Can you air fry breaded mushrooms? You can, and you definitely should! My homemade air fryer breaded mushrooms recipe is even better than the fried mushroom appetizer from your favorite restaurant. With creamy homemade ranch dip, this one’s going to become your new favorite appetizer. Make your air fryer fried mushrooms oil free or add a little drizzle of butter. Either way, your taste buds are going to be on cloud nine!
This recipe for air fryer mushrooms is an update from early 2020. I added a homemade ranch dressing that has some serious creamy, herby awesomeness going on. It’s the perfect thing to go with these mushrooms, in addition to being tastier and more nutritious than store-bought ranch.
Another minor change I made is giving you the option of making your air fryer mushrooms no oil or with butter. Using an air fryer to “fry” your mushrooms means you can skip the added oils but keep the crisp coating! As long as you have some creamy ranch for dipping, I think the added oil or fat is unnecessary.
However, if you’ll be serving these air fried mushrooms without dip, IMVHO the butter drizzle is a must. (I’d also go for the butter if serving these to guests or if it’s a special occasion. The butter really adds a little something extra.)
I originally created this recipe as a copycat of one of my husband’s favorite appetizers, Weathervane Seafood Restaurant’s fried mushrooms. Since this restaurant doesn’t have locations nearby, he doesn’t get their fried mushrooms unless we are traveling.
The results of this recipe are really a breaded mushroom versus the Weathervane’s fried battered mushroom starter. It’s all good though, this recipe passed the family taste test. Everyone here LOVES them!
Jump to:
- ⭐ 2 Tips for Making the Best Air Fryer Mushrooms
- 🥘 Air Fryer Fried Mushrooms Ingredients
- ♨️ How to Make Crumbed Mushrooms in Air Fryer
- 🔪 How to Air Fry Breaded Mushrooms
- ⏲️ Breaded Mushrooms in Air Fryer Time
- 👩🏿🍳 How to Make Homemade Ranch Dip
- 💭 Expert Tips from a Dietitian
- 👩🏻🍳 What are some other vegetarian air fryer recipes?
- Frequently Asked Questions
- 🍄 Other Easy Mushroom Recipes
- And now for the disclaimer…
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
⭐ 2 Tips for Making the Best Air Fryer Mushrooms
We’re here to make a best air fryer breaded portobello mushrooms, right? My first tip is that you shouldn’t skip using a dip with these.
I repeat, do not skip the dip!
The mushrooms are warm, tender and cooked to perfection in the center. Meanwhile, the outside has a nice crispy breading. The air fryer does a great job preventing soggy breading issues. The contrast of a creamy, cooling ranch dip with these mushrooms could not be better.
I could eat these all the time. And in full disclosure, I don’t tend to be a big fan of fried mushrooms.
When whole mushrooms are fried, the texture begins to remind me of fried whole belly clams. Sometimes I get burned by the hot liquid when I bite into one, and I often find the middles too squishy.
That brings me to my second tip for the best air fryer breaded homemade mushrooms: quarter the mushrooms!
Quartering the mushrooms (or even cutting them into eighths) resolves my issue with whole fried mushrooms reminding me of whole belly clams. Plus, the ratio of crispy coating to tender mushroom is far more optimal this way.
No more biting into a whole fried mushroom that seemed cool enough and getting burned by hot liquid. My family did not complain that I cut the mushrooms up, so the modification seems to be all positive without negatives. Try it and see for yourself!
🥘 Air Fryer Fried Mushrooms Ingredients
The ingredients for air fryer breaded mushrooms are fairly common, and shouldn’t require a trip to the health food store. Here is what you need:
- Cleaned and quartered whole baby portobello mushrooms
- Whole grain spelt flour (whole wheat flour may be substituted)
- Large eggs
- Fine textured whole wheat bread crumbs (no seasonings)
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Smoked paprika
- Dried oregano
- Dried basil
- Grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt and black pepper
- Cooking oil spray
- Melted butter (completely optional but delicious)
- Creamy ranch dressing or dip (homemade or store-bought)
By the way, the breading is all whole grains, and mushrooms count towards the veggie group on the MyPlate. I know that the real reason to choose this one is that it is just so gosh darn delicious. That said, I wanted to throw out there that you’re getting some nutritious foods in too.
I highly recommend using your favorite creamy ranch dip. Creamy is key here.
The first time I made this recipe, I used a vegan ranch with our mushrooms because it was all the store had. It had too much vinegar, lacked creaminess, and was an overall disappointment. Maybe it works well in other dishes, but we did not care for it here.
I never wanted to experience such severe dressing disappointment again, so I created my own dip for this recipe! Here are the ingredients for my super tasty homemade ranch dressing:
- Mayonnaise
- Nonfat Greek yogurt (plain)
- 2% Milk
- Dried parsley
- Dried dill
- Fresh chives
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Pinch of lemon zest
- Salt and pepper
The other thing that this fried mushrooms air fryer recipe requires is an air fryer (of course). I use a 10-Quart Kalorik Digital Air Fryer Oven. Keep in mind that cooking times may vary depending on the air fryer you are using.
♨️ How to Make Crumbed Mushrooms in Air Fryer
Since we’re doing breading versus beer battered mushrooms, you’ve got three things to do before air frying:
- Dust mushroom pieces with flour
- Dip in egg
- Coat in breading
You’ll have time to quickly whisk together the ranch sauce while the mushrooms cook. Ready?
🔪 How to Air Fry Breaded Mushrooms
Rinse mushrooms and scrub off debris. Make sure to dry the mushrooms thoroughly. Cut the mushrooms into quarters if they are medium-sized, or into eighths if they are very large.
Put your cut mushrooms into a bowl. Sprinkle them with the spelt flour and stir them to evenly distribute the flour.
Whisk the eggs in a second bowl. Combine the bread crumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, oregano, basil, Parmesan, salt, and pepper in a third bowl.
Mist your air fryer baking racks with the cooking oil spray. My air fryer has two baking trays and I needed to use both with this recipe. If you have a smaller air fryer with a basket, you may need to cook the mushrooms in batches.
Dip the mushroom pieces first in the whisked egg and then in the bread crumb mixture. Place the mushrooms on your air fryer racks in a single non-touching layer. Coat all of the mushrooms!
Once you’ve breaded all of the mushrooms, mist them with the oil spray. Add the optional butter drizzle at this point if you’re feeling it. It’s up to you.
Btw, I’m giving you extra breading so that you will (hopefully!) have enough to coat all of your mushroom pieces. I was stingy with the breading in my original recipe because I always try to limit food waste. Unfortunately, there was a risk of running out of breading if you cut your mushrooms on the smaller side.
It wasn’t too big of a deal as you could always mix up another batch of breading. However, I thought it would be better to save you from this potential annoyance.
Ok, now it’s time to place your racks with the mushrooms in your air fryer. I can hardly wait to dig into these!
⏲️ Breaded Mushrooms in Air Fryer Time
These homemade breaded mushrooms need a total of 10 minutes cooking time in the air fryer. Start by air frying the mushrooms for five minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Then switch the position of the racks in the oven, and mist them with the oil spray once more. (Only spray them if you skipped the butter drizzle.) Air fry your mushrooms for an additional 5 minutes at 350F.
Remember that your cooking times may vary depending on the air fryer you are using! While the breaded mushrooms air fry, you can make homemade ranch dip.
👩🏿🍳 How to Make Homemade Ranch Dip
To make the dip, whisk the mayo, plain Greek yogurt, milk, parsley, dill, chives, garlic powder, onion powder, lemon zest, salt, and pepper together. I used yogurt to lighten this dip up a bit, but no one in my household could tell. I promise that the homemade dip is really worth the minimal effort it takes to make!
Ok, so now you have your air fried mushrooms and you have your DIY dip. Enjoy! This one’s a treat the whole family will love!
💭 Expert Tips from a Dietitian
This is a level 3 recipe (weight maintenance and active lifestyles). The calorie count on this recipe includes ⅓ of the mushrooms (225 calories) with ⅓ of the dip (137 calories). The exact count for you will depend on the brand of bread crumbs and the dressing that you use.
Breading and battering foods tends to add a lot of calories. If you want a lighter appetizer, you could always just serve raw mushrooms with the dip. It’s still delicious and will save you quite a bit of kitchen work!
One more thing (and I’m only mentioning it for nit-picky accuracy), calling the no butter version “oil free” or “no added oil” is not quite true. Using an oil spray to mist the mushrooms prior to air frying does add a small amount of added oil.
Though oil sprays are typically listed as “0 calories” this number is always for a tiny serving size with the calories rounded down. If you are heavy-handed with oil sprays, they can become a significant source of hidden calories over time.
Oil sprays are great if you are looking to cut back on added oils. However, I think it’s good to be aware that they aren’t really calorie-free. Just an FYI!
👩🏻🍳 What are some other vegetarian air fryer recipes?
When I first got my air fryer, I focused mostly on cooking animal-based proteins in it. These fried baby bella mushrooms are an excellent option that falls outside the protein group. However, I didn’t stop there in my vegetarian air frying adventures! Be sure to check these recipes out as well:
- Air Fryer Tofu Bowls with Ginger-Lime Aioli
- Air Fryer Carrots
- Brown Butter and Sage Air Fryer Squash
- Air Fryer Jicama Fries with Cilantro-Lime Dipping Sauce
- Air Fryer Frozen Vegetables (One of our readers’ favorite posts!)
Frequently Asked Questions
You can make air fried vegan mushrooms with a few simple recipe swaps. Use flax egg replacer instead of the eggs, swap the Parm for additional bread crumbs, and use your favorite vegan ranch dressing for dipping. Voila!
Though mushrooms are keto, this recipe is not due to the high carb breading. You can use pork panko “bread” crumbs to make a delicious low carb or keto version of breaded mushrooms. I haven’t tried this yet, but I bet it would be AMAZING!
Yes, and any of your favorite brands (such as Farm Rich breaded mushrooms) should work. You may need to adjust the total cooking time based on your air fryer and the size of the mushroom pieces. (That said, these homemade air fryer mushrooms are the best option if you want to avoid ultra-processed foods.)
If you don’t want to make homemade ranch dip, Tessemae’s Organic Creamy Ranch Dressing is our top store-bought pick. It contains no added sugar, and happens to be dairy free and gluten free (if that’s what you’re looking for).
🍄 Other Easy Mushroom Recipes
Mushrooms are full of delicious umami flavor, rich in B vitamins, and are a wonderful addition to myriad dishes! Here are a few more recipes using mushrooms that you may enjoy:
- Air Fryer Vegan Oyster Mushroom Jerky
- Smoked Mushrooms
- Tagliatelle ai Funghi (Pasta with Mushrooms)
Don't forget to subscribe to our Weekly Newsletter to be kept up-to-date on all of the latest and greatest recipes! You can follow me on Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram!
And now for the disclaimer…
All recipes on this website may or may not be appropriate for you, depending on your medical needs and personal preferences. Consult with a registered dietitian or your physician if you need help determining the dietary pattern that may be best for you.
The nutrition information is an estimate provided as a courtesy. It will differ depending on the specific brands and ingredients that you use. Calorie information on food labels may be wildly inaccurate, so please don't sweat the numbers too much.
For more information on how the three recipe levels may help with a weight management goal, refer to my overnight oats with yogurt post. Let's get cooking!
📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Breaded Mushrooms | Air Fryer Fried Mushrooms
Ingredients
For the air fryer breaded mushrooms:
- 8 ounces whole baby bella mushrooms, cleaned and quartered (227 grams; cut them into ⅛ if very large)
- 1 tablespoon spelt flour
- 2 large eggs, whisked
- ½ cup whole wheat breadcrumbs (fine texture)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper, to taste
- cooking oil spray of choice
- 2 tablespoons melted butter (optional but delicious)
- creamy ranch dressing or dip (homemade or try Tessemae's)
For the homemade ranch dip:
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup nonfat Greek yogurt, plain
- 1½ tablespoon milk, 2%
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon dried dill
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon fresh chives, chopped finely
- 1 pinch lemon zest
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
To make the air fryer breaded mushrooms:
- Put your washed and quartered baby bellas in a bowl. Sprinkle with the spelt flour. Stir gently to evenly distribute the flour.
- Whisk the eggs in a second bowl. Combine the bread crumbs, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, oregano, basil, Parmesan, salt, and black pepper in a third bowl.
- Mist your air fryer baking racks with the oil spray.
- Dip the mushroom pieces first in the whisked egg and then in the bread crumb mixture. Place the mushrooms on your air fryer racks in a single layer. I used two air fryer trays.
- When all of your mushrooms have been coated, mist them with the oil spray. Drizzle the melted butter over the mushrooms if you've chosen to include it.
- Air fry the coated mushrooms for 5 minutes at 350°F (175°C). If you skipped the butter, mist the mushrooms. with the oil spray once more. Switch the position of the racks in the oven.
- Air fry for an additional 5 minutes at 350°F (175°C). (Your cooking times may vary depending on the air fryer you are using!)
To make the homemade ranch dip:
- You can whip up the dip while the mushrooms are air frying. Simply whisk the mayo, yogurt, milk, parsley, dill, chives, garlic powder, onion powder, lemon zest, salt, and pepper together. Keep whisking until it is smooth, with no yogurt lumps in the dip.
- To serve: plate ⅓ of the air fried mushrooms with ⅓ of the homemade dip. Enjoy, it's good stuff!
Claire says
Can I also use this recipe for pickles?
Summer Yule says
Hi Claire, I haven't tried it, but I love the idea! I think it would be a worthy experiment 🙂 The dip with this recipe would be great with breaded pickles.
Darla says
I made these low-carb by using almond flour for dusting and crushed pork rinds in place of the bread crumbs. They were delicious.
Summer Yule says
That sounds delicious! Thank you for leaving a review!
Terrified Amateur says
Marvelous, Summer. You've managed to square so many circles (or circle so many squares - not sure which) with this creation.
First and foremost, is recreating the whole fried mushroom reverie while using but the merest whisper of oil. Total let-it-all-go indulgence, but without the indulgence,
Because of that, precisely, you've returned "fried" mushrooms to my culinary universe. Generally speaking, I avoid fried foods, as they tend to be heavy and, all-too-often, oversaturated. Not so this time. Thank you! Perfection, I'm sure.
Oh, and please tell me you surprised your husband with these. The ideal reply to "What are you making, Summer?" is, "Just one of your absolutely favorite foods, which you haven't had in years."
Summer Yule says
Well, I had the mushrooms all over the counter while preparing them so it was tough to keep things a secret! lol Since we've all been home I don't get the kitchen to myself quite as much as I used to,
I agree with you about trying to avoid the fried foods. It was funny, I found a small deep fryer tucked away in a hard-to-reach cabinet early in the pandemic when I gave the kitchen a through cleaning. I have no idea how long I've had it for, or whether I've ever even used it!