Crispy fried mushrooms stir fried in a tangy sweet sauce. These delicious sweet and sour battered mushrooms serves well as a main dish. Ready in 30 minutes and made with simple ingredients, rivals Chinese takeout and is completely vegan.
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These sweet and sour mushrooms made of black oyster mushrooms in a simple batter and fried until golden brown and crispy and tossed in a tangy sweet and sour sauce with bell peppers, onion and pineapples.
It's very similar to sweet and sour chicken in Chinese cuisine but instead of chicken, we're using meaty mushrooms!
This serves best with steamed rice and it's absolutely delicious! I developed a recipe for this dish after my travels to Malaysia in 2018.
We went to this vegetarian restaurant called Simple Life and we had this vegetable dish. My husband and I loved it so much I decided to recreate it at home.
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Black oyster mushrooms: these are recommended for this recipe for it's meaty texture but you can substitute with oyster mushrooms or button mushrooms.
- Neutral oil: any flavorless oil like avocado oil, peanut oil, grapeseed oil, vegetable oil or canola oil with a high smoke point. Avoid olive oil or coconut oil due to its heavier scent.
- Red bell pepper
- Yellow bell pepper
- Pineapples: canned kind works well for this recipe as we can repurpose the pineapple juice too
- Onion
Mushroom Coating
- All-purpose flour
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Salt
- Black pepper
Mushroom Batter
- All-purpose flour
- Cornstarch
- Baking powder
- Garlic powder
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Cold water
Sweet and Sour Sauce
- Pineapple juice: you can use the same juice from the canned pineapples
- Cornstarch
- Water
- Rice vinegar or white vinegar
- Ketchup
- Regular soy sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce. If you’re gluten-free, substitute with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce of your choice.
Expert Tips
- Pat the mushrooms dry to remove excess moisture, which can make them soggy.
- Evenly dust the mushrooms in the coating so the wet batter sticks.
- Make sure the oil is hot enough before frying, around 350 F with a digital instant read thermometer or insert a wooden utensil into the hot oil and look for rapid bubbles.
- Fry mushrooms in small batches and do not overcrowd the oil or it can lower the oil temperature resulting in less crispy mushrooms.
- Transfer fried mushrooms to a wire rack or paper towel lined plate to remove excess oil, which can cause soggy mushrooms.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make sweet and sour mushrooms:
- Separate the mushrooms into smaller bunches if needed. Pat them dry with a paper towel.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together Mushroom Coating ingredients as listed. Add a few mushrooms into the mixture and dust them until evenly coated. Set aside.
- In another large bowl, combine Mushroom Batter ingredients. Mix and set aside.
- Heat 2-inches of oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. Place a wooden chopstick into the hot and if bubbles form, it's time to fry.
- Dip mushroom into the batter and carefully lower it into the hot oil away from you. Fry in small batches on both sides until golden brown and crispy, about 3-5 minutes. Do not overcrowd the oil.
- Remove fried mushrooms with a slotted spoon. Transfer to a wire rack or paper towel lined plate allowing excess oil to drip off. Then transfer to a large serving plate.
- In a small bowl, combine Sweet and Sour Sauce ingredients as listed. Set aside.
- In a large pan or wok, heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil on medium-high heat. Fry onions, bell peppers and pineapples until softened.
- Pour sauce into the pan and let it come to a boil and simmer until sauce has thickened. Mix and pour your sauce over the battered mushrooms. Serve & enjoy!
Storage
- Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat: microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat.
- Freezer friendly? I don't recommend freezing this dish as the batter will go soggy in the sauce.
Pairing Suggestions
These sweet and sour mushrooms serve well with:
- starters like egg rolls, crab rangoons, egg drop soup, hot and sour soup
- white or brown rice, cauliflower rice, fried rice, chow mein, lo mein, or plain noodles,
- cooked vegetables like bok choy, spicy garlic bok choy, choy sum, gai lan, garlic green beans or stir fried snow pea leaves.
FAQ
Can I make this in advance?
This can be made a few hours in advance but I would advise keeping the crispy mushrooms separate from the sauce or they will go soggy.
Can I substitute the mushrooms with protein?
Yes, you can substitute the mushrooms with diced chicken, pork or extra-firm tofu.
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📖 Recipe
Sweet & Sour Battered Mushrooms
Sweet & Sour Battered Mushrooms. Crispy fried mushrooms stir fried in a tangy sweet and sour sauce. This vegan recipe serves well as a main dish. Ready in 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 8.11 oz black oyster mushrooms washed and dried
- 2 cups vegetable oil for deep frying or as needed
- 11.76 fl oz. canned pineapples diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 yellow bell pepper diced
- ½ onion diced
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil for stir frying
Mushroom Coating:
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Mushroom Batter:
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup cornstarch
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup water cold
Sweet and Sour Sauce:
- ⅔ cup pineapple juice from the can
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water cold
- ⅓ cup rice vinegar or white vinegar
- 3 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 tablespoon regular soy sauce
Instructions
- Separate the mushrooms into smaller bunches if needed. Pat them dry with a paper towel.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together Mushroom Coating ingredients as listed. Add a few mushrooms into the mixture and dust them until evenly coated. Set aside.
- In another large bowl, combine Mushroom Batter ingredients. Mix and set aside.
- Heat 2-inches of oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. Place a wooden chopstick into the hot and if bubbles form, it's time to fry.
- Dip mushroom into the batter and carefully lower it into the hot oil away from you. Fry in small batches on both sides until golden brown and crispy, about 3-5 minutes. Do not overcrowd the oil.
- Remove fried mushrooms with a slotted spoon. Transfer to a wire rack or paper towel lined plate allowing excess oil to drip off. Then transfer to a large serving plate.
- In a small bowl, combine Sweet and Sour Sauce ingredients as listed. Set aside.
- In a large pan or wok, heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil on medium-high heat. Fry onions, bell peppers and pineapples until softened.
- Pour sauce into the pan and let it come to a boil and simmer until sauce has thickened. Mix and pour your sauce over the battered mushrooms. Serve & enjoy!
Enjoyed my recipe?Please leave a 5 star review (be kind)! Tag me on social media @christieathome as I'd love to see your creations!
Suggested Equipment & Products
Nutrition
Calories: 272kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 322mg | Potassium: 93mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 220IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg
Michelle
May I ask how to cook the rice that sit aside with the Sweet & Sour Battered Mushrooms by using a rice cooker? Is that purple glutinous rice or just black rice?
Thanks.
Christie Lai
Hi there, I used a ratio of 1:4 in terms of black rice to white short grain rice and I used my handy rice cooker.
Joy
This was awesome! Tastes just like the takeout version I loved as a kid. Except better with mushrooms! The batter was exactly what I was hoping it would be and my family devoured the meal 🙂
christieathome
I am so happy to read this very kind comment, Joy! Thank you for making my recipe! I am really glad you enjoyed it 🙂 Have a lovely day!
Monica
Truly delicious and tastes exactly like Chinese takeaways. I think the mushrooms work even better than chicken!
Here are some changes I made:
Mushrooms - I didn't have oyster mushrooms so I used sliced button mushrooms.
Soy sauce - I'm allergic to soy so I just added salt instead.
Sauce - I doubled the all amounts to make extra, but kept the cornstarch amount the same.
christieathome
Thank you so much for making my recipe Monica! I am so glad you enjoyed it and I love the substitutes! Have a great day!
Aaron
Enjoyed this thoroughly. Will make again. Thank you!
christieathome
Thank you so much for these kind words and for making my recipe, Aaron!
Molly
This was so good and crispy with a wonderful sweet and sour sauce! I loved it so much and i will be making it again!