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Button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus)
Fumikas Sagisavas · CC0
Edible species

Button mushroom

Agaricus bisporus · Agaricaceae

The button mushroom is the most widely eaten mushroom in the world, grown in more than 70 countries.

FamilyAgaricaceae
SeasonCultivated all year
Spore printDark (chocolate) brown
Cap width5–10 cm
Stem length6 cm
Records in TurkeyNone yet
CultivationGrows at home
StatusEdible species

The button mushroom is the most widely eaten mushroom in the world, grown in more than 70 countries. White and brown (chestnut, cremini) types are the same species; the mature, open brown form is sold as portobello.

Also called: white mushroom, cremini, chestnut mushroom, portobello, champignon de Paris Turkish: Kültür mantarı, şapkalı mantar, beyaz mantar, portobello

Button mushroom

How to recognise it

Button mushroom, part by part

No volva Spore print: Dark (chocolate) brown Pleasant, typical "mushroomy" smell. A phenol (ink) smell and yellowing flesh point to the toxic A. xanthodermus.

Cap — Button mushroom
Cap5–10 cm; hemispherical, then flattening. The wild form is pale grey-brown with flat scales.
Gills — Button mushroom
GillsGills crowded and free; pink at first, then red-brown, finally dark brown with a whitish edge. Never stays pure white.
Stem — Button mushroom
StemCylindrical, up to 6 cm tall and 1–2 cm thick; no sac at the base.
Ring — Button mushroom
RingA thick, narrow ring.

When and where

Cultivated all year

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

The button mushroom is grown on compost all year round. Its wild form appears in pasture and on manured soil, and sources give different wild seasons (late spring to autumn, or autumn to winter).

Where do button mushrooms grow?

The wild form of the button mushroom grows in grassland, rich soil, compost and manure. Commercially, it is grown on pasteurised compost (straw, horse manure, wheat stalks).

In Turkey

The button mushroom is the most widely cultivated mushroom in Turkey; GBIF holds no wild records of it from Turkey.

Our map has no observations of button mushrooms from Turkey yet.

See on the map

In cultivation — Button mushroom
In cultivation
In its habitat — Button mushroom
In its habitat

Look-alikes

What could it be confused with?

Button mushroom
Button mushroom
Death cap
Death cap
Deadly

Death cap Amanita phalloides

Gills stay white at every age and there is a sac (volva) at the stem base. The white form and unopened young caps are especially dangerous.

Button mushroom
Button mushroom
Destroying angel
Destroying angel
Deadly

Destroying angel Amanita virosa

Pure white cap, white gills, hanging ring and a bag-like volva. Its young "button" stage can pass for an edible Agaricus.

Poisonous

Yellow stainer Agaricus xanthodermus

Bruises yellow and smells of phenol; can cause serious stomach upsets.

Button mushroom
Button mushroom
Livid pinkgill
Livid pinkgill
Poisonous

Livid pinkgill Entoloma sinuatum

Yellowish gills turning pink, no ring; very poisonous.

In the kitchen

Cooking with button mushrooms

Cream of mushroom soup Soups Cream of mushroom soup A silky, deeply savoury mushroom soup made with well-browned button mushrooms, ready in 35 minutes. 35 min Button mushroom Mains Turkish mushroom sauté A classic Turkish sauté of button mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes and tomato paste – perfect with rice and ready in 35 minutes. 35 min Button mushroom Stuffed mushrooms with kaşar cheese Meze & olive-oil dishes Stuffed mushrooms with kaşar cheese Big mushroom caps filled with their own stalks fried in garlic butter, topped with kaşar (a mild Turkish cow's-milk cheese) and baked until bubbling – a favourite hot meze. 35 min Large button mushroom Mushroom pilaf (mantarlı pilav) Mains Mushroom pilaf (mantarlı pilav) Buttery Turkish rice pilaf with browned mushrooms, cooked so every grain stays separate and fluffy. 1 hr 10 min Button mushroom Pasta & risotto Creamy mushroom pasta Button and oyster mushrooms in a silky cream and parmesan sauce, brought together with starchy pasta water – on the table in 30 minutes. 30 min Button mushroom Mushroom risotto Pasta & risotto Mushroom risotto A creamy Italian risotto made with dried porcini and fresh button mushrooms, built up with hot stock one ladle at a time. 57 min Dried porcini

On the blog

KitchenWhich mushrooms can you eat raw, and which must be cooked?4 min read

What goes well with button mushrooms

  • butter ×16
  • olive oil ×16
  • onion ×13
  • garlic ×13
  • Turkish chilli flakes (pul biber) ×12
  • flat-leaf parsley ×12
  • thyme ×8
  • Turkish green peppers (sivri biber) ×6
  • tomato paste ×5
  • kaşar cheese ×5

The ingredients that come up most in our 21 recipes with button mushrooms.

Storing button mushrooms

Fresh · fridge3–7 daysKeep fresh button mushrooms unwashed in a paper bag in the fridge; delicate species are at the short end. Source
FrozenA few monthsFreeze button mushrooms cooked, not raw: sauté and cool them first. Source
DriedA few months – 1 yearKeep dried button mushrooms in an airtight jar in a cool, dry, dark place. Source

How to store mushrooms: the full guide →

Per 100 g of raw button mushrooms

22kcal
%3protein
%3carbohydrate
%≈0fat
%92water

Source: Wikipedia (USDA). General information, not a health claim.

Grow it, buy it

Button mushroom price list

Button mushroom price list
ProductUsMarket (sourced, dated)
Button mushroom grow kit · SmallComing soon · waiting list—
Button mushroom grow kit · LargeComing soon · waiting list—
Button mushroom grow kit · MegaComing soon · waiting list—
Fresh button mushroomsComing soon · waiting list—
Dried button mushroomsIn preparation · notify me—
Button mushroom spawn—749,00 ₺ Tohumlar Fidana · Button mushroom spawn, 1 kg · 26 Oct 2026

Our prices for button mushrooms are published when the product is ready; for now we take waiting-list sign-ups. The market column shows prices seen on other sellers' pages on the date given; they are not our prices and may have changed.

Grow kits → How to grow →

Frequently asked questions

Are button mushrooms edible?

Yes, the button mushroom is an edible species. Eat a wild one only after an expert has identified it with certainty: it can be confused with death cap (Amanita phalloides), destroying angel (Amanita virosa), yellow stainer (Agaricus xanthodermus) and livid pinkgill (Entoloma sinuatum).

When is button mushroom season in Turkey?

The button mushroom is grown on compost all year round. Its wild form appears in pasture and on manured soil, and sources give different wild seasons (late spring to autumn, or autumn to winter).

Where do button mushrooms grow?

The wild form of the button mushroom grows in grassland, rich soil, compost and manure. Commercially, it is grown on pasteurised compost (straw, horse manure, wheat stalks).

Where are button mushrooms found in Turkey?

The button mushroom is the most widely cultivated mushroom in Turkey; GBIF holds no wild records of it from Turkey.

What can the button mushroom be confused with?

The button mushroom can be confused with death cap (Amanita phalloides, deadly), destroying angel (Amanita virosa, deadly), yellow stainer (Agaricus xanthodermus, poisonous) and livid pinkgill (Entoloma sinuatum, poisonous). Look-alikes are compared on this page.

What is the button mushroom called in Turkish?

In Turkish, the button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) is called Kültür mantarı; other local names include şapkalı mantar, beyaz mantar and portobello.

Related species

All species → · Identify by photo →

Sources (5)
Photo credits (10)