Take your mushroom game to the next level with these amazing grilled portobello mushrooms! Flavored with a tasty marinade of balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire, lemon juice, garlic, brown sugar, and more.

Deliciously Marinated Mushrooms

Portobello mushrooms are such a versatile and fun vegetable to cook with. These little wonders make for a fantastic complement to proteins and can enhance the flavors of various pasta, casseroles, stir-fries, and more. Yet, their most recent notable attribute is their ability to serve as an exceptional substitute for meat!

Like meat, mushrooms can take in the flavors around them and become tender when cooked correctly. They have a deep, umami taste and a meaty texture that makes them a great option to replace ground beef, pork, or chicken in prepared dishes.

This brings us to the true star of this grilled portobello mushrooms recipe: the delicious balsamic marinade. It creates the most flavorful and tender mushrooms. Once grilled, they get that smoky charcoal flavor that is simply divine. And get this, all you need are simple ingredients you already have at home.

Grilled Portobello Mushrooms – What You Need

• Worcestershire sauce: Worcestershire gives the marinade a nice meaty flavor.
• Balsamic vinegar: adds a slightly sweet, tart, and smokey flavor that is perfect for grilling.
• Lemon juice: a bit of acidity really goes a long way for this flavorful marinade.
• Olive oil: extra virgin olive oil adds richness and helps get these mushrooms super tender.
• Garlic: fresh garlic and mushrooms go hand in hand. Don’t skip it!
• Onion: like garlic, onion is a key ingredient to making these mushrooms super tasty.
• Brown sugar: adding a sweet element balances out the savoriness to deliver maximum flavor.
• Dijon mustard: adds a tangy and sharp taste that really takes things up a notch.
• Portabella mushrooms: we used destemmed, rinsed, and dried portobello.
• Salt: the simplest flavor enhancer for any dish.

How to Make Grilled Portobello Mushrooms

PREPARE MARINADE

Add the marinade ingredients (Worcestershire sauce, balsamic, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, onion, brown sugar, Dijon, and salt) to a large bowl, whisking to combine. 

MARINATE MUSHROOMS

Dredge the mushrooms in the marinade a few times to coat them. Then let the mushrooms marinate for 1 hour, flipping them halfway through. 

PREHEAT OVEN

Preheat the grill to 400ºF and clean the grill grates. 

GRILL MUSHROOMS

When the grill is heated, grill the mushrooms for 10 minutes, flipping halfway. 

Then, transfer the mushrooms cap side down on the grill over indirect heat. Grill the mushrooms for 3 minutes on the cap side, flip, and grill them for an additional 2 minutes. 

Pro Tip: You’ll know when your mushrooms are done grilling when they are tender, juicy, and perfectly charred.

SERVE + ENJOY

The gates to mushroom heaven have opened! Set your grilled portobello mushrooms on a plate and allow them to cool before serving. Enjoy!

Try This Portobello Mushroom Burger!

Let’s be real. This entire recipe was inspired by our dream of making the PERFECT portobello mushroom burger. So we highly recommend you squeeze these tasty guys in between a couple of buns and top them with yummy melty cheese and your favorite toppings.

And might I add, this recipe isn’t just for vegetarians and vegans. Even the biggest meat lovers (like myself) can’t believe how close this tastes to meat! It’s so good anyway that it won’t even matter. Trust me 😉

Top Tips for Grilled Portobello Mushrooms

How to Pick the Right Mushrooms

Since you’ll be grilling these mushrooms, it’s important that you get mushrooms that are bigger in size to prevent them from falling through the grates. However, you won’t need to worry about that if you’re using a grill pan. 

You’ll also want to use large portobello mushrooms if you’re using them as hamburger patties, ideally around the same size as the bun. Look for mushrooms with caps that are firm and have no visible cuts or bruises. 

How to Clean Mushrooms

Cleaning mushrooms isn’t complicated, but it’s a crucial step when you’re cooking. You don’t want to be eating any dirt! Here’s the scoop on getting ‘shrooms squeaky clean. 

First, place them in a colander and rinse under cold water for 30 seconds. Get rid of any dirt that’s stuck in the crevices. Then use a damp paper towel to rub off any remaining dirt. Finally, get a dry paper towel to pat them so they are ready for use.

Seasoning & Grilling 

Portobello mushrooms already have a rich, meaty flavor that doesn’t need too much enhancement. Keeping it simple with some sea salt, black pepper, and a light brush of olive oil is all you need to make the most out of grilled portobello, but of course, you can really elevate them by soaking them in a marinade like this one! 

You don’t need a fancy outdoor grill to make these mushrooms either, you can cook them on a gas grill, electric grill, or grill pan just as easily. 

Other Ways to Serve Grilled Mushrooms

There are no limits to what you can do with a plate of tasty grilled portobello mushrooms. Although this recipe was originally designed as a hamburger replacement, you are more than welcome to use different sizes and serve them in all kinds of ways. Here are our favorite options to give you some inspiration:

Portobello Mushroom Steaks: a great protein replacement that you can pair with mashed potatoes and your favorite veggies.

Chicken Mushroom Pasta: toss these mushrooms in a plate of noodles to elevate your pasta dish to new heights.

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms: scrape out the gills of the mushrooms and stuff ’em with all sorts of goods.

Mushroom Stroganoff: take a basic stroganoff and make it legendary with these marinated and grilled portobello mushrooms.

Storage

Got leftover portobello mushrooms? Allow them to cool completely before transferring into an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 3-5 days.

To reheat: to reheat these mushrooms place them on a wire rack on a baking sheet and bake them at 350ºF until warm.