People are more conscious of the food they eat so fast food restaurants aren’t as popular as they once were. Similarly, people have started avoiding low-nutrition recipes.
That being said, people often use porcini powder since it’s healthy and complements the recipe as well. But what happens when you run out of porcini powder? In this post, we’ve shared some delicious substitutes that are packed with nutrients!
Porcini Powder Substitutes
Porcini powder is actually the powder made from crushing and blending the dried porcini mushrooms. The porcini mushrooms are blended into a fine powder for making porcini powder.
The porcini powder can add an earthy flavor of fresh mushrooms to the recipe without too much hassle. Generally, porcini powder is added to pasta sauce, gravy, omelettes, and soups. So, there are some porcini powder substitutes for people who have run out of it but want a similar flavor!
As mentioned before, porcini powder is made by blending the mushrooms. So you’ll need an ingredient with similar flavors and nutrients. If you can’t find porcini powder, you can opt for shiitake mushrooms.
This is because these mushrooms are pretty similar to porcini mushrooms in terms of taste and texture. To illustrate, these mushrooms have brown caps, and long yet thin stalks. In some cases, it’s often confused for porcini mushrooms.
The difference is that shiitake mushrooms are more readily available. What’s more, these mushrooms are available at affordable prices. In addition to the earthy profile, it also has a mild sweetness that can complement different recipes.
As for the texture, it has a meaty texture, so you can make a paste as well to perfectly mix up with your recipes. Lastly, it has a neutral fragrance.
If you don’t want to add shiitake mushrooms for replacing or substituting porcini powder, truffle oil is a promising choice. To illustrate, truffle oil is made by mixing up oil with dried or fresh truffles and mushrooms.
However, the truffle mushrooms are not readily available, which means the truffle oil will be expensive and difficult to find. For this reason, truffle oil is used in high-end and expensive restaurants. It can add a mushroom flavor but it’s more subtle than powders.
In addition, it has higher fat content with a mild fragrance. When it’s added to the recipes, it can deliver a similar flavor like porcini powder. All in all, it’s healthy, but people who want to control the fat intake should use the oil in moderation.
Since this alternative is an oil it can also affect the texture and consistency of your dishes. Powders may thicken a sauce whereas oils can thin them out. However, you can use the oil to sauté other ingredients in to lock in the flavor profile of the truffles.
You might be wondering how tomato paste can substitute porcini powder, but it can for sure. Tomato paste is extremely easy to make since you just have to blend the tomatoes. However, it’s best to heat tomatoes in the pan, so the skin comes off.
The tomato paste has a thick and condensed form which adds a mildly sour flavor to the recipe. That being said, tomato paste can substitute porcini powder in meatballs, fish, and spaghetti. In addition, it has a high nutritional count.
The prime reasons why tomato paste makes a good substitute is the richness and umami flavor it adds to the recipe. If you want to add more of a meaty flavor to your recipes consider smoking your tomatoes before using them.
- Thyme
In case you cannot make tomato paste, you can opt for thyme to replace porcini. Thyme is a very popular herb for making steaks, pasta, and soups. What’s more thyme is packed with nutrients.
What makes thyme a good substitute for porcini powder is the earthy fragrance with a mildly bitter flavor. That being said, it can replace porcini mushrooms in sauces and soups. You can also add thyme to your pizza or even add it to hot water to drink it as a tea.
Use fresh or dried thyme in your recipes and combine it with other herbs such as rosemary or dill. All in all, thyme adds a mild herb flavor to the dish (just as porcini powder does!).
Porcini powder is added to recipes for the umami and earthy flavor. That being said, garlic powder can add a similar flavor and fragrance to savory recipes. In addition to garlic powder, one can also use fresh, dried, or roasted garlic.
As far as the texture is concerned, garlic powder has a similar texture to porcini powder. However, it might add a strong flavor, but it can complement the majority of recipes. You can add garlic powder to thicken dips or sauces for steaks or add flavor to cheese sauces.
Add fresh garlic ground beef or pasta for that extra bit of flavor. Garlic works well with food that doesn’t have too many ingredients.
- Nutritional Yeast
One might believe that nutritional yeast is a condiment, but it can also be used as a regular ingredient. In some cases, it will deliver a rich cheesy flavor.
Nutritional yeast can add a similar flavor to porcini powder (the meaty flavor). In addition, it delivers the sharpness of porcini powder. You can use nutritional yeast the same way you would grated or shredded cheese.
Add the powder to vegetables, pastas, rice and even salads. It provides a delicious savory taste but the flavor can be strong so use it sparingly over food.
How to Choose a Porcini Powder Substitute
Before choosing a substitute for your porcini powder there are a few factors to consider first. In this section, we guide you through the process of choosing the right alternative to porcini powder.
- Type (Powder, Oil or Fresh Ingredients)
There are porcini powder substitutes that aren’t powders. Some are fresh ingredients such as garlic or thyme. Other ingredients are oils such as truffle oil. Decide which type of alternative you want based on the consistency and texture of the ingredient.
- Flavor
Typically, fresh ingredients are more flavorful and don’t change the consistency of your recipes. Other powders can also be extremely flavorful. Oils may provide a subtle taste so it’s best to use it as a dressing on salads or to sauté other ingredients.
If you still want a meaty flavor then consider using a substitute that’s still a mushroom such as shiitake mushrooms. Additionally, if you want more tang you can use tamato substitutes. On the other hand, if you want more of an natural flavor then consider thyme or garlic powder.
- Affects
The type of substitute you choose for your porcini powder can affect the consistency of sauces or other recipes. For example, oil substitutes can thin out sauces but they can also be used as a dressing for salads.
Powders will help thicken sauces for stews or marinades so you’ll want to use a garlic powder or shiitake mushroom powder. Fresh ingredients such as thyme wont do much to affect sauce in terms of consistency. Tomato past can thicken up sauces but it depends on what type of sauce you’re using.
If you’re a vegetarian then porcini powder is an excellent substitute for meat because it’s packed with protein. What’s more the powder is packed with fiber and little to no fat. So you’ll want to choose a substitute that has more nutrients than porcini powder.
Shiitake mushrooms have little to no fat content and they are rich in vitamin c, iron and magnesium. Garlic, whether it’s raw or in powder form, has fiber, calcium, zinc and even potassium. Tomato paste is rich in vitamin B6, iron, magnesium and vitamin E.
All the other substitutes on our list are packed with nutrients far beyond porcini. So you’ll get a rich source of vitamins and minerals no matter which porcini powder alternative you choose.
Why Choose a Porcini Substitute
You may be wondering why anyone would want to substitute porcini powder because of it’s delicious flavor. But there are a number of reasons such as:
- It can’t be found in the store
- You want to try something new in a recipe that requires porcini powder
- Porcini is out of season
- You’re cooking for someone who doesn’t like mushrooms
- You’re looking for a different flavor
- Porcini powder may be too expensive
- You want more nutrient rich foods
- You or someone you know is allergic to mushrooms
There may be other reasons why you want to replace your porcini powder. But whatever your reasoning is ensure that the substitute adds more flavor to your dish.
Final Thoughts
As you can see there are many excellent porcini powder substitutes that will add better flavor profiles to your recipes. These substitutes work well for meats, pastas and sauces. Try one or all of these porcini powder substitutes to see which one provides the best results.