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You have options if you can’t find cremini mushrooms! Here are the best cremini mushroom substitutes to use in your cooking.
Cremini mushrooms, also known as baby bella mushrooms, are small edible fungi with a round brown top and a robust savory flavor. They’re the same variety as white button mushrooms, but a stage older, so their flavor is more developed.
They’re also a younger version of a portobello mushroom, the most meaty and savory mushroom of them all. All of that overlap means you have some easy substitutes available to you if you’re not able to find cremini mushrooms for your recipe!
Best cremini mushroom substitutes
Before I start, remember that cremini mushrooms are the same as baby bella mushrooms. If you’re at the store and can only find baby bellas, they’re one and the same. You don’t need a substitute! Grab a package of baby bellas and you’re done.
Now, here are a few true substitutes for cremini mushrooms.
1. White mushrooms (button mushrooms)
The best cremini mushroom substitutes are white mushrooms, otherwise known as button mushrooms. White mushrooms are the same variety as cremini mushrooms, just a stage younger in development.
This means white mushrooms won’t have quite the same developed savory flavor as the cremini, but they’re pretty close, and they have a very similar shape and size. This makes them the perfect 1:1 replacement.
2. Portobello mushrooms
The next best cremini mushroom substitutes are portobello mushrooms, chopped into smaller pieces. Portobello mushrooms are the same variety as cremini mushrooms, just a stage older in development. This means they have an even more meaty and savory flavor. In most cases, portobello mushrooms will make your recipe taste even better!
The only situation where this won’t work is if you’re making stuffed cremini mushrooms. In this case, use white mushrooms for a better size match.
Related recipes
Here are some of my favorite cremini mushroom recipes:
- Cremini Mushrooms and Onions
- Mushroom Pasta with Parmesan
- Wild Rice Mushroom Soup
- Cremini Mushroom Pizza
- Farro with Mushrooms & Parmesan
Sautéed Cremini Mushrooms
Here’s the best basic cremini mushrooms recipe, sautéed to perfection! If you can’t find them, substitute white button mushrooms or portobello mushrooms.
- Prep Time: 3 minutes
- Cook Time: 7 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Side dish
- Method: Sauteed
- Cuisine: Mushrooms
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 16 ounces cremini mushrooms (or a substitute)
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh thyme and oregano
- 3 tablespoons olive oil or butter
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Fresh ground pepper
Instructions
- Clean the mushrooms, then slice them.
- Chop the fresh thyme and oregano.
- In a sauté pan or skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often. (The mushrooms will start to release their liquid at this point.)
- Add the herbs, kosher salt, and pepper, and cook another 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid is cooked out and the mushrooms are tender. (Taste to assess doneness.)
- Turn off the heat and add lemon juice and stir. Taste and add another pinch of salt as necessary.
I’ve found many recipes that I’d like to try, but then I see “1 pound cremini mushrooms”. My husband hates mushrooms of all varieties. Like seriously hates them. Is there anything that can be substituted in to give the dish similar flavor (and fill in the bulk) of the mushrooms?
There’s really nothing like mushrooms! I’d probably go with sweet vidalia onions for bulk and savoriness.