Dried Lion's Mane mushrooms: how to rehydrate, cook and store them

How to rehydrate dried Lion's Mane

1. Soak: cover the dried pieces with warm (not boiling) water. Leave for 20 to 30 minutes, until they’re soft all the way through. Thick pieces take longer.
2. Keep the water: pour it through a fine sieve or a coffee filter to catch any grit. It’s a good mushroom stock for soups, sauces and risotto.
3. Squeeze: press the pieces gently to get the water out. Lion’s Mane holds a lot of water, and if you skip this it steams instead of browning.
4. Cook: treat it like fresh Lion’s Mane from here.

Dried mushrooms shrink a lot when they’re dried, so a small handful of dried pieces goes a long way once soaked.

How to cook it

• Pan-fried: a hot pan, a little oil, then butter, garlic and thyme at the end. Press the pieces down so they brown. This is the best way to get the texture people compare to crab or scallop.
• Roasted: toss in oil and salt, 20 minutes at 200°C, turning once.
• In liquid: straight into soups, stews and risotto after soaking; no need to brown first.

Always cook Lion’s Mane rather than eating it raw.

Four recipes

Lion's Mane risotto

Soften an onion in butter, add 300 g of arborio rice and stir for a minute. Add a glass of white wine, then the strained soaking water and hot stock a ladle at a time, stirring, for about 18 minutes. Meanwhile pan-fry your rehydrated Lion’s Mane until golden. Stir most of it into the rice with Parmesan and a knob of butter; put the rest on top.

Lion's Mane “steaks”

Use the largest rehydrated pieces. Squeeze them well, press them flat in a hot pan with oil under a heavy pan or plate, and cook 4 to 5 minutes a side until deeply browned. Finish with butter, garlic and lemon. Good with mash or in a bun.

Lion's Mane soup

Soften onion, celery and garlic, add the rehydrated Lion’s Mane, a potato and the strained soaking water topped up with stock. Simmer 20 minutes and blend. Finish with cream or a spoon of crème fraîche and black pepper.

Lion's Mane stroganoff

Brown the rehydrated Lion’s Mane and set aside. Soften onion and garlic, add a spoon of paprika and a splash of the soaking water, then stir in sour cream and a little mustard. Return the mushroom, warm through, and serve over rice or tagliatelle.

How to store dried Lion's Mane

• Airtight: a sealed jar or zip bag. Damp is what spoils dried mushrooms.
• Cool, dark and dry: a cupboard, not above the cooker.
• About a year: after that it’s safe if it’s been kept dry, but it loses flavour.
• Once soaked, keep it in the fridge and use it within two days.

Dried Lion's Mane vs fresh vs supplements

	Fresh	Dried	Supplement (drops or capsules)
Best for	cooking, best texture	cooking, keeps for months	a measured daily amount
Shelf life	a few days in the fridge	about a year	see the label (our drops: 24 months)
Where to find it in Ireland	farmers’ markets and some grocers, in season	health food shops and online	online and health food shops

If you want Lion’s Mane as a daily supplement rather than an ingredient, see our Lion’s Mane range and the Lion’s Mane dosage guide.

Questions people ask

Can you eat Lion's Mane raw?

It’s best cooked. Cooking makes it easier to digest and gives it its texture.

What does Lion's Mane taste like?

Mild and slightly sweet, often compared to crab, lobster or scallop when pan-fried.

Can I grind dried Lion's Mane into powder?

Yes, in a spice grinder, for soups, sauces and smoothies.