10 Best Substitute For Mushrooms

Mushrooms are typically fungi, and aside from being responsible for breaking down organic materials, they also play a unique role in various dishes. If you think you won’t be able to prepare your mushroom dishes without the mushrooms as the main ingredient, this post will prove you wrong. This article will provide you with the finest substitute for mushrooms all over the world.

What Is A Mushroom

Mushrooms are actually fungi that are produced above the ground or on their food source. As an ingredient, edible mushrooms are low in calories and fat-free. They are also a good source of protein, fiber, and other important nutrients like potassium, calcium, vitamin D, copper, riboflavin, niacin, and selenium.

Using mushrooms in your dishes can add texture and enhance umami flavors, making your recipes more delectable and nutritious. Without mushrooms, you’ll probably end up cooking a different recipe that won’t satisfy your mushroom cravings. 

But as mentioned, we have searched for a variety of replacement that can mimic the earthy taste you can get from mushrooms. Most of them are ready-made and are available at your nearest grocery stores or online. If you want to purchase any of the mentioned replacements for mushrooms, simply click the link of the specific alternative.

Best Substitute For Mushrooms

Garbanzo Beans

Garbanzo beans, also known as chickpeas, are also a suitable replacement for mushrooms. The texture of garbanzo beans may not be similar to mushrooms, but its earthy flavor makes it a good alternative. Keep in mind that preparing this substitute is a bit different from mushroom. And unlike mushrooms, garbanzo beans do not reduce in size. Thus, these add density to your meals. Depending on the recipes you are about to cook, preparing these beans may also take longer than mushrooms. There might be a need to cook them separately from the main dish, then add the cooked beans afterwards.

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Sun Dried Tomatoes

Sun dried tomatoes may offer a different flavor to your dish, but it is definitely one of the best mushroom substitutes that you can opt for whenever mushroom isn’t available in your kitchen. Sun dried tomatoes meet the texture of dried mushrooms. Not only do their textures look perfectly the same, but as well as the process of cooking these sun dried tomatoes is similar to mushrooms. Sun dried tomatoes are also a good alternative for those individuals who do not like the taste of the mushrooms or don’t eat mushrooms at all. So whenever dried mushrooms aren’t available, replace mushrooms with sun dried tomatoes which are available at your nearest grocery store or via online.

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Tofu

Tofu is also one of the best substitutes for mushrooms. It is often made from soybeans or soy milk compressed into thick white brick. Tofu offers a mild flavor especially when matched with soy sauce and other condiments. It is a good source of protein and is rich with amino acids and isoflavones. You can use Tofu as a mushroom substitute when preparing stir-fried dishes, and add-ons to soups and stews. Nevertheless, Tofu is the best mushroom substitute for vegan.

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Tempeh

Tempeh is also considered a good replacement for mushrooms. It is a soybean-based form from fermented soybeans. Similar to Tofu, Tempeh is packed and solidified after being fermented. Another reason why one should use Tempeh to replace mushrooms is its meaty taste and firm texture. It offers an intensified and more complex flavor to your dishes due to the fermentation process, just like Tofu and mushrooms. It has an acidic material making it a suitable substitute for mushrooms.

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Eggplant

Eggplant is a vegetable you can often see in your kitchen. From the name itself, eggplants are egg-shaped vegetables with a very thin and purple skin. Because eggplant vegetables are fragile and can easily get bruised and rotten, you need to carefully choose the ones with good quality. The fresh eggplants have a very smooth flesh and have a sweet taste making them a very suitable replacement for mushrooms in your recipe.

Note that eggplant darkens its color after cutting so make sure to soak the cut vegetable in the water prior to cooking.

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Zucchini

Zucchini is also considered as a good mushroom substitute because of its earthy flavor similar to fresh mushrooms. Zucchini is a fresh summer vegetable harvested young and immature to keep its sweet taste and crisp quality. This is one of the mushroom substitutes perfect for those who are on a vegan diet.

Zucchini vegetables are also fibrous and offer a meatier taste to your meal. To have a similar texture and sweet flavors as mushroom, keep the Zucchini skin when using it in your dishes. If you love vegan food or you simply don’t eat meat, try Zucchini in your recipes.

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Onions

Onions can be found all around the world and are commonly used as main ingredients to different dishes. To develop more umami flavor, you can roast the onions before adding them to your recipes. You can use brown onions or leeks as they go well with meat dishes. Onions are slightly sweet in taste. You can brown the onion using butter to mimic the earthy flavor you can get from mushrooms. But since onions lack the taste sensation a mushroom can provide, it is recommended to use this substitute in your recipes along with other ingredients like beef broth or horseradish.

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Russet Potatoes

Russet potatoes are also good substitutes for mushrooms especially in baked and fried dishes. This vegetable has a thick brown skin and dry flesh which is similar to mushroom. The earthiness russet potatoes added to your recipes is way the same as with mushrooms. But make sure to only add enough russet potatoes in your dish as these potatoes are quite stuffy, similar to lentils and chickpeas.

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Brown Rice

Just like onions, brown rice is available worldwide, and therefore, is easy to find. Similar to mushroom, brown rice is used in cooking to add earthiness and savouriness to your dishes. Since pieces of brown rice are small in size, they are a perfect replacement for recipes that require shredded mushrooms. To add savouriness to your dish, try using additives like soy sauce and miso paste.

When preparing a meal like stews and soup, cook the brown rice prior to adding them to your recipe. Basically, this is one of the mushroom substitutes perfect for meat-based meals.

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Lentils

Lentil is also one of the mushroom substitutes you should consider. Unlike garbanzo beans, lentils are easier to use as substitutes for mushrooms in many ways. Though lentils can’t outweigh the earthiness mushroom offers, they can add bulkiness to your food and somehow can fill some flavor gaps. The least you can do to add umaminess to your food when using lentils as mushroom replacement, is to add mustard. Make sure not to add too much lentils to your recipe when replacing them for mushrooms as they can make your meal heavier.

I hope that this list of substitutes for mushrooms will help you refresh your craved dish even with the absence of mushrooms. Definitely, these are great mushroom alternatives you can use in your forthcoming cooking schedule.

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