Mushroom Salt Recipe | An Umami-Rich Seasoning
This Mushroom Salt Recipe is easy to make and combines two simple ingredients – dried mushrooms and sea salt. They create a deliciously earthy seasoning that adds a unique depth of flavor to your dishes whether sprinkled over roasted vegetables, grilled meats, or incorporated into soups and sauces.
Key Ingredients
Mushroom salt is a wonderful all-purpose seasoning to have on hand, as it helps to bring out the umami (very savory) flavour in a meal. The kind of mushrooms you choose will often be dictated by what’s available near you but luckily, this works well with loads of varieties.
- Fresh mushrooms – I’ve used organic shiitake mushrooms in this recipe because they are a meaty mushroom with an earthy, quite smoky flavour. They’re excellent for mushroom salt because the pungency only increases as they dry. If you can’t find shiitake, swiss brown, button or oyster mushrooms will work well too. They are slightly less pungent when dried in my opinion but still delicious.
- Flaked sea salt – Use a good quality salt, for the best flavour. A flaked variety is best as the mushrooms mix well with it. Others can be far too fine.
If you like a bit of spice, red pepper flakes/chilli flakes are an optional extra. I suggest adding only a small amount so the chilli doesn’t overpower the taste of the mushrooms. They’re the star of the show here.
Substitutions And Variations
Many mushrooms are great with this recipe. In addition to the shiitake, I’ve tried it with Swiss brown, oyster (pink and white), wood ear, and button mushrooms. Shiitake are my favourite though! Keep in mind that drying times may vary with other varieties so you will need to experiment.
Using Wild/Foraged Mushrooms
Mushroom foraging is one of Fall’s/Autumn’s special pleasures so why not forage for your own? Pine mushrooms (also called saffron milk cap mushrooms or Lactarius deliciosus) and slippery jacks (Suillus luteus) are both great in this recipe. The pine mushrooms in particular also make another seasonal favourite of mine – Wild Mushroom Risotto.
Using Pre-Dried Mushrooms
If you want to skip the dehydrating part entirely, you can simply start with a pre-purchased pack of dehydrated mushrooms. Porcini mushrooms are especially good as a porcini mushroom salt. All that’s required then is pulverising the mushrooms and adding in the salt. If you want to follow the last half of this recipe – For some guidance, when the mushrooms were dehydrated I had one cup or a touch over ¾ of an ounce (25g) before grinding them. I then added one cup of salt to the mushrooms and mixed it all together.
How To Make This Mushroom Salt Recipe
If like me you have a cupboard full of gourmet salts this is a great one to add. The flavor of the mushrooms intensifies once they’re dried to create a delicious umami mushroom sea salt you’ll want to sprinkle on everything. The recipe is very quick to prepare so very little hands-on time is required. The bulk of time indicated in the recipe is the dehydrating/drying time for the mushrooms.
- Wipe over the mushrooms with a wet paper towel to remove any dirt then slice them thinly. Approximately ⅛ of an inch or ¼ of a centimetre is perfect.
- Lay the mushrooms out on a mesh dehydrating tray and ensure they’re not crowded. I needed roughly 1.5 trays.
- Place in the dehydrator and dry for 4 hours at 105ºF/41ºC. They’re ready when they can be snapped in half, which will mean all the water has been removed. If they don’t snap they need to be dried further. Keep testing every 30 minutes.
- Once dried, remove and add to a small food processor. Pulverise until the mushrooms are completely powdered. This will take a few seconds. If you only have a big food processor you could use a spice or coffee grinder instead but you will need to pulverise in batches.
- Add the powdered mushrooms to a bowl, pour in the salt and mix well to combine. Store in a glass jar. This will make roughly one cup of mushroom seasoning.
Use this as a seasoning salt on french fries or any of your other favorite savory foods. It adds a little something to poached eggs in the morning, makes meaty dishes taste even meatier, and adds depth of flavour to a big tray of roast veg too.
Tips For Success With This Recipe
Adjusting the level of salt – This mushroom salt recipe was made with the flavour of the mushrooms in mind so there’s just enough salt to let them shine through. If you’d like the mushroom flavour to be even stronger you can reduce the salt by ¼ cup. Alternatively, if you’d like the flavour to be less potent you can add another ¼ cup of salt.
Storing
Keep this delicious, savory condiment in an airtight container in a cool place away from direct sunlight. This will preserve the aroma and flavour of the mushroom salt for many months to come.
No Dehydrator? No Problem
The recipe will work just as well in the oven. However, most ovens will not get down to the very low temperatures that a dehydrator will. So while you prepare and cut them the same way, the time and temperature will be slightly different.
How To Make This Mushroom Salt Recipe In The Oven
- Preheat the oven to 170ºF/80ºC (note, if your oven goes lower you can drop the temperature down. The time taken to dry the mushrooms out will also increase).
- Prepare the mushrooms in the same way needed for the dehydrator. Wipe over them, slice them thinly and lay them out on trays. Instead of dehydrator trays, use a cookie sheet lined with parchment/baking paper. Remember it’s important not to overcrowd them so they dry out, not steam. Use two trays if needed.
- Place the mushrooms in the oven and dry for 3 – 3.5 hours (longer if your temp is lower). They’re ready when they’ve shrunk significantly and you can snap them in half. If you can’t, they still contain too much moisture and will need longer in the oven. Keep testing them every 30 minutes until they are completely dried.
- Let the mushrooms cool for a couple of minutes then pulverise them into a fine powder using a food processor, a spice grinder, or a coffee grinder.
- Mix in with the salt until well combined then store in your spice cabinet in an airtight container.
If you try this recipe, I’d love to know. Leave a comment, rate it, and remember to tag @wholenaturalkitchen in your pics or reels on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok!
Other Delicious Mushroom Recipes To Try
Did you make this recipe?
If you try this recipe, I’d love to know. Leave a comment, rate it, and remember to tag @wholenaturalkitchen in your pics or reels on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok!
Mushroom Salt Recipe FAQs
Mushroom salt is just the same as other salt, although it adds lots of extra flavour. Sprinkle it over meaty dishes, add a pinch to soups and stews, or add to avocado toast for a big umami-rich boost.
If kept in an airtight container in a cool, dark place mushroom salt will last up to 12 months. If exposed to air and light it will lose it’s pungency very quickly.
Flaked sea salt is the best choice for this recipe, as it combines well with the ground mushrooms. A flaked Himalayan salt might be the next best choice but avoid things like table salt. This is ground far too finely.
Mushroom Salt Recipe
Equipment
- Dehydrator (can also be made in the oven)
Instructions
- Thoroughly clean the mushrooms with wet paper towel, gently wiping over the tops and the stems to remove any dirt.
- Cut the mushrooms into thin slices, approximately ⅛ of an inch or ¼ of a centimetre is perfect.
- Place the mushroom slices in a single layer on dehydrator mesh sheets being careful not to overcrowd them. Dehydrate on 105ºF/41ºC for ~4 hours. The mushrooms are ready when they can be snapped in half, which will mean all the water has been removed. If they don’t snap they need to be dried further. Keep testing every 30 minutes.
- Once dried, remove and add to a small food processor. Pulverise until the mushrooms are completely powdered. This will take a few seconds.
- Add the powdered mushrooms to a bowl, pour in the salt and mix well to combine. Store in a glass jar in your spice cabinet.