I Tested 6 Different Ways to Store Mushrooms—This Method Kept Them Fresh for Nearly 2 Weeks

I'm a huge fan of mushrooms. They add an umami boost to whatever they're used in. When making a risotto, I start by roasting mushrooms, then incorporate the cooking liquid into the stock for the rice, enhancing the dish's flavor. I sauté them for omelettes and pastas, and I heavily layer them onto my pizza because I love the meaty texture and flavor they bring.

Like many people, I stick mushrooms in the fridge after buying them, only to find them slimy or fuzzy a few days later. Determined to keep my mushrooms fresher longer—and help you do the same—I tested several methods for storing them. It turns out, tossing mushrooms into the fridge in their original packaging isn't the best approach.

Mushroom Basics

Mushrooms are a fungi, distinct from both the animal and plant kingdoms. Unlike plants, which photosynthesize to generate energy, mushrooms grow by forming symbiotic or parasitic relationships with organic matter, acting as decomposers that break down organic material in ecosystems such as forests and woodlands.

Though there are more than 14,000 named mushroom species, most are poisonous. Of the 1,000 to 2,000 that are edible, only about a dozen are widely cultivated and sold; the rest are wild, typically foraged for consumption. 

The most common edible mushroom, the Agaricus bisporus, is sold in its immature form as either a white or brown mushroom. Brown Agaricus bisporus mushrooms—known as cremini mushrooms—have been cultivated for centuries. But it wasn't until 1925 that the white variety gained popularity. L.F. Lambert, a Pennsylvania farmer, discovered a white mushroom growing among his brown stock. He cultivated and marketed it as the "Snow White" mushroom, and by 1933, it had become, according to the Hagley Museum in Wilmington, Delaware, "the leading commercial mushroom" in the United States. 

Today, both brown and white immature mushrooms are sold under many names. Brown mushrooms are often labeled baby bellas, chestnut mushrooms, and cremini mushrooms, while white ones are often called white button mushrooms and champignons de Paris. When fully mature, these mushrooms can develop caps four to six inches in diameter. At this stage, they're typically sold as portobello, portabella, or giant cremini. Because white mushrooms account for 90% of the US market, I used them for my testing.

How to Buy Mushrooms

It's best to buy loose mushrooms rather than pre-packaged ones, since this lets you inspect each for freshness and mold—packaged mushrooms can hide spoiled ones at the bottom. Kyle Garrone, production manager of Far West Fungi, a family-owned company in the San Francisco Bay Area that has grown, distributed, and marketed organic specialty mushrooms for 35 years, recommends looking for firm, blemish-free mushrooms without dark brown spots or discoloration—often a symptom of bacterial blotch, which can accelerate spoilage—and avoiding any that feel wet.

The Tests

To find the best way to store mushrooms, I tested several methods over a 12-day period, monitoring each batch until spoilage began. I stored some in their original plastic-wrapped containers—which is the most convenient option—and others in paper bags, both with and without paper towels. I also tested whether a humid environment, like the fridge's crisper drawer, would affect their shelf life. As a control, I placed a batch in a bowl lined with a kitchen towel and draped another towel over the top. I left them at room temperature to see how quickly they would deteriorate without refrigeration. As noted above, I used white button mushrooms in all tests.

Control: Room Temperature

For the control, I lined a seven-inch wide ceramic bowl with a kitchen towel, placed white button mushrooms in it, then draped the towel over them. Of all the mushrooms, these fared the worst. After only five days, the mushrooms had begun to degrade: They were slimy, with deep, dark brown spots and indentations. By day 12, the mushrooms had turned brown all over, with deep bruising and fuzzy mold on nearly all of them.

Tests 1 and 2: Paper Bag in Fridge

• Mushrooms by themselves in a paper bag, folded over at the top, placed on a fridge shelf
•  Mushrooms by themselves in a paper bag, folded over at the top, placed in the crisper drawer

I had high hopes for this method, as Garrone had recommended storing mushrooms in brown paper bags. He was right: Mushrooms stored this way lasted the longest, with the ones left on the shelf the best looking of all those tested. At the five-day mark, these were still in relatively good shape and looked virtually unchanged from when I purchased them.

The mushrooms in the bag on the shelf began to dry out slightly and showed some bruising, with their caps darkening from white to a pale brown around the edges, but there was no sign of mold or slime. Even after letting them sit in the fridge for nearly two weeks, I would have felt comfortable cooking and eating with these mushrooms.

However, the mushrooms stored in the crisper drawer did not fare as well. After 12 days, they were soft, slimy, and mottled with brown spots.

Test 3 and 4: Paper Bag With Paper Towels in Fridge

• Mushrooms in a paper bag lined with paper towels, folded over at the top, placed on a fridge shelf
• Mushrooms in a paper bag lined with paper towels, folded over at the top, placed in the crisper drawer

I hoped that placing a paper towel in the paper bag would absorb moisture from the mushrooms, keeping them dry and fresh. However, the paper towel absorbed moisture too well, creating a damp environment for the mushrooms and trapping moisture within the bag.

After 12 days, the top layer of the mushrooms stored on the shelf were dried, shriveled up, and spotted, while the ones at the bottom of the bag—on the moist paper towel—had fuzzy mold. The paper towels beneath the mushrooms were slick with moisture released by the mushrooms over time, which was likely why they spoiled faster than the mushrooms stored in a bag without the paper towel.

Meanwhile, the mushrooms stored this way in the crisper drawer—an already humid environment—were bruised, moist, and spotted. That's a fail for this method, whether on a shelf or in the crisper.

Test 5 and 6: Original Container

• Mushrooms plastic-wrapped in their original container, placed on a fridge shelf
• Mushrooms plastic-wrapped in their original container, placed in the crisper drawer

This is the easiest way to store the mushrooms: Simply place the packaged mushrooms in the fridge as they come, typically in a plastic film–wrapped plastic container. At first glance, the shelf-stored mushrooms looked surprisingly good after 12 days. Their tops remained white, with minimal bruising or brown spots. But once I opened the plastic wrap, I found fuzzy mold in between the mushrooms where moisture had collected, and they felt soft and slippery. 

The mushrooms stored in the crisper drawer showed signs of condensation as early as day five and had begun to rot. By day 12, they were an unappetizing grayish-brown. They were slimy and moldy once I opened up the container, confirming what Becky Selengut said in her book Shroom: “Plastic is Kryptonite to mushrooms. If you store mushrooms in a plastic bag coffin, you will have stumbled upon the most efficient way to render them slimy and gross.”

Storing Other Mushrooms

Although I tested with white button mushrooms, many other edible varieties are widely available at well-stocked grocery stores, each offering different textures and flavors. According to Garrone, most mushrooms—if stored properly in a brown paper bag near the front of the refrigerator (to avoid freezing) and not in the crisper drawer—should last four to 14 days. Delicate varieties, such as oyster mushrooms, are more fragile and may spoil sooner, while sturdier ones, like shiitake mushrooms, can last up to two weeks and potentially longer. 

Key Takeaways and Conclusion

The results were clear: For mushrooms that last longest, store mushrooms in a paper bag on a refrigerator shelf, where humidity is low. If you're keeping them in their original packaging, use them as soon as possible, as they will likely soften and spoil within five days. Avoid the crisper drawer altogether, as the damp environment is conducive to mold and spoilage.