When it comes to vegan cooking skills, learning how to rehydrate dried mushrooms is a must. Why? Because if you know how to do it right, rehydrated mushrooms can taste just as good as fresh ones in any recipe.
Find out the right way to rehydrate dried mushrooms and how to put those mushrooms to use, below.
Table of Contents
What You Need to Rehydrate Dried Mushrooms
- Dried mushrooms. This method is ideal for any type of dried mushrooms, which are often sold in the produce section of the supermarket. We used porcini mushrooms.
- Water. For this purpose, you’ll need room temperature water.
How to Rehydrate Dried Mushrooms
Before starting, rinse your dried mushrooms cool water. This will help remove dirt and debris. Next, follow the steps below.
Step 1. Place the dried mushrooms in a bowl. Add room temperature water until all of the mushrooms float to the top.
Step 2. Let the mushrooms and water sit for 30 to sixty minutes until fully softened.
Step 3. Gently rub the mushrooms with your fingers to remove any remaining dirt and debris.
Step 4. Pour the mixture through a strainer. Alternatively, you can scoop out the mushrooms with a slotted spoon.
Congrats! Your mushrooms are ready to use in your favorite recipes.
Expert Tip: Soak Based on Thickness
Different preparations and types of mushrooms will require different soaking times.
Thinly sliced mushrooms will be ready to use in about 20 to 30 minutes. Those sliced into thicker chunks will take at least 30 minutes, potentially up to 45 minutes.
The longest ones to rehydrate are whole mushrooms. Those on the smaller side will take about 60 minutes, while large varieties may take well over an hour.
To speed up the process, I recommend using hot water rather than warm water.
Here are a few more mushroom soaking tips worth keeping in mind:
- Keep the soaking water. After soaking the mushrooms in water, you’ll be left with a savory umami broth. Don’t pour it down the sink! Strain it once more to remove any leftover debris, then use it as you would with any flavorful vegetable broth.
- Rinse the mushrooms once more. To ensure there’s no leftover grit, you can rinse the mushrooms once they have softened. Another option is to wipe them with a paper towel.
Alternative Method: Using Wine or Stock
Another option for rehydrating your dried mushrooms is to soak them in wine, stock, or broth rather than plain water.
This option has the added benefit of injecting the mushrooms with a heaping of extra flavor.
Rehydrating this way follows the same steps. I even recommend warming up the wine or stock a bit before pouring it over the mushrooms just as you would with water.
Use the same soaking times recommended above and feel free to use the leftover liquid to flavor your dish.
FAQ
Do dried mushrooms need to be rehydrated?
Yes, dried mushrooms do need to be rehydrated before cooking. If you throw the mushrooms into the recipe without soaking them first, they will be hard and chewy and take away from the texture of the dish without adding any desirable flavors.
How do you make dried mushrooms less chewy?
Chewy mushrooms are usually the result of shortened or hastened soaking times. To make sure your mushrooms don’t come out chewy, use warm water (not hot) and allow the mushrooms to soak until fully rehydrated and plump before removing them from the bath.
Why are my rehydrated mushrooms rubbery?
Rubbery mushrooms in a dish are usually caused by adding wet rehydrated mushrooms to the recipe without drying them enough first. This extra moisture causes the mushrooms to steam while cooking, which leads to a rubbery texture.
Is it better to rehydrate mushrooms in hot or cold water?
If you have to choose one, cold water is better than hot because it better preserves the flavors while avoiding a chewy texture. However, rehydrating mushrooms in cold water takes a long time. Using warm water achieves good texture and flavor without taking forever.
Our Favorite Mushroom Recipes
- Vegan Chickpea Omelet – Fill this chickpea flour omelet with meaty mushrooms.
- Creamy Pumpkin Soup – Use the mushrooms as a soup topping.
- Vegan White Bean Chili – Mix mushrooms into veggie chili.
- Roasted Asparagus and Mushrooms – Works well with cremini and baby bells.
- Vegan Mushroom Gravy – A great way to use up your rehydrated mushrooms and the broth.
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The Best Way to Rehydrate Dried Mushrooms
Rehydrating mushrooms is super simple once you know the process. To be sure you never forget, take some time to print out our helpful rehydrating mushroom recipe card below.
What are your favorite dried mushrooms to cook with? Let us know by posting in the comments section at the end of this post.
How to Rehydrate Dried Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 1 ounce dried mushrooms
- Water room temperature
Instructions
- Rinse your dried mushrooms cool water. This will help remove dirt and debris.
- Place the dried mushrooms in a bowl. Add room temperature water until all of the mushrooms float to the top.
- Let sit for 30 minutes to one hour until fully softened.
- Gently rub the mushrooms with your fingers to remove any remaining dirt and debris.
- Pour the mixture through a strainer. Alternatively, you can scoop out the mushrooms with a slotted spoon. Your mushrooms are ready to use.
Notes
- Strain the soaking water to remove leftover debris, then use it as you would any flavorful broth.
- To ensure there’s no leftover debris, rinse the softened mushrooms once more. You can also wipe them with a paper towel.
- The best soaking time for dried mushrooms depends on the type, size, and exact temperature of your water. It might take some experimentation to determine how long you should soak a certain brand or type of dried mushroom.
- In general, larger mushrooms will need to be soaked for a longer time.
Don’t the mushrooms go rubbery when then are soaked in cold water? While I am cooking other vegetables and waiting for the water to boil, I break up dried mushrooms with my fingers then I drop the broken dried mushroom into boiling water and they come out tender. I never like mushrooms until I cooked them myself because I have only known mushroom that eating them it was like chewing on rubber.
I love how this website stays true to its name. This article about how to rehydrate mushrooms is, above all else, simple. And that is exactly what I was hoping to find. I find that wading through people’s life stories on blogs in order to get to the heart of the matter is not a productive use of my time so I was happy to find this site and will definitely return for more clean, green, and simple information.
Hi Eric—just a note to say that this recipe says to rinse in cold water and then soak in room temperature water. Thanks for the tip on using boiling water. I’m going to try your boiling water technique vs room temperature to see which works best for the oyster mushrooms I dehydrated last spring. I am curious approximately how long it takes you to get tender rehydrated mushrooms.