The caps, when young, may appear smaller and more convex, growing larger, flatter, broader, and wavier over time. The caps also display a unique black and white marbling across the surface and there are white gills underneath the cap, giving the mushrooms a meaty and firm consistency.

Black Oyster mushrooms have a mild flavor well suited for cooked applications such as frying, stir-fry, and braising. They can be cooked and added to soups and curries, battered and fried into tempura, used as a seafood substitute, or sauteed into stir-fries. The mushrooms can also be stuffed into dumplings, cooked into eggs, used as a topping over pizza, or stirred into pasta and risotto.

Black Oyster mushrooms are a source of calcium to strengthen bones and teeth and iron to build the protein hemoglobin for oxygen transport through the bloodstream. The mushrooms also provide some potassium to balance fluid levels within the body, vitamin C to boost the immune system, and other vitamins, including vitamins B and D.