Inside Scoop: 9 delicious mushrooms that are a perfect addition to your cooking plus must-try recipes.

This post was submitted Klara Walterova, professional freelance writer offering web content, blog posting, ghostwriting and copywriting. She writes for the healthy lifestyle, wellness and travel websites.

Mushrooms. Some people hate them; some people absolutely love them.

No matter what side you’re on, mushrooms are an amazing and super versatile ingredient for cooking especially if you follow a plant-based or vegan diet. They are not only a great source of some necessary nutrients like dietary fiber, protein, vitamin C, folate, iron, zinc, manganese, potassium, copper, vitamin D, and some B vitamins, but they also taste amazing. You can make a truly delicious dish with them!

If you think of white button mushrooms as the only type you can use in your kitchen, think again. There are about 14,000 different kinds of mushrooms and about 25 percent of them are edible. That gives us about 2,500 different types of mushrooms but unfortunately, only 4 percent of those actually taste good and can be added to my delicious mushrooms list. Don’t hold me too much to the numbers as there are slight variations in different sources, bottom line is there are many delicious mushrooms that most of us don’t know about.

What makes a mushroom flavour so specific?

It’s umami which makes mushrooms taste savoury with a strong flavour. It isn’t salty, bitter or sour. Umami is just a very distinguishing taste of mushrooms. Umami also occurs in other foods with a higher level of glutamic acid (that’s a naturally occurring amino acid).

9 DELICIOUS MUSHROOMS SUITABLE FOR VEGAN COOKING

Back to the types of delicious mushrooms you can use for the vegan cooking. Here is your ultimate guide and everything you need to know about mushrooms to make your dishes even tastier!

1. WHITE BUTTON

Let’s start with the classic type of mushroom that everyone knows. White button mushrooms are easy to find in shops, they are inexpensive, and probably the most ones you’ll come across.

In other places (for example in France) you can come across another name for them – champignon.

White button mushrooms tend to have rather a mild flavour and aroma. They are very easy to cook with. You can cook them, bake them, or even eat them raw! They taste great in salads and as a topping for pizzas! You can also use white button mushrooms for a Simple Stir-Fry (pictured above) or added to this delicious Cauliflower Fried Rice. Don’t forget to add some spices to enhance their mild taste.

2. SHIITAKE

As you might suspect, shiitake mushrooms come from Japan and they are considered medicinal mushrooms in some forms of traditional medicine.

They have an amazing, strong, savoury, kind of smoky flavour and aroma. If you use them dried, the flavour will be stronger and saltier. Shiitake have some great health benefits. They have anti-inflammatory properties. About 5 grams of shiitake can help with easing inflammation!

Shiitake are great for soups, sauces, Asian dishes, such as ramen, Asian noodles, stir-fries, or even tacos. Try easy Shiitake and Tofu Sandwich for breakfast or lunch or these Vegan Moo Shu Wraps.

CREMINI

Cremini mushrooms are lightly brown little mushrooms, very similar to white button mushrooms. They have a very similar taste profile too. They only taste a bit creamier and stronger with quite an earthy scent. They are also called brown mushrooms or golden mushrooms. They are usually more expensive than white button mushrooms, and you can eat the stem too!

Cremini don’t have a lot of moisture. Therefore, you can sauté them, and they will turn a light golden color. Use them with olive oil, garlic, soy or tamari sauce, Worchester sauce, or vinegar. They taste amazing with herbs and melted butter like in this Hearty Mushroom Curry, Green Beans with Cremini Mushrooms Sauce, or the most flavourful Vegan Mushroom Gravy that’s the perfect accompaniment to this Vegetarian Poutine (pictured above).

PORTOBELLO

Portobello mushrooms are very popular among vegans and commonly used for vegan cooking. They are open-cap and big in size with a meaty, rich flavour. When they are cooked and sliced, they look like meat. Therefore, they are a great substitute for meat and used for all different kinds of vegan burgers.

Grilled portobello mushrooms are delicious. These Grilled Portobello Mushrooms with Garlic Sauce, this Vegan Burger with Portobello Mushrooms and those Grilled Portobello Mushrooms Tacos are a must to try!

ENOKI

Enoki mushrooms are a less known type of mushrooms. Sometimes they are called golden needle mushrooms, especially in Asian countries. They have a quite a crunchy texture. They have a long think stem which can be eaten when you cut off the tough end. They taste great raw or in stir-fries.

Why don’t you add this Kale and Enoki Mushrooms Salad to your meal plan this week?

OYSTER

Oyster mushrooms got this funny name because their shape resembles that of an oyster. They have a tiny stem and a very mild flavour and aroma. Oyster mushrooms can be found in different colours. They can be very pale, almost white, pink, blue, light purple or yellow.

Oyster mushrooms are very common in Asian cuisine. They also get very tender and moisturized when they are cooked. They can be eaten raw, too. They taste great in salads. Try this Okra Salad with Oyster Mushrooms, or you can use them in place of seafood like in this Vegan Oyster Mushroom Calamari (pictured above).

PORCINI

Porcini are one of the mushrooms you can encounter on your walk through a forest. They are wild mushrooms which you can also commonly buy in supermarkets, although they will be most likely be dried or canned. However, they have a very smooth, creamy flavour and woodsy aroma.

Use porcini mushrooms for sauces like in pasta, risotto, and soups. They absorb water, especially hot water.

MOREL

Morel mushrooms are one of the most expensive mushrooms, unfortunately. But if you really want to try them from time to time, go for it! Every chef will recommend them! They have a honeycomb top and they are very chewy. They have a quite strong, nutty and savoury flavour. You can buy them canned or dried and save a little bit of money.

Morel mushrooms perfectly absorb liquid and therefore they are great for stews, sauces, and soups. Make this Vegan Cream Sauce or this Risotto recipe.

CHANTERELLE

Chanterelle mushrooms are funny-looking, less known mushrooms. They look like trumpets. They are very common for cooking in European countries. They both smell and taste like peppery apricots.

They taste excellent when they are sautéed especially with garlic and herbs and they taste match very well. Make this Vegan Pasta with Chanterelle Mushrooms or mix them with Polenta, Garlic, and Sage for a simple week night meal.

So many delicious mushrooms

There are so many mushrooms to choose from! And they all taste great. With this little ultimate guide to all essential mushrooms, you will never get lost. Enhance your vegan cooking and bring it to the next level with just adding delicious mushrooms!

Klara Walterova

Klara is a professional freelance writer for hire. She offers web content, blog posting, ghostwriting and copywriting. She writes for the healthy lifestyle, wellness and travel websites. She focuses on veganism and the vegan diet. When she's not writing, she develops new tasty vegan recipes, travels the world or plays with her kitty. Please contact her for her online writing services on her website Written By Vegan. You can download her Vegan Starter Kit there for free.