If you never knew what to do with king oyster mushrooms before, look no further! These meaty and flavorful mushrooms make a delicious side dish or a wonderfully satisfying meal and is perfect for paleo, keto, vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free diets!

Close-up of sliced mushrooms with brown fried garlic, chopped green onions, and chopped red chili peppers, the words pan-fried king oyster mushrooms on the bottom.

If you're a mushroom fan like I am, you're going to love this recipe.

And if you're not familiar with king oyster mushrooms, you have to give this beautiful variety a try!

Close-up of whole raw king oyster mushrooms on a wooden cutting board.

As it is with all mushrooms, king oyster mushrooms are full of that satisfying savory umami flavor, but I like them more than other varieties because they're more meaty and are substantial enough to stand alone as a meal.

And really...button mushrooms are quite boring compared to these!

There are a number of ways to cook king oyster mushrooms, of course, but I've come up with a way that is incredibly simple and incredibly delicious.

How Do You Prepare the Mushrooms?

Depending on how extensive the produce department is in your market, they are often easy to locate in Asian markets and grocery stores. They are usually in packages of 3 or 4 and found in the produce section.

After trimming off a bit of the end and any dark straggly bits, I slice the mushrooms into ¼-inch slices (approximately). I slice them at a diagonal, just to make them shapes more interesting, but you can also slice them lengthwise or crosswise.

And with the way this dish is prepared, it's perfect for vegetarian, vegan, paleo, gluten-free, and keto/low-carb diets. Awesome, right??

Thick slices of white and brown mushrooms on a wooden cutting board.

I make diagonal cuts or scores on one or both side of each slice of mushroom. The edges of the cut end up browning quite nicely in the pan, making them look really nice. The scores can also help making biting into the mushrooms easier.

Close-up of a knife cutting into a white mushroom slice.

If you like the idea of scoring the mushrooms, you can also cut a criss-cross pattern into each side or make the parallel scores tighter than what I have shown here. Feel free to use some creative license!

This is an optional step and the mushrooms will still be great without it!

Close-up of a hand holding a white slice of mushroom with cut scores in it.

Cooking the Mushrooms

All you're going to need (besides the mushrooms) is sliced garlic, some oil, and salt and pepper. That's it!

Start by heating a skillet over medium-high heat and once it's hot, add some oil and then the garlic. Cook the garlic for about 30 seconds, keeping it moving in the oil so as not to burn, and then it's time to start adding the mushrooms!

All the mushrooms get laid in the pan in single layer. If I score the mushrooms, I lay the scored side down in the pan. I then slide the mushrooms around in the pan to make sure they've got oil on the bottoms.

Let the mushrooms cook for about 3-4 minutes, until the bottoms are nicely browned.

Cooking thick mushroom slices in a pan with garlic and chopped green onions.

Flip all the mushrooms over and cook for another 3 minutes. Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper and give them a stir. Mix in the chopped green onions and remove the pan from the heat.

A round dark grey bowl containing cooked mushroom slices, fried garlic slices, and chopped green onions.

And the dish is done! You've got tender yet bouncy king mushroom slices full of umami, served with the golden garlic slices and wilted green onions and seasoned simply with salt and pepper. Delish!

How Do You Serve Them?

As I mentioned, king oyster mushrooms are meaty and substantial and make a great meal on their own. That being said, they would also be a perfect side dish to entrees such as:

Or make the mushrooms the main dish and serve it with a side of Savory Ginger Garlic Coconut Rice or Super Simple Egg Drop Soup!

A dark bowl containing cooked mushroom slices topped with fried garlic slices, chopped green onions, and red chili pepper slices.

If you like a bit of spice, drizzle some chili oil over the dish, or simply top it with some chopped Thai chili peppers. Kimchi would also make a great pairing! Top it with some fried shallots or a sprinkling of furikake for a bit of crunch.

A pair of black chopsticks holding a cooked mushroom slice with brown fried garlic and chopped green onions stuck to it.

I love how the dish comes together so deliciously and beautifully with the simplest of ingredients, and it's quick to make, too! I can easily devour this as a meal and love how it's not only light but satisfying! How can you go wrong?

So next time you're perusing the mushrooms, skip on past the button mushrooms and look for the kings. 😉

~ Lisa.

Pan-Fried King Oyster Mushrooms

How Do You Prepare the Mushrooms?

Cooking the Mushrooms

How Do You Serve Them?