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Grilled Portobello mushrooms are coated in a red wine vinegar & herb marinade. Then they’re cooked over a fire until they achieve beautiful grill marks. They’re a great vegan & gluten-free main course for your next cookout.
Often when people think of a quick & convenient vegan main course for the grill, their first thought is grilled Portobello mushrooms.
It’s easy to understand why. Those large mushrooms are one of the few vegetables that really requires a fork and knife. That can be nice for a fancier cookout.
And mushroom caps are shaped like burgers, which makes them very handy for popping onto a bun. Great for a more low-key affair.
Since many people associate smoky flavors like you get with charcoal or wood with meat, they’re often surprised at how mushrooms can pick up those same flavors for a result that’s downright steak-like.
What kind of grill should I use?
For the best flavor, you really can’t beat a grilled mushroom cooked on a charcoal grill or over a wood-burning fire pit. Mild mushrooms pick up those smoky flavors beautifully.
However, a gas grill or indoor grill pan is super convenient in terms of the time it takes to heat & maintain. Plus, an indoor grill pan is a lot easier to use on cold or windy days when you just don’t feel like trudging outside to start a fire.
So any way you go, you can’t lose.
How to grill Portobello mushroom caps
Clean the Portobello mushrooms with a damp cloth to remove any dirt. Remove the stems with your fingers or a knife.
If you’d like, remove the gills from underneath the mushrooms using a spoon.
(The gills release a dark liquid while they cook. It’s not a deal breaker for grilled mushrooms, but some find it more aesthetically pleasing to remove them.)
Make the marinade by combining the following in a mixing bowl:
- Olive oil
- Red wine vinegar
- Minced garlic
- Dried parsley
- Dried basil
- Dried oregano
- Salt
- Pepper
To mince the garlic, I like to use a Microplane zester. It makes the garlic almost like a paste, which means better dispersion & absorption of flavor.
Add the mushrooms & evenly coat them in the marinade.
Put the bowl with mushrooms in the refrigerator. Marinate for 30 minutes to an hour.
Bring a grill, fire pit, or grill pan to medium high heat. (I usually aim for 500 degrees on the gas grill.)
Grill mushrooms for about 4 minutes on each side, until dark grill marks form.
Make it your own
You can make these grilled ‘shrooms your own by varying the seasonings.
- Use balsamic vinegar instead of red wine vinegar
- Use granulated garlic instead of freshly minced
- Replace parsley, basil, and oregano with your favorite Italian seasoning blend
What to serve with it
Grilled Portobello mushrooms are a terrific entrée with any of the following side dishes:
- Air fryer asparagus
- Kale salad or sautéed kale with garlic
- Lemony potatoes or potato salad
- Marinated lentil salad
- Roasted cabbage or coleslaw
- Israeli couscous salad
- Vegan pasta salad
Or have the caps on a toasted bun with vegan mayo, olive tapenade, and vegan feta cheese.
How to store
Leftovers will keep for 3 or 4 days in a covered container in the refrigerator. Warm them in a pan with a little oil. If they’ve dried out at all, add a splash of red wine.
Sliced mushrooms are great in fajitas, burrito bowls, or on a pizza.
More grill recipes
Keep the fire going with these delicious recipes for your next cookout:
- Grilled tofu with lemon & rosemary
- Cast iron breakfast skillet
- Buffalo corn on the cob
- Bulgogi tofu
- Vegan corn cakes
Grilled portobello mushrooms
Ingredients
- 4 portobello mushrooms
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil Plus more if needed
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- Generous pinch salt
- Dash pepper
Instructions
- Clean portobello mushrooms with a damp cloth. Remove stems using your fingers or a knife. If you'd like, use a spoon to remove the dark brown gills from underneath the mushroom. They don't affect the flavor at all, but they do release dark brown liquid while they cook.
- In a mixing bowl, combine olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, dried parsley, dried basil, dried oregano, a generous pinch of salt, and a dash of pepper. (For the garlic, I like to use a Microplane zester, so that it's almost paste-like & easy to combine with the other ingredients.)
- Add the mushroom caps to the mixing bowl. Use your hands to make sure that each cap gets covered front & back with the marinade. If your mushroom caps are especially large, you can add more oil if needed to make sure it's all evenly dispersed.
- Put the bowl with mushrooms in the refrigerator, and let them soak in the marinade for 30 minutes to an hour. (If your refrigerator isn't large enough to hold a mixing bowl, the mushrooms can go into a freezer bag instead to marinate.)
- Bring a grill, fire pit with grate, or grill pan to a medium high heat. (For a gas grill, I aim for about 500 degrees.)
- Put the marinated mushroom caps on the grill, grate, or grill pan. Cook for about 4 minutes on each side & then flip. (Don't flip until the mushrooms have nice grill marks.) Remove from heat & serve.
Shell says
Perfect recipe for grilling season! Hopeful we can kick off grilling season soon!
Cadry says
Thanks, Shell! Fingers crossed!
Susan says
Yum yum yum yum!
I personally never take off the gills when I am cooking mushroom, because I love that dark mushroomy juice that comes out of them. There is something just so satisfying about a giant mushroom.
Cadry says
Yay! I’m glad you’re a fellow mushroom lover too. I only remove the gills when I’m making mushrooms for guests or pictures. Otherwise, I don’t bother either.