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Home » Preserving Food

Published: Jun 23, 2022 by Kathy

Drying Morel Mushrooms

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A white tray filled with mushrooms.

A great way to preserve your wild mushroom harvest is by dehydrating them. Drying morel mushrooms is easy the dried mushrooms can be stored right in your pantry.

Add dried morel mushrooms to soups, stews and braised dishes.

Morel mushrooms on a dehydrator rack.

Wild morel mushrooms

Wild morels are a foragers dream! They can be hard to find and the yield varies from year to year.

Morel mushrooms grow in our area, however there are some years that are better than others. This year has been one for the record books.

Last year was unusually hot and dry and we had a huge fire season. It was not good. However, many of those burn areas from last year are now prolific with wild morels.

This year has been the exact opposite of last year, in regards to weather. We have been extremely cool and very rainy, in the inland northwest of the United States.

The cool rainy weather, coupled with the burn areas from last year has produced an unbelievable morel crop. We have harvested over 16 gallons of morels this year and that was in just two days in a few hours.

That's a crazy amount of mushrooms and trying to figure out what to do with them all can be challenging! I've dried them and froze a bunch so we can use them all year long.

Drying morels is a great way to preserve them. They take up very little space and they can be stored in the pantry.

I like to add dried morels to my braised short ribs and soups. You can rehydrated the morels and then add to your recipes. When finely chopped, the morels add a layer of delicious flavor but the mushrooms aren't detectable.

Another great way to use your morels is by making sauteed morels! They are a delicious treat perfect served as an appetizer or served with a grilled steak.

Picking wild morel mushrooms

Drying your mushrooms

  • Wash your mushrooms in a sinkful of cool water. Depending on how dirty the mushrooms are, you may need to change water 2-3 times.
    • Wild morels can many times have small bugs or worms. This is normal! Add ¼ cup of salt to your sinkful of water and soak for 10-30 minutes. This will help draw out any unwanted critters.
    • Rinse well with cool water
  • Slice mushrooms in half lengthwise. Smaller mushrooms can be left whole if you prefer.
  • Place on a dehydrator tray
Morels in a sinkful of water.
Morel mushrooms on a dehydrating rack.
  • Dehydrate at 120°F for 8-10 hours until mushrooms are fully dry
  • Store in a jar or zip top bag
Dried mushrooms on a drying rack.
Dried mushrooms in a jar.

Drying tips

  • Morels are full of water and they will shrink way down in size when dried
  • Make certain mushrooms are fully dry
  • Drying time will vary depending on the size of your mushrooms, the amount of mushrooms being dried and your humidity and temperature
  • Store dried mushrooms in an airtight container. The mushrooms should be good for several years as long as there is no moisture.
  • Dried mushrooms can also be stored in the freezer

Safety tips for consuming morel mushrooms

  • Know what you're picking. Wild mushrooms can be dangerous. This post is not intended as information for safely identifying and picking morels. Know before you go!
  • Morel mushrooms should not be eaten raw! Fully cook before consuming.
  • Do not consume decaying or rotting morels

How to use dried morels

  • Soak morels in hot water for 5-10 minutes until softened
  • The soaking water can be discarded or added to soups or braising dishes
  • Chop the morels or use whole in any recipes calling for mushrooms
Dried mushrooms in a jar.

If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below and snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @beyondthechickencoop

Be certain to check out all my recipes for preserving food!

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    How to Dry Oregano
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    How to Can Cranberry Sauce
  • A jar filled with dried ground sage leaves.
    How to Dry Sage
  • Strawberry rhubarb jam spread on a piece of toast.
    Strawberry Rhubarb Jam
Morel mushrooms on a dehydrator rack.

Drying Morel Mushrooms

Kathy Berget
Directions on how to dehydrate morel mushrooms.
5 from 11 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Saved!
Prep Time 30 minutes mins
Drying Time 8 hours hrs
Total Time 8 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Course Preserving Food
Cuisine American
Servings 1 quart
Calories 20 kcal

Equipment

  • Dehydrator
Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients
  

  • 3 quarts morel mushrooms

Instructions
 

  • Wash your morels and let drain
  • Slice in half, or leave smaller mushrooms whole
  • Place on dehydrator racks
  • Dehydrate at 120°F for 8-10 hours until mushrooms are fully dry
  • Store in a jar or zip top bag

Notes

  • Any amount of mushrooms may be used for drying
  • Morels are full of water and they will shrink way down in size when dried
  • Make certain mushrooms are fully dry
  • Drying time will vary depending on the size of your mushrooms, the amount of mushrooms being dried and your humidity and temperature
  • Store dried mushrooms in an airtight container. The mushrooms should be good for several years as long as there is no moisture.
  • Dried mushrooms can also be stored in the freezer
 
To Use:
  • Soak morels in hot water for 5-10 minutes until softened
  • The soaking water can be discarded or added to soups or braising dishes
  • Chop the morels or use whole in any recipes calling for mushrooms

Nutritional Disclaimer:

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.25cupsCalories: 20kcal
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @BeyondTheChickenCoop or tag #beyondthechickencoop!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Derek says

    April 13, 2025 at 8:18 pm

    If you Wash them you should leave them on on a towel for a while before drying them for they for dark and rubbery.

    Reply
    • Kathy says

      April 14, 2025 at 5:09 am

      Thanks for your tip!

      Reply
  2. David @ Spiced says

    June 24, 2022 at 4:46 am

    5 stars
    16 gallons of morels!? Holy cow, Kathy! I've always wanted to learn how to forage mushrooms, but I'm afraid I would pick the wrong thing. Can you come to Asheville to teach me?? 🙂

    Reply
  3. Fred G says

    June 23, 2022 at 6:38 am

    5 stars
    Great year for morels. Also, great tips for drying.

    Reply
5 from 11 votes (9 ratings without comment)

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I'm Kathy, and I love to create delicious recipes from scratch utilizing many ingredients that we grow and raise. I'm a recipe creator, food photographer, and cookbook author!

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