Mushrooms are incredible flavor powerhouses, adding in a kick of savory goodness wherever they’re added. Elevate your home cooking by adding in this easy homemade mushroom powder for an extra umami boost. Not only is it delicious and nutritious, but it can also be made from food scraps that you’re probably throwing away!

MUSHROOM POWDER’S ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS

Purchasing mushrooms loose in bulk cuts down on excess packaging going into landfills or oceans, especially when using Reusable Produce Bags
Buying pre-packaged and convenience food from fast food chains or grocery stores promotes the use of single use containers, utensils, napkins, and more that’ll end up in landfills and oceans, whereas making the same meal at home makes single use items obsolete
Mushrooms are incredible powerhouses in the agricultural world, as they take little land to grow, rely on waste & by products for feed, require little water, and provide a great plant-based alternative to high-emission meats

Zero-Waste Mushroom Powder

Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Dry Time: 3-5 Hours

Ingredients & Tools:

1-2 cups Mushroom Scraps (Stems, Pieces, or Whole Mushrooms)

Low-temp oven or dehydrator

Spice grinder (coffee grinder or mortar & pestle)

Clean Spice Jar (reused from previous spices)

Funnel (optional)

Instructions:

COLLECT: Start by saving any typically discarded mushroom bits when cooking. This can be tough mushroom stems, slimy aging mushrooms, dry chewy bits, or even whole mushrooms. Place these into a Muslin Produce Bag or other container in the freezer while collecting over a few days or weeks (no need to make the container airtight, as freezer burn will not impact the final powder).

PREPARE: Once enough mushroom bits & pieces have been saved, take the frozen or fresh mushrooms and lay them out flat on a baking sheet lined with a Reusable Silicone Baking Mat. It’s okay if the mushrooms are still frozen into chunks, they’ll thaw while dehydrating. Place the mushrooms into a dehydrator or oven set to the lowest setting and dry for 1 hour.

DRY: After 1 hour or so, check the mushrooms. If there are any large pieces of mushrooms or previously frozen clumps, break up any groupings and rip the mushrooms into smaller pieces to speed up the dehydrating process. Continue drying for another 2-4 hours, or until the mushrooms are shrunken and fully dried. Test a mushroom’s doneness by allowing it to cool slightly and then snapping it in half. If done, it should break like a chip or pretzel. If it bends or is still gummy, continue drying. Don’t be tempted to turn up the temperature to speed up the drying process, this can lead burnt mushrooms which will ruin the final flavor.

ENJOY: Once dried, take the mushrooms out of the oven or dehydrator and allow to cool to room temperature. Move the dehydrated mushroom chunks to a spice grinder, clean coffee grinder, or mortar and pestle. Grind until it reaches a fine powdery consistency and no chunks remain. Transfer the powder into a clean spice jar, using a funnel if needed, then label and store in a cool dry cabinet for up to 6 months.

Notes:

Types of Mushrooms — There are tons of mushroom varieties that you can find at your local supermarkets, farmers markets, and specialty shops online, and all of them would be great for this mushroom powder! While any mushrooms can be used for powder, we recommend using any stems, woody pieces, and other bits that might typically be cut off and discarded. Mushrooms with large stalks like Oysters make a great addition, since the base is often too tough to eat fresh but still full of delicious flavor.

Clumping Powder — If you made the powder a few days ago and the mixture is now clumping in the jar, no worries! This just means that there was a little moisture left in the mushrooms before they were ground up. You can remove the lid from the jar and set in a sunny spot for 1-2 days or spread the powder out on a flat dish and place in a warm oven to further dry out.

Drying Tips — When dehydrating any foods or herbs, it’s advised to go low and slow to get the best results. Drying anything with a low heat gives it the necessary time to draw out all the moisture without cooking the items, whereas high heat can leave the outside burnt with moisture still trapped inside. Not only will this ruin the flavor of the item, but the moisture will significantly limit the food’s shelf stability.

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