So you read a headline on the internet about the incredible health benefits of lion’s mane mushrooms. And now you’re staring down a big fluffy white cloud on your kitchen counter asking yourself, “But what do you do with a lion’s mane?!”

If you’re here, you’re going to cook it!

And the best way to cook lion’s mane mushrooms is actually the simplest. This lion’s mane mushroom recipe is for quick sautéing on the stovetop. The golden, caramelized mushrooms will be delicious to eat straight out of the frying pan, or you can use the pieces in other recipes.

What is Lion’s Mane Mushroom?

Lion’s mane is a mushroom native to North America, Europe, and Asia. It gets its English name from the appearance of some varieties, a shaggy lion’s mane, as you can see in the photos! Varieties of the mushroom can vary from white to a pale yellow. It is sometimes called a hedgehog mushroom, which is derived from a translation from Latin of its scientific name Hericeum erinaceus.

All of the varieties I’ve ever seen look like cauliflower, not to be confused with “cauliflower mushroom,” which is different species of mushroom altogether.

Asian cultures have been using lion’s mane—called “hou tou gu” in Chinese and “yamabushitake” in Japanese— for its health benefits as both a medicinal mushroom and a culinary mushroom for thousands of years. As growing scientific research shows their health benefits, the mushroom has become increasingly recognized around the world. Health and wellness circles make use of lion’s mane mushrooms as supplements in the form of powders and tinctures with concentrated extracts of the mushroom, similar to medicinal mushrooms like chaga, cordyceps, and reishi. 

Quick side note that may or may not be a bonus: Lion’s mane mushrooms do not and cannot get you high as they do not contain psilocybin, the psychotropic compound in “magic mushrooms” that causes hallucination. Read more: https://bit.ly/3Ml3jP9