Sauteed Kale and Mushrooms

These delicious and hearty Sauteed Kale and Mushrooms are made with five simple ingredients and take about 10 minutes to prepare. You may also like our Garlicky Kale side dish.

This sautéed kale and mushrooms recipe makes a great side dish for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. However, I have eaten this on its own as a snack in between breakfast and lunch. It's surprisingly very satisfying.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• It’s ultra-fast: from pan to plate in roughly ten minutes.
• Just five ingredients (plus optional hot sauce) make this a simple yet satisfying dish.
• It’s a clean-eating recipe: whole food, plant-based vegan, oil-free, gluten-free, nut-free.
• The texture contrast is excellent: tender kale with lightly seared mushrooms gives you a “meaty-greens” feel.
• Versatile and guilt-free: it stands alone as a hearty side and plays nicely with other dishes.

What You Need to Make This Kale Mushroom Side Dish

1. Kale: The star green! Slightly crisp when raw, tender once sautéed; bright green color and robust flavor.
2. Mushrooms: Provide a meaty texture, earthy umami flavor, and a slightly chewy bite to contrast the greens.
3. Garlic: Adds aromatic depth, sharpness, and that “pop” of flavor that connects the mushrooms and kale.

A full list of ingredients with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

Substitutions and Variations

• I used lacinato or dinosaur kale, but curly kale is also excellent in this dish.
• Shiitake mushrooms give this dish a nice, hearty consistency, but white button, cremini, oyster, and portobello mushrooms (or a combination) also work beautifully in this recipe. If you love mushrooms, you may also like our Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup.
• Instead of coconut aminos, you can substitute with regular liquid aminos, or reduced-sodium gluten-free tamari soy sauce. The aminos give this side dish a savory, umami, and salty flavor, but with less sodium than table salt.
• To boost the protein, crumble in some Tempeh Bacon or Air Fryer Tofu Nuggets.
• The vinegar in the hot sauce adds acidity to this dish, but if you don't enjoy the heat, consider adding a splash of freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice, or apple cider vinegar.

How to Make Sauteed Kale and Mushrooms

This recipe uses a method called dry sauté to sauté the mushrooms and kale without oil. You'll need a large sauté pan with a lid.

1. Start by preheating the sauté pan over medium heat.
2. Add sliced or chopped mushrooms to the hot pan, put the lid on immediately, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. This does two things. First, it allows the water naturally contained in the mushrooms to release, keeping them from sticking to the pan. Second, it will enable the mushrooms to cook more quickly.
3. Stir the mushrooms. Add minced garlic and then chopped kale into the pan. Put the lid back on, and cook for 4 minutes. Kale should be slightly tender but still bright green.
4. Stir in aminos and cook for one more minute. Add the hot sauce if using, and enjoy!

Suggested Pairings

This yummy side dish will provide a nutrient boost to any meal. Consider adding these greens as a side to our Cuban Black Beans, Red Lentil Dal, Cauliflower Steaks, or Vegan Black Bean Tacos.

You can also elevate the nutritional density of your breakfast by adding these greens to our Hearty Breakfast Burritos, Cheesy Tofu Scramble, or Pesto Avocado Toast.

You can also pair this with other side dishes like our Mushroom Potato Soup, Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice, or Vegan Jalapeno Cornbread.

Recipe FAQs

If you’ve ever thought that a side dish couldn’t be both speedy and seriously satisfying, this Sauteed Kale and Mushrooms proves otherwise. With humble ingredients and a slick dry-sauté technique, you get big flavor, great texture, and smart nutrition.

Other Healthy Sides to Check Out