Sautéed Mushrooms

Key Ingredients

You’ll find the full list of ingredients in the recipe card below, but here are some notes to keep in mind.

• Mushrooms. Earthy and savory, mushrooms pair nicely with just about any type of main dish. (Need more mushroom sides? You’ll love Roasted Mushrooms.)
• Olive Oil + Butter. I use both oil and butter for a dynamic duo that pairs searing (oil) with rich, satisfying flavor (butter). (I also use both in my Sauteed Spinach.)
• Garlic. Garlic and mushrooms are besties. The garlic plays especially nicely with the butter.
• Soy Sauce. I love the unexpected background touch of umami soy sauce lends the mushrooms. You could also use Worcestershire.
• Balsamic Vinegar. As with the marinade in these Grilled Portobello Mushrooms, the lightly sweet acidity of balsamic is a divine mushroom pairing. It balances the butteriness and gives depth to the mushrooms.
• Fresh Thyme. For a beautiful presentation and a tasty touch of fresh herb flavor, I like to use a bit of woodsy fresh thyme. Fresh parsley or rosemary are also excellent herbs for sautéed mushrooms.

Recipe Variations

• Red Wine Mushrooms. Omit the soy sauce and balsamic vinegar, swapping in 2 tablespoons of red wine. This enhances the savory flavor of the mushrooms. You don’t need to use anything special, but select a wine that you like to drink. You can make sautéed mushrooms with white wine, too.
• Balsamic Mushrooms. Increase the amount of balsamic vinegar in this recipe to 2 to 3 teaspoons.
• Parmesan Mushrooms. Finish your sautéed mushrooms with a shower of freshly grated Parmesan cheese just before serving.
• Extra Garlic Mushrooms. As written, these sautéed mushrooms are quite garlicky. That said, if you’d like to up the garlic factor further, feel free to add 1 to 2 additional cloves. You could even add a splash of lemon juice here!

My Tips for the BEST Sautéed Mushrooms

The secret to perfectly browned—not soggy—sautéed mushrooms is a hot pan, plenty of space, and patience.

• Don’t crowd the pan. Arrange the mushrooms in a single layer when possible. If your skillet is crowded, cook them in two batches so they sauté instead of steam.
• Let them sit. Cook the mushrooms undisturbed for the first 4 to 5 minutes so they can develop a deep golden-brown crust, then stir occasionally.
• Cook off the liquid. Mushrooms release a lot of water. Keep cooking until that liquid evaporates before adding the soy sauce, balsamic, and garlic.
• Add garlic near the end. This keeps it from burning while the mushrooms brown.

How to Serve Sautéed Mushrooms

• These simple sautéed mushrooms are great for pairing with just about any main dish, from Grilled Pork Chops to Air Fryer Salmon.
• You also can use them as a filling for a yummy Air Fryer Grilled Cheese or add them to the Roasted Cauli Broccoli Grilled Cheese in my cookbook.
• Use sautéed mushrooms for burgers, like Blue Cheese Burgers or try on a sandwich—hello, Steak Sandwich.
• Yep, sautéed mushrooms for pasta are also delish. They’re the star in Mushroom Pasta, and great with this Butternut Squash Pasta and Turkey Bolognese.
• Upgrade pizza night with scrumptious sautéed mushrooms. Add them to your homemade pizzas made with Broccoli Pizza Crust or Whole Wheat Pizza Dough.