Portobello mushrooms make perfect burgers for a couple of reasons. Firstly, they’re big and juicy. I don’t know about you, but when someone says ‘mushroom burger’ I always think ‘it better be a darn big mushroom otherwise this ain’t gonna work.’ Portobellos can hold their own in a bun, trust me. Second is that they take on flavour so well.
Portobello Mushroom Burger Marinade
The absolute key to a delicious mushroom burger is to marinate the mushrooms. Because portobellos are so large, you really want to inject as much flavour into them as possible, just to ensure you don’t end up with a bland mushroom burger. The mushroom is the star of the show after all. Here’s what you’ll need for the marinade:
Portobello Mushroom Marinade
Balsamic Vinegar Soy Sauce Worcestershire Sauce Garlic
The combination of balsamic vinegar and soy sauce works wonders on so many things, not just including burgers. With the addition of Worcestershire sauce, you get a really deep ‘beefy’ and delicious flavour. And garlic? Who doesn’t want garlic with their mushrooms. Alongside the fantastic 4, you’ll just need a swig of olive oil (just to help with the frying) and a pinch of salt and pepper (to taste).
How long to marinate for?
I find the sweet spot lies between 30mins – 1hour. Any less and there isn’t enough time for the mushrooms to soak up the goodness, any more and the mushrooms start to wilt and shrink from the acidity. Process shots: remove stalks (photo 1), combine marinade in zip lock bag (photo 2), add mushrooms (photo 3), marinate (photo 4).
How to Make Portobello Mushroom Burgers
These beauties are perfect for the BBQ, but we’re in the thick of winter now so pan frying is where we’re at. I don’t recommend baking these as you won’t get the same caramelization and therefore, they’ll be laking in flavour. When it comes to the toppings, here’s the usual suspects for me:
Toasted Buns – Important to toast the buns, just so they give a nice crispy contrast to the soft mushroom in the centre. Hummus – Don’t skip this, even if it’s store bought! Caramelized Onions – Below I’ll show a shortcut to caramelized onion, you can also sub sliced red onion if you wish. Cheese – Here I use Swiss which works nicely. Use cheese of choice though! Tomato – One hefty slice of beef tomato will do the trick. Watercress – Or greens of choice.
A lot of the juices stay in the pan after you’ve fried the mushrooms, the onions will soak this up and taste beyond delicious once they’re fried. For proper caramelized onions, you want to fry them low and slow, but here I make quick caramelized onions (with a little help from a tsp of brown sugar). Process shots: Add your mushrooms face down to a pan over medium heat and fry for 4-5mins until soft (photo 1), flip mushrooms over (photo 2), add cheese and fry for another 4-5mins or until knife tender with the cheese melted. Remove from pan (photo 3), add onions & sugar and continue to fry until soft and caramelized (photo 4).
What to serve with Portobello Mushroom Burgers?
Avocado Fries Potato Wedges Sweet Potato Fries French Fries Onion Rings
If you’re looking for another awesome marinated mushroom recipe be sure to check out my Crispy Breaded Mushrooms! For more similar recipes give these a ganders too:
Delicious Burger Recipes
Crispy Chicken Burger Breakfast Burger Ground Chicken Burgers Beetroot Burgers
Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for these mushroom burgers shall we?!
How to make Portobello Mushroom Burgers (Full Recipe & Video)
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