Know2eat

White button mushrooms

Agaricus bisporus

Also known as Button mushroom, Chestnut mushroom, Cremini, Portobello

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The most widely cultivated mushroom in the world, sold at several stages of maturity under different names. White button, cremini and portobello are the same species at different ages.

Weight ManagementImmune Health

Potential health benefits

Best supported: Limited

Ordered by how well the human research supports them — strongest first. A rating describes the state of the evidence, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Body composition

Weight Management
Limited evidence

A small number of substitution trials report modest weight differences when mushrooms replace red meat over several months. The studies are few and it is difficult to separate the food from the overall change in eating pattern.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

2 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Satiety and appetite

Weight Management
Limited evidence

Some trials report that replacing meat with mushrooms in a meal lowers energy intake without reducing reported fullness. The trials are small and short, and the effect follows from the lower energy density rather than anything specific to fungi.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

4 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Immune function

Immune Health
Insufficient evidence

Mushrooms are widely marketed for immunity on the strength of their beta-glucan content. Human trials using culinary mushrooms and measuring infection outcomes are almost non-existent, and laboratory activity of isolated polysaccharides does not carry over automatically.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

1 source

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Ask about White button mushrooms

Ask about White button mushrooms

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Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories22 kcal1%
Protein3.09 g6%
Total fat0.34 g0%
Carbohydrate3.26 g1%
Fibre1 g4%
Total sugars1.98 g—
Water92.5 g—
Fats
Saturated fat0.05 g0%
Monounsaturated fat0 g—
Polyunsaturated fat0.16 g—
Cholesterol0 mg0%
EPA (omega-3)0 g—
DHA (omega-3)0 g—
DPA (omega-3)0 g—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)0.16 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A0 µg0%
Vitamin C2.1 mg2%
Vitamin D0.2 µg1%
Vitamin E0.01 mg0%
Vitamin K0 µg0%
Thiamin (B1)0.081 mg7%
Riboflavin (B2)0.402 mg31%
Niacin (B3)3.61 mg23%
Pantothenic acid (B5)1.5 mg30%
Vitamin B60.104 mg6%
Folate17 µg4%
Vitamin B120.04 µg2%
Choline17.3 mg3%
Minerals
Calcium3 mg0%
Iron0.5 mg3%
Magnesium9 mg2%
Phosphorus86 mg7%
Potassium318 mg7%
Sodium5 mg0%
Zinc0.52 mg5%
Copper0.318 mg35%
Manganese0.047 mg2%
Selenium9.3 µg17%
Other measured compounds
Beta-carotene0 µg—
Alpha-carotene0 µg—
Lycopene0 µg—
Lutein + zeaxanthin0 µg—
Caffeine0 mg—
Ash0.85 g—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Mushrooms, white, raw (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 169251).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

  • cookedReduces agaritine

    Boiling, frying and even refrigerated storage substantially reduce agaritine content, with prolonged cooking removing most of it.

  • cookedPreserves ergothioneine

    Ergothioneine is unusually heat-stable and survives normal cooking largely intact, unlike most of the other compounds mushrooms are studied for.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Worth knowing

    Agaritine content

    Agaricus mushrooms naturally contain agaritine, a hydrazine derivative that has caused tumours in rodents at high doses. Human risk from ordinary intakes is regarded as very low, and cooking and storage both reduce the amount considerably.

  • Worth knowing

    Vitamin D content varies enormously

    Mushrooms produce vitamin D2 only when exposed to ultraviolet light. Most supermarket mushrooms are grown in the dark and contain almost none, while products specifically labelled UV-exposed contain a great deal. The label is the only way to tell.

  • Worth knowing

    Accumulation of heavy metals

    Fungi take up cadmium and other metals from their growing substrate more readily than most plants. Levels in commercially cultivated mushrooms are regulated and low, but this is a genuine reason not to eat very large quantities of wild-collected specimens.

  • Worth knowing

    Raw mushrooms and digestive upset

    Fungal cell walls are made of chitin, which humans digest poorly. Large amounts of raw mushroom are commonly reported to cause bloating and discomfort that cooking largely resolves.