Mushroom Conversions Equivalents and Substitutions

Mushrooms can be found in many of the recipes on reluctantgourmet.com but they come in all measurements. In this post, I look at the many mushroom conversions, equivalents and substitutions you may come across when you are cooking with them.

How to Convert Mushrooms for Your Recipes

We love mushrooms in our house and cook with them all the time. They are great in salads raw but even better when sauteed and added to sauces, soups and stews.

What I enjoy most about mushrooms is their texture which will vary with the many types of mushrooms now available at most supermarkets. I remember when you would only find button mushrooms at the market but today you’ll find portobello, cremini, oyster, shiitake, morel and plenty more.

Mushrooms in Recipes

I typically buy my mushrooms fresh & whole and then cut them according to the dish I’m preparing or the recipe I’m following. However, you may find a recipe that calls for fresh morels but you can only find dried morels at the market.

•  Or what about converting whole to sliced or chopped or canned?
•  Or what about cooked to uncooked mushrooms?
•  Or you may have a jar of powered mushrooms in your pantry that you want to substitute for dried mushrooms.

Mushroom Conversions & Equivalents & Substitutions

Below are some important mushroom conversions I think you’ll find handy and easy to use when preparing any meal where they are required.

Note: there are so many mushroom varieties and their conversions will differ depending on the individual mushroom. These conversions are looking at button mushrooms, the most common mushroom available, but will be approximately the same for other fresh mushrooms unless noted below.

Button Mushroom Conversions – what does 1 pound of fresh button mushrooms look like?

1 pound of fresh button mushrooms equals:

•  approximately 22 medium sized fresh mushrooms
•  5 cups sliced mushrooms
•  6 cups chopped mushrooms
•  3 ounces dried mushrooms reconstituted
•  2 cups of cooked mushrooms
•  2 cups of sliced, cooked mushrooms

How to Convert Sliced Fresh Mushrooms to Canned Mushrooms

With all the fresh mushrooms now available at my local supermarkets, I don’t typically cook with many canned mushrooms but that doesn’t mean I don’t always have them in my pantry. There may be that occasion I need mushrooms for a recipe and don’t feel like running out to the store for them.

•  1  four ounce can of button mushrooms (sliced or whole) = 3/4 cup of mushrooms
•  8 ounces of sliced fresh button mushrooms = 4 ounces of sliced can mushrooms drained.
•  8 ounces of sliced fresh button mushrooms = 1 1/2 ounces dried mushrooms that have been reconstituted.

How to Convert Dried Button Mushrooms to Fresh Button Mushrooms

•  1.5 ounces of dried mushrooms = 8 ounces of fresh sliced mushrooms
•  1.5 ounces of dried mushrooms = 4 ounces of canned sliced mushrooms drained.

How to Covert Powdered Mushrooms to Fresh Button Mushrooms

•  1 tablespoon of powdered mushrooms = 4 ounces of fresh mushrooms
•  1 tablespoon of powdered mushrooms = 3 tablespoons whole dried mushrooms
•  1 tablespoon of powdered mushrooms = 2 ounces canned mushrooms drained

How to Convert Fresh Mushroom to Dried Mushrooms:

The conversion of fresh mushrooms to dried mushrooms for a recipe will depend on what measurement they give you in the recipe – pounds, ounces or cups. Here we go:

• If the recipe asks for pounds: Multiply the pounds by 16, then divide by 9 = ounces of dried you need.
  For example, if the recipe requires 2 pounds of fresh mushrooms, the conversion would be 2 x 16 = 32 divided by 9 = 3.55 ounces of dried mushrooms.
• If the recipe asks for ounces:  Divide the ounces by 9 = ounces of dried you need.
  For example, if the recipe requires 16 ounces of fresh mushrooms, the conversion would be 16 divided by 9 = 1.77 ounces of dried mushrooms.
• If the recipe asks for cups:  Multiply cups by 3, then divide by 9 = approximate ounces of dried you need.
  For example, if the recipe requires 3 cups of fresh mushrooms, the conversion would be 3 cups x 3 = 9 divided by 9 = 1 ounce of dried mushrooms.

How to Convert Dried Mushroom to Fresh Mushrooms:

The conversion of dried mushrooms to fresh mushrooms for a recipe will depend on what measurement they give you in the recipe – pounds, ounces or cups. Here we go:

• If the recipe asks for ounces:  Multiply the ounces by 9 = ounces of fresh mushrooms you need.
  For example, if the recipe requires 2 ounces of dried mushrooms and you only have fresh, the conversion would be 2 x 9 = 18 ounces of fresh mushrooms.

 

Other Important Ingredient Conversions

BEAN CONVERSIONS	INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS
HERB CONVERSIONS	MUSHROOM CONVERSIONS
GRAIN CONVERSIONS	PASTA/RICE CONVERSIONS
INGREDIENT CONVERSIONS	TOMATO CONVERSIONS