Skip to content

Mushroom Nutrition Calculators

Mushrooms occupy a unique nutritional niche — among the lowest-calorie foods available (22–34 kcal per 100g raw) yet delivering meaningful selenium, niacin, copper, and potassium. Dried shiitake stands out with 5.2mg copper (578% DV) and 14.1mg niacin (88% DV). This collection provides 3 free nutrition calculators covering button mushroom, chicken mushroom (Chicken of the Woods), and shiitake mushroom across raw, dried, boiled, stir-fried, and sautéed forms.

Select your mushroom variety, cooking method, and serving size — from a single button mushroom to a full cup of sautéed chicken mushroom — and see exactly how each variety contributes to your daily nutrient totals. Sourced from USDA FoodData Central and published analyses.

3 mushroom toolsRaw, boiled & sautéed variantsUSDA & research verified

Quick Reference: Both Mushrooms Compared

Calories, protein, carbs, fat, and fiber per typical serving — plus the key nutrients that distinguish these two mushroom species.

MushroomCaloriesProtein (g)Carbs (g)Fat (g)Fiber (g)
Button Mushroom152.22.30.20.7
Chicken Mushroom334.25.20.42
Shiitake Mushroom241.64.90.41.8

Source: USDA FoodData Central & published research. Values per typical serving of the default reference form.

Commercial vs. Wild: Button Mushroom's Standardized USDA Data vs. Chicken Mushroom's 20–40% Natural Variation

Button mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) are commercially grown on standardized compost substrates in controlled environments, producing highly consistent nutritional profiles. USDA FoodData Central entry #169251 provides reliable per-100g data that matches most commercially available white button mushrooms worldwide.

Chicken mushroom (Laetiporus sulphureus) is a wild-foraged species with no standardized growing conditions. Nutritional content varies 20–40% depending on host tree species (oak produces higher-protein specimens than eucalyptus), geographic location, altitude, season, and growth stage. The values in this calculator represent mid-range estimates from published research — individual foraged specimens may differ significantly.

Selenium and Niacin: The Two Nutrients That Make Mushrooms Unique Among All Produce Items

Selenium in produce is almost exclusively found in mushrooms. Button mushroom delivers 9.3mcg per 100g raw (17% DV), chicken mushroom 7.5mcg (14% DV). No other commonly consumed vegetable or fruit provides more than 1–2mcg per 100g. This makes mushrooms the sole meaningful plant-kingdom selenium source for food journaling purposes.

Niacin (B3) follows a similar pattern: button mushroom at 3.6mg/100g (23% DV) and chicken mushroom at 4.2mg (26% DV) both far exceed any vegetable. The next closest produce items — sweet potatoes (0.6mg) and peas (2.1mg) — trail significantly. Per calorie, mushroom niacin density (0.16mg/kcal) exceeds even chicken breast (0.05mg/kcal), making mushrooms the most niacin-efficient whole food available.

Cooking Method Matters: How Boiling, Sautéing, and Grilling Affect Mushroom Nutrition Through Water Loss and Mineral Concentration

Mushrooms are 90–92% water, meaning cooking causes dramatic weight loss and nutrient concentration. Button mushrooms lose approximately 30% weight when boiled and 35–40% when sautéed. Per 100g of cooked weight, nearly every mineral increases: iron jumps from 0.5mg raw to 1.7mg boiled (3.5x), selenium from 9.3 to 11.9mcg (28%), and potassium from 318 to 356mg (12%). Chicken mushroom follows similar patterns.

The critical logging distinction: mushrooms themselves are nearly calorie-free (22–33 kcal/100g raw), but the cooking fat added during sautéing can easily exceed the mushroom calories. One tablespoon of butter (102 kcal) added to 100g of sautéed mushrooms (35 kcal) makes the fat contribute 74% of total dish calories. For accurate food journaling, always log the cooking fat as a separate ingredient.

Your Mushroom Nutrition Questions, Answered

How do button, chicken, and shiitake mushrooms compare in calories?
Raw button mushrooms have 22 kcal per 100g, chicken mushroom has 33 kcal, and shiitake has 34 kcal per 100g raw. All three are ultra-low-calorie foods. Dried shiitake is the outlier at 296 kcal per 100g because nearly all water is removed, concentrating nutrients 8–10x. For fresh mushrooms, the calorie differences are negligible — all are under 35 kcal per 100g.
Which mushroom has the most protein?
Fresh chicken mushroom leads with 4.2g protein per 100g, followed by button at 3.09g and shiitake at 2.24g. However, dried shiitake concentrates to 9.58g protein per 100g. On a per-calorie basis, all three mushrooms are extremely protein-efficient. Stir-fried shiitake reaches 3.45g protein per 100g, comparable to button mushroom raw.
What makes shiitake mushroom nutritionally unique?
Shiitake's standout nutrient is copper: dried shiitake has 5.2mg per 100g (578% DV), and even raw shiitake has 0.14mg (16% DV). Button mushroom has 0.32mg and chicken mushroom approximately 0.2mg. Shiitake also has higher selenium in dried form (46.1mcg, 84% DV) and exceptionally concentrated niacin (14.1mg, 88% DV) when dried. Fresh shiitake is nutritionally similar to other mushrooms, but the dried form is a nutrient powerhouse.
Can I eat chicken mushroom (Chicken of the Woods) raw?
No — chicken mushroom (Laetiporus sulphureus) should always be cooked before eating. Raw specimens may cause digestive discomfort. Cook for at least 15 minutes (sautéing) or 20 minutes (in soups/stews). Also, only harvest from hardwood trees (oak, cherry, willow) — specimens from conifers or eucalyptus may cause adverse reactions even when cooked. Button mushrooms, by contrast, can be eaten raw safely.
How does cooking affect mushroom nutrition?
Cooking concentrates most nutrients due to water loss (mushrooms are 90–92% water). For button mushrooms per 100g: iron jumps from 0.50mg raw to 1.74mg boiled (3.5x). For shiitake, stir-frying increases protein from 2.24g to 3.45g per 100g and copper from 0.14mg to 0.29mg. B vitamins are partially lost to cooking water during boiling but net content per 100g still rises. Dried shiitake shows the most extreme concentration effect.
How do mushrooms compare to other vegetables in niacin (B3)?
Mushrooms are the richest produce source of niacin. Dried shiitake leads at 14.1mg per 100g (88% DV), followed by chicken mushroom at 4.2mg (26% DV), raw shiitake at 3.88mg (24% DV), and button mushroom at 3.6mg (23% DV). For comparison: broccoli has 0.64mg and spinach 0.72mg per 100g. Per calorie, fresh mushrooms deliver 0.11–0.16mg niacin per kcal — more than chicken breast (0.05mg/kcal).

Explore More Nutrition Categories

Browse calculators for other food groups in our nutrition database.