You have several options if you’re looking to take your grilling to the next level this summer. Our favorite way to do this is by swapping out traditional burgers with blended mushroom burgers!
These special mushroom patties mix finely diced mushrooms and beef together, creating a nutritious and flavorful combo. These burgers provide you with Vitamin D, fiber, an enhanced taste, and fewer calories than traditional burgers.
But before you fire up that grill, you need to prepare your mushroom burgers for success. Here are some of our favorite tips:
1. Use the Right Mushroom-to-Meat Ratio
When preparing your serving sizes, create a balance between the mushrooms and meat for a smooth texture.
A 30/70 mushroom-meat blend is often the perfect consistency for meat-heavy clusters like burgers, meatloaf, or meatballs.
However, don’t worry about being super precise, as some recipes vary in their recommendations. For instance, in our classic Blended Burger recipe, we mix in a half pound of finely diced mushrooms with a pound of ground beef.
As a general rule for blended burgers, never chop more mushrooms than meat.
2. Always Use Fresh Mushrooms
While frozen mushrooms are great, fresh mushrooms are the top choice when grilling mushroom burgers. Depending on your mushroom burgers recipe, you may want to use Portabella Mushrooms. These are a delicious addition to your burgers, because of the mushroom's rich flavor.
We suggest choosing fresh mushrooms for two reasons:
- Fresh mushrooms typically contain more nutritional value than frozen or canned mushrooms.
- Softened or engorged mushrooms take on a different texture than raw mushrooms, which can affect the consistency of your blended burger recipe.
3. Mix the Mushrooms Into the Meat Before It’s Cooked
While you may consider cooking or sautéing your mushrooms prior to blending them with your meat, we don’t recommend it.
The mushrooms will cook on the grill while you heat up the patties, so if you cook the mushrooms ahead of time, you’re really cooking them twice. Overcooking mushrooms can compromise their texture, reduce their flavor, and cause them to lose important nutrients.
4. Dice the Raw Mushrooms
Chunks of mushrooms will throw off the texture and won’t stick as well to your ground beef, so in order to get your mushrooms to mix in well with the meat, you need to dice them very finely.
To form a smooth patty, chop your mushrooms into the smallest pieces possible. You may also want to use a blender, chopper, or food processor to get the finest possible pieces of mushrooms. You’ll want them to have a consistency that’s similar to cauliflower rice.
5. Hold the Salt
While we do recommend seasoning your blend before grilling, there’s one important spice to hold back on: salt. Mushrooms have a natural umami taste, which mimics the savory, brothy taste usually associated with salty foods. This is why mushrooms can have a similar flavor to foods with higher levels of fat or calories.
In fact, according to the Mushroom Council, “Umami counterbalances saltiness and allows up to a 50 percent salt reduction without compromising flavor.”
So, feel free to leave the salt behind while you’re grilling up these mushroom burgers this summer!
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6. Season Your Patties
With the exception of salt, season your blended burger patties with the seasonings and spices you desire.
We recommend adding in seasonings prior to grilling so the patties can marinate until they hit the grill. Plus, the heat can help the flavors fully absorb into the patty while you cook them.
7. Press the Middle of the Mushroom Burger Before Grilling
Professional chefs and grill masters often recommend adding a small indent to your burger before grilling.
That’s why Shannon from KISS in the Kitchen suggests you create a “deep thumb-shaped well in the center of your patty.” Shannon says this helps to create “a space for the juices to flow during cooking and helps the burger cook evenly.”
Others recommend adding an ice cube on top of their indent, which slowly melts and adds moisture to your burger.
Spend Your Summer Grilling Mushroom Burgers Like a Pro
Now that you know about these tips and tricks for grilling the best mushroom burgers, we’re sure you’re ready to get started.
We’ve compiled everything you need to become everyone’s favorite mushroom grill master this summer, including:
- Grilling basics and Portabella Mushroom recipes.
- How to kebab, plus recipes that everyone will love.
- How to build a blended burger that’s as nutritious as it is delicious.
Fire up the grill and download the Summer Grilling Guide today!
