I hosted my first 100% plant-based party recently and decided on making portobello veggie burgers as the main entree. Portobello mushrooms make GREAT “meaty” flavorful burgers and are simple to make. These turned out really awesome and the best part is, this recipe is no-oil! They were a hit!
For those new to whole food plant based eating, oil, even olive oil, is not healthy. It’s a highly processed food that is nothing but pure fat calories. And you don’t need it for great flavor. Balsamic vinegar and lots of spices add so much flavor to this vegan portobello mushroom burger recipe. Plus, I highly recommend grilling them to get that extra flavor & grill marks people are accustomed to with meat burgers.
Portobello mushrooms have a great meaty texture for burgers
So, back to the party. The party attendees were mostly meat-eaters, so I knew these had to be loaded with flavor. The texture of portobello mushrooms add a “meatiness” and they soak up marinade really well. The longer you marinate them, the more flavor they will have. I marinated these for about 6 hours, but you could leave them in the marinade for up to 24 hours. After that they get a little too soggy. You don’t have to wait quite that long though – 20 minutes would be the minimum.
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Mushrooms soak up marinade really well
The marinade for this grilled portobello mushroom burger recipe consists of balsamic vinegar, Bragg’s liquid aminos, garlic powder, dried oregano, and dried basil. Braggs’ liquid aminos is like a soy sauce, but is lower sodium than the low sodium soy sauce, but you could use that instead. I like using garlic powder because I think it imparts more flavor evenly throughout the veggie mushroom burgers, than minced garlic does.
Portobellos are the perfect size for veggie burgers
Portobello mushrooms are the perfect size and shape for making veggie burgers. And I love that they are dark and even LOOK like a burger. Top with all your favorite burger toppings and you won’t even know it’s not a real meat burger.
I prefer cooking these mushrooms on a grill – grilling outside was one of the things I didn’t want to give up going plant-based, so finding things I can put on a grill is awesome!
Some of the other recipes, I made for this plant-based party full of meat-eaters was:
7 Layer Vegan Bean Dip
Homemade Guacamole
No-Oil Chili Lime Tortilla Chips
Italian Cashew Creamed Kale
Vegetarian Baked Beans
Easy Mexican Street Corn
Best Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
Fruit Tray
Veggie Tray w/ No-Oil Hummus
I had lots of compliments for having a healthy menu and everyone enjoyed it!
If you try this Grilled Portobello Burger recipe, please comment below!
Print Recipe
Portobello mushrooms make perfect substitutions for meat burger. Who says vegans don't grill! These no-oil, super flavorful burgers are perfect for parties or Meatless Monday.
Pop the stem out of each of the portobello mushrooms. I leave the gills in, but some people like to scrape them out. It's just personal preference. The stems are tough so you definitely want to remove those.
Place all the mushrooms, balsamic vinegar, Bragg's Liquid Aminos, and spices in a gallon storage bag and shake/rotate to cover all parts of the mushrooms with the marinade. Place the bag in the refrigerator and let marinate for at least 20 minutes. If you have time for 4-6 hours that's even better. You can marinate for up to 24 hours.
Place mushrooms on a grill topside down, and grill over medium high heat for 7-10 minutes (reserve the marinade from the storage bag), then flip, baste with remaining marinade, and cook for another 7-10 minutes or until the mushrooms have released most of their liquid.
Serve on whole grain buns with your favorite toppings!
Notes
Nutrition calculation doesn’t include toppings; only mushrooms, marinade, and whole wheat bun.
The stems of large portabella, while technically edible, can be woody and fibrous and are usually discarded (or used to flavor stock). Likewise, the dark black gills can be eaten, but they'll turn your food a nasty, murky, scuzzy brown, so it's best to scrape'em out.
The mushrooms are marinated then grilled and topped with melted Swiss cheese, grilled red onion, tomatoes, spinach, and avocado – yum!! To give the mushroom a meaty flavor, I marinated them with balsamic, soy sauce and Montreal steak seasoning. They were so good, perfect for meatless Mondays or any night of the week.
Portobellos are a satisfying substitute for beef because of their meaty texture and rich taste. Unlike beef burgers, they have no saturated fat and very few calories. Portobello mushrooms are just the right size for a burger roll, they grill up beautifully, and go well with any type of fixin' you like.
– 2017: Joe Rogan, during the same podcast episode, made a controversial assertion that consuming undercooked Portobello mushrooms can potentially lead to cancer. This statement sparked widespread debate and raised concerns among mushroom lovers.
The most frequent form of mushroom poisoning is caused by a wide variety of gastrointestinal irritants. The symptoms usually appear within 20 minutes to 4 hours of ingesting the mushrooms, and include nausea, vomiting, cramps, and diarrhea, which normally pass after the irritant had been expelled.
THEY ARE LITERALLY THE SAME TYPE OF MUSHROOM. They are all Agaricus bisporus, in fact, just different ages: button mushrooms, which are white, are the toddlers; cremini mushrooms, which are brown, are the teenagers; and portobellos, which are brown and much larger versions of their younger selves, are the adults.
Portabella mushrooms contain non-nutritive compounds like polysaccharides, polyphenols, and carotenoids, which may have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer properties. In animal studies, mushrooms have been shown to stimulate immune cells and stop the growth and spread of cancer cells.
Heat 2 teaspoons oil in 12‑inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Using spatula, transfer 6 patties to skillet and cook until well browned on first side, about 3 minutes. Flip patties and continue to cook until browned on second side and meat registers 130 to 135 degrees, about 2 minutes.
Some of the mushrooms considered best for human health include chaga, lion's mane, reishi, turkey tail, shiitake, cordyceps and maitake. Often considered vegetables, mushrooms are neither plants nor animals. They belong to a unique kingdom of fungi.
Mushrooms are a low-fat food with less than 0.5 grams of fat per 100 grams of fresh weight. In comparison, chicken breast has 3 grams, lean beef has 10 grams, and mutton has 17 grams of fat per 100 grams of fresh weight.
A single serving of 2 big sized portobello mushrooms has 38 calories, about 7 mg of niacin, which makes up for half of your needs for the day, just about 5 grams of carbohydrates, a good 4 grams of protein, and less than half a gram of fat.
Mushrooms are a rich, low-calorie source of fiber, protein, and antioxidants. They may also help to lessen the risk of developing serious health conditions, such as Alzheimer's, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. They're also great sources of: Selenium.
While the gills of a portobello mushroom are edible, most people prefer removing them. This preference might be because the mushrooms' dark brown gills often transfer their muddy color to your dish and give it an unappetizing look. Others also claim that dark gills have a bitter taste.
Black fungus is an edible mushroom that's a popular ingredient in Chinese cuisine. It's typically sold dry under various names, such as cloud ear or tree ear fungus. It should be soaked and cooked thoroughly before consuming it.
To be clear, the soft brown lined gills found underneath the caps of large portobellos — otherwise known as the grown-up cremini — are completely edible.
Most mushrooms need to be trimmed before cutting them, but some do not. Trim off any woody or dried out pieces of the stems of button/white mushrooms, cremini/baby bella mushrooms, king trumpet/oyster mushrooms, and Lion's mane mushrooms. For shiitake, chanterelle, and portobello mushrooms, remove the stems entirely.
Introduction: My name is Barbera Armstrong, I am a lovely, delightful, cooperative, funny, enchanting, vivacious, tender person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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