If you love to forage as much as I do, you know the excitement of finding a big flush of mushrooms. Whether it's foraging morels in the spring, chantrells in the summer, or boletes in the fall, mushrooms have a way of popping up all at once, leaving you in a quandary as to how to preserve them before they spoil. That's where freeze drying mushrooms comes in!
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Freeze drying mushrooms is hands down the best way to store your harvest long term, while keeping their color, flavor, and nutrients intact. Once you start freeze drying your mushrooms, you'll never consider dehydrating them again.
If you're new to freeze drying and not sure how to operate your freeze dryer, you may find my Harvest Right freeze dryer review helpful!
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Why Freeze Dry Mushrooms Instead of Dehydrating or Freezing
Mushrooms are mostly water, around 90%! When you rehydrate them, some of the flavor and texture are lost in the process. They often come out leathery, and once rehydrated, they never quite bounce back to their original shape.
Freezing is another option, but it takes up valuable freezer space (and I have no free space in mine, as it is). Not to mention, they end up mushy once defrosted. Nobody wants to eat mushy mushrooms, am I right?
Freeze drying mushrooms, on the other hand, removes moisture under vacuum at very low temperatures. The result? Lightweight mushrooms that rehydrate beautifully, taste just as fresh as the day you picked them, and last 20+ years when stored properly!
How to Prepare Mushrooms for Freeze Drying
- Clean Gently: Use a damp towel or a soft brush to remove dirt and debris. Avoid soaking the mushrooms. One exception that comes to mind is morels, where bugs manage to lodge inside the holes. In this instance, you want to soak them briefly in salted water to encourage the bugs to vacate. I then let them air dry on paper towels.
- Slice, Chop, or Leave Whole: Slice larger mushrooms into ¼ inch slices, and leave smaller mushrooms whole. Another option is to chop them into cubes. It's really up to you! Again, I make an exception with morels; I leave them whole because they're just so beautiful! However, slicing them in half is another popular way to go.
- Pre-freeze (optional): If you want to speed up the freeze drying cycle, place mushrooms on freeze dryer trays and freeze them in the freezer for a few hours before freeze drying them. I have an extra-large freeze dryer, so the trays are too large to fit in my freezer. For this reason, I never pre-freeze them.
How to Freeze Dry Mushrooms
- Start your freeze dryer and follow the screen prompts.
- While the chamber is cooling, arrange clean mushrooms on trays. Don't overfill the trays.
- Load filled trays into your freeze dryer. Close and lock the door, then close the drain valve and select start. It will take anywhere from 15 to 20 hours+ to fully freeze dry the mushrooms.
- Once done, check each tray to make sure no further drying time is necessary. The mushrooms should be light, crisp, and snap in half. If not, add additional drying time.
How to Store Freeze Dried Mushrooms
Once mushrooms are completely dry, it's crucial to store them properly to keep moisture out. Use Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers for long-term storage. For short-term use, mason jars with air-tight lids work beautifully, especially if you use a vacuum jar sealer. Don't forget to label and date everything!
How to Use Freeze Dried Mushrooms
Freeze dried mushrooms are incredibly versatile. Just rehydrate them in warm water for 10 minutes, then allow excess water to strain out. Or, toss them directly into soups, stews, or sauces. This morel mushroom recipe is one of my favorites!
Here are a few other ways I use mine:
- Add to omelets, fritattas, stir-frys, or pasta dishes.
- Make these delicious shaggy mane mushroom waffles (hint: you can use your favorite mushrooms in these waffles, not just shaggy manes).
- Rehydrate, then saute with garlic and butter.
- Use in backpacking meals or emergency storage. They'd also be great for making meals with when you're hunting. My hunter, however, doesn't like mushrooms... I know! 🤯
FAQ
They should snap cleanly when broken. If they bend or feel spongy, put them back for a few more hours. Another way is to weigh one tray when the cycle is over, then add a few more hours, then weigh again. If there is a difference in the weight, it will indicate that more moisture was removed. Continue to do this until there is no difference between the two weighings.
Yes! You can pre-sauté the mushrooms in oil or butter. Just know it will be a longer process.
Yes, most vitamins and minerals remain intact. Freeze drying is one of the best preservation methods for nutrient retention.
Pro Tips
- Most mushrooms can be freeze dried, including morels, chanterelles, shiitakes, oyster mushrooms, chicken of the woods, and boletes.
- Check for oils. Some mushrooms, like maitakes or porcini, can have more natural oils, which may take longer to dry.
- If you're not a forager, buy mushrooms in bulk when they are on sale and freeze dry them for later use.
- Don't overload the trays. Air flow is key to even drying.
- Mushrooms reabsorb moisture from the air, so package them immediately.
Final Thoughts
Freeze drying mushrooms might take some time, but the payoff is huge. You'll have delicious, shelf-stable mushrooms, ready to use all year long. Whether you foraged them yourself or bought them at a farmer's market.
Once you taste the difference, you'll see why freeze drying mushrooms is the ultimate preservation method for any forager or homesteader.
More Freeze Drying & Dehydrating Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
A Guide to Freeze Drying Mushrooms
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Start your freeze dryer and follow the screen prompts.
- While the chamber is cooling, arrange clean mushrooms on trays. Don't overfill the trays.
- Load filled trays into your freeze dryer. Close and lock the door, then close the drain valve and select start. It will take anywhere from 15 to 20 hours+ to fully freeze dry the mushrooms.
- Once done, check each tray to make sure no further drying time is necessary. The mushrooms should be light, crisp, and snap in half. If not, add additional drying time.
Notes
- Check post for how to store and rehydrate freeze dried mushrooms.
- Most mushrooms can be freeze dried, including morels, chanterelles, shiitakes, oyster mushrooms, chicken of the woods, and boletes.
- Check for oils. Some mushrooms, like maitakes or porcini, can have more natural oils, which may take longer to dry.
- If you're not a forager, buy mushrooms in bulk when they are on sale and freeze dry them for later use.
- Don't overload the trays. Air flow is key to even drying.
- Mushrooms reabsorb moisture from the air, so package them immediately.
Hilda Sterner says
I hope you try yoru hand at freeze drying morels, then come back and let me know what you think!