12 Mushroom Substitutes

Probably the best substitute for mild flavored mushrooms, garbanzo beans – or chickpeas – do a great job of adding bulk to a dish while matching the subtle earthy, nutty flavor of mushrooms.

Adding garbanzo beans in place of mushrooms to hearty stews, soups or casseroles would work well, as would frying them with a splash of soy sauce and serving on a bed of wilted spinach or crispy kale. 

Brilliantly versatile, full of protein and you can even eat them plain as a healthy snack… what’s not to like?

Replace mushrooms with garbanzo beans at a like for like ratio. They work particularly well as an alternative to porcini, chestnut or plain button mushrooms. Add extra pepper and some earthy herbs like oregano, rosemary or thyme for extra flavor.

The go-to choice for most vegans looking for a meat substitute, tofu is also one of the best substitutes for mushrooms. Actually, it probably works better as a mushroom alternative, as it has a similar texture and mild flavor, while it can soak up other flavors in the dish.

Like mushrooms, tofu works best when fried on a high heat, particularly with a splash of soy sauce, for example. This allows it brown on the outside, taking on a savory/sweet taste. Once it’s crisped on the outside, cook for a few more minutes so that it softens on the inside.

Tofu is the perfect mushroom replacement in stir-fries. Substitute for mushrooms at a 1:1 ratio. Check out this awesome Salt and Pepper Tofu recipe. Mushrooms can easily take its place!

When it comes to a substitute for portobello mushrooms, seitan is as good as it gets. Made almost entirely from wheat gluten, seitan is low in carbs and high in protein, which has made a favorite among vegans as a meat alternative.

It brings an earthy taste and solid texture that’s very similar to mushrooms like portobello, making it a perfect stand in for stews, casseroles and any slow-cooked dishes. You can also stir fry it in the same way as tofu. 

Like tofu and mushrooms, seitan takes on the taste of the flavors around it. It can be chewy and dense, much like beef, portobello or porcini mushrooms. 

While seitan makes a fantastic mushroom substitute, it’s quite expensive and might be hard to find. 

Still, if you want to make a special recipe that calls for mushrooms and you’re cooking for someone with a mushroom allergy or someone who doesn’t like mushrooms, it might well be worth getting hold of some seitan. Try your nearest Asian food store or international supermarket.

Again, swap in seitan for mushrooms at a like for like ratio. 

This sponge-like vegetable makes for one of the better mushroom substitutes, soaking up and retaining the other flavors in the dish and adding extra bulk, particularly in casseroles and stews.

As it soaks up other flavors, rather than bringing its own taste to the table, zucchini is similar to mushrooms on the milder end of the scale, like white mushrooms and chestnut mushrooms. 

So, if you’re looking to replace stronger, earthier types like shiitake or portobello, go for a different alternative with a stronger flavor.

When using zucchini as a substitute for mushrooms, remove the moisture content by sprinkling salt on the flesh, then leaving to ‘sweat’ for up to 30 minutes. This will prevent them turning soggy during the cooking process.

Swap zucchini for mushroom at a 1:1 ratio.

Eggplant – or aubergine if you’re outside the States or Canada – makes an excellent substitute for mushrooms. This is because it acts like a big flavor sponge in the same way as mushrooms, soaking up all the flavors around it.

Eggplant works well in fried dishes, where it can take on the taste of the other ingredients. Like mushrooms, eggplants like big flavors – think soy sauce, miso, garlic and any other kinds of umami ingredients. 

When using as a substitute for mushrooms, peel the eggplant and dice into small pieces. To remove some of the moisture from eggplants, sprinkle it with salt and leave it to ‘sweat’ for around 30 minutes before cooking. This way, you’ll end up with a firmer texture when cooked.

A fantastic soybean-based ingredient typically found in Indonesian cuisine, tempeh is a great mushroom substitute, particularly in terms of its texture.

It’s kind of like tofu, except it keeps its form when cooked, making it particularly good in stews and soups. Like mushrooms, tempeh acts like a sponge, soaking up all the flavors from the ingredients around it.

The drawback? It’s pretty tricky to track down. Try your nearest international food store or Asian supermarket.

If you manage to find tempeh, you’ll discover a delicious, versatile ingredient that’s not only one of the best mushroom substitutes, but can work well in such a wide variety of recipes, from soups and stews to stir-fries and noodle dishes. Or simply fry with soy sauce for a heavenly snack!

Replace mushrooms with tempeh at a 1:1 ratio.

While this one might seem way out of left-field, bear with me! Instead of bringing big juicy acidity to a dish, like standard tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes are known for their earthy flavor and can really help to add a different dimension to sauces and stews. 

This makes them a good alternative to more fully-flavored mushrooms like porcini and shiitake.

So, if a recipe calls for mushrooms and you’re not a fan of the taste, give sun-dried tomatoes a go. They’ll add a richness of flavor that’ll make you want to reach for them every time! 

Add 4-5 sun-dried tomatoes per 50g of porcini or shiitake.

Another ingredient that brings a big earthy flavor, lentils make a decent substitute for mushrooms when other alternatives aren’t available. With a mild nuttiness, lentils have a similar flavor that can blend into a stew or casserole, adding extra bulk without taking over the taste.

Use green, brown or puy lentils in place of mushrooms like button or chestnut, and opt for black beluga lentils for the likes of shiitake, porcini and oyster. Add lentils in place of mushrooms at a like for like ratio.

When it comes to absorbing flavor and soaking up cooking liquid, russet potatoes are excellent. This makes them an ideal alternative to mushrooms in fried and roasted recipes.

Sure, they won’t bring that earthy flavor – you’ll have to account for that with other ingredients – but chop up some russet potatoes and throw them in the mix and you’ll have a good replacement for milder, ‘spongy’ mushrooms.

Avoid using russet potatoes as substitutes for mushrooms in stir-fries or soy recipes. Instead stick to using them as an alternative in hearty stews and casseroles. 

Replace mushrooms with russet potatoes at a 1:1 ratio.

A fruit as a mushroom substitute? Well, technically we’ve already had one in this list (looking at you sun-dried tomato) and besides, the texture and taste of a jackfruit has very little in common with most fruits.

So, while it may be a fruit (the largest fruit in the world actually) it’s often used as a savory ingredient.

In fact, the texture of the jackfruit has been compared to pork and chicken. It has a stringy consistency that has made it a new favorite for vegans looking for a meat alternative.

It’s this stringy consistency that also makes it work as a stand in for certain types of mushroom, like shiitake, especially when added to slow-cooked stews and casseroles.

Jackfruit is best when unripe, as it has a pretty neutral flavor. If you can’t find them fresh in international stores, you’ll be able to get ready cooked canned jackfruit. 

Try adding it in place of mushrooms to a Vietnamese or Chinese stir-fry. You’ll discover one of the most unusual mushroom substitutes, that also works great as a meat alternative.

Other good mushroom substitutes, at a pinch, are beans. They can bring bulk to a hearty stew or casserole, while adding an earthy flavor that doesn’t take over the dish.

Pinto beans are good, as they have a subtle richness and a mild nutty, earthy flavor that replicates many types of mushroom.

Other beans that would also work in place of mushrooms in stew and casserole recipes include cannellini beans, navy beans, pinto beans and kidney beans.

Swap at a like for like ratio.

Finally, if you’re looking for that earthy umami flavor, you could always add some miso. Made from fermented soybeans, as well as other ingredients that include rice and barley, miso is an excellent addition to stir-fries and soups.

Miso makes a particularly good alternative to stronger tasting mushrooms, like shiitake or other Japanese mushrooms. 

Use one teaspoon of miso per 50g of mushrooms.