Can You Freeze Chanterelle Mushrooms?

Chanterelle Mushrooms are among the most popular wild mushrooms that mushroom gatherers and eaters everywhere love.

The question often asked is; can you freeze chanterelle mushrooms? This question is asked for good reasons as many mushrooms don’t freeze well raw due to their high moisture content. But are chanterelles different?

How To Freeze Chanterelle Mushrooms

This is thought to be the most successful method of freezing and storing this type of mushroom and it only takes a little bit of cooking time beforehand. The rest of the freezing process is super easy.

1. Clean
   Clean your mushrooms properly. This might just be the most difficult part of the process!
2. Saute
   Saute your mushrooms in butter or oil – whichever you prefer. You can chop them or keep them relatively whole if you prefer. Just add them to a hot pan and lightly fry them for about 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Cool
   Take the mushrooms off the heat and allow them to cool completely.
4. Freeze
   Lay the cooled mushrooms onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper so that they are not touching, then pop the tray into the freezer.
5. Label Bag
   While the mushrooms are freezing grab yourself a freezer bag or airtight container and label it with the date.
6. Bag Up and Refreeze
   When your chanterelle mushrooms are completely frozen take them out of the freezer and add them to the bag or container. Seal tight and make this as airtight as you can and place them back into the freezer.

This is a method that can be successfully used to freeze a number of different types of mushrooms including oyster mushrooms.

3 Tips for Freezing Chanterelle Mushrooms

Now you know how to freeze them, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing chanterelles to have the best results:

Cook Them
By cooking them, you draw some of the moisture out of the chanterelles which will limit the way the texture changes when frozen. 

Label Clearly
You don’t want to defrost chanterelles when you were only looking for some button mushrooms to add to a stew so make sure you clearly label the type of mushroom when freezing them. 

Don’t Defrost
Mushrooms are not good once defrosted. Instead, grab a handful and toss them into your cooking and allow the residual heat to thaw them out. This will prevent any major textural changes. 

How Long Can You Freeze Chanterelle Mushrooms?

Chanterelle mushrooms are a mushroom type that freezes longer and better than most types of mushrooms and you can keep them in the freezer for up to a year.

Now you have an excuse to go out and gather as many as possible safely in the knowledge you can store them throughout the year.

You Can Freeze Chanterelle Mushrooms for up to a FULL Year

How Do You Defrost Chanterelle Mushrooms?

As with other types of mushrooms you are best to cook frozen chanterelle mushrooms from frozen. Whenever your recipe calls for a few of these delicious morsels just grab a few out of the bag and pop them into the pan! Delicious and easy.

If you do thaw them out you might find that some of the taste and structure is lost in the process. No one likes a soggy mushroom!

Can You Refreeze Chanterelle Mushrooms?

We would urge you not to refreeze chanterelle mushrooms. Unfortunately, this can cause some major textural changes so is not something we would advise – especially with an ingredient like chanterelles. 

Do Chanterelle Mushrooms Freeze Well?

There are mixed thoughts on how well chanterelle mushrooms freeze with many cooks and mushroom gatherers swearing by their ability to freeze this delightful fungi ingredient.

If you try and freeze them raw then you are likely to find that they don’t taste great at all when you come to use them. However, if you cook them first then you shouldn’t notice too much difference at all in a recipe.

Related FAQs

If you’ve still got questions about freezing chanterelles or mushrooms in general, then these may help: