Vegan Gyro Nachos
Mushrooms are magic. I swear. If you marinate and bake just right, you can have the most amazing flavor and texture to substitute gyro meat. These vegan gyro nachos are on constant rotation all year long in our house. They are simple, flavorful, and a fun twist on the traditional nachos we already love.
Vegan gyro nachos can be eaten as an appetizer or a light meal. We tend to pair with a salad for quick lunch. If you make the vegan tzatziki and marinate the mushrooms ahead of time, you’ll hardly spend any time in the kitchen putting these together.
If you like finger food or are hosting a gatherings, try making these nachos with my delicious muhammera cigars!
Ingredients for Vegan Gyro Nachos
The ingredients are fairly easy to find, especially if you have an eco market or health food shop. The two main things that make this dish work extra well are:
1.) Use a vegan Greek yogurt or vegan Skyr style yogurt. Regular vegan yogurt is a bit too thin for the tzatziki. If you can’t find cogent Greek or vegan Skyr, strain regular vegan yogurt with a cheese cloth to richer.
2. The right mushrooms make all the difference. If they don’t shred, you won’t get that meaty/chewy texture that works so well. Plus, mushrooms are already filled with water and you want to replace that water with the marinade. Oyster mushrooms just happen to do this magic trick really well.
Mushrooms
As I mentioned, oyster mushrooms or any mushrooms you can “shred” with your hands work well with this dish. You can see from the photos above how they go from juicy and plump to slightly dehydrated with crispy edges.
Don’t skimp on the marinade time. If you can swing an overnight marinade, I would do that. If not, at least a half hour is needed.
This vegan gyro “meat” is so delicious as is. If you want a savory snack, this is addictive and so easy. The amount of mushrooms you start with wind up being about quartered after they are done cooking. Keep that in mind if you want to make these as snacking mushrooms!
Vegan Tzatziki
It’s really simple to make your own vegan tzatziki. I have a few tips I use to make sure it turns out perfect!
- I use a microzester instead of a regular shredder with the cucumber! It makes a wonderful difference.
- Strain the cucumber well!! Don’t skip this step!
- If you can’t find Skyr of Greek style vegan yogurt, make sure to take the time to strain your vegan yogurt with a cheese cloth to thicken it up.
“Nacho”
My favorite thing to use is regular vegan tortilla’s cut into triangles and then fried lightly in a cast iron pan. Regular tortilla chips just don’t do the trick. I pan fry them until they stiffen up a bit so they can hold the toppings well.
Assemble Your Vegan Gyro Nachos
Assembly is quick and easy. I like to make individual ones!
- First a teaspoon of tzatziki
- Then your green leaf of choice
- Next is your mushroom meat
- Top off with a dollop of more tzatziki and sprinkle with paprika or top with a sliced olive.
I hope you enjoy these! We really love making them for warm summer days! They have a freshness to them! They work so well with a side salad with lemon a based dressing. Enjoy!
Vegan Gyro Nachos
Easy and super delicious vegan gyro nachos for a light meal or sharing as an appetizer!
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 lb oyster mushrooms, cleaned and shredded
- juice from 1/2 lemon
- 3 tbsp olive oil
vegan tzatziki
- 1/2 of clean micro-zested cucumber, squeezes well of liquid
- 1 cup Skyr or Greek style vegan yogurt
- 1/2 lemon juice
- 1 tsp garlic powder
Tortillas
- 4 tortillas cut into triangles and lightly pan fried
Garnish
- 1/2 cup sliced olives
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 cup greens
Instructions
- Start with cleaned and shredded mushrooms in a medium bowl.
- Add garlic powder, onion powder, juice from 1/2 lemon, and 3 tbsp of olive oil and coat well.
- Let marinade for at least 30 minutes. If you can, overnight is even better.
- While mushrooms are marinating make the tortillas and set aside. Simply cut tortillas into triangle and lightly pan fry in a cast iron pan until slightly stiff. Set aside.
- To make the tzatziki mix together in a medium bowl the yogurt (see notes), cucumber (see notes), 1 tsp garlic powder, and 1/2 of squeezed lemon. Let set in fridge whlie mushrooms finish. marinating.
- To cook mushrooms, add to a lined baking sheet at 350*F. They will release a lot of liquid, but keep baking for abour 40-45 minues until you get a meaty/slightly crunchy texture.
- Assemble nachos: spread 1 tsp tzatziki, add a piece of greens, add a few strips of mushrooms, add another small dalop of tzatziki and then add a slice of olive and/or paprika to garnish.
If enjoyed this meal let me know what you think by leaving a ★★★★★ star rating and comment below with any questions or feedback. These are two small things that add up to a ton of support, which I really appreciate. Also show off your pics to me on instagram by tagging @theveganholidayblog and #veganholidaypic – I am excited to see your meals!
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