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What can I use instead of cremini mushroom?

The common cultivated mushroom, sold white as a button or brown as a cremini — the same species at different maturities. About 8 oz gives 3 cups sliced.

What it does in a recipe: A savoury, meaty umami vegetable that releases a great deal of water before it can brown. Pick the swap that covers that job — the ratios below are written so you can act on them without doing any arithmetic.

Also called: Button mushroom, Chestnut mushroom, Baby bella

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Quick answer

Shiitake mushrooms, stems removed

8 oz cremini mushrooms (about 3 cups sliced) = 8 oz fresh shiitake caps, sliced

All substitutes, best first

4 ways to replace cremini mushroom

Shiitake mushrooms, stems removed

Reliable
8 oz cremini mushrooms (about 3 cups sliced) = 8 oz fresh shiitake caps, sliced

Shiitake hold less water and far more glutamate, so they brown more readily and taste considerably more savoury for the same weight.

MethodDiscard the stems, which stay woody however long you cook them, or save them for stock.

Trade-offMuch more assertive and slightly smoky. In a delicate cream sauce they will dominate.

CookingSaucesFryingVeganVegetarianGluten-freeDairy-freeEgg-freeNut-freeSoy-freeAlcohol-free

Dried mushrooms, rehydrated

Reliable
8 oz fresh cremini (about 3 cups sliced) = 1 1/2 oz dried mushrooms, soaked in 1 cup hot water for 20 to 30 minutes

Drying removes about nine tenths of the weight as water, so a small quantity reconstitutes to roughly the original volume with a much deeper flavour.

MethodStrain the soaking liquid through a coffee filter to catch the grit and use it in the dish — it holds most of the flavour that came out of the mushrooms.

Trade-offThe texture is softer and slightly slippery, never fully firm again, and the flavour is far more concentrated.

CookingSaucesVeganVegetarianGluten-freeDairy-freeEgg-freeNut-freeSoy-freeAlcohol-free

Aubergine, diced

In a pinch
8 oz cremini mushrooms (about 3 cups sliced) = 1 small aubergine, diced, about 3 cups

Aubergine has a similarly spongy cell structure that collapses and soaks up fat, which gives a stew the same soft, meaty body mushrooms would.

MethodSalt the dice for twenty minutes and blot dry, then brown in a generous amount of oil, since aubergine drinks fat far faster than mushroom does.

Trade-offNone of the earthy umami — you get texture without savour. Adding a splash of soy sauce or a spoon of miso closes some of that gap.

CookingSaucesVeganVegetarianGluten-freeDairy-freeEgg-freeNut-freeSoy-freeAlcohol-free

Canned mushrooms, drained

In a pinch
8 oz fresh cremini (about 3 cups sliced) = one 4 oz can sliced mushrooms, drained

They are pre-cooked and already shrunk to roughly the volume fresh mushrooms would reach after sautéing, so a small can matches a large punnet.

Trade-offSoft, faintly metallic and impossible to brown. Fine buried in a pie filling, poor anywhere the mushrooms are visible.

CookingVeganVegetarianGluten-freeDairy-freeEgg-freeNut-freeSoy-freeAlcohol-free

Worth knowing

Mushrooms are about ninety percent water and it all has to leave before browning starts. Give them room in a hot pan, do not stir for the first few minutes, and salt only after they have coloured.

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Cooking around an allergy? Diet tags here describe the ingredient itself, not any particular brand. Processed products change formulation without notice and shared production lines are common, so read the label on everything you use. A severe allergy is a medical matter — confirm with the manufacturer or your clinician rather than relying on a substitution chart.