Puffball Mushroom Recipe
Have you ever wondered how to cook the giant puffball? Even if you never tried it before, this puffball mushroom recipe will turn you into an avid forager!
Giant puffball mushrooms look nothing like a typical mushroom. In fact, the name of this fungus reflects its appearance quite accurately. Giant puffballs, or calvatia gigantea, are a species commonly found in meadows, fields, forests, and even golf courses. They are spherical in shape, and they generally range 5-20 inches in diameter.
If you’ve come across a puffball, and you’re not sure what to do with it, I’ve got you. This puffball mushroom recipe is simple, delicious, and entirely plant-based. I dare say, it’s really similar to crispy fried chicken!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This is a great way to get Scrappy! As well as cherishing every bit of produce you buy from the shop, you can find perfectly good food by foraging.
- Giant puffball are… well, they can get pretty big. With this delicious puffball mushroom recipe, you won’t be wasting any, trust me!
- If you’re vegan and you miss the texture of hearty fried chicken, this recipe is for you!
- Giant puffballs are one of the easiest mushrooms to identify. Perfect for beginner foragers!
- It’s really easy to make! The prep takes very little time, and the result is definitely worth it!
How to Make This Recipe
First, go and find your puffball mushroom. Thanks to their size, they are easy to spot. Make sure to double check that it is indeed a giant puffball. When you slice into it, calvatia gigantea should have solid white flesh with no pattern or discolouration.
Clean your mushrooms of any debris or insects. Slice them into “steaks” and peel off the outer layer.
Prepare your cooking station. You should have two shallow bowls – one filled with aquafaba (chickpea water), the other one containing breadcrumbs.
Line a baking sheet with parchment and preheat the oven to 400F.
Dip each piece of puffball into aquafaba, then coat it with breadcrumbs and lay it on the baking sheet. Make sure there’s a little bit of space between the pieces so that they are nice and crispy. Bake for about 30 minutes.
Remove the puffballs from the oven and brush some hot sauce onto your “fried chicken”. So easy!
Hack It!
- If you’re gluten-free, you can use gluten-free panko, cornmeal, blended oats, or even crushed nuts.
- You can also make this puffball mushroom recipe in an air fryer. Just be warned that you will probably need to split it into batches!
- I love a bit of heat. If you prefer a milder flavor, you can toss your puffball chicken in BBQ sauce, teriyaki, or sweet chilli.
- You can cut the mushroom into smaller pieces to make “nuggets”, or keep them as large slices.
- If you haven’t got any aquafaba on hand, mix some plant milk with a little bit of lemon juice. Once it’s curdled, the texture is very similar.
Other Recipes You’ll Love
- Orange Peel Powder
- Pickled Garlic Scapes
- Blackberry Fruit Leather
- Broccoli Tater Tots
- Sweet Potato Skin Nachos
For more inspiring plant-based recipes, head over to PlantYou Planner. It’s a digital meal planner that allows you to create your own weekly menu from a database of over 600 vegan recipes. Alternatively, you can enjoy set meal plans curated by our team. The planner allows you to toggle the number of servings, making it an invaluable tool for a household of any size. In addition, you can take advantage of the shopping list, generated based on the dishes you select for the week!
I am also happy to say that the PlantYou Cookbook has seen incredible support from the plant-based community! Creating this book would not be possible without your support, and I am incredibly grateful to my PlantYou family! If you haven’t got a copy yet, I promise you will not regret it.
The Recipe: Puffball Mushroom Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 puffball mushroom, sliced into "steaks", peeled
- 1 cup aquafaba
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- ½ cup hot sauce
Equipment
- chopping board
- knife
- 2 bowls
- Pastry brush
Instructions
- Clean your mushrooms of any debris or insects. Slice them into "steaks" and peel off the outer layer.
- Prepare your cooking station. You should have two shallow bowls – one filled with aquafaba (chickpea water), the other one containing breadcrumbs.Â
- Line a baking sheet with parchment and preheat the oven to 400F.
- Dip each piece of puffball into aquafaba, then coat it with breadcrumbs and lay it on the baking sheet. Make sure there's a little bit of space between the pieces so that they are nice and crispy. Bake for about 30 minutes.Â
- Remove the puffballs from the oven and brush some hot sauce onto your "fried chicken". So easy!
