How to Sauté Mushrooms (2024)

Learn how to sauté mushrooms to caramelized perfection, in butter and oil in only 15 minutes. Perfect for serving with steak, pasta or as a side dish.

I’m convinced that learning how to sauté mushrooms correctly can convert anyone to appreciate their deliciousness! Whether you’re looking to cook mushrooms for steak, stew, pasta, or as a side dish this simple tutorial will take your mushrooms from soggy to restaurant-quality delicious and in 10 minutes or less.

Pro Tips:

Clean & Cut: Wipe off excess dirt with a damp towel or give mushrooms a quick rinse and dry. Cut bigger mushrooms into similar-sized pieces. Don’t cut them super thin as they will shrink up while cooking. Meaty pieces cook best!

Small Batches: Do not, I repeat DO NOT overcrowd your pan. This is one of the main reasons for soggy, unappetizing mushrooms. Allow plenty of room for a good sear and turn sparingly. Trust me on this one.

Turn up the heat: Turn the heat up to medium-high and allow time for your oil/butter to get hot before adding the mushrooms. Keeping the heat up will help moisture evaporate quickly giving you a beautifully caramelized mushroom. If mushrooms are giving off lots of moisture keep the heat going until it’s gone.

Ingredients Needed:

Mushrooms: White mushrooms saute beautifully as do creminis, shiitakes, morels and other wild mushrooms.
Oil/ Butter mixture: The combination of oil and butter allows for cooking at a high temperature and brings flavor.
Salt and Black Pepper: For flavor! Find more variations below.

How to Sauté Mushrooms :

Clean and slice mushrooms by slicing into similar size pieces. Don’t cut them too thin, as they will shrink while cooking.

Heat oil and butter in a medium to large pan over medium-high heat.

Add mushrooms leaving space between.

Cook mushroom for 3-5 minutes before turning. Stir and allow mushrooms to finish cooking for a couple more minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Large mushrooms can take a little extra time.

Deglaze and Season:

Deglaze: After a good sauté you’ll notice some bits of the mushroom clinging to the bottom of your pan. There’s a whole lot of flavor there that can be infused back in by a simple deglaze. To capture the flavor add a splash of liquid at the end of the cooking process and stir it all up. Simply, add a few tablespoons of water, wine, stock, cream, or sherry to the pan after the mushrooms are done cooking. Keep the temperature up and stir until the liquid evaporates. Et voilà

Flavor Variations:

Garlic and herbs: Turn heat down to medium-low and add last minute of cooking. Wonderful herbs to try are thyme, parsley, and rosemary.
Shallots: Add minced shallots about halfway through the cook.
Mushrooms and Onions: Add 1 large sliced onion and an additional tablespoon of olive oil to the pan cooking a few minutes before adding mushrooms. Stir occasionally. Cook may take a few extra minutes. Add garlic and seasoning the last minute of cooking. You want the onions to be translucent, slightly browned, and soft. There should also be no excess liquid left in the pan.

Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:

To Make Ahead: Mushrooms can be sauteed ahead of time and stored covered in the fridge for 3-4 day. Reheat in a skillet until warm.

To Freeze: Freezing may change the texture of sauteed mushrooms. After cooking, freeze mushrooms flat on a cookie sheet. Once completely frozen transfer to a freezer-safe container. Thaw and reheat in a pan over medium heat.

Serve with:

Smother this Steak, mix into a tasty Breakfast Skillet, Breakfast Casserole or omelette, add to Spaghetti sauce, Beef Stew, or serve as a side to Pork Chops with Creamy Mustard Sauce.

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Recipe

5 from 115 votes

How to Sauté Mushrooms

Deliciously caramelized mushrooms sauteed in butter and oil in only 15 minutes. Perfect for serving with steak, pasta or as a side dish.

Print Pin Review

Equipment

Sharp Knife
See Also
How to Make Vegetable Stock - Love and Lemons

Ingredients

▢ 1 pound fresh mushrooms
▢ 2 Tablespoons olive oil
▢ 2 Tablespoons butter
▢ Freshly cracked pepper and salt to taste

Instructions

Clean mushrooms and cut with a knife into similarly shaped thick pieces, if desired. Do not cut the mushrooms thin.
Add butter and olive oil to a pan. Heat over medium-high heat.
Once butter is melted and the mixture is hot, add mushrooms in small batches allowing room between mushrooms. Avoid crowding the pan. Allow mushrooms to cook, without stirring for 3-5 minutes.
Stir only occasionally allowing mushrooms to finish cooking completely for another few minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook time varies depending on the size of the mushroom. If the mushrooms give off a lot of liquid, keep cooking until the liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms are browned on both sides.
Serve warm over steak, in pasta, or as a side.

Notes

To Make Ahead: Mushrooms can be sauteed ahead of time and stored covered in the fridge for 3-4 day. Reheat in a skillet until warm.

Deglaze: Add a few tablespoons of water, wine, stock, cream, or sherry to the pan after the mushrooms are done cooking. Keep the temperature up and stir until the liquid evaporates.

Flavor variations:

Garlic and herbs: Add last minute of cooking. Wonderful herbs to try are thyme, parsley, and rosemary.

Shallots: Add minced shallots about halfway through the cook.

Mushrooms and Onions: Add 1 large sliced onion and an additional tbs. of olive oil to the pan a few minutes before adding the mushrooms. Stir occasionally. Cook may take a few extra minutes. Add garlic and seasoning the last minute of cooking. You want the onions to be translucent, slightly browned, and soft. There should also be no excess liquid left in the pan.

Nutrition

Calories: 137kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 4gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 56mgPotassium: 362mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 175IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 5mgIron: 1mg

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About The Author

Lauren Allen

Welcome! I’m Lauren, a mom of four and lover of good food. Here you’ll find easy recipes and weeknight meal ideas made with real ingredients, with step-by-step photos and videos.

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FAQs

Is it better to saute mushrooms in oil or butter? ›

Butter is great because it adds lots of flavor and produces a nice golden brown exterior, while adding oil allows the mushrooms to cook a little more quickly at slightly higher heat.

Get More Info Here ›

How long should you saute mushrooms for? ›

Heat oil and butter in a medium to large pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms leaving space between. Cook mushroom for 3-5 minutes before turning. Stir and allow mushrooms to finish cooking for a couple more minutes.

Explore More ›

How do you saute mushrooms like a pro? ›

Set a large heavy, non-reactive pan over medium-high heat. Add butter and olive oil and swirl as it melts to reduce splatter. Once the oil is hot, add mushrooms and sauté until the liquid is released and evaporated and mushrooms are slightly browned, 5-7 minutes. Season with garlic salt, pepper, and minced garlic.

View Details ›

Do you salt mushrooms when sautéing? ›

Never salt the mushrooms before cooking. Salt draws out moisture and will therefore make them extremely mushy. We want a nice meaty delicious bite to them with color and texture, so salt at the end always.

Do you wash mushrooms before sauteing? ›

The Best Way to Wash Mushrooms

Yes, folks, you can indeed wash your mushrooms. The critical step is to wait to wash them until right before you cook with them so they don't get bogged down with water. After giving the mushrooms a rinse, dry them off, and you're ready to cook.

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What should we not do before cooking mushrooms? ›

This is the big one: Do not salt the mushrooms too early in the cooking process. Salting too early often draws out too much of the inherent moisture or liquid, which can be a bit overwhelming if you're a mushroom newbie making a large batch.

Tell Me More ›

Do you add water when sautéing mushrooms? ›

My foolproof method for making perfectly cooked and beautifully brown mushrooms every time. Adding water into the mix causes the air pockets in the mushrooms to break down, resulting in floppier and denser slices.

What's the best way to cook mushrooms? ›

For the Best Mushrooms, Give Them a Good Sear

The best way to do this is to sear the mushrooms first in a dry pan. The high heat browns the mushrooms while instantly driving off excess moisture.

Get More Info ›

How do you get the most flavor out of sauteed mushrooms? ›

Oil and butter: For the best and richest flavor, cook the mushrooms in a mixture of olive oil and butter.

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Do you saute mushrooms on high or low heat? ›

Sautéing on High or Low Heat

"Medium-high heat is the way to go with mushrooms. You want their liquids to slowly evaporate while they caramelize," says Norton. High heat can burn mushrooms, while low heat will make them cook in their own liquid, she says. You also want to be mindful of the pan.

Keep Reading ›

What is the healthiest way to cook a mushroom? ›

The researchers concluded that the best way to cook mushrooms while still preserving their nutritional properties is to grill or microwave them, as the fried and boiled mushrooms showed significantly less antioxidant activity.

Discover More Details ›

Is butter or oil better for sauteing? ›

But which one — butter or oil? Each is best suited for different kinds of sautéing: When cooking over very high heat, use oil, which is less likely to burn. When sautéing with medium-high heat, you may opt for butter, which adds a nice flavor.