Spanish garlic mushrooms is a classic tapa that's ready in 15 minutes. It's made with four ingredients and is naturally vegan. Serve with some toasted crusty bread for the ultimate tapas experience!
When it comes to tapas, I like to have lots of choices in front of me on the table. From patatas bravas with aioli sauce to shishito peppers and tortilla espanola, we love them all! This garlic mushrooms recipe is another classic that you can find all around Spain in tapas bars, usually enjoyed with some bread.
Table Of Contents:
Why you'll love this recipe
- Quick: Ready in 15 minutes, this recipe is excellent for a quick get together.
- Simple: You only need a few ingredients to make this dish and you probably have all of them on hand.
- Flavors: Just like gambas al ajillo (garlic shrimp), this dish has a nice garlicky flavor without being overwhelming.
- Perfect for any time: Serve it as an appetizer, tapas or a side to dishes such as Mediterranean garlic chicken or baked salmon fillets.
What do you need to make Champiñones al Ajillo
- Mushrooms: The best mushrooms for this recipe are white mushrooms or baby bella mushrooms.
- Olive oil: As is the case for almost all the Mediterranean recipes, extra virgin olive oil works best for this recipe.
- Garlic: I use about 3 cloves of garlic for 1 pound of mushrooms. You want the oil to be infused with garlic but not in an overwhelming way.
- Lemon: A little bit of freshly squeezed lemon juice adds so much flavor to the dish.
- Spices: While in some Spanish restaurants salt is the only addition to champiñones al ajillo, some other restaurants add smoked paprika as well.
How to make Spanish garlic mushrooms
- Clean the mushrooms and slice them into quarters.
- Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the garlic slices. Cook for just a couple of minutes and keep an eye out to make sure the garlic isn't burning.
- Add in the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes. Increase the heat to medium high and cook for another 5 minutes until they are golden on all sides.
- Finish the garlic mushrooms with salt, a squeeze of lemon and fresh parsley.
Tips for cooking mushrooms
- Add salt: Adding salt the to mushrooms at the very end help with the flavor and texture. If you add the salt too soon, the mushrooms will become rubbery.
- Don't stir constantly: When sauteing the mushrooms, let them be for a few minutes before stirring. This way they will brown well on one side and then will brown on the other sides as well.
- Don't slice thinly: It's best to quarter the mushrooms for this recipe since mushrooms tend to shrink after sauteing.
Turn it into a tapas spread
Tapas is a spread of small dishes in Spanish cuisine that can be turned into a full meal. They can be hot or cold. To make a wonderful tapas spread, serve these Spanish sauteed garlic mushrooms with pan con tomate, ensalada rusa and croquettes. Finish with a glass of homemade non-alcoholic sangria for good measures!
Leftovers and reheating
Store the leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. To serve, heat some olive oil in a pan over medium heat, add the mushrooms and sauté over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes until fully heated.
Frequently asked questions
These mushrooms are definitely best when served immediately. I don't recommend making them in advance.
Traditionally this dish is made with white button mushrooms or baby bella mushrooms. However you can try making it with sliced portobello or oyster mushrooms. The cooking time might change.
The garlic mushrooms I've had in Spain come in two versions: just with salt and lemon juice as I've described here, or some will serve this tapa with a bit of smoked paprika as well.
More vegetarian appetizer recipes
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Step-by-Step Recipe
Spanish Garlic Mushrooms (Champiñones al Ajillo)
Ingredients
- 1 lb white button mushrooms
- ¼ cup olive oil extra virgin
- 3 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- Kosher salt to taste
- 1 lemon juice of
- ⅓ cup parsley chopped
Instructions
- Clean the mushrooms thoroughly, pat dry them with kitchen paper towel and slice them into quarters.
- Heat the olive oil in a pan or a cats iron skillet over medium heat.
- Add the sliced garlic and cook for just a minute or two. Keep an eye so the garlic doesn't burn.
- Add in the mushrooms and spread them evenly in the pan. Let them sear for 5 minutes, then stir, turn the heat up to medium high and saute for another 5 minutes until the mushrooms are brown and caramelized.
- Finish with salt, lemon juice and chopped parsley.
Notes
- Serve Champiñones al Ajillo with some crusty bread as part of a tapas spread with pan con tomate, patatas bravas, blistered shishito peppers and gambas al ajillo (garlic shrimp).
- Store the leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. To serve, heat a bit of olive oil in a pan and sauté the mushroom for a few minutes until heated through.
- If desired, you can add some smoked paprika to the mushrooms while sauteing.
Charles
Hi,
Your Danish Mushroom recipe is very welcome! Mushrooms are extremely healthy! Thanks for sharing!
Irena
Garlic and mushrooms are made for each other! I often do butter garlic mushrooms but love the healthier Spanish version with olive oil. Lemon adds a lovely tang as well.
Tayler
I made these mushrooms to go with our steak last night and they were incredible! And so easy to make too!
Beth
Holy cow! That looks absolutely amazing! I can see serving this with pork chops, chicken, or a nice steak. I can't wait to make these.
Nathan
I adore mushrooms, and I love how simple this recipe is! They work perfectly with some bread or crackers, but honestly I could eat these garlic mushrooms on their own with a fork. Thanks for sharing!