Roasted shiitake mushrooms make a tasty side dish and ingredient to add to meals! Roasting shiitake mushrooms brings out a crispy, almost "bacon" like flavor and texture! They're easy to prepare, and I'm sharing all my tips in this complete guide to shiitake mushrooms.
Updated: This post was originally published in October 2020 and has been updated with new photos and additional content.
Shiitake mushrooms are incredible! Shiitake mushrooms bring lots of health and medicinal benefits while also bringing their delicious flavor to recipes and meals.
They're often described as having a meaty texture with a robust and slightly woody flavor.
If you love exploring less commonly served and unique vegetables, you might also enjoy trying out Fiddleheads and Ramp Sauté and Roasted Sunchokes.
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💚 Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Roasted shiitake mushrooms make a tasty substitute for bacon when converting to a vegan recipe.
- Shiitake mushrooms are packed with more savory flavors than other mushroom varieties making them an excellent addition to vegan meals.
- An easy recipe with lots of tips if you're new to cooking these tasty mushrooms.
🛒 Ingredients
The beauty of roasting mushrooms is that you don't need much! You probably already have everything you need except the mushrooms!
- Shiitake mushrooms: This variety of mushrooms is originally from Korea and Japan but is now grown in the US. Look for mushrooms that are plump and have curled under the edges. Avoid packages with broken or shriveled caps. They're available year-round in many grocery stores but can be a bit pricey. Look for them in spring and autumn when they're more prolific, and prices may be lower.
- Olive oil: My favorite oil for roasting vegetables, but you can use other neutral oils as well.
- Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper: When adding simple seasoning to vegetables, I love to splurge on using quality sea salt and fresh black pepper. Their flavors are simply cleaner, and better enhance the natural flavors of the vegetable.
How to Store Fresh Mushrooms
Now that you've bought your shiitakes, what's next?
- Mushrooms in a package. Store them refrigerated in their original container.
- Mushrooms purchased loose. Store them refrigerated in a paper bag or plastic bag with a paper towel to absorb any moisture.
- In most cases, they will hold well for up to 5 days if purchased fresh.
🔪 How to Clean and Slice Shiitake Mushrooms
Sometimes prepping mushrooms can become time-consuming, especially when cooking with the known "dirtier" one's portobello, cremini, or button mushrooms. But preparing shiitake mushrooms couldn't be easier!
- Slice the end of the stem off and throw it out.
- Cut the mushrooms into slices of desired thickness according to your recipe.
Should you wash mushrooms?
I am a big fan of not washing mushrooms! They simply cook better when not touched by water. Mushrooms are like sponges and soak up moisture quickly.
However, if it makes you feel more comfortable, take a damp cloth (or paper towel) and swipe each mushroom cap clean.
If you do decide to rinse underwater, do it right before using them and dry them thoroughly.
✅ How to Make Roasted Shiitake Mushrooms
- Spread out the mushrooms on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Drizzle the mushrooms with olive oil and sprinkle them with sea salt and pepper.
- Shift them around on the tray to ensure all the mushrooms are covered with oil and seasoning.
- Roast shiitake mushrooms at 400° for 15 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven and move the mushrooms around on the baking sheet so they crisp evenly.
- Cook another 5 - 15 minutes until the mushrooms are crispy and golden brown. Serve them immediately or at room temperature.
❄️ How to Store
For the best flavor, roasted shiitake mushrooms are best the day they are freshly made.
But, if you do have leftovers, refrigerate the cooked mushrooms for up to three days and incorporate them into another recipe. They will lose their crispiness but not their flavor or medicinal benefits!
They make a tasty vegan BLT sandwich with this amazing vegan cheddar cheese! You can also add them to a salad such as this spinach salad with roasted shiitake mushrooms.
👩🏻🍳 Expert Tips and FAQs
- Look for shiitake mushrooms in the spring and fall when their prices may be lower.
- Don't wash mushrooms until right before cooking (or not at all) for the best results.
- Oven-roasted shiitake mushrooms are best eaten when freshly cooked.
I really love roasting shiitake mushrooms as I feel like it really brings out their tremendous umami flavor of them but they also work great for sautéing and broiling.
The stems can be a bit woody, so if you prefer, you can cut them off. But for zero waste, save them to throw into a vegetable broth or soup for flavor.
I recommend simply brushing off any visible dirt and then preparing them as directed. You can also use a damp towel to wipe them off. As a last resort, they can be washed in water briefly. Do this as close to cooking as possible, and make sure the mushrooms are thoroughly dry.
🌎 Sustainability Suggestions
Mushrooms are one of the most, if not the most, sustainably produced foods in the United States! Mushrooms need very little land to grow.
Thanks to vertical farming technology, billions of pounds of mushrooms are grown on only a few acres of land. After the mushrooms are collected, the soil can be recycled and used for other purposes because it is still extremely high in nutrients.
In addition, mushrooms need very little water to grow. It takes less than two gallons of water to grow 1 pound of button mushrooms which is incredibly low considering other vegetables use ten times that amount.
The amount of carbon dioxide generated by mushrooms is also much lower than most vegetables; 1 pound of mushrooms emit about 0.7 pounds of CO2 equivalent emissions, according to a study conducted by The Mushroom Council.
So next time you are trying to decide what ingredient to use to spice up your dinner, reach for the mushrooms... for taste, nutrients, and environmental peace of mind!
➕ More Mushroom Recipes
📖 Recipe
Roasted Shiitake Mushrooms
Ingredients
- ½ lb shiitake mushrooms
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- fresh pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- Trim the tips off the shiitake mushrooms. Thinly slice the mushroom caps and chop the stems. Spread on mushrooms on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Drizzle with olive oil. Use a fork to spread mushrooms and coat evenly with oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and a few grinds of fresh pepper to taste.
- Place in oven and roast mushrooms for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and shift mushrooms around on the baking sheet so they crsip evenly. Cook an additional 5 - 15 minutes until crispy brown. Serve immediately or at room temperature.
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