Here is how to cook mushrooms on the stove to be golden brown and delicious. This easy, no-fail method for cooking mushrooms results in perfectly cooked mushrooms every time. Use any type or size of mushroom!
Watch the Video
How to Quickly Sauté Mushrooms
Mushrooms are one of our favorite ingredients. They are delicious, nutritious, and when using our go-to method, they are simple to cook!
We’re sharing our basic mushroom recipe plus a lemon garlic butter version (my favorite). We use the lemon garlic butter version to make our easy mushroom pasta (It’s incredibly delicious).
Sautéing means to quickly cook the mushrooms in fat on the stove and method works with all types of mushrooms — in our photo below, we’re using baby bella (or cremini) and shiitake mushrooms, but larger mushrooms like portobello or more exotic mushrooms like king oyster mushrooms all work.
If you prefer to roast your mushrooms, take a look at this roasted portobello mushroom recipe. We roast mushrooms and serve them alongside eggs. Perfect for breakfast, brunch and even dinner. Or take a look at our Easy Oven Roasted Mushrooms.
There Are Four Tricks For The Best Cooked Mushrooms
Keep them dry. If you notice any dirt on the mushrooms, use a slightly damp paper towel to brush it off. Don’t submerge them in water or rinse them. Mushrooms act like a sponge so water will be absorbed, which causes the final cooked mushrooms to be squeaky instead of flavorful and browned. (If your mushrooms are extremely dirty, you can quickly dunk them into some water, but make sure you pat them extra dry before cooking them.)
Cut or tear them to a similar size. This applies to most things when cooking. If you are using a variety of mushrooms, cut — or if they are more fragile — tear the mushrooms so that they are all a similar size.
Don’t crowd mushrooms in the pan. Have you heard of this one before? Julia Child and other famous chefs have shared this time and time again. There’s a reason for that! If you pile raw mushrooms up on top of each other in a pan, they will steam. If instead, you spread them out so that they are only just touching one another, they will brown and crisp around the edges. If you have ever made oven-roasted fries or tried to crisp vegetables in the oven, you’ll need to apply the same thinking. An example of this is our oven-roasted squash. We use two sheet pans for roasting, so the squash pieces don’t touch one another. This way they caramelize and brown instead of steam.
Salt mushrooms at the end of cooking. I know this seems odd, but mushrooms are one of the only things I salt towards the end of cooking. Salt brings out moisture, which in the case of mushrooms, prevents them from browning in the pan.
Cooking the Mushrooms
Use a heavy skillet. When it comes to cooking mushrooms on the stove, use a wide heavy skillet — we love using our cast iron pan. When the pan is hot, throw in the mushrooms and spread them into one layer.
Allow the mushrooms to brown before adding the salt and seasonings — you shouldn’t need to stir them much. When they are brown, flip them and let them brown on the second side. When both sides are brown, and the mushrooms have shrunk in size, add a little flavor — salt and any other seasoning you love. For this batch, we season with salt and stir in a little butter, fresh thyme, garlic, and lemon zest. After a minute or two, they are absolute perfection.
Serve these mushrooms next to our Easy Pan Roasted Chicken Breasts, these Soft and Creamy Scrambled Eggs or add them on top of this Kale and Bean Salad with Tahini Dressing. You can even turn them into a stunning appetizer! Make these Mushroom and Truffle Salt Crostini!
If you love mushrooms as much as we do, don’t miss these easy cheese stuffed mushrooms! It’s hard to eat just one of these cheesy, garlicky mushroom caps!
No-Fail Method for How to Cook Mushrooms
-
PREP
-
COOK
-
TOTAL
When cooking the mushrooms, make sure they are spread into one layer in the pan and not crowded — this way they will brown instead of steam.
Makes 2 servings, about 1/2 cup each
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
Basic Recipe
8 ounces mushrooms such as cremini, shitake or Portobello (about 2 1/2 cups chopped or sliced)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt or more to taste
Fresh ground black pepper
Optional
1 tablespoon butter
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon fresh grated lemon zest
Juice of half a lemon
Directions
- Basic Recipe
1Using a damp paper towel, brush all dirt from mushrooms. Cut away and discard any hard stems. Chop into 1/4-inch slices or, if there are larger mushrooms like portobello, cut into 1/4-inch cubes.
2Heat olive oil in a large, wide skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and spread into one layer. Cook, without moving, until browned on one side, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir then cook another 3 to 5 minutes or until mostly golden brown on all sides. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Lemon Garlic Butter Mushrooms (optional)
1At the same time as seasoning with the salt and pepper, stir in butter, garlic, thyme and lemon zest. Cook until the garlic is fragrant and the butter absorbs into mushrooms, about 2 minutes. Take the skillet off of the heat and stir in lemon juice.
Adam and Joanne’s Tips
- Try truffle or porcini salt: If you can find it (we buy it online or in specialty kitchen shops), swap regular sea salt for truffle or porcini salt. This deepens the mushroom flavor and tastes incredible!
- Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA Supertracker recipe calculator to calculate approximate values. Nutrition provided is for the lemon garlic version of the recipe.
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste
Nutrition Per Serving
Serving Size
about 1/2 cup
/
Calories
140
/
Protein
4 g
/
Carbohydrate
5 g
/
Dietary Fiber
1 g
/
Total Sugars
3 g
/
Total Fat
13 g
/
Cholesterol
15 mg
/
Sodium
298 mg
