22 Types Of Mushrooms List With Pictures
By Mlbrun Team | On 18 April 2024 07:51 AM
Explore a world beyond common mushrooms like buttons and portobellos with our guide to 22 diverse varieties. These mushrooms aren't just tasty, ranging from sweet to nutty with some even tasting like lobster, but they also pack potential health benefits.
Some boost your immune system, others help lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and a few might even contribute to treating serious diseases. It's not just about flavors; these mushrooms bring a fascinating mix of culinary delights and potential well-being perks.
1. Button Mushrooms
Button mushrooms are the ones we're most familiar with, often seen in stores, and budget-friendly. They come in two varieties: white and brown. The brown ones are older with a richer taste, while the white ones are younger with a milder flavor.
Versatile and easy to find, these white mushrooms are great for various dinner recipes. Whether you prefer them in salads, stir-fries, or soups, these mushrooms offer a mild taste when young and a heartier one as they age. A staple in many kitchens, button mushrooms are a simple and delicious addition to your meals.
2. Cremini Mushrooms
Cremini mushrooms, often called baby bellas, are essentially young portobello mushrooms, not fully grown yet. They start as white button mushrooms and transform into creminis as they age, turning brown.
Despite their size, creminis boast a richer flavor compared to their younger counterparts. These common mushrooms can be used similarly to white buttons and even serve as a meat substitute in various dishes.
You can use these kinds of mushrooms in stir-fries, salads, or as a flavorful addition to your favorite recipes to bring a delightful earthy taste.
3. Portobello Mushrooms
Portobello mushrooms are like the big siblings of button mushrooms, sharing the same type but growing larger. They have a similar texture and taste but are much bigger. Think of them as the grown-up version of the familiar button mushroom.
These hefty mushrooms are fantastic for grilling, making them a popular choice as a plant-based substitute for burgers. Their meaty texture and rich flavor make them a versatile option in the kitchen.
You can grill them for a hearty burger alternative or incorporate them into various dishes, this mushroom brings a satisfying element to your meals.
4. Oyster Mushrooms
Oyster mushrooms get their name because they resemble oysters but in a cluster. Picture delicate, chewy clusters with a light color and a mildly sweet aroma. These mushrooms have a tender texture and transform into a meaty consistency when cooked.
Despite their seafood-inspired name, oyster mushrooms are entirely plant-based. Use them in various dishes to add a unique texture and subtle sweetness.
From stir-fries to soups, these mushrooms bring a light and versatile touch to your meals. These mushrooms can also be easily grown at home and yard, making them easily available.
5. King Oyster Mushrooms
These types of yard mushrooms are fantastic for creating meat substitutes in vegetarian or vegan recipes. Known for their robust meaty stems, King Trumpets, or king oyster mushrooms, have sturdy white stems and stout brown caps.
When raw, they're quite mild, but once cooked, they transform into a savory, slightly sweet delight. These mushrooms are a go-to for those seeking a substantial and flavorful addition to their plant-based dishes.
Whether you're sautéing, grilling, or using them in stir-fries, King Oyster mushrooms add a hearty and satisfying touch to your meatless creations.
6. Chanterelle Mushrooms
Chanterelle mushrooms, often in a lovely golden hue (though there's a white variety too), grace specialty stores and farmers' markets during late summer and early fall. Beyond their elegant appearance, these mushrooms boast a unique and rich flavor profile.
Imagine sweet, fruity notes paired with peppery richness – truly one of a kind! While they may be a bit pricey, the culinary experience they offer is worth it. When preparing chanterelles, trim any tough parts from the stems.
So, if you're looking to elevate your late summer or fall dishes, chanterelle mushrooms are a distinctive and flavorful choice to explore.
7. Porcini Mushrooms
Meet Porcini mushrooms, or cèpe in French, with fat cream-colored stems and wide caps in shades from tan to deep brown. The caps and stems are both edible, but the stems are a bit tougher. You'll often find them dried, making them versatile for cooking.
Grind them into a powder for rubs or rehydrate them to add to pasta and sauces. The soaking water can even flavor sauces or soups.
With a rich earthy flavor, this variety of mushrooms brings a delightful depth to your dishes, making them a handy and flavorful addition to your culinary repertoire, especially when you're in the mood for something special.
8. Hedgehog Mushrooms
Hedgehog mushrooms are wild fungi known for tiny spines beneath their caps, resembling teeth. Unlike mushrooms with gills, hedgehogs have firm, chewy textures, and their creamy white stems support caps in shades of tan, golden, or light orange.
These mushrooms offer a sweet, nutty taste with a hint of pepper at the end. Their unique features and delicious flavor make them a sought-after culinary delight.
9. Chestnut Mushrooms
Chestnut Mushrooms get their name from their deep brown color. They're similar to white button mushrooms but have a darker hue. These fungi are often considered by some cooks to have a richer flavor and better texture compared to the standard white buttons, although opinions vary.
Essentially a darker strain of the common mushroom, they add a touch of earthy taste to dishes, making them a versatile ingredient in various recipes.
10. Black Trumpet Mushrooms
Black Trumpet Mushrooms are unique fungi found in late summer in the Midwest and eastern US and throughout winter in the West. Resembling black horns or trumpets, these mushrooms are sometimes called the poor man’s truffle. Their wavy, cone-shaped appearance makes them distinctive.
These mushrooms are a culinary delight, commonly sautéed in butter and enriched with cream for a delicious taste. Despite their humble nickname, black trumpet mushrooms bring a rich and distinctive flavor to dishes, making them a sought-after ingredient for those looking to enhance their culinary creations.
11. Shiitake Mushroom
Shiitake mushrooms, meaning chinquapin mushroom in Japanese, originally grew on decaying wood of chinquapin trees. Nowadays, they're mostly cultivated. Identified by umbrella-shaped brown caps that slightly curl underneath, shiitakes are prevalent in Asian dishes and are praised for their meaty texture, similar to portobellos.
While widely used in Asian cuisine, these mushrooms are also believed to offer health benefits in traditional Asian medicine.
Whether cooked in stir-fries or soups, shiitake mushrooms add a savory and robust flavor, making them a popular choice in both culinary and traditional medicine practices.
12. Morel Mushroom
Morel mushrooms, also called Morchella, are a cherished springtime delicacy in the Midwest and Western US, popping up only in April or May. These conical-shaped fungi are highly coveted and aren't farmed for commercial sale. Families often have secret morel spots where they guard the knowledge of these mushroom havens.
Harvested for their exquisite taste, morels are a fleeting treasure, enjoyed fresh during their brief season or commonly purchased dried. Their unique growth pattern and limited availability contribute to their special status, with enthusiasts eagerly venturing to uncover these hidden gems each year.
13. Enoki Mushroom
Enoki mushrooms, also called enokitake, have small, shiny white caps connected to slender, long stems. These mushrooms offer a mild taste and a unique crunch, making them great for raw consumption.
While they can be cultivated, enoki mushrooms are also found growing naturally on trees like Chinese Hackberry, ash, mulberry, and persimmon. Loved for their delicate appearance and crisp texture, enoki mushrooms are versatile in various dishes.
You can add them to salads or used in soups, their distinct characteristics contribute a delightful and light element to culinary creations, making them a popular mushroom choice.
14. Maitake Mushroom
Maitake mushrooms, or hen of the woods, resemble a cabbage head and are found both in the wild and cultivated. Sold in clusters with overlapping, soft, feathery caps, they have an earthy aroma and a gamey flavor. Native to Japan and the United States, these mushrooms grow naturally east of the Mississippi River in August and September.
Known for their unique appearance and rich taste, maitake mushrooms are a sought-after culinary ingredient. Whether used in stir-fries or soups, their versatility and distinct flavor make them a favorite among those who appreciate the diverse world of mushrooms.
15. Shimeji Mushroom
Shimeji mushrooms, also called white beech mushrooms, originate from East Asia and Northern Europe. These fungi enhance dishes with a rich umami flavor. Unlike some mushrooms, shimeji can taste bitter if eaten raw, so it's best to cook them.
They shine in stir-fries and pair well with seafood or wild game, offering a unique taste to various recipes. Appreciated for their versatility and ability to elevate the savory profile of meals, shimeji mushrooms have become popular in different cuisines.
16. Giant Puffball Mushrooms
Giant Puffball mushrooms can reach impressive sizes, up to 20 kg or 44 lbs, but they are harvested when small for culinary use. Eating mature puffballs, with yellow or brown flesh, can lead to stomach upset due to spore development.
It's crucial to cut them open for verification, as they can be confused with young poisonous mushrooms. The edible mushrooms have a solid white interior, distinguishing them from potentially harmful varieties.
If left to grow to full size, puffballs burst, releasing trillions of spores. Careful identification ensures a safe and enjoyable culinary experience with these intriguing mushrooms.
17. Lion's Mane Mushroom
Lion's Mane mushrooms grow in shaggy clumps on tree sides, resembling cave stalactite formations. Believed to enhance concentration, mood, brain health, immune support, and reduce inflammation, Lion's Mane is unique among medicinal mushrooms as it is also edible.
Its stringy meat texture and sweet, savory flavor, likened to lobster or crab meat, make it a distinctive and palatable culinary choice. Beyond its potential health benefits, Lion's Mane stands out for its versatility, delicious addition to meals, and potential boost to overall well-being.
18. Reishi Mushroom
The reishi or lingzhi mushroom is highly regarded for its medicinal properties and is considered a gold standard among medicinal mushrooms. Being a polypore, it grows on tree sides in a tough, cork-like form that is inedible. While rare in the wild, it is now cultivated on a commercial scale using hardwood logs or sawdust.
Though not all effects have been scientifically proven, reishi is believed to treat fatigue, lower cholesterol, boost the immune system, reduce blood pressure and inflammation, and address lower urinary tract symptoms. Its cultivation allows for wider access to potential health benefits.
19. Lobster Mushroom
Lobster Mushrooms or red mushrooms get their name because of a special mold, Hypomyces Lactifluorom, which makes them red and gives them a unique meaty texture. This mold usually affects another mushroom, Russula, turning it into what we know as lobster mushrooms.
The flavor is often compared to lobster, making them a tasty addition to dishes. So, these mushrooms aren't naturally red, it's the result of a friendly fungus giving them a seafood-like twist.
People enjoy their meaty texture and distinct taste, adding a flavorful touch to various meals, especially in recipes where you might typically use lobster.
20. Matsutake Mushroom
The matsutake mushroom, also called pine mushroom, is not widely known in the West but is highly valued in Chinese, Korean, and Japanese cuisine. Recognizable by its unique spicy odor, matsutake mushrooms can be challenging to locate as they grow under certain trees, often concealed by leaves and brush on the forest floor.
Their scarcity is intensified by wildlife, such as rabbits, deer, and squirrels, who quickly consume them if discovered. Despite their elusive nature, these mushrooms are treasured for their distinct aroma and are sought after for their special place in Asian culinary traditions.
21. Truffle Mushrooms
Truffle mushrooms are edible fungi that grow underground in damp soil, typically near large trees benefiting from the tree's nutrient-rich soil. Found across the globe, truffles are prominent in America, Europe, Africa, and Asia, with Italy, France, and the Pacific Northwest being particularly renowned for their abundance.
These elusive mushrooms, prized for their distinct aroma and rich flavor, are often associated with gourmet cuisine. Truffle hunting, often aided by specially trained dogs or pigs, is a traditional method for harvesting these prized fungi, adding to their mystique and culinary allure.
22. Chicken Of The Woods Mushrooms
Chicken Of The Woods is a vibrant orange mushroom that grows in clusters on tree trunks. Typically deep orange in the center with a lighter hue around the edges, its name is inspired by its chicken-like taste.
Many find its flavor reminiscent of chicken, and it can be cooked similarly, making it a popular meat substitute. This quality makes it especially appealing to vegetarians or vegans seeking a delicious alternative to fried chicken. This striking orange mushroom adds both visual appeal and unique culinary possibilities to meals.
Types Of Poisonous Mushrooms
While most of the 70-80 types of poisonous mushrooms won't cause death, some of them look a lot like mushrooms you can eat, making them particularly dangerous. Let's explore these seriously harmful mushrooms.
Death Cap
- Found throughout Europe.
- Resembles edible straw mushrooms and Caesar’s mushrooms.
- Contains heat-stable amatoxins.
- Symptoms include abdominal pain, vomiting, bloody diarrhea, liver and kidney failure, leading to coma and death.
Conocybe Filaris
- Common in the Pacific Northwest.
- Resembles innocent-looking lawn mushrooms.
- Contains mycotoxins similar to the death cap.
- The onset of symptoms includes gastrointestinal distress, often misdiagnosed as food poisoning or the flu.
- Potential for life-threatening reappearance of symptoms.
Webcaps
- Includes deadly webcap and fool’s webcap.
- Resemble edible varieties.
- Contains Orellana, causing flu-like symptoms.
- Long latency period (2 days to 3 weeks) leading to misdiagnosis.
- Causes kidney failure and death if untreated.
Autumn Skullcap
- Common in the Northern Hemisphere and parts of Australia.
- Wood-rotting mushroom with amatoxins.
- Causes diarrhea, vomiting, hypothermia, and liver damage.
- Can be deadly if left untreated.
Destroying Angels
- All-white mushrooms in the genus Amanita.
- Similar in appearance to edible button mushrooms and meadow mushrooms.
- Includes Amanita bisporigera, considered the most toxic North American mushroom.
- Symptoms include vomiting, delirium, convulsions, diarrhea, liver and kidney failure, often leading to death.
Podostroma Cornu-damae
- Native to Asia.
- Red fruiting bodies containing trichothecene mycotoxins.
- Causes multiple organ failure.
- Symptoms include stomach pain, peeling skin, hair loss, low blood pressure, liver necrosis, and acute kidney failure, leading to death if untreated.
Deadly Dapperling
- Gilled mushrooms containing amatoxins.
- Widely distributed in Europe and parts of Asia.
- Accidental consumption leads to severe liver toxicity and can be lethal if not treated immediately.