Drying your mushrooms is an excellent way to make the most out of this powerful and delicious food. Not only will drying them maximize their shelf-life, dehydrated mushrooms can liven up dishes that need to pack a punch of flavor and can enhance their medicinal properties.
Want another reason to dehydrate your mushrooms? Doing so can allow you to access them during periods when they may not be growing. Mushrooms don’t fruit year-round, and your options are limited during the summer and winter.
To maintain the integrity of your mushrooms for long-term storage and medicinal applications, it is critical that you’re using the proper techniques to dry them. Storing them improperly puts your mushrooms at risk of getting damp and growing mold. Poor storage can also lead to bug infestations, which need I say more? Thankfully, when it comes to proper storage techniques, we’ve got you covered.
In this blog post, we’ll cover the many methods of drying mushrooms with step-by-step instructions, the benefits of drying them, and the best storage options to keep them at their peak.
If you’re wondering how to dry your mushrooms, you’re in luck! You have plenty of options to choose from, and many methods are easy, and involve little to no expense to you.
The best method of drying mushrooms is really a matter of personal preference. If we had to choose, we’d say that a commercial dehydrator is a sure-fire way of getting a consistently dried mushroom in a relatively shorter time. However, this is also one of the most expensive methods, so it’s best to weigh your options.
Need help deciding which method to choose? We break down the pros and cons of each method, so you can dry your mushrooms to store or use for medicine.
Air drying your mushrooms is one of the easiest and cheapest methods to use as it requires no equipment. To get bone-dry mushrooms, you’ll have to make sure that the environment is below a certain humidity threshold. The cons to this method is that air drying can often take several hours to remove moisture from the mushrooms and the level of dryness can be inconsistent. Learn how.
Are you looking for a faster way to get dry mushrooms with equipment you already have at home? This hybrid method using your oven paired with air drying can speed things up! Although this is a faster method, the drying consistency will still depend on the humidity of the environment the mushrooms will air dry. Learn how.
You can skip the air-drying process by putting your mushrooms in the oven for longer. While this removes the uncertainty of an inconsistently dried mushroom, you will have to watch the mushrooms in the oven more carefully. Mushrooms dried out in the oven need to be flipped every 1-2 hours and dried for a total time of 4-8 hours. The temperature to heat may also be lower than what your oven offers. Learn how.
Using a commercial dehydrator is a great choice to remove moisture from mushrooms in an even and consistent way. This method will gently dry out your mushrooms using a soft heat element paired with continual airflow. The biggest downside to this method is that dehydrators can be expensive. Commercial dehydrators can range from several hundred dollars into the thousands, depending on how many mushrooms you’d like to dry at a time. Learn how.
Drying your mushrooms with a desiccant is another easy and cost-effective way to dry mushrooms. A desiccant saps moisture from its environment, and when put in a container of pre-dried mushrooms can be an excellent way of completely drying them out. Its main con is ensuring that you’ve done a thorough pre-dry process of your mushrooms. Some desiccants are also less environmentally friendly than others. Learn how.
Let's dive into each of these methods in more detail:
Air drying mushrooms is the simplest and cheapest way to dry your mushrooms. This option requires no special equipment, which means no extra expenses.
There are two ways to air dry mushrooms. You can take the easiest approach of simply allowing them to air dry until they’re dry enough to store, or you can oven dehydrate them before air drying to speed up the process.
Below are steps on how to air dry them without an oven:
To speed up the process of air drying, some mushroom aficionados will oven dehydrate them first in the oven for two hours.
Here’s how to do it:
Fun fact: A fully dried mushroom will give off a strong aroma and is a key indicator that you’ve finished your drying process.
You can store your dried mushrooms in a sealed container for an entire year!
Are you short on time? You can skip the air drying process and accelerate the time to dry your mushrooms significantly by using an oven.
This method will allow you to dry your mushrooms in about 4-8 hours, versus the air drying method, which can take several days.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to drying your mushrooms in the oven:
Bonus tip: If you're unable to set your oven’s temperature to as low as 130 degrees Fahrenheit/54 degrees Celsius, then keep the oven door open. This will cool off the temperature inside the oven, while also improving air circulation and allowing your mushrooms to dry better.
Want a consistently dried mushroom every time? Prefer more of a set it and forget it mushroom drying method that requires little babysitting? Is long-term storage and minimal risk of contamination a priority? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then using a dehydrator to dry your mushrooms may be right for you.
A dehydrator is a device that removes moisture from substances using heat and air circulation. The heat will sap water from the mushrooms, while the fan will blow the hot air out of the dehydrator. This is superior to the oven drying method because there is no excess heat trapped in the device.
There are many options to choose from, but any food dehydrator will get the job done! Your biggest consideration may be your budget, as a dehydrator can often be expensive.
Using a dehydrator will dry your mushrooms somewhere between 4 and 12 hours. Several factors affect drying time including: humidity, thickness of the cut mushrooms, and the size of your dehydrator.
Here’s how to dry your mushrooms in a dehydrator:
Note: Although it’s not required, it might be worth checking on your mushrooms every hour until you have a better sense of how long they should be kept in the dehydrator. Once you’ve developed a consistent process, checking them may not be needed.
This method is one of the best ways to dry your mushrooms. However, it is the most expensive, so consider how often you’ll use a dehydrator before committing to a pricey purchase.
Using a desiccant is another easy and cheap method to dry your mushrooms. You can even cut the costs of this method if you make your own desiccant, since most materials needed are generally ones you already own.
Be warned, however, this process can be more time-consuming and require a little more attention to detail, compared to drying with more sophisticated equipment like ovens and dehydrators.
If you’re more of a DIY person, then this might be the right option to dry your mushrooms.
A desiccant is a material that removes moisture from environments to maintain a state of dryness and freshness. You’ve likely seen silica gel packets, the most common desiccant, in bottles of vitamins or inside of shoes or purses.
Materials list:
Steps to make a desiccant
Whether you’ve made your own desiccant or purchased one, dehydrating your mushrooms with this method can be done easily. Here’s how to do it.
From retaining a deep and satisfying flavor to prolonging their use, there are many benefits to drying mushrooms. Here’s why we like to dehydrate mushrooms.
All mushrooms can be dried, although some may take longer than others. You can use drying methods for gourmet, medicinal, and any other type of wild or commercially-grown mushroom.
The best way to store your dried mushrooms is in an airtight container to prevent moisture from seeping back in and rehydrating them. You’ll also want to keep them in a cool, dark place, such as a basement or cupboard, to prevent them from lightening in color, which can reduce the mushroom’s flavor..
Here are a few dried mushroom storage options:
For the best long-term storage, keep them in a glass jar, like a mason jar. Glass jars are often preferred because they keep an airtight seal and allow you to see your mushrooms.
Our second favorite storage option is a stainless steel container, which can offer excellent humidity control. They can often increase the potency of a substance’s aroma and flavor.
Another great option to maximize the shelf-life of your mushrooms is using a machine to vacuum seal them. This protects your mushrooms from oxygen and keeps them intact from any degrading elements. This is one of the priciest storage options, though.
Bonus tip: Add a desiccant, like a silica gel packet or your homemade desiccant, to any of your storage containers, so that it removes any remaining moisture.
For the most part, drying is a safe and effective way to maintain the integrity of the mushroom's medicinal and nutritional value.
According to this study, drying can increase the phenolic compounds of a mushroom, which can have some potential advantages for antioxidant and other biological activities.
Want to learn how to get the most health value out of your dried mushrooms? Discover how to extract mushroom powder for the most benefit.
Once you've dried your own mushrooms, check out our blog on grinding them for use!