Marinated mushrooms are delightful straight from the jar, but they also shine on charcuterie boards, tossed into salads, spooned over pizza, or used in a variety of recipes.
Mushrooms can be challenging to preserve without losing their texture or flavor. There are relatively few reliable mushroom canning recipes, and many home canners prefer alternatives like dehydrating or freezing. Still, when you want mushrooms that can be added directly to Italian dishes, salads, antipasto, or pizza, a properly executed water-bath canning method for marinated mushrooms is an excellent solution.
Marinating before canning not only preserves mushrooms on the pantry shelf but also intensifies their flavor. Properly marinated mushrooms often taste brighter and more developed once they’ve rested in the jar.
This Zesty Marinated Mushrooms recipe uses familiar Italian flavors—garlic, oregano, basil, and crushed red pepper—to create a versatile jarred condiment. The method below is based on a tested water-bath canning approach for half-pint jars and is written to prioritize food safety while delivering bold, usable flavor.
Recipe adapted with permission from Not Your Mama’s Canning Book by Rebecca Lindamood. Page Street Publishing Co. 2016. Photo credit: Rebecca Lindamood.
Ingredients for Marinated Mushrooms
This recipe yields four half-pint (240 ml) jars. You will need:
- 3 pounds (1.4 kg) small button mushrooms, no larger than 1½ inches (4 cm) across
- ½ cup (120 ml) bottled lemon juice
- 1¼ cups (300 ml) white wine vinegar (5% acidity)
- 1 cup (237 ml) pure olive oil
- 5 garlic cloves, lightly smashed and peeled
- 1½ teaspoons (8 g) kosher salt
- 1½ teaspoons (2 g) dried oregano
- 1½ teaspoons (1 g) dried basil
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Do not reduce the vinegar or lemon juice amounts—these acids are essential for safe water-bath canning of mushrooms. You can adjust the dried spices to taste, but only use dried herbs and spices in this recipe.
Canning Marinated Mushrooms
This method is tested only for half-pint jars; do not use larger jars for this specific recipe. Half-pints are convenient for serving and help ensure consistent, safe processing.
1. Rinse the mushrooms thoroughly and trim stems so they are no longer than ¼ inch (6 mm) from the cap. Save trimmed stems for another use. If some mushrooms are noticeably larger, you may halve them to keep pieces uniform, but whole small mushrooms work fine.
2. Place the mushrooms in a large stainless-steel stockpot with the bottled lemon juice. Add enough fresh water to cover the mushrooms completely. Bring the pot to a rolling boil, then start timing and boil for 5 minutes. Drain the mushrooms and pack them into clean half-pint (240 ml) jars, leaving ½ inch (13 mm) of headspace.
3. In a separate saucepan, combine the white wine vinegar, olive oil, whole garlic cloves, kosher salt, oregano, basil and crushed red pepper flakes. Heat the mixture over medium-high heat until it reaches a boil.
4. Remove the garlic from the hot dressing and place one clove among the mushrooms in each jar. Stir the hot vinegar-and-oil mixture and ladle it over the packed mushrooms, maintaining ½ inch (13 mm) headspace. Wipe the rims of the jars with a paper towel moistened with vinegar, apply lids and tighten rings.
5. Using jar lifters, lower the jars into a water-bath canner with boiling water that covers the jars by at least 2 inches (5 cm). Cover the canner, bring the water back to a gentle boil, and process the jars for 20 minutes at sea level. After processing, carefully remove the jars and place them on a towel-lined counter or cooling rack. Allow them to cool undisturbed, ideally overnight, before removing the rings, wiping the jars, checking seals, and labeling.
Altitude Adjustments
You must adjust processing time based on altitude to ensure safety. Use the following processing times for half-pint jars:
- 0 to 1,000 feet — 20 minutes
- 1,001 to 3,000 feet — 25 minutes
- 3,001 to 6,000 feet — 30 minutes
- Above 6,001 feet — 35 minutes
Marinated Mushrooms (Canning Recipe)
Ingredients
- 3 lbs (1.4 kg) small button mushrooms, no larger than 1½ inches (4 cm)
- ½ cup (120 ml) bottled lemon juice
- 1¼ cups (300 ml) white wine vinegar (5% acidity)
- 1 cup (237 ml) pure olive oil
- 5 garlic cloves, lightly smashed and peeled
- 1½ tsp (8 g) kosher salt
- 1½ tsp (2 g) dried oregano
- 1½ tsp (1 g) dried basil
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Wash mushrooms carefully and trim stems to about ¼ inch (6 mm). Save trimmed stems for another use. Halve any much larger mushrooms for uniform size.
- Place mushrooms in a large stainless-steel pot with bottled lemon juice and enough fresh water to cover. Bring to a boil, then boil for 5 minutes. Drain and pack into half-pint jars, leaving ½ inch (13 mm) headspace.
- In a separate saucepan, combine the white wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic, salt, oregano, basil and crushed red pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Remove whole garlic cloves and tuck one into each jar among the mushrooms. Stir the hot dressing and ladle over the mushrooms, maintaining ½ inch headspace. Wipe jar rims with vinegar, apply lids and tighten rings.
- Lower jars into a water-bath canner with boiling water covering them by 2 inches (5 cm). Cover the canner, return to a boil and process according to altitude: 20 minutes at 0–1,000 ft, 25 minutes at 1,001–3,000 ft, 30 minutes at 3,001–6,000 ft, and 35 minutes above 6,001 ft.
- Remove jars carefully and place on a towel-lined counter or wire rack. Let cool completely, preferably overnight, before removing rings, wiping jars clean, and labeling.
Notes
• Oil and vinegar may separate in the jar after processing. This is normal—shake the jar to recombine before using.
• Don’t discard the dressing in the jar. It makes a ready Italian-style vinaigrette and is excellent for marinating meats or tossing with salads.
Altitude Adjustments
The processing times above are specific to half-pint jars and are critical for safe preservation. Do not swap jar sizes or alter acid levels.
Vegetarian Canning Recipes
If you enjoy meatless pantry meals, consider trying other canning bases and soups. Canned vegetable soups and bases are versatile additions to meal planning and can complement marinated mushrooms for quick, flavorful dishes.
- Canning Carrot Soup (search for tested recipes)
- Canning Butternut Squash Soup Base
- Canning Butternut and White Bean Soup
- Canning Thai Coconut Squash Soup
