Foraging Guide: Hedgehog Mushroom

With their pale, toothed underside and sweet, nutty flavour, hedgehog mushrooms are one of the UK's most intriguing wild edibles.

The hedgehog mushroom has distinctive spines on its underside rather than gills.

3rd November 2025 | Words and pictures by Connor McElroy

The hedgehog mushroom (Hydnum repandum) is a forager's dream – visually stunning, tasty, and with almost no dangerous look-alikes. Found across the UK's coniferous and mixed forests, it's one of the safest and most rewarding wild mushrooms to gather for the larder.

Here’s how to identify hedgehog mushrooms, where to find them, and how to prepare them, plus a delicious recipe that will wow any guest who sits around your table…

Hedgehog Mushroom Identification

Hedgehog mushrooms are instantly recognisable once you’ve learned their defining features.

Identifying hedgehog mushrooms in the wild is easy, even for beginners. Unlike many other edible species, Hydnum repandum and its close edible relatives are instantly recognisable once you've learned their defining features.

Their most distinctive trait is the soft, downward-pointing spines beneath the cap. This makes them stand out from the gilled and pored mushrooms that dominate the forest floor. There are no true look-alikes that have teeth/spines instead of gills, making them one of the safest wild mushrooms to search for.

They often appear in small clusters and sometimes in arcs or “fairy rings,” but it's not unusual to find standalone specimens. Regardless of their ease of identification, take your time to examine their shape, colour, and texture. The guide below will help you identify hedgehog mushrooms in the field.

Defining Features

Here are the defining features of Hydnum repandum:

Cap: Pale orange to cream, 3–15cm across. Young specimens are relatively uniform and convex, while older specimens are irregular and wavy around the edges. The surface is matte, dry, and often cracked in older mushrooms.
Underside: Hedgehog mushrooms have teeth or spines, not gills. These soft, brittle, sporulating projections are a key identifying feature and give the fungus its name. They're creamy-white and grow up to 6mm in length.
Stipe: The stipe (stem) is short, thick, and often off-centre. It's off-white to pale orange – almost identical in colour and texture to the cap.
Flesh: The mushroom's flesh is firm but brittle. When cut, it's white to cream and does not change colour or excrete liquid.
Spore Print: White.
Scent: Earthy, nutty, fruity, and sweet.
Taste: Mild and slightly sweet – similar to chanterelle mushrooms but less intense. Younger specimens can produce nutty and earthy notes, while older mushrooms can have peppery undertones.

Hydnellum peckii (the bleeding tooth fungus) is a rare but possible confusion species. It has a similar shape and structure to the hedgehog mushroom but excretes a blood-red liquid from its cap.

Similar Species

There are no dangerous look-alikes for Hydnum repandum in the UK, making it one of the safest species for amateur foragers. However, there are a couple of notable species to consider before heading into the forest.

Hydnellum peckii (the bleeding tooth fungus) has a similar shape and structure to Hydnum rependum. However, the mushrooms excrete a blood-red liquid from their caps and are incredibly rare in the UK. These mushrooms are non-toxic but inedible due to their bitter taste.

Wood hedgehog mushroom, which is smaller and darker than the normal hedgehog mushroom, but equally edible and just as tasty.

Hydnum rufescens (the wood hedgehog) is a species in the same genus. It's smaller and has darker, brown-orange caps and a thinner stem. While this species may be confused with Hydnum repandum by the beginner forager, it's equally edible and delicious.

Where to Find Hedgehog Mushrooms

Hedgehog mushrooms growing among grass and leaf litter in a forest clearing.

Hedgehog mushrooms are widespread in the UK. They can be found from Lands’ End to John o' Groats in coniferous and mixed woodlands. They grow from late summer through autumn, typically from August to November (depending on weather).

You'll find them:

In mossy coniferous and mixed woodlands.
Growing in groups, arks and fairy rings (don't rule out singular specimens).
In forest clearings, old growth and alongside mossy paths.
Around spruce, pine, beech, birch and oak.
Close to chanterelle mushrooms – the two species share similar habitats and growing seasons.

Preparing Hedgehog Mushrooms

A large hedgehog mushroom in a foraging basket amongst other edibles such as chanterelles.

The firm, meaty flesh of hedgehog mushrooms makes them perfect for frying, roasting, and stewing. While they have a unique taste, they're relatively mild, making them excellent flavour sponges. Cooking in butter alongside aromatics such as garlic, onions, thyme, or rosemary can elevate the taste of these mushrooms.

Hedgehog fungi require a bit more preparation than gilled or ridged mushrooms. Their irregular shape traps dirt, pine needles, and moss. Their spines also trap bugs and can make dishes grainy in texture if not removed.

Before cooking, chop or tear the mushrooms into small pieces, remove any debris, and rinse stubborn dirt with cold water before drying. Remove the spines of more mature hedgehogs with a teaspoon or dull blade. Younger, smaller specimens can be cooked with the spines attached.

Preserving Hedgehog Mushrooms

Hedgehog mushrooms are best consumed fresh, but their flavour and texture can be preserved if you've had a bountiful harvest.

Avoid dehydrating – they lose most of their flavour and once rehydrated tend to turn soggy and rubbery. Instead, pickle any spare hedgehog mushrooms in a vinegar-based brine or freeze in small portions.

Before freezing, sauté or blanch the mushrooms – raw freezing can ruin their firm texture.

Forest Mushroom Risotto Recipe

A bowl of creamy hedgehog mushroom risotto topped with chopped parsley.

This mushroom risotto is the perfect way to utilise freshly picked hedgehog mushrooms. Their sweet, nutty flavours work beautifully in this creamy Italian dish.

You don't have to limit yourself to hedgehogs either – chanterelles, yellowfoot, and porcini mushrooms all bring rich, umami notes to the dish.

Here's how to make it:

Ingredients (Serves Four)

350g Risotto Rice (such as arborio, carnaroli or vialoni nano)
400g Fresh Hedgehog Mushrooms (add other forest mushrooms if desired)
½ White Onion (diced)
50g Butter
50g Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmesan Cheese)
½ Glass White Wine (Sauvignon Blanc works best)
1 Litre Vegetable Stock
1–2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Small Bunch of Parsley

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Roughly dice 300g of mushrooms. Slice the remaining 100g (these will be used to garnish the dish).
2. Add 1–2 tbsp of olive oil to a shallow pan and cook the mushrooms over a medium heat for 10–15 minutes. Set aside once cooked.
3. Finely dice half an onion.
4. In a large, steel saucepan, add 1–2 tbsp of olive oil followed by the diced onion. Cook on a medium heat for 10 minutes until translucent.
5. Add 350g of risotto rice to the pan and toast with the onion for 4–5 minutes, stirring regularly.
6. Pour half a glass of white wine over the rice. Stir gently until most of the liquid has evaporated.
7. Pour 100–200ml of stock over the rice until it's just covered.
8. Stir the risotto until most of the stock has been absorbed, then add another 100–200ml.
9. Continue “feeding” the risotto stock until the rice is cooked (30–50 minutes).
10. Add the diced mushrooms to the risotto and stir. Cook for an additional 5 minutes and then remove the pan from the heat.
11. Add 50g of room-temperature butter and stir until combined – this makes the risotto creamy.
12. Add 50g of Parmigiano and stir to combine.
13. Plate the risotto. Garnish with the sliced mushrooms and a dash of chopped parsley.

Connor McElroy is a writer and editor inspired by wild places and simple living. From Scandinavian forests to mountain ridges, his work captures the quiet beauty of life outdoors. He lives and works in Sweden.