2 Delicious Ways to Prepare and Cook Giant Puffball Mushrooms

Co-authored by Amber Crain

Last Updated: January 21, 2022 References

Giant puffball mushrooms are wonderfully versatile in the kitchen and taste delicious. Since they have a rich, nutty flavor and an almost meat-like texture, give them a try as a meat substitute in your favorite vegetarian dishes. You can also sauté them, fry them, and much more! If you foraged for your own puffballs, it's best to confirm that they aren't a similar-looking toxic species before you start cooking. Don't worry, it's easy to figure out—just cut each puffball open from top to bottom and make sure the inside is solid white and soft like a marshmallow. If it is, you're all set!

Ingredients

Sauteed Puffballs

3 tbsp (42.5 g) of butter
1 onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
½ tsp (2.5 g) of salt
1 pound (450 g) of giant puffballs
¼ tsp (1 g) of pepper
Grated zest and juice of half a lemon
¼ cup (32 g) of chopped fresh parsley

Makes 4-6 servings

Fried Puffballs

Fresh puffball mushrooms, sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4-1/2 cup (60-118 ml) of canola or grapeseed oil
1/2 cup (75 g) of all-purpose flour
Panko breadcrumbs
1-2 eggs (beaten)

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Sauteed Puffballs

1
Heat the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet until it melts. Measure out 3 tbsp (42.5 g) of butter and drop the butter into a large skillet. Turn the heat to medium to melt the butter so it coats the bottom of the skillet.^{[1]
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2
Add the diced onion, minced garlic, and salt to the skillet. Peel 1 onion to remove the skin and dice it up. Strip the skin off of 4 cloves of garlic and mince them. Add the onion and garlic to the skillet along with ½ tsp (2.5 g) of salt and stir everything together.^{[2]
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3
Sauté the veggies in the butter for 5 minutes. Stir the veggies around occasionally so they cook evenly and don't burn. Cook the ingredients for several minutes until the diced onion looks translucent and the garlic is fragrant.^{[3]
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4
Clean the puffballs and dice them into 1 in (2.5 cm) cubes. Rinse off 1 pound (450 g) of puffball mushrooms to remove any dirt. Use a paring knife or your fingers to remove the outer skin, which should peel off easily.^{[4]
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Research source} Then, use a sharp knife to dice the puffballs into 1 in (2.5 cm) cubes.
- 1 pound (450 g) of puffballs should yield about 8-10 cups (1.92-2.4 kg) of diced mushrooms.
- The outer skin is technically edible but it may cause intestinal irritation. It’s best to remove it.^{[5]
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5
Add the puffballs to the skillet and cook them for 5-10 minutes. Dump the mushrooms into the hot skillet and stir them in so the ingredients are fully mixed. Sauté everything together for 5-10 minutes, taking care to stir every 1-2 minutes so nothing burns or sticks.^{[6]
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- You’ll know the puffballs are done when they shrink in size and look golden brown.
6
Add pepper and lemon zest and sauté the dish for 1 minute. Zest a lemon and add a few pieces of the zest to the skillet along with ¼ tsp (1 g) of pepper. Stir everything together until the ingredients are fully mixed and cook the dish for 1 more minute.^{[7]
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- For a spicier flavor, add a dash of cayenne pepper.^{[8]
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7
Top the puffballs with lemon juice and parsley and serve them. Remove the skillet from the heat. Cut a lemon in half and squeeze the juice over the mushrooms. Sprinkle in ¼ cup (32 g) of fresh parsley, stir well to incorporate it, and serve up your sauteed puffballs right away for the best flavor.^{[9]
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- Serve the mushrooms on their own or as a tasty side dish. Puffballs pair well with any dinner entrée and your favorite egg dishes.^{[10]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Fried Puffballs

1
Rinse your puffballs and slice them into ¹⁄₂ in (1.3 cm) pieces. Run your mushrooms with water to clean off any dirt. Use a sharp knife to cut off the outer layer of skin on each mushroom. Then, cut the puffballs into thin slices. ^{[11]
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- The outer skin can upset your stomach if you eat it, so be sure to remove it.^{[12]
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2
Coat the slices liberally with all-purpose flour. Fill a bowl with about 1/2 cup (64 g) of all-purpose flour. Add some salt and pepper to the flour for flavor. Then, add the slices to the bowl and toss them around so that they're covered evenly in flour.^{[13]
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- There aren't any exact measurements for this batter. You may need more or less flour depending on how many puffballs you're frying.
3
Dip the slices into a bowl of beaten eggs. Crack 1-2 eggs in a bowl and use a fork to beat them until the yolks and whites mix together. Drop the slices into the egg and coat them liberally.^{[14]
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4
Roll the dipped slices in panko breadcrumbs. To complete the battering process, roll the slices in breadcrumbs until they're evenly covered on all sides. You may need to do this in batches depending on how many mushrooms you're frying.^{[15]
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5
Heat the oil in a deep skillet over high heat until it sizzles. Measure out ¼-½ cups (60-118 ml) of canola or grapeseed oil. Dump the oil into a large skillet and heat it over high heat until you see and hear it sizzling.^{[16]
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6
Fry the puffballs until they're golden brown on all sides. Add the mushroom slices to the hot oil carefully with tongs or a spoon. Let them fry in the oil, stirring occasionally, until the batter crisps up and the exterior gets brown.^{[17]
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- Fry the mushrooms in batches if you're cooking a lot of them. If the oil starts to get low, be sure to top it off.
7
Remove the mushrooms and drain them on paper towels. Line a large plate with paper towels. When the mushrooms look good and crispy, fish them out of the oil with tongs or a slotted spoon. Place them on the plate so the paper towels can absorb excess oil.^{[18]
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- Give the slices a few minutes to cool before you serve them.
- Serve your fried puffballs as soon as they're cool enough to touch so they’ll be nice and crunchy.

Warnings

Be sure to peel off the outer layer of each puffball with a knife or your fingers since eating the skin may irritate your stomach.^{[19]
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