Classic French Mushroom Duxelles (2024)

If you love mushrooms, you'll love Duxelles. It's an earthy flavored umami bomb for your tastebuds. It's a classic French preparation and finely chopped mixture of mushrooms, herbs, garlic, and shallots cooked in butter. Plus, you can do so many things with a batch besides appetizers. Sounds fancy, but it's really very simple, and it freezes! Check out my list for the many things you can do with delicious duxelles.

What is duxelles? It's basically a mushroom spread. It's pronounced "dook-sell", more like "book" than "tux". Think of it like mushroom pate without dairy like ricotta or cream cheese. And the taste? Fantastic, with an earthy, savory quality that is hard to describe.

Why You'll Like This Recipe

• If you love mushrooms, you'll love duxelles.
• It's easy to make, just a few ingredients.
• Many delicious uses.
• Cooked mushrooms freeze well so duxelles are freezable!

Recipe Ingredients

• Mushrooms: The type of mushrooms to use are common white button mushrooms or brown mushroom. They work perfectly for duxelles. Buy firm fresh mushroom without any gills showing. They should be dry, not slimy.
• Butter: Use good unsalted butter and add salt as you please.
• Shallots: A member of the onion family, shallots have a coppery brown skin and elongated shape more like a garlic clove. They are common in French cooking and always in my pantry with onions and garlic.
• Herbs: Parsley and fresh thyme leaves are my choice but using herbs like tarragon works too and is traditionally French.
• Garlic: Fresh garlic cloves for great depth of flavor.
• Deglazing liquid: Use a splash of cognac, dry sherry, white wine, or dry white vermouth for deglazing the pan.
• Creme fraiche: Thick French-style sour cream, adds a little flavor and helps the duxelles hold together better for spreading (optional, omit for vegan).

If you love mushrooms, try this hearty mushroom pasta sauce. You won't miss the meat.

Chef's Tip: Cleaning mushrooms. The advice used to be never get mushroom wet, but the truth is you can quickly rinse fresh whole mushrooms right before cooking. Cup 1-2 mushrooms in your hand (depending on size), rubbing them briefly under a trickle of cold water. Alternatively you can wipe them with a damp paper towel or use a clean dry toothbrush, but it takes longer. A quick rinse is fast and effective.

Substitutions and Variations

Besides varying the mushroom varieties for duxelles, try these ideas:

• Use other herbs such as tarragon is a great addition.
• Change up the deglazing liquid, using a splash of dry sherry, cognac, or madeira wine.
• The variations come in all of the delicious things you can do with duxelles.
• For vegan duxelles (dairy-free), swap olive oil for the butter, or use a plant-based butter; cubes or blocks, not the whipped tub stuff.

For another classic dish with mushrooms, try this Chicken Marsala recipe without cream. The mushroom sauce is terrific.

Chef's Note: Why is this called duxelles? This recipe is named for the 17th century French Marquis d'Uxelles. He must have had a terrific chef!

Recipe Instructions

Using a food processor makes duxelles quick and easy. Use short pulses with the pulse button. You don't want pureed mushrooms. Without a food processor, chop the mushrooms into very small pieces by hand with a chef's knife.

Chef's Tip: Cooked mushrooms freeze very well, but do not try to freeze raw mushrooms.

Serving Suggestions

What are some creative ways to incorporate duxelles into recipes? Try these ideas:

• Serve duxelles with crisp crostini (wheat or gluten-free) or crackers as appetizers.
• Fold into an omelet or with poached or scrambled eggs.
• Toss with warm buttered noodles.
• Stir into risotto for mushroom risotto (heavenly) or just simple rice.
• Make stuffed chicken breast by stuffing into a slit in a boneless, skinless chicken breast with a soft cheese, then bake.
• Stuff a pork tenderloin.
• Use for mushroom duxelles stuffed sole or Beef Wellington.
• Make grilled cheese and spread a little duxelles in wtih the melting cheese. Heavenly.

Duxelles is one of those great classic recipes that is easy, quick to make, and can turn every day recipes into something special.

Recipe FAQs

More Recipes With Mushrooms

If you love mushrooms, try some of these terrific mushroom recipes.

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