Vegan Calamari Rings (Recipe) - Carlo Cao (2024)

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These vegan calamari rings are the perfect substitute for traditional fried calamari. They're super crispy, full of flavour and easy to make. I've made this recipe tons of times and people are always speechless when I tell them it's vegan and squid-free!

Vegan Calamari Rings (Recipe) - Carlo Cao (2)

To veganize the traditional recipe, some ingredients have to be substituted. In fact, we use king oyster mushrooms. They have the perfect consistency once fried!

Jump to:
  • Ingredients
  • How to Make Vegan Tempura Batter
  • How to Make Vegan Calamari
  • How Do I Get the Perfect Calamari Shape?
  • How to Fry The Vegan Calamari
  • Can I Bake The Vegan Calamari Instead of Frying?
  • More Recipes You May Like:
  • If you try this recipe...
  • If you have Pinterest...
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 💬 Reviews
Vegan Calamari Rings (Recipe) - Carlo Cao (3)

Ingredients

The ingredients for this dish are few and easy to find. Let's start with the ingredients for the vegan fried calamari. To make them, you'll need:

  • King oyster mushrooms (you can find them in any store that sells Asian food)
  • Chickpea flour (makes the tempura batter crispy and golden)
  • All-purpose flour (makes the tempura batter stick to the mushrooms)
  • Nori sheets(gives the fishy taste)
  • Sparkling water (makes the tempura batter lighter)
  • Salt

While for the cocktail sauce you'll only need two ingredients:

  • Ketchup
  • Vegan mayonnaise
Vegan Calamari Rings (Recipe) - Carlo Cao (4)

How to Make Vegan Tempura Batter

The batter is super easy to prepare. Just mix chickpea flour, white flour, nori, salt, and sparkling water in a large bowl until you get a lump-free and thick batter. Let it rest in the fridge for at least 15 minutes, in the meantime you can prepare the mushrooms for the calamari.

The vegan tempura batter should be smooth and airy, like in the picture below:

Vegan Calamari Rings (Recipe) - Carlo Cao (5)

How to Make Vegan Calamari

The perfect substitute for squid are king oyster mushrooms. This is because they are easy to find, have the same consistency as squid once fried, and because they have a neutral flavor that does not mask that of the batter.

To prepare the vegan squid, you need to cut the mushroom stem into 5 mm thick rounds, as shown in the following photo:

Vegan Calamari Rings (Recipe) - Carlo Cao (6)

How Do I Get the Perfect Calamari Shape?

To get the typical "calamari" shape, use a piping nozzle or an apple corer to remove the center of the rounds. We'll fry these parts as well so don't discard them!

Vegan Calamari Rings (Recipe) - Carlo Cao (7)

How to Fry The Vegan Calamari

Dip the mushrooms in the batter, then fish them out with a fork and fry them in hot oil until they are crunchy and golden.

To make the calamari super crispy, it's important that the oil is very hot when frying. To know if the oil is hot enough, throw 1 wooden toothpick into the hot oil; if many bubbles form around it, the oil is ready for frying.

Vegan Calamari Rings (Recipe) - Carlo Cao (8)

Can I Bake The Vegan Calamari Instead of Frying?

No, unfortunately you can't. The tempura batter will not crisp up in the oven.

Vegan Calamari Rings (Recipe) - Carlo Cao (9)

More Recipes You May Like:

  • Seitan Kabobs with Sweet Curry Marinade
  • How to Make Seitan Shredded Chicken
  • How to Make Seitan Roast Beef

If you try this recipe...

Let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo#carlocao or #vegaliciouslyon Instagram. Cheers, friends!

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Feel free to pin the following picture and to follow me by clicking here 😌

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📖 Recipe

Vegan Calamari Rings (Recipe) - Carlo Cao (11)

Vegan Fried Calamari with Cocktail Sauce

Carlo Cao

4.84 from 6 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mediterran

Servings 2

Ingredients

Calamari:

  • 50 g chickpea flour (1 ¾ oz)
  • 50 g all-purpose flour (1 ¾ oz)
  • ½ sheet nori chopped
  • 200 ml sparkling water (⅘ cup)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 side mushrooms
  • 1 l peanut oil for frying ((4 cups))

Cocktail Sauce:

  • 3 tablespoon vegan mayonnaise
  • 3 tablespoon ketchup

Instructions

  • For the sauce, mix mayonnaise and ketchup in a bowl. Then cover and set aside.

  • For the tempura batter, in a bowl, mix chickpea flour, all-purpose flour, nori, salt and water until smooth and thick. Cover and let rest in the refrigerator.

  • In the meantime, cut the mushroom stems into 5 mm thick rounds.

  • using a piping nozzle or an apple corer, remove the center of the rounds. (We will deep fry these parts as well).

  • Put oil in a saucepan and heat over high heat. When the oil is hot, dip the mushrooms in the batter and deep fry them for 2-3 minutes on both sides until golden.

  • Place the vegan calamari on a plate lined with paper towel, adjust salt and pepper and enjoy hot with the cocktail sauce.

Keyword Calamari, Cocktail Sauce, fried Calamari

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Vegan Calamari Rings (Recipe) - Carlo Cao (2024)

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