These oyster mushroom birria tacos are the perfect vegan version of this Mexican favorite. Oyster mushrooms are shredded and coated with a spicy aromatic stew, then placed in a tortilla with vegan cheese and pan fried until crisp on both sides.
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I was a little nervous about making these oyster mushroom birria tacos because I tried absolutely incredible vegan food in Mexico and honestly, I thought these wouldn’t be able to live up to that because of my lack of experience. Birria tacos have so much flavor and the preparation method is different from the tacos I usually make, but we all start somewhere and taking the time to learn something new was so worth it. Birria tacos are usually made with meat (traditionally, goat meat) and originate from the state of Jalisco.
To make this vegan version, you start with a stew of aromatics, crushed tomatoes, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, and rehydrated guajillo chiles. The stew usually has a few more chiles, but this was the one I had at home. The other chiles often used in the stew may include ancho chiles, chiles de arbol, pasilla chiles, and California chiles.
Then you’ll tear the oyster mushrooms, lightly sauté them, and pour some of the stew on. To make a taco, you dip the tortilla in the stew, pile on the mushroom filling and vegan cheese and cook until crisp. The mushrooms are so tender and chewy and the stew is spicy and flavorful, so basically it’s a perfect bite.
How to Make Oyster Mushroom Birria Tacos
Prepare the chiles.
Rehydrate the chiles in some hot water for about 30 minutes.
Make the stew.
Start with a few aromatics, crushed tomatoes, and herbs and spices, like oregano, smoked paprika, cumin, cinnamon, black pepper, and salt. Add some chipotle peppers in adobo sauce as well as some of the adobo sauce. Add a little apple cider vinegar (or lime juice) for a hit of acid. Simmer with vegetable broth and blend with the rehydrated chiles!
Shred the mushrooms.
You’ll want to use pearl oyster mushrooms or king oyster mushrooms. Simply shred them by hand by pulling them apart. It takes a minute, but hopefully not too long with some help or some background music!
Prepare the mushroom filling.
Lightly fry the shredded mushrooms and then pour some of the stew over them.
Assemble the birria tacos.
Dip each side of the tortilla in the stew. Fry in a nonstick for a minute per side before piling on some of the filling and some vegan cheese. Close and cook on both sides until crisp.
Oyster Mushroom Birria Tacos
Ingredients
Stew
- 3 dried guajillo chilis, rehydrated in hot water for 30 minutes
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ tsp oregano
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 15 oz. canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 tsp salt + more to taste
- 2 chipotle peppers + 2 tbsp adobo sauce
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (sub lime juice)
- 2 bay leaves
Mushroom filling
- 8 oz. oyster mushrooms
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
Birria Tacos
- 8 tortillas
- ½-1 cup vegan mozzarella
- cilantro for garnishing
- chopped onions for garnishing
- lime for serving
Instructions
- Rehydrate the dried chiles in hot water for 30 minutes.
- For the stew, heat oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent, so about 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and continue to stir for a couple minutes. Add all the ground spices and salt. Gently stir with the onions and garlic for a minute.
- Add crushed tomatoes, chipotle peppers, and adobo sauce. Let the sauce reduce for a few minutes before finising with vegetable broth and apple cider vinegar. Simmer for 10 minutes. Let it cool down a little before blending with the rehydrated chiles.
- Shred the oyster mushrooms by hand. You can do this while the stew simmers and cools down.
- After blending the stew, pour it back into the pan and gently simmer with 2 bay leaves.
- In another medium pan, heat 1 tbsp oil over medium heat. Lightly fry the shredded mushrooms until crisp and golden on both sides, so about 8-10 minutes. Pour 1¼ cups of the stew on the mushrooms, which should be just enough to fully coat them. Stir for a few minutes.
- To make a birria taco, coat each side of the tortilla in the leftover stew, so it is covered with it but not soggy. Fry the tortilla in a teaspoon or so of oil in a nonstick over medium heat for about a minute. Flip and pile on 1.5 tbsp of filling on one side. Sprinkle some vegan cheese. Close and cook on both sides until crisp.
- Garnish with cilantro and onion. Finish with a squeeze of lime!
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