10 Types of Mushrooms You Should Know in Cooking

Beech

Named for the fact that they're usually found growing on beech trees, these small mushrooms, with their all-white or light-brown caps, offer a crunchy texture and a mild, sweet, nutty flavor. They're great for stir-fries and in sauces for poultry and fish. Add them toward the end of your recipe's cooking time so they'll keep their crunchiness.

Try beech mushrooms in our Sautéed Mushroom Medley recipe.

Chanterelle

Best in simple recipes, trumpet-shape chanterelle (pronounced shant-uh-REL) are bright yellow to orange in color and have a buttery flavor. Almost like a fine wine, you might also pick up notes of apricot or black pepper when you taste this complex mushroom.

Cremini

Tan to rich brown in color, cremini mushrooms can be used in most any recipe that calls for white mushrooms. They're similar to button mushrooms, but cremini mushrooms have a more meaty and earthy flavor.

Try cremini in these Mushroom Enchiladas.

Enoki

Enoki (eh-NOH-kee) mushrooms have long, thin stems and tiny caps. You'll be able to spot them because the stems tend to look like spaghetti. Show off their delicate, almost fruity flavor and slight crunch in salads and as soup toppers.

Try enoki mushrooms in our Mushroom Salad with Soy Vinaigrette recipe.

Morel

Great for refined sauces and other gourmet recipes, these tan, black, or yellow sponge-looking mushrooms have an intense rich and nutty flavor and aroma—and generally a high price tag. Come springtime, morel mushroom hunting is a big deal! You can also find dried morels, which might be a little easier to come by than fresh.

Try our Morel Mushroom Pizza recipe.

Oyster

Oyster mushrooms come in a variety of colors, from cream to gray, and a variety of sizes; all have a velvety texture and a mild taste that melds well with poultry, veal, and seafood dishes. The stems are a little chewier, but still tasty!

Porcini

Also known as cèpe, these pale-brown wild mushrooms are usually found dried, and they're prized for their strong woodsy flavor. Use them to add flavor to soups, pasta sauces, and gravies.

Portobello

Often used to bring heartiness and a meaty flavor to vegetarian entrées, these velvety brown mushrooms boast a deep mushroom flavor; find them in large, medium, and small sizes.

Try portobello mushrooms in this meat-free pot roast recipe.

Shiitake

This brown mushroom is valued for the meaty and slightly smoky flavor and texture it brings to pasta dishes, smooth soups, and other entrées. You'll easily be able to recognize it by its umbrella-like cap, but make sure you remove the stems before adding it to recipes—they're a little too tough to eat.

White (or Button)

This umbrella-shape creamy white to light brown mushroom, with a mild, woodsy flavor, is a great all-purpose mushroom that can be served raw, sautéed, or grilled. You can find button mushrooms at the grocery store since they can be used in so many recipes.

Try this Hoisin-Garlic Mushroom recipe.