Balsamic Grilled Portobello Mushrooms

The first time I made grilled portobello mushrooms, I ruined them. Truly ruined them.

Jump to:

• Why You Will Love These Portobello Mushrooms
• Ingredients For Balsamic Grilled Portobello Mushrooms
• Grilled Portobello Mushrooms
• How To Make Grilled Portobello Mushrooms
• Storage And Reheating Tips
• Simple Variations For Grilled Portobello Mushrooms
• Common Questions About Grilled Portobello Mushrooms
• Recipes You May Like
• Final Thoughts

I left them on the grill pan way too long, and they turned into sad, watery discs. Donald ate one to be nice. Alex just looked at me.

That was maybe six years ago, and I have made these mushrooms probably forty times since. Now they take me twenty minutes flat, and Sarah asks for them by name.

Here's the thing about grilled portobello mushrooms. They already taste meaty and rich on their own, so they only need a little help. A quick soak in balsamic vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic does all the work while you set the table.

We live in a Manhattan apartment with no backyard and no outdoor grill, so I make these on a grill pan on the stove. They still get those beautiful dark stripes. Honestly, nobody has ever asked me where my grill is.

They cook in ten minutes, they go with almost anything, and they happen to be vegetarian without trying. When I fire up the grill pan, I usually cook a batch of my best grilled chicken kebabs at the same time, then let everyone build their own plate. It saves me one pan and about fifteen minutes of cleanup.

Why You Will Love These Portobello Mushrooms

• Twenty minutes total. Ten to prep, ten to cook. That's it.
• Only seven ingredients, and most of them already live in my pantry.
• Meaty texture that holds up on a bun, on a salad, or next to a steak.
• Tangy and garlicky from the balsamic marinade, with a little lemon brightness at the end.
• Naturally vegetarian and gluten free, which helps when my sister visits.
• Kid approved. Alex calls them mushroom steaks. I let him.

Ingredients For Balsamic Grilled Portobello Mushrooms

• 4 portobello mushrooms, stems removed and gills scraped out
• 2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar (thick and syrupy, not thin and sharp)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt (use ¼ teaspoon if yours is fine grain)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, for the top

A quick word on the vinegar, because it matters more than anything else here.

Use aged balsamic if you can. It coats the back of a spoon and tastes a little sweet. Young balsamic is thin and very sharp, and it will make your mushrooms taste sour instead of rich.

Substitutions I have tested: red wine vinegar plus a teaspoon of honey works in a pinch. Lime juice stands in for lemon. Fresh thyme is lovely instead of parsley, especially in the fall.

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How To Make Grilled Portobello Mushrooms

The steps are short, so I split them up. Read through once before you start and you'll fly through it.

Step 1: Stir Together The Marinade

In a small bowl, whisk the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, and salt.

That's the whole marinade. It looks thin, and that's correct.

Step 2: Clean And Trim The Mushrooms

Wipe each mushroom with a damp paper towel. Please do not run them under the faucet. Mushrooms soak up water like a sponge, and wet mushrooms steam instead of browning.

Twist off the stems or slice them away with a small knife.

Then take a spoon and gently scrape the dark gills out of the underside. The gills are safe to eat, but they leak a muddy liquid all over the plate. I learned this the messy way at a dinner party in 2021.

Step 3: Brush And Preheat

Using a pastry brush, coat the gill side with about a third of the marinade.

Heat your grill pan, griddle, or outdoor grill over medium heat. Grease it well. A dry pan will grab the mushroom caps and tear them.

Step 4: Grill Them Gill Side Down

Lay the mushrooms gill side down on the hot surface. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until that side turns brown and tender.

After the first minute or two, press very gently on each cap so it makes full contact. Be soft about it. Push too hard and they crack.

While that side finishes, brush the smooth tops with another third of the marinade.

Step 5: Flip And Finish

Turn the mushrooms so the gill side faces up. Grill 2 to 3 more minutes, until the caps look browned and a knife slides in easily.

Move them to a plate lined with paper towels, gill side down, and let them drain for two minutes. This little pause is what keeps them from going soggy.

Brush on the last of the marinade, scatter the parsley over the top, and bring them to the table warm.

Storage And Reheating Tips

Leftovers keep in the fridge for 3 days in a sealed glass container. I slice them first, which makes lunch easier.

Do not freeze them. I tried once and they came out limp and gray. Not worth it.

To reheat, put them back in a hot dry skillet for about 2 minutes per side. The microwave makes them rubbery, so I skip it.

Here's something I noticed: the garlic and balsamic taste even better on day two. Cold sliced mushrooms on a sandwich with a little mayo is my regular Tuesday lunch.

Simple Variations For Grilled Portobello Mushrooms

Want to turn a side dish into dinner? Here's what I do at my house.

• Mushroom burgers. Pile one cap on a toasted bun with provolone, tomato, and a spoonful of pesto. Donald prefers these to actual burgers about half the time.
• Stuffed caps. After grilling, fill each one with sauteed spinach and mozzarella, then broil for 3 minutes.
• Salad topper. Slice them thick and lay them over arugula with shaved parmesan.
• Add heat. A pinch of red pepper flakes in the marinade wakes everything up.
• Herb swap. Rosemary and thyme make them taste like a steakhouse side.

One mistake to avoid: do not marinate these for hours. Thirty minutes is plenty. Longer than that and the salt pulls out too much water, which is exactly how I ended up with those sad discs years ago.

Common Questions About Grilled Portobello Mushrooms

How long should portobello mushrooms be grilled?

About 7 to 8 minutes total over medium heat. Start gill side down for 4 to 5 minutes, then flip for 2 to 3 minutes. They're done when a paring knife slides into the thickest part with no resistance.

Should you remove the gills from portobello mushrooms before grilling?

I always do. The gills are edible, but they release a dark liquid that stains your plate and muddies the balsamic taste. Scrape them out with a regular teaspoon in about ten seconds per mushroom.

How do you keep grilled portobello mushrooms from becoming soggy?

Three things. Wipe them clean instead of washing them, keep the marinade time under 30 minutes, and rest them gill side down on paper towels after grilling. That last step catches the liquid that would otherwise pool on the plate.

How long should portobello mushrooms marinate before grilling?

Honestly, you can brush and grill them right away. If you have time, 15 to 30 minutes is the sweet spot. Any longer and the texture goes soft before the mushrooms ever hit the heat.

Recipes You May Like

• Honey Garlic Grilled Chicken goes on the same pan while the mushrooms rest, and the sweet glaze plays well with the tangy balsamic.
• Creamy Mushroom Chicken Skillet is what I make when we want mushrooms in something cozy and saucy instead.
• Crispy Air Fryer Broccoli With Lemon And Parmesan rounds out the plate and cooks while the grill pan heats.

Final Thoughts

So that's it. Whisk the marinade, scrape the gills, grill four minutes on one side and two on the other, then let them drain.

These grilled portobello mushrooms proved to me that simple food beats complicated food almost every time. Seven ingredients, one pan, twenty minutes, and my whole family reaches for seconds.

Make them this week and tell me how they turn out in the comments. And save this one to Pinterest so you can find it again on a night when you need dinner fast.