These Lion's Mane Mushroom Steaks are meaty, savory, and delicious! Serve them as a vegetarian steak for a meatless main dish, or as a unique side dish. Just 3 ingredients and 10 minutes from start to finish!
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Related recipe: Lion's Mane Mushroom Soup
Lion's mane mushroom recipe
I realize these lion's mane steaks look a little more like cooked chicken breast cutlets, but I still like to refer to them as steaks because I season them with steak seasoning to give them that savory steak flavor.
Lion's mane is a pretty dense mushroom that slices well into steak-like pieces, making it a great meat substitute.
Related recipe: Air Fryer Chicken of the Woods Mushroom "Wings"
Mushroom steaks
These lion's mane steaks are great if you are trying to:
- Eat more lion's mane mushrooms for their health benefits.
- Enjoy more meatless meals without giving up the delicious savory flavor of meat.
- Add more veggies and mushrooms to your diet.
- Cook with some fun new ingredients.
Whether you're already cooking regularly with lion's mane mushrooms or trying it for the first time, this is probably the easiest lion's mane recipe you will ever try!
More lion's mane recipes to try: Pan-Fried Lion's Mane
Where to find lion's mane mushrooms
Lion's mane is not readily available in grocery stores, unfortunately, but keep an eye for it at farmer's markets and festivals where there are small business vendors selling their goods. Lot of independent mushroom farmers sell lion's mane at those events!
Another option is to grow your own lion's mane!! That's what I do pretty regularly with these lion's mane grow kits! It's so fun watching them grow on your kitchen counter, and you get a pretty good amount from the first flush (the first batch) and can grow even more even after you harvest your lion's mane!
And of course, if you're lucky enough to be able to forage some lion's mane, be sure to correctly identify it before eating anything you find in the wild.
More foraging recipes to try: Mulberry Ice Cream
What does lion's mane taste like?
Lion's mane is a pretty dense mushroom, and it has a nice meaty texture. It is great for slicing with a knife once it's cooked because it also has a "grain" kind of like steak or chicken, so you feel the satisfaction of cutting against the grain and using a steak knife when you're eating a lion's mane steak.
Lion's mane has a slight subtle sweetness and is sometimes used as a vegan or vegetarian substitute for seafood, but I also like to use it as a steak or as a chicken substitute.
More vegetarian mushroom recipes to try: One Pan Pasta with Mushrooms and Spinach
Ingredients
- 1 large lion's mane mushroom - make sure it's clean. If you have to wash it, try to wipe it down with a damp paper towel or rinse it really quickly instead of soaking it in water. You don't want the mushroom to absorb any liquid. If washing the mushroom, let it dry at room temperature for a bit before cooking with it. We don't want watery mushroom steaks!
- 3-4 teaspoons steak seasoning, to taste
- olive oil in a spray bottle to spray the mushroom steaks (or use a silicone brush to brush on some olive oil)
- optional: salted butter, sliced very thin (you'll need as many slices as you have steaks), or use a bit of compound butter, such as this pesto butter, garlic scape butter, or garlic confit butter, or use vegan butter for a vegan mushroom steak!
More vegetarian steak alternatives: Air Fryer Cauliflower Steaks
Equipment
- Large skillet with a lid (such as a cast iron)
- Olive oil sprayer (or silicone brush) - I love this refillable oil sprayer! I use it many times a day.
More unique mushroom recipes to try: Fried Enoki Mushrooms
Instructions
Slice the lion's mane mushroom into steaks: Place it on the cutting board with the stem-side down (like a cauliflower). Slice down the middle, then slice 1.5-inch thick "steaks" from each half. You will get anywhere between 3-6 pieces, depending on the size of your mushroom.
Spray or brush the tops of the mushroom steaks with olive oil. Don't use too much oil, just a thin layer that will help the seasoning stick.
Season the tops of the mushroom steaks with steak seasoning. I used about ¼-½ teaspoon steak seasoning per side.
Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Lightly spray or brush with olive oil, and place the steaks seasoned side down. Cover and cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, or until the mushroom softens and the bottom is becoming nice and browned/blackened, but do not let it burn.
Uncover the pan, spray the other side of the mushroom steak with oil and season with steak seasoning.
Flip the steaks and cook uncovered for another 2-3 minutes, or until the mushroom is cooked to your liking. If there is extra liquid in the pan, you can use tongs and a paper towel and absorb it, then continue to cook the mushroom steaks for another few minutes until they're not soggy.
Optional, but so delicious: Add a thin slice of salted butter (or your favorite compound butter) on top of each lion's mane steak and let it melt. Serve hot!
More mushroom recipes to try: 3 Mushroom Soup with Soba Noodles
Recipe tips and variations
- As I said above in the "ingredients" section, make sure your lion's mane mushroom is not wet when starting to cook. If you have to clean it, don't get it soaking wet, and let it sit out and dry for a little bit. If your mushroom does release a lot of liquid while it is cooking, you can sop it up with a paper towel (use tongs!! not your hands!) and then continue to cook the mushroom steaks until they're a little crisp on the bottom.
- Make sure the use thin slivers of butter. The butter will get absorbed by the mushroom, and you don't want a greasy mushroom.
- Try adding a splash or soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce to the pan during the last few seconds of cooking to give the lion's mane a nice boost of savory flavor.
- Experiment with your favorite seasonings!
- Try adding some fresh thyme or rosemary and some melted butter or olive oil to the pan and letting the thyme simmer to flavor the butter/oil. Spoon that herb-infused butter over the steaks when they're done cooking.
More mushroom recipes: Cheddar Herb Stuffed Mushrooms
What to serve with lion's mane steaks
These vegetarian steaks make a great main dish! They're pretty low in calories, so they would be good paired with a heartier side dish, such as mashed potatoes or roasted young potatoes and a veggie side dish, such as honey butter corn, roasted cauliflower, or roasted radishes.
If you're not vegetarian, then by all means serve these lion's mane steaks as the "veggie" with some meat on the side, such as dukkah-crusted chicken, mayo-baked salmon, or grilled chicken. A slice of corn bread would be a great addition too!
Related recipe: Chicken Hearts with Mushrooms
If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!
Lion's Mane Steaks
Ingredients
- 1 large lion's mane mushroom - you can grow your own with this kit!
- 3-4 teaspoons steak seasoning - to taste (use your favorite kind!)
- olive oil - (in a spray bottle, or use a silicone brush to brush on some olive oil)
- optional: salted butter - sliced really thin (you'll need as many slices as you have steaks)
Special equipment
- Equipment
- Large skillet with a lid
- Olive oil sprayer or silicone brush
Instructions
- Slice the lion's mane mushroom into steaks: Place it on the cutting board with the stem-side down (like a cauliflower). Slice down the middle, then slice 1.5-inch thick "steaks" from each half. You might get anywhere between 3-6 pieces, depending on the size of your mushroom.
- Spray or brush the tops of the mushroom steaks with olive oil. Don't use too much oil, just a thin layer that will help the seasoning stick.
- Season the tops of the mushroom steaks with steak seasoning. I used about ¼-½ teaspoon steak seasoning per side.
- Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Lightly spray or brush the pan with olive oil, and place the steaks seasoned side down. Cover and cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, or until the mushroom softens and the bottom is becoming nice and browned/blackened. Do not let it burn.
- Uncover the pan, spray or brush the other side of the mushroom steak with oil and season with steak seasoning.
- Flip the steaks and cook uncovered for another 2-3 minutes, or until the mushroom is cooked to your liking. If mushrooms release liquid in the pan, you can use tongs and a paper towel and absorb it, then continue to cook the mushroom steaks for another few minutes until they're not soggy.
- Optional, but so delicious: Add a thin slice of salted butter (or your favorite compound butter) on top of each lion's mane steak and let it melt. Serve hot!
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.