Abstract Grifola frondosa (maitake) is an edible and medicinal mushroom. Considering its increasing popularity, there are limited references for its cultivation. Previous studies demonstrated that carpophore formation is correlated directly with mycelial biomass. The development of a mathematical model for its growth under solid‐state fermentation (SSF) may help to predict the potential of different substrates for maitake production. G. frondosa growth and basidiome development was studied, using oak sawdust and corn bran as substrates. The fungal biomass content was determined by measuring N ‐acetyl‐ D ‐glucosamine (NAGA). It increased steadily for the first 80 days, to a maximum in coincidence with the first fruiting (60.5 μg NAGA/mg dry sample). Two mathematical models were selected to evaluate G. frondosa development, measuring reducing sugars consumption and NAGA synthesis, as an indirect assessment of fungal growth. Both models showed a good fit between predicted and experimental data: logistic model ( R 2 =0.8896), two‐stage model ( R 2 =0.8878), but the logistic model required a minor number of adjustment parameters.