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.
This post may contain affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I love and it’s what keeps this blog going!
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.
Dr. Fuhrman says we should eat mushrooms often for their immunity building and cancer fighting properties. No better way to do that than as a big portobello mushroom burger!
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!
Portobello Mushroom Burger Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 portobello mushrooms
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Bragg's Liquid Aminos (or low sodium soy sauce)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 4 whole grain buns
Topping Ideas:
- red onions
- lettuce
- tomato
- avocado slices
- jalapeno slices
- spicy mustard
Instructions
- 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!
Oh that burger looks heavenly! I love portobello! I need to try it in burgers more often.
Thanks! I hope you like it!
I’m the only 100% plant based person in my house. (I have everyone else eating meat only once a week… I do the cooking so they really don’t have a choice). With my picky people though these “burgers” would be a me only thing. I was wondering if I make and marinate two mushrooms would the second reheat okay the next day?
Yes absolutely you can refrigerate and they are great leftovers!
I really enjoyed the flavor of the marinade. This is the first time I’ve made a Portobello mushroom burger and it was very tasty. I have a George Foreman grill and used that and they turned out perfectly.