The cap is hemispherical and very slimy when young, soon convex, honey yellow to ochre brown and up to 10 cm (4 in) in diameter.

The strong stem is white or blotchy yellowish brown.

Stinking russula is widely considered inedible.

In countries like Russia it is used for traditional mushroom pickles after being soaked in water for several days to remove the strong taste, as also all other Russula species.

[1] Such preservation method allows to use many otherwise inedible russulas and milk-caps for well digestible and savoury pickles, which are considered delicacy in Eastern Europe and Scandinavia.