Watch out! These vegan stuffed mushrooms are incredibly addictive, thanks to a filling of dreamy cashew cream cheese, smoky tempeh bacon and chives. Great for snacking, but you can absolutely make a meal of them too!
I surprised myself recently while waiting in line at the supermarket and picked up one of those little mini magazine cookbooks. I forget the title, but the subject was bacon recipes.
I didn’t even really think about it when I grabbed the thing…I was just looking for some inspiration. People are doing all kinds of crazy things with bacon. They’re wrapping things in it, stuffing things with it, infusing with it, even making jam out of it (okay, I had to skip past the jam section of the book. That was just a little too much for me).
Anyhow, I see no reason why omnivores should have all the fun, so I went right home and got to creating some vegan stuffed mushrooms, filled to the brim with smoky tempeh bacon.
Bacon stuffed mushrooms aren’t exactly cutting edge. Even I knew about these things before spotting the magazine recipe. But the book reminded me of them, and of the fact that they also include cream cheese, my other favorite veganized food to play around with. I knew right away that I’d have a blast making these things.
My tempeh bacon filled vegan stuffed mushrooms were so satisfying, and even though my taste for bacon is incredibly outdated, I can say that I’d have never have known that these were vegan if I hadn’t just made them myself. The combination of smokey flavor with the rich cream cheese and chives is kind of the bomb.
You can make the cream cheese yourself by following my recipe, or use store bought. You’ll need to soak the cashews in advance if you make it yourself, but otherwise it whips up super quick in the food processor.
To make the mushrooms, you’ll start by cooking up some tempeh bacon. Tempeh gets crumbled up and tossed with some smoky seasonings. You can marinate it overnight to enhance the flavor it you like. Then, into the skillet to brown.
Mix the tempeh bacon with cashew cream cheese, panko breadcrumbs, chives, and optionally, hot sauce!
Stuff the mushrooms and bake!
Try not to eat them all at once. ;)
Tips for Making Awesome Vegan Stuffed Mushrooms…
- The filling can be prepared a day in advance.
- Switch things up by using full-sized portobello mushrooms and making a meal of them. You can even stuff them into buns for delicious portobello veggie burgers.
- I used my homemade cashew cream cheese for these, but if you’re looking for a great store-bought cheese, try Kite Hill Cream Cheese Style Spread.
Vegan Stuffed Mushrooms (with Tempeh Bacon & Cream Cheese!)
Watch out! These vegan stuffed mushrooms are incredibly addictive, thanks to a filling of dreamy cashew cream cheese, smoky tempeh bacon and chives. Great for snacking, but you can absolutely make a meal of them too!
For the Tempeh Bacon
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons liquid smoke
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 (8 ounce) package tempeh, (crumbled)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the Stuffed Mushrooms
- 24 ounces cremini or white button mushrooms (about 16 medium sized), (cleaned and stemmed)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup cashew cream cheese, (or substitute your favorite commercial vegan cream cheese)
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1-2 tablespoons cayenne pepper hot sauce, (optional, or to taste)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped chives
To Make the Tempeh Bacon
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Stir together the soy sauce, liquid smoke, maple syrup and apple cider vinegar in a medium-sized bowl. Crumble the tempeh into the bowl, and stir to coat. Optionally, allow tempeh to marinade for up to 12 hours (I usually skip this, but it does enhance the flavor).
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Place a medium-sized skillet over high heat. Add the crumbled tempeh, along with any excess marinade. Sauté until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
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Remove the tempeh from the skillet and transfer it to a bowl.
To Make the Stuffed Mushrooms
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Preheat oven to 400°F. Brush the mushrooms lightly with olive oil and arrange them on baking sheet, stem side up. Bake for 10 minutes.
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While the mushrooms bake, add the cream cheese, panko, hot sauce and chives to the tempeh mixture. Stir until everything is well mixed.
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Remove the mushrooms from the oven, but leave the oven on. If a lot of water has pooled in the stem cavities, use a paper towel to suck it up. Stuff each mushroom generously the with tempeh mixture, piling a bit on top.
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Place the mushrooms back into the oven and bake until the tops are lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
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Serve.
If you plan to use my cashew cream cheese for this recipe, get started early, as the cashews require several hours of soaking. You’ll end up with about a half of a batch leftover. It will keep in the refrigerator for about a week, and goes great on bagels, crackers, and in a handful of other recipes in my archives. You can also freeze it in a well sealed container for long term storage.
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