How To: Dehydrate Mushrooms
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Learn how to dehydrate mushrooms to preserve your harvest at the height of freshness! This easy preserving method makes storing mushrooms easier.
Are you a mushroom lover looking for new ways to preserve your favorite fungi? Dehydrating mushrooms might be just what you need!
Not only does it help extend their shelf life, but it also intensifies their flavors and makes them perfect for use in soups, sauces, and other recipes.
There’s something so satisfying about preserving your own food, don’t you think? And when it comes to mushrooms, dehydration is one of the easiest and most effective methods around. By removing all the moisture, you’re not only preventing the mushrooms from spoiling, but you’re also enhancing their umami flavors and creating a versatile ingredient that can be used in all sorts of meals.
This guide to dehydrating mushrooms is dedicated to fun guys!

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Tips
- ALWAYS exercise caution when dehydrating mushrooms. There are tens of thousands of species of mushrooms and only a few are edible. If you’re not purchasing these from the store, ensure that you know without a doubt that the mushrooms you’re working with are safe to eat.
- Pick the freshest, most vibrant foods you can when dehydrating. The most important reason for this is that the fresher the food that goes into the dehydrator, the fresher the flavor and texture when reconstituted.
- Aim for consistency in your slice or dice. I say it with everyย dehydrating recipeย I post, but it bears repeating! The more consistent the pieces you are dehydrating, the more consistent the drying time, the final result, and the rehydrated product.
- Storing your dehydrated mushrooms in smaller jars or containers is better – because we are removing so much volume, a lot of mushrooms fit in one jar. Large jars mean more opening and closing the jar and exposing your dehydrated veg to the air which can degrade the quality.

Key Ingredients
Mushrooms: Choose fresh and healthy-looking mushrooms with a pleasant earthy smell. Small and medium-sized mushrooms with closed caps provide the best flavor and texture when rehydrated. Large mushrooms with deep gills like portobellos can result in a less-than-desirable dehydrated mushroom. Opt instead for white button mushrooms or even cremini, which are just juvenile portobello mushrooms anyways!
Discard any shrooms that have slimy, soft spots or bruises.

How To Dehydrate Mushrooms
Prepare Mushrooms:
- Brush off dirt and rinse under cool running water, but avoid soaking them as their flesh is porus and it can take on water, making more work for the dehydrator.
- Slice off the woody stems and discard by sending to the compost pile or feeding to your backyard flock!
- Decide how you’d like them prepared:
Slices –ย Slice mushrooms in into 1/4″ strips.
Diced –ย Slice mushrooms into strips, then dice to desired size.



Dehydrate Mushrooms:
- Spread prepared mushroom pieces on dehydrator trays, it’s important to keep it in a single layer, again, to improve drying time, efficiency, and consistency.
- Dehydrate mushrooms at 125f until completely dry. Test for doneness by removing a few pieces and allowing them to cool to room temperature, then bend them. Fully dried mushrooms will snap, mushrooms that aren’t quite done are leathery and will bend.


Store + Condition:
- Once the mushroom pieces are completely dried, allow the racks to cool in the dehydrator for 30-45 minutes before transferring to long term storage containers. This allows the heat to dissipate and reduces the chances of condensation forming in your storage container.
- Once the dried mushroom pieces are in storage containers, shake the jar each day or so for a week and observe the container for signs of moisture. If there are no signs of moisture, you’re good to go, place them in a cool dark place for long-term storage!
If there is evidence of moisture in the container, you must add the mushrooms back to the dehydrator and dry it longer. After they’ve been dried the second time, you’ll need to go through the conditioning process again.

Batch + Storage Information
Batch:ย
There is no limit to how many mushrooms you can dehydrate using this method, aside from your available dehydrator space!
Storage:
Dehydrated mushrooms, when properly stored in an airtight container, preferably glass jar, in a climate-controlled location will maintain their quality for at least 12 months. Aim to keep yours in a cool, dark location, away from light that can degrade the quality during long term storage.
I personally like to store dehydrated mushroom pieces in jars and vacuum seal them in my Avid Armor USV32 chamber vacuum sealer! It works amazingly for removing the air from mason jars, giving my dehydrated goods a longer shelf life.
From there, they go into our storage room in the basement, where they are protected from sunlight, heat, and temperature swings.
More Dehydrating Recipes To Try!
How To Rehydrate Dried Mushrooms
The steps to rehydrate dried mushrooms are the same as most dehydrated foods – add an equal amount of dehydrated mushrooms and water – by volume – and allow to soak.
The dried pieces can be reconstituted using hot water or cold water, hot water will begin cooking the mushrooms while cool water will take longer to rehydrate. Avoid soaking for longer than 2 hours – it can get a little gross!
If you’re adding dehydrated mushrooms to soups and stews, just toss them into the boiling pot. The soup will do all the work for you!
You’ll know the pieces are rehydrated when they are nearly the same size as they were before going into the dehydrator.
Converting Dried To Fresh
Dehydrating removes around 95% of the moisture in the mushrooms and while the weight drops drastically, the mushroom pieces themselves will also shrink in size.
The conversion from fresh to dried is going to be different for each way you prepare your mushrooms. I usually find that 3 tablespoons dried diced mushrooms = 1 cup fresh diced mushrooms.
My favorite way to determine the conversion is to fill the top rack of my dehydrator with 2 cups of prepared mushrooms, and then measure the resulting volume after dehydrating and divide by 2. Then I write the conversion for that batch on a strip of painter’s tape and stick it to the side of my jar.
More Preserving Recipes For Your Harvest
Using Dried Mushrooms
These dried mushrooms can be used similarly to fresh mushrooms. The texture won’t be quite the same, but the flavor is there. I recommend using them in soups, sauces, or stews – dried mushrooms shine in cooked dishes. Unfortunately, they are not a candidate for frying or rendering the same way fresh ones are.
Use your dehydrated mushrooms:
- Mushroom powder – see below for more information!
- Add to soups, stews, and pasta sauce for a flavor boost without the mess.
- Use them to add umami flavor to omelets.
- Add them to dehydrated backpacking meals.
- Umami broth – simmer dried mushrooms to create a savory base that’s perfect for soups.
- Mushroom sauce – simmer dehydrated mushrooms in a creamy sauce base for a savory cream sauce.

Mushroom Powder
If you’ve ever cooked with dried mushrooms, you know how powerful their flavor can be. But what if you could take that one step further and turn your dried mushrooms into a concentrated powder?
That’s where mushroom powder comes in! Made by grinding dehydrated mushrooms into a fine powder, it’s a versatile ingredient that can be used to enhance the umami flavor in all sorts of dishes. From soups and stews to sauces and marinades, mushroom powder is a great way to add depth and complexity to your cooking.
Plus, it’s easy to make at home using a spice grinder or food processor, so you can experiment with different varieties of mushrooms and create your own custom blends. Not to mention, it’s a great way to reduce food waste and get even more use out of those delicious fungi!
Our Favorite
Dehydrating Recipes
How To Make Mushroom Powder
- Once the mushrooms are completely dry, add them to a blender or food processor. Be sure the container is clean and dry.
- Pulse the mushrooms in short bursts until they are broken down into fine powder. Be careful not to over-process, or the powder may clump together.
- Once you’ve achieved the desired texture, allow the dust in the blender jar to settle before transferring the mushroom powder to an airtight container. Label and date the container.
- Store it in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. Your spice cupboard is the perfect place!

Reducing Drying Time
When it comes to mushrooms, drying time is crucial. The longer the drying time, the less tender and flavorful the rehydrated mushrooms become.
It’s important to prepare your mushrooms in uniform pieces, whether that be slices, rounds, strips, or cubes. One of the easiest ways to ensure consistency is to use a chopper or food processor or a really sharp knife! This ensures that most of the pieces are sufficiently dried within the same timeframe.
Leaving space between the pieces on the trays is another way to help reduce drying time. Sounds simple, but it allows airflow around all sides of the mushroom pieces, ensuring even drying.
Some hurdles are harder to overcome than consistent knife skills and spreading the bits. High humidity in your home or rainy days can drastically affect the drying time, expect your mushrooms to take much longer when the humidity is higher.
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How To Dehydrate Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Fresh mushrooms cremini or button
Instructions
Prepare Mushrooms:
- Brush off dirt and rinse under cool running water, but avoid soaking them as their flesh is porus and it can take on water, making more work for the dehydrator.
- Slice off the woody stems and discard by sending to the compost pile or feeding to your backyard flock!
- Decide how you'd like them prepared:
Slices –ย Slice mushrooms in into 1/4" strips.
Diced –ย Slice mushrooms into strips, then dice to desired size.
Dehydrate Mushrooms:
- Spread prepared mushroom pieces on dehydrator trays, it's important to keep it in a single layer, again, to improve drying time, efficiency, and consistency.
- Dehydrate mushrooms at 125f until completely dry. Test for doneness by removing a few pieces and allowing them to cool to room temperature, then bend them. Fully dried mushrooms will snap, mushrooms that aren't quite done are leathery and will bend.
Store + Condition:
- Once the mushroom pieces are completely dried, allow the racks to cool in the dehydrator for 30-45 minutes before transferring to long term storage containers. This allows the heat to dissipate and reduces the chances of condensation forming in your storage container.
- Once the dried mushroom pieces are in storage containers, shake the jar each day or so for a week and observe the container for signs of moisture. If there are no signs of moisture, you're good to go, place them in a cool dark place for long-term storage!If there is evidence of moisture in the container, you must add the mushrooms back to the dehydrator and dry it longer. After they've been dried the second time, you'll need to go through the conditioning process again.
Notes
Conversion:
3 tablespoons dried diced mushrooms = 1 cup fresh diced mushrooms is roughly what you can expect. This changes depending on preparation including diced versus sliced, dice size, etc. To determine the conversion for your batch: fill the top rack of the dehydrator with 2 cups of prepared mushrooms, and then measure the resulting volume after dehydrating and divide by 2. Then write the conversion for that batch on a strip of painter's tape and stick it to the side of the jar.Batch:ย
There is no limit to how many mushrooms you can dehydrate using this method, aside from your available dehydrator space!Storage:
Dehydrated mushrooms, when properly stored in an airtight container, preferably glass jar, in a climate-controlled location will maintain their quality for at least 12 months. Aim to keep yours in a cool, dark location, away from light that can degrade the quality during long term storage.how to rehydrate dried mushrooms
Add an equal amount of dehydrated mushrooms and water – by volume – and allow to soak. The dried pieces can be reconstituted using hot water or cold water, hot water will begin cooking the mushrooms while cool water will take longer to rehydrate. Avoid soaking for longer than 2 hours – it can get a little gross! If you're adding dehydrated mushrooms to soups and stews, just toss them into the boiling pot. The soup will do all the work for you! You'll know the pieces are rehydrated when they are nearly the same size as they were before going into the dehydrator.Recommended Equipment + Ingredients
Nutrition
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Hi! I want to make mushroom powder from dehydrated mushrooms and I wonder if I should cook the mushrooms first? Because I will be using the powder on salads. Thank you!!
Hey Sharon, I think it depends on what kind of mushrooms, I know that button and cremini mushrooms can be eaten raw, so I’d just double check the variety you’re using – ps. great idea, mushrooms powder is delish!