Top Recipes with Lion's Mane Mushrooms

If you’re completely new to learning about the health benefiting properties of lion’s mane mushroom, these mushrooms grow most commonly in woodland areas of Asia and the United States on decaying tree stumps, and are most interestingly known to support a healthy response to stress, as well as, to help promote mental agility, focus and overall cognitive performance.*. Similar to other superfood mushrooms, they support  digestive health and whole body support including overall immune health.*  They are also full of extra vitamins and minerals you wouldn’t necessarily find in your day to day snacks.*

If you’re already a fan of lion’s mane and you’d like to know more about cooking meals, or recipes with lion’s mane mushrooms, then you’re in the right place. This article will give you some inspiration, and dig into some delicious recipes with lion’s mane mushrooms: in both fresh and powdered form.

What does lion's mane taste like?

Lion’s mane is most often compared to the texture and taste of crab or lobster. Though it has a similar taste to regular mushrooms, there is something even more meaty and delicious about the taste of these mushrooms. The texture is spongy and stringy, which is also comparable to tofu or jackfruit (which if you’re vegan, you’ll already know all about). Once lion’s mane is cooked, it’s tender and chewy, which makes it an amazing meat substitute in all kinds of dishes. Whether fresh or powdered, many would describe lion’s mane to still be relatively tasteless in comparison to other herbal adaptogens or superfoods.* This allows it to be easily blended with a variety of ingredients and flavors.

Cooking with lion's mane

Much like cooking with other varieties of wild mushrooms, recipes with lion’s mane mushrooms are best kept simple. Often, you’ll need no more than a little seasoning and oil. Lion’s mane can be cooked in fresh, powder or dried form. With lion’s mane mushroom powder, you have the versatility and usability of adding into soups, smoothies, juices or making tea and coffee. With fresh mushrooms, you can tear chunks into bite sized wedges, or cut into slices and fry, simmer or bake as you would a cauliflower, tofu slice or aubergine. We think that dried lion’s mane mushrooms are easy enough to sprinkle on just about any dish. They lack the tender meat-like texture of fresh lion’s mane, but it’s important to note that the mushroom taste can be stronger in dried form.

Top 3 Recipes with lion’s mane mushroom

The dishes mentioned below feature fresh lion’s mane. However, know that you can also adapt each recipe to include powdered or dried lion’s mane. We’ve focused on savoury dishes here, with fresh lion’s mane recipes. However, both lion's mane mushroom powder recipes and dried lion's mane mushroom recipes are great for blending with sweet dishes.

1) Sautéed

 To enjoy your lion’s mane nice and crispy on the outside, all you need to do is:

• Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a pan and heat.
• Add in your sliced mushroom, sprinkle some pepper and salt, and let it sizzle for a few minutes until brown on the outside.
• Season to taste with herbs and spices as you like. Suggested flavors include thyme or chili flakes. 

Enjoy as a side or as part of a stir fry, pasta or rice dish. 

2) Crab Cakes

The unique texture of lion’s mane mushroom mimics the quality of crab or lobster, which makes it the perfect plant-based crab cake option.

• Roast your lion’s mane and onion in the oven, tossed in some olive oil, for around 30 minutes.
• When the mushrooms and onions are cooked through,  mix them in a large bowl with 2 finely cut cloves of garlic, chopped parsley, a squeeze of lemon, salt, pepper, one egg (or flaxseed vegan option) and breadcrumbs.
• Form the mixture into palm-sized patties using an ice cream scoop, or your hands
• Fry in a pan with some coconut oil and a pinch of salt till golden on the outside.

3) Risotto

Mushroom risotto is a classic recipe, perfect for sharing with larger groups that can easily be adapted to include lion’s mane. 

• Soak the lion’s mane andporcini mushrooms in a bowl of boiling hot water for around 20 minutes. Then add some vegetable stock.
• Heat some olive oil in a frying pan, adding finely chopped onion and garlic. After a few minutes add chopped chestnut mushrooms to the pan and cook for around 8 minutes until the mushrooms have softened. 
• Add your risotto rice to the pan and cook on high heat for 1 minute. Add the soaked lion’s mane mushroom stock mixture to the pan, lower the heat and continue to simmer and stir until the rice is cooked and the mushrooms are tender.
• When the rice is cooked, take the pan off the heat, let it cool and stir in butter, parmesan cheese and parsley. Once spooned into bowls, add a sprinkle of parmesan on top.

Where to buy lion's mane powder

With so many capsules, supplements, tinctures and powders available on the internet, it can be difficult to know where to buy your lion’s mane from.

Our advice is to look for something made with only non-GMO ingredients, and free from artificial flavors. All Rritual products are also sustainably made, vegan and gluten free. You can shop our selection of lion’s mane products here.