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This simple and fuss-free vegan mushroom sandwich stuffs tender sauteed mushrooms, caramelized onions, and fresh veggies in a tahini sauce-slathered pita pocket, giving you a perfect plant-based lunch or healthy dinner!
Easy and Tender Vegan Mushroom Sandwich Recipe
Tired of the same old lettuce, vegan cheese, and tomato sandwich for lunch? I don’t blame you! Change things up with this easy mushroom sandwich—an ultra-tender and simple meal that will actually get you excited for lunchtime.
This sandwich is packed to the brim with hearty, ‘meaty’ fillings, like pan-fried and perfectly seasoned mushrooms, caramelized onions, fresh vegetables, and a creamy homemade tahini sauce. Everything is stuffed into a pita pocket and ready to eat in less than an hour. Better yet, prepare the fillings in advance and take the sandwiches with you for easy and filling lunches for the week.
Want to take this vegan sandwich to the next level? Customize it with the fillings, sauces, and add-ins of your choice! Like our sweet potato sandwich and easy hummus tortilla wrap, there are so many ways to play with this sandwich and make the recipe your own.
Looking for more creative ways to use a whole bunch of mushrooms? Check out our mushroom vegan steak, easy vegan stuffed mushrooms, mushroom jerky, and easy vegan mushroom gravy recipes.
The Ingredients and Substitutes
This vegan sandwich recipe is made with a handful of fresh vegetables and simple seasonings:
What Else Can I Add?
There are so many ways to put your own spin on this sandwich. Here are a few add-ins that will pair well with the hearty mushrooms and onions:
- Vegan cheese: Gooey melted vegan Swiss cheese would take this sandwich over the top!
- Pesto: Spread a dollop of vegan pesto inside the pita (along with the sauce) for a herby freshness.
- Avocado: Sliced avocado will make this sandwich nice and creamy. Check out this guide to avocado here!
- Fresh herbs: Layer fresh basil leaves or flat-leaf parsley in the sandwich for freshness. Learn how to properly store fresh herbs here!
- Vegan mayo: Feel free to keep things simple by swapping the homemade sandwich spread for plain vegan mayo or spicy mayo instead.
- Vegan deli meats: Add slices of vegan turkey or ham for more ‘meatiness’.
- Tofu or tempeh: Layer tofu bacon or BBQ tempeh in the sandwich to give it a boost of protein.
- Arugula: Fresh arugula will add a refreshing and peppery bite!
- Balsamic glaze: Drizzle a little balsamic glaze over the assembled sandwich for a sweet-tangy flavor.
- Warm veggies: Add roasted or grilled zucchini, eggplant, or red peppers to this sandwich to bulk it up.
- Hummus: Spread plain hummus, edamame hummus, or roasted red pepper hummus inside of the pita if you need a healthy yet easy sauce for the sandwich.
How to Make a Vegetarian Mushroom Sandwich
Step 1: Cook the onions in a hot skillet until they’re golden brown and caramelized.
Step 2: Meanwhile, cook the mushrooms in a separate large pan until they start to release their juices. Add the garlic powder, paprika, salt, pepper, and lemon juice to the pan and stir to coat. Continue cooking until the mushrooms have shrunk.
Step 3: Stir the tahini, parsley, lemon juice, salt, and pepper together in a small bowl to make the sandwich sauce.
Step 4: Slice the tomatoes and warm the pita bread while you wait for the mushrooms and onions to finish cooking.
Step 5: To assemble the pita sandwiches, gently open the pita and spread some of the dressing around inside. Add the spinach, tomato slices, a scoop of mushrooms, and a spoonful of caramelized onions. Top with a little more dressing on top or serve it on the side for dipping. Enjoy!
FAQs
Technically, there is no one perfect mushroom for mushroom sandwiches. We like using button mushrooms because they’re easy to find, budget-friendly, and have a mild earthy flavor. You can easily swap these for oyster mushrooms, sliced portobello mushrooms, baby bella mushrooms, cremini mushrooms, or shiitake mushrooms.
Experiment with a few different kinds of mushrooms to play with the flavors and textures!
Sure! Simply swap the regular pita for gluten-free pita bread or thick gluten-free sandwich bread.
If you can’t find tahini, feel free to use vegan mayonnaise or cashew cream instead.
Pro Recipe Tips
- Take your time to caramelize the onions: It can take between 30 and 45 minutes for the onions to turn golden brown. Be patient! I promise it’s worth it. Caramelized onions are rich and slightly sweet, giving this sandwich restaurant-quality flavors.
- Cook the mushrooms in a single layer: The secret to tender-on-the-inside and crisp-on-the-outside mushrooms is to fry them in a single layer in the pan, leaving space in between the slices. Overlapping the mushrooms will cause them to steam instead of crisp.
- Are the mushrooms drying up in the pan? Prevent them from drying up or burning by adding a couple of splashes of water to the pan as they cook.
- Grill the mushrooms: Fire the mushrooms on the grill to give them a smoky twist.
- Assemble the sandwiches right before serving: This will prevent the bread from becoming soggy.
Serving Suggestions
We love serving these sandwiches in pita pockets because they make for less messy bites. If you want to switch things up, feel free to stuff the fillings in between thick and crusty slices of sandwich bread, ciabatta, sourdough, focaccia, baguette, or French bread.
Enjoy this loaded mushroom sandwich for lunches or healthy dinners. It’s hearty enough to serve on its own or you can pair it with simple side dishes, like:
- Potato chips, pita chips, or crackers.
- Cut veggies and dip, like roasted red pepper hummus, white bean dip, or French onion dip.
- Roasted potatoes, french fries, or sweet potato fries.
- Any soup you love, such as vegan potato leek soup, lentil and sweet potato soup, or vegan split pea soup.
- Your favorite salad, like fattoush salad, butternut squash salad, or vegan broccoli salad.
Packing up the sandwiches for a picnic? Complete the meal with a healthy roasted potato salad, mixed bean salad, southwest quinoa salad, and zucchini bread on the side!
Storage Instructions
We recommend serving the sandwiches immediately after assembly. If they sit too long, the sauce and mushrooms will make the bread soggy.
Store the cooked mushrooms, sauce, bread, and sandwich veggies in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Mushroom Sandwich
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons of neutral oil, divided
- 1 large yellow onion, very thinly sliced
- Pinch of salt
- 1 pint of button mushrooms, sliced
- 3 teaspoons of garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon of paprika
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 2 ½ lemons
- ½ cup of tahini
- ¼ cup of parsley
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Water to taste
- 1 large tomato for slicing
- 1 cup of spinach
- 2 pita breads, cut in half
Instructions
- In a medium pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and mix them to coat with oil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add salt, and cook for 30 minutes, occasionally mixing until golden and caramelized.
- While the onions are cooking, in a large pan with a lid, heat the remaining oil, add the mushrooms, and cook until they begin to release their juices, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic powder, paprika, salt, pepper, and the juice of half a lemon. Mix well and cook over medium-low heat until the onions are ready. Mix occasionally to make sure it’s not burning. Add a couple of splashes of water if the mixture is drying up. Continue to cook until the mushrooms have shrunk in size and are juicy and tender.
- In a small bowl mix the tahini, parsley, juice of 2 lemons, salt, and pepper. Mix and slowly add water until the desired creamy and runny consistency is achieved. Set aside.
- Slice the tomatoes and set them aside. Warm up the pita bread, cut it in half, and set aside.
- To assemble the pita sandwiches, gently open the pita, and add some dressing all around inside. Add some spinach, one tomato slice, a scoop of mushrooms, and a spoonful of caramelized onions. Top with a little more dressing to serve.
Notes
- Take your time to caramelize the onions: It can take between 30 and 45 minutes for the onions to turn golden brown. Be patient! I promise it’s worth it. Caramelized onions are rich and slightly sweet, giving this sandwich restaurant-quality flavors.
- Cook the mushrooms in a single layer: The secret to tender-on-the-inside and crisp-on-the-outside mushrooms is to fry them in a single layer in the pan, leaving space in between the slices. Overlapping the mushrooms will cause them to steam instead of crisp.
- Are the mushrooms drying up in the pan? Prevent them from drying up or burning by adding a couple of splashes of water to the pan as they cook.
The most epic mushroom sandwich!