Magic Mushroom Powder is my secret weapon in my kitchen! Sprinkle this umami-packed, Whole30-friendly seasoning salt on anything to make it delicious!
DIYers: I bet you glanced at my latest Holiday Gift Guide and shook your heads. Sure, there were lots of sleek gadgets and baubles available for purchase, but you want people to feel your love for them in the form of a homemade edible present. A gift you buy at the store just ain’t the same, right?
Perfect DIY Holiday Gift
Well, guess what? I’ve got a quick and fun project that’ll appeal even to folks who are allergic to crafting: adorably labelled jars of my world-famous Magic Mushroom Powder—published here on my site for the very first time! Every crazy-busy caveperson can channel his or her inner Paleo Martha Stewart with this spiced salt blend. It takes only five minutes to make, and we’ve already created awesome printable labels for you.
In other words, you have no excuse not to make this gift.
Why everyone will love Magic Mushroom Powder
For the past few years, Magic Mushroom Powder has been one of the most popular recipes in our Webby-award winning iPad app, and also in our first cookbook (which—by the way—was named by Serious Eats, Powell’s, and America’s Test Kitchen as one of the best cookbooks of the year!). But until now, Magic Mushroom Powder’s been my secret weapon—one I always keep stocked in my kitchen.
As The Oregonian wrote:
We’re always learning new things when we try out recipes in the Foodday Test Kitchen. But every once in a while we discover an ingredient or technique that makes us rethink everything we’ve been doing in the kitchen.
That just happened with Magic Mushroom Powder. It’s a spice blend with a psychedelic-sounding name, and while it has no hallucinogenic powers, it truly is magic, adding much-desired umami to everything it touches.
How do you use it?
Magic Mushroom Powder can be used in place of salt in virtually any dish, adding an immediate flavor punch to everything from scrambled eggs and ground meat to roasted veggies and chicken wings. Even your vegan friends’ll dig it!
You can use it to sprinkle on roasted broccoli, just like Dylan Dreyer of the Today Show! Watch this Today show segment where she names Magic Mushroom Powder her favorite food seasoning!
I’ve scaled up my original recipe so that you can offer 12 of your favorite people the gift of umami. (Of course, your secret’s safe with me if you prefer to just make a humongous jar for yourself.)
Where can you buy Magic Mushroom Powder?
UPDATE: You can purchase Magic Mushroom Powder online at The Spice Lab and on Amazon!
Ready to knock everyone’s holiday stockings off with Magic Mushroom Powder?
Ingredients
- Dried porcini mushrooms: Folks have substituted other dried mushrooms for porcinis, but I think they have the best flavor for this seasoning salt. If you use ground dried porcini mushrooms, just use the equivalent weight (3 ounces).
- Diamond Crystal Kosher salt: This is a seasoning salt so the Magic Mushroom Powder will taste salty—you use it in place of salt in your recipes! However, I specifically use Diamond Crystal kosher salt because it is 53% lower sodium per volume than table salt so adjust accordingly if you use a different brand or type of salt.
- Red pepper flakes: adds a smidge of heat to the seasoning blend, but it doesn’t make it very spicy.
- Dried thyme
- Freshly ground black pepper
How to make Magic Mushroom Powder
Measure out all your ingredients.
In my original recipe, I used a spice grinder to pulverize the mushrooms—but to blitz this larger amount of dried porcinis, you’d be wise to use a higher-volume food processor or super-powered blender.
Dump your dried ’shrooms in the food processor and pulse a few times to chop them up uniformly. If the lid of your food processor isn’t on tight, a fine mist of mushroom dust will erupt from the crack, so check the seal before you continue blitzing.
Next, turn the processor on for 2 minutes or as long as it takes for the mushrooms to break down into a fine powder. (If you use a super-charged blender like a Vitamix, you’ll finish in less time.)
Warning: Do not open the container immediately after switching off your processor. A mushroom cloud will literally explode out of the top and you’ll find yourself coughing up Magic Mushroom Powder for the next few minutes. Instead, be patient and let the powder settle before you open it.
In a large bowl, combine the powdered mushrooms, salt…
…red pepper flakes, dried thyme…
…and freshly cracked black pepper.
Stir well to combine.
Once the red pepper flakes are evenly distributed, you’re all set!
If you’re packaging this magical seasoning salt for your friends, print a set of labels on a full sheet of sticker paper. Carefully cut them out and stick them on 12 mini jars.
Scoop out a scant ⅓ cup of the Magic Mushroom Powder, and place it on a piece of parchment paper. Pull up the sides of the parchment and use it as a funnel to transfer the seasoning salt into each jar.
Voilà!
Add a gift tag if you’re feeling fancy—and then hand out jars of umami-packed mushroom dust like some deranged fungus-loving Santa!
Wondering how to use Magic Mushroom Powder? Simply use it in place of Diamond Crystal kosher salt (in a 1:1 ratio) in all of your favorite recipes!
Need more ideas on how to use Magic Mushroom Powder?
- Sheet Pan Chicken and Veggies (Ratatouille-style)
- Umami Roast Chicken
- Instant Pot Magic Short Ribs
- Instant Pot Magic Pork
- Instant Pot Cream of Mushroom Soup
- Magic Crown Roast of Pork
- Magic Wings
- Air Fryer Cracklin’ Chicken
- Easy Paleo Meatloaf
- Carrot Cardamom Soup
- Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
- Sheet Pan Meatballs and Broccolini
- Baked Kale Chips
- Asian Meatballs
- Instant Pot Oxtail Stew
- Instant Pot Zucchini Bolognese
- Sheet Pan Chicken and Mushrooms
- Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup
- Instant Pot Meat Sauce
- Instant Pot Cheater Pork Stew
- Eggs in Purgatory
- Easy Umami Oven Roasted Tomatoes
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2022).
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
Magic Mushroom Powder
Ingredients
- 3 ounces dried porcini mushrooms
- 2 cups Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Measure out all your ingredients.
- In my original recipe, I used a spice grinder to pulverize the mushrooms—but to blitz this larger amount of dried porcinis, you’d be wise to use a higher-volume food processor or super-powered blender.
- Dump your dried ’shrooms in the food processor and pulse a few times to chop them up uniformly. If the lid of your food processor isn’t on tight, a fine mist of mushroom dust will erupt from the crack, so check the seal before you continue blitzing.
- Next, turn the processor on for 2 minutes or as long as it takes for the mushrooms to break down into a fine powder. (If you use a super-charged blender like a Vitamix, you’ll finish in less time.)
- In a large bowl, combine the powdered mushrooms, salt, red pepper flakes, dried thyme, and freshly cracked black pepper. Stir well to mix thoroughly. Once the red pepper flakes are evenly distributed, you’re all set!
- If you’re packaging this magical seasoning salt for your friends, print a set of labels on a full sheet of sticker paper. Carefully cut them out and stick them on 12 mini jars.
- Scoop out a scant ⅓ cup of the Magic Mushroom Powder, and place it on a piece of parchment paper. Pull up the sides of the parchment and use it as a funnel to transfer the seasoning salt into each jar.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Is it okay to substitute 3 oz powdered porcini mushrooms? They are cheaper on Amazon, and since I’m going to make them into powder anyway, it would save me some money. It’s almost $30 for 3 oz of the Oregon whole dried you have linked in the ingredient list. I didn’t know if the flavor would not be the same with buying them already powdered. Would love your opinion. Thanks!
You can use 3 ounces of powdered porcini mushrooms! They should work if you’re buying a high quality product from a reputable seller.
I can looking to see if someone else asked the same and you did not disappoint! How did it turn out using the powdered?
Hello. You know, I somehow never tried to dry mushrooms. Need to try. But to eat mushroom soup with dried mushrooms, it was very tasty. Thank you very much for your advice, I will take your advice.
Delicious recipe. I use any wild foraged mushrooms that I have picked and dried myself (like black chanterelles or oyster mushrooms), and now I am going to try using sea salt that I have gathered as well. I give this for Christmas gifts to family and everyone loves it. Thanks for the awesome recipe.
Question: since I use my own dried mushrooms and don’t have a food scale, what would be the ratio (in cups) of the powdered mushroom mix to salt?
Thanks again!
Hi, I’m a bit late to the party, but question- any suggestions in tweaking this for a more asian flair? while this works for things like fried rice, sometimes the thyme and oregano are a bit much when it comes to other things like stews and soups. my ideal would be to find something that is a solid substitute for Hondashi, minus the msg.
I have an Umami Stir-Fry Powder recipe that uses shiitake mushrooms and Asian spices in my latest cookbook, Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! You can also buy the spice blend here: https://a.co/d/4lAOVzR
Can we used any dried shiitake mushrooms from an Asian market instead of porcini? Is there a need to clean it?
You can use dried shiitake mushrooms but the flavor won’t be the same. I don’t normally clean them because I use MMP in my cooked dishes.
I finally ran out of Michelle’s Magic Mushroom Powder that I bought from Whole Foods. I made a new batch and it is just as good and incredibly easy to make. I love how your recipes are so easy to follow.
The linked mushrooms in this recipe are out of stock on Amazon. Is there another brand you like/recommend? I’m not sure what to look for to get a ‘clean’ mushroom. Thanks.
I buy Fungus Amongus or Mycologica brand normally.
It’s possible that those commenting on the saltiness are not using Diamond kosher salt. Morton kosher salt, for example, has smaller grains of salt, so two cups of that would be overwhelming (almost twice as much). Salt conversion tables are available on the Internet.
Yes, the brand of salt makes a big difference! Also, MMP is a seasoning salt so it should be salty!
Hi Michelle – I love your Magic Mushroom Powder. I just wanted to double check with you on two things
1. how do you deal with the embedded dirt/grit on the unwashed dried mushrooms ?
2. is the magic mushroom powder only using during the cooking process or can it be used in place of salt and pepper as a seasoning to to sprinkle over my food at the table ?
I don’t worry too much about the dirt or grit because I normally only use Magic Mushroom Powder during the cooking process. I think the cooking helps mellow out the sharper flavors from the porcini mushrooms.
This is my go to seasoning. I love the nom nom sounds from my family when they eat it.
I cut the salt in half and it is PLENTY salty. If an individual wants their dish saltier, they can add more.
The next time I make this recipe I will be using Redmond Real Salt, though, so I’ll probably have to tweak the salt content again.
I’m also going to use White Pepper to reduce oxalates.