Sauteed mushrooms cooked in garlic butter until golden brown! Serve with steak, chicken, on burgers, or serve as an easy holiday side dish!
These sauteed mushrooms are full of garlic butter flavor and is perfect when served with steak and onions or as a holiday side during Thanksgiving or Christmas!
This simple and easy method of twice cooking the mushrooms is the best way to cook mushrooms because it guarantees that they're not soggy, but rather have a delicious meaty texture and a savory, concentrated umami flavor.
You'll end up with perfect, caramelized, golden brown, sauteed mushrooms that are just like the ones you get at the steakhouse! I make this every time we have steak and it's gone in no time!
Best of all, it's ready in only 15 minutes!
Why this recipe works
- Twice sauteed mushrooms - The first saute drains excess liquid from the mushrooms so they don't get soggy. The second saute concentrates their flavors and gives it that golden brown caramelization that makes these irresistible and delicious!
- Low carb and keto friendly - this can easily be adapted to be dairy free and vegan! Simply replace the butter with more cooking oil or add plant based butter or coconut oil.
- Meaty texture - drawing out and concentrating the liquid from the mushrooms give it a meaty texture that's opposite of being soggy.
- Make ahead - you can make this a day in advance and reheat in the pan or in the microwave.
Ingredients you'll need
- Mushrooms - any variety works. I used baby portobello or crimini mushrooms.
- Flavorings - Worcestershire, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, or cooking wine are all great flavors to add.
How to make sauteed mushrooms
- Wash and prep your mushrooms. It's okay to wash mushrooms with water as we'll be reducing or draining any liquid that's been absorbed.
- Cut any large mushrooms in half and leave the others whole. Mushrooms can shrink quite a bit when cooked so I like to leave them on the larger size.
- Dry saute the mushrooms - Heat a pan over medium high heat and add just the mushrooms to the pan. Stir occasionally. They will start to release liquid after 3 to 4 minutes.
- Either drain the liquid or reduce it until the pan is dry. Evaporating the liquid will give you a concentrated umami flavor that's full of mushroom flavor.
- Second saute - Add the oil, butter, garlic, and any other flavoring. Saute the mushrooms until they get golden brown.
- Serve - Garnish with chopped parsley and serve immediately.
Substitutions and Variations
- Add more vegetables like onions, spinach, or peppers when sauteing the mushrooms with the butter and garlic.
- Make it spicy - add a pinch of chili pepper flakes for a bit of heat.
- To make it vegan, replace the butter with plant based butter, coconut oil, or substitute with cooking oil.
- Flavorings - some options are worcestershire, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, or cooking wine. I've tried all of these flavorings and they all taste delicious!
Expert tips and tricks
- If you're in a hurry, drain the excess liquid from the mushrooms instead of reducing it down. Use the mushroom broth in soups or stews.
- Wait until the liquid is completely evaporated in the pan or drain it well before adding the butter and garlic. This will help prevent the mushrooms from getting soggy.
- To get a golden brown sear on the mushrooms, place them cut side down on the pan and leave them alone for a few minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! It's fine to wash mushrooms as it's been shown they don't absorb as much water as once thought. Just avoid soaking them in water. If you're still hesitant, you can wipe off any dirt with a damp paper towel.
Mushrooms contain a lot of moisture and when cooked, they release a lot of their liquid.
To prevent them from getting soggy, this recipe uses the twice cooked method. First, dry sauteing the mushrooms gets them to release their liquid so it can either be drained or reduced. Then, once the mushrooms are no longer soggy, we saute them again with butter, garlic, and any other flavorings to get them golden brown.
Dry saute means to cook an ingredient in a pan with no oil, butter, or water. Dry sauteing mushrooms is a wonderful way to intensify their flavor and texture.
Simply add the mushrooms to a pan heated over medium high heat and don't add any oil, butter, or water.
The first round of cooking mushrooms removes any excess liquid from the mushrooms. This liquid can be drained and saved for other recipes or it can be reduced until the liquid is gone.
The second round of cooking sears the mushrooms so they get a golden brown color. You can also add additional flavors like garlic and butter during the second saute. You'll end up with a delicious concentrated umami flavor and a wonderfully meaty texture without any sogginess.
Serve with the following:
- Asian Chimichurri Steak | Foolproof Asian Flank Steak Marinade
- Easy Grilled Pork Chops with Savory Marinade
- Panda Express String Bean Chicken Breast Copycat
- Instant Pot Korean Short Ribs
- Easy Chicken Pot Pie with Puff Pastry
- Healthy And Easy Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Recipe
More mushroom recipes to try:
Sauteed Mushrooms with Garlic Butter
☑ Ingredients
- 2 lb mushrooms* - - use any variety; cut big ones in half
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 Tablespoon avocado oil
- 3 cloves garlic - - minced
- chopped parsley or other herbs - - for garnish
- salt and pepper - - to taste
Optional Flavoring (Choose ONE of the following):
- 1½ Tablespoons worchesterchire sauce - OR
- 1½ Tablespoons balsamic vinegar - OR
- 1½ Tablespoons soy sauce - OR
- 1½ Tablespoons white wine
Instructions
- Wash and prep the mushrooms. Cut any large mushrooms in half so that they are all relatively the same size.
- Heat a pan over medium high heat and add only the mushrooms in a single layer. Stir occasionally and wait for the mushrooms to release their liquid, about 3 to 4 minutes.Either drain the liquid or let it continue to reduce until it's evaporated. This will give you a concentrated mushroom flavor that's full of umami. Removing this liquid is key to getting a golden brown sear.
- Once the liquid is drained or evaporated, add the oil, butter, garlic, and any flavoring (worchestershire, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, or white wine). Continue to saute until the mushrooms turn a golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.
✎ Recipe Notes
- Leftovers - Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheating - reheat in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time until warmed through.
- Dry saute means to cook in a pan without adding any oil, butter, or water. Add just the ingredient you're cooking to the pan. This method is great for mushrooms since mushrooms release so much of their own liquid during the dry saute. Removing this liquid is key to getting a nice golden brown sear.
- Mushroom variety - Any mushrooms work with this recipe, I used baby portobello mushrooms, also called crimini mushrooms. Button mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, chanterelles, procini, or shiitake mushrooms would be great too.
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is an estimate, calculated using online tools.
Shawn Ellsworth
I have always loved to serve sautéed mushrooms with steak. I would watch them change consistency as they cooked and I had inconsistent results. I tried your technique of dry sautéing them and used minced garlic, butter and a splash of Worcester sauce and salt for the second sauté after the liquids were all dried up. They were incredibly delicious and this is my new go to recipe. Thank you for sharing!
Jamie
Thanks Shawn! I'm so glad you like the twice cook technique. It's my go to way of cooking mushrooms too. 🙂