scratch
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 7 minutes
Ingredients
- Mushrooms
- Panko breadcrumbs
- Eggs
- Flour
- Garlic powder/ chopped garlic
- Onion powder
- Italian seasoning
- Smoked paprika
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
How to make homemade breaded mushrooms in the air fryer
Total Time: 17 minutes
Combine
Pour some flour on a plate. Crack 2 eggs into a bowl and whisk.
Mix
In a separate bowl, mix together panko breadcrumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper.
Coat
Coat the mushroom in flour and dunk it into the egg mixture.
Coat again
Then coat your mushroom in the breadcrumb/spice mixture.
Prepare to cook
Do this for all the mushrooms and arrange them evenly on a tray. Spray some olive oil on the mushrooms, which will make the coating nice and crispy when cooked in the air fryer.
Space them out
Place as many mushrooms as you can fit into the bottom of the air fryer basket giving the mushrooms space, ensuring they are not piled up.
Cook
Cook mushrooms in the air fryer for 7 minutes.
Remove
Once the mushrooms are cooked, remove from the air fryer put on a serving plate and repeat for the rest of the mushrooms until the whole batch is done.
Serve
Put on a serving plate with your favorite dipping sauce and enjoy!
Once you’ve dipped the mushrooms into the eggs and breaded mixture, you can freeze them for another day. Pop them into the air fryer for up to 10 minutes so they cook through. And enjoy!
How long should I cook frozen breaded mushrooms for?
If you’re cooking the mushrooms from frozen, it is best to preheat your air fryer to 390 degrees Fahrenheit. Evenly space out the mushrooms along the bottom of your air fryer, and if there’s a raised tray, you can put some on that. Make sure there’s space in between them so the air can circulate properly.
Give the mushrooms a small spritz of oil to crisp up the exterior of the mushrooms. Cook them for 10 minutes and check them with a fork. If they’re cooked, then enjoy!
FAQs About Cooking Frozen Breaded Mushrooms
What dipping sauces go well with mushrooms?
The following dips go really well with mushrooms:
Garlic dip
BBQ dip
Frank’s hot sauce
Mayonnaise
Ketchup
Hummus
Buffalo blue cheese dip
Peanut/satay dipping sauce
I don’t have an air dryer, what other appliance could I use?
The air fryer is unique from other appliances due to the food you’re able to make from it. There are no other appliances other that a deep fryer than get it really right, and of course deep-frying is not the best for your health.
If you finger food bits like these mushrooms or french fries, make grilled cheese sandwiches, bacon, etc., then you should definitely consider investing in an air fryer.
Air fryers can come in very cheap and dependent on the size you want, vary massively in size too!
Which air fryer is the best to use?
There are many air fryers out there with many different functions. It is important to consider which is the best size, what your needs are, and your desired style.
We have listed a few highly recommended air fryers to make the best foods and wow your guests!
A quick guide to air fryers
There are two main types of air fryers: basket-style and oven style air fryers. Basket-style air fryers are more common and oven-style air-fryers may only be necessary for larger families. Depending on your needs, you might lean towards one type over the other.
Another main factor to consider is the number of people you’re cooking for. If cooking for 1-3 people, a smaller air fryer is recommended, while a larger air fryer may be needed for 4 or more people.
Below are some good air fryers depending on family size.
Recommended air fryer for smaller kitchens
This air fryer is perfect for small portions of food and takes up very little space. Great for re-heating foods and making them nice and crispy. It can hold up to 2 liters of food. It has non-stick removable parts which make it easy to clean.
Recommended air fryer for medium sized kitchens
This air fryer is dependable for crisping and browning. It can even roast a whole chicken. There is no need to reheat and is cool to the touch, which is an excellent safety feature when there are young kids about.
Recommended air fryer for larger kitchens/families
This two basket air fryer is amazing for cooking two different foods at the same time. Its spacious baskets have separate settings for both the timer and the temperature. Its elegant touchscreen provides a sleek look, and is easily cleanable. The baskets are also dishwasher safe.
Air fryer frozen mushrooms – easy peasy, right?
Whether your making these easy breaded mushrooms from frozen or making them yourself, they are not only seriously tasty, they’re healthy too!
These are the perfect vegetarian finger food for hosting dinner parties, or will even go nicely as a side to a weekday lunch or dinner, while really impressing your family.
Let me know if you try the recipe in the comments!
