Vegan Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms (Veggie-Packed!)

These vegan stuffed portobello mushrooms are so delicious and make for a perfect veggie-packed appetizer, main meal or side dish. It combines chickpeas, lots of vegetables, juicy portobello mushrooms and a flavorful tahini sauce.

If you are a mushroom-lover like me, then I bet this vegan stuffed portobello mushroom recipe will be right up your alley. 

I have many recipes including mushrooms on the blog, I think mushrooms make everything a little better! I always keep some mushrooms in the fridge to toss over white pizza, fold in simple aglio olio pasta dishes or simmer in miso soups.

But this time, I wanted mushrooms to be the star of the dish! So I grabbed a few large portobellos and used them as mini boats to stuff with chickpeas and lots of vegetables, such as zucchini, red bell pepper, spinach and onion.

The juicy oven-roasted portobello mushrooms make every bite super chewy and satisfying. Plus, this recipe is so versatile you could swap for other veggies that you already have on hand and even use different beans.

As a side note, to finish up the dish I used my recent 5-min lemon herb tahini sauce recipe that has everyone hooked with its addictive fresh, nutty and tangy flavor. The sauce almost steals the spotlight in this recipe, it is so delicious. 

Let me know if you give it a try! ❤️

Why you should try this recipe

• Easy and highly customizable
• Packed with wholesome vegetables and beans
• Features juicy roasted mushrooms with a hearty filling
• Amazing vegetable side dish or hearty appetizer, but also filling and satisfying enough to serve as a vegetarian main dish
• Made without cheese, but you won't miss it, thanks to the most delicious tahini sauce to top it off!
• Elegant presentation suitable for weeknight dinners or to serve for a special occasion
• Naturally vegan and easy-to-make gluten-free

Ingredients you will need

(See below in the recipe card for the measurements)

• Portobello mushrooms: to ease the filling process, look for super large portobello mushrooms so there is more space to tuck in more of the filling. Also, make sure they are fresh and not too soft or bruised without slimy edges.
• Chickpeas: also called garbanzo beans, chickpeas work well in this recipe for their hearty texture. If you don't have them, then you can swap for cannellini beans or navy beans.
• Onion: yellow onion or red onion works. If your onion is pretty large, then only use half of it.
• Garlic: I used 2 garlic cloves, but use more if you want.
• Zucchini: you will need a small zucchini, green or yellow works.
• Red bell pepper: or other colors, such as orange or yellow pepper. Mine was pretty small, so if your pepper is very large, then you might want to use only half of it.
• Spinach: I used baby spinach, regular spinach (chopped) is good too, or feel free to swap for baby kale. Frozen spinach should work too: thaw them first, then squeeze as much water out as you can before adding to the pan.
• Dried herbs: I used dried oregano, but parsley, basil or Italian seasoning mix works too.
• Soy sauce: to add a mild umami flavor and more saltiness.
• Tomato paste: to add more flavor. I like using the squeezable tomato paste in a tube so I can use a small amount at a time.
• Lemon herb tahini sauce: so easy and comes together in a few minutes, you will need tahini, lemon juice, garlic and fresh herbs to make it.

How to make vegan stuffed portobello mushrooms

(See below in the recipe card for the full recipe)

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 375º.

Clean and prepare the portobello mushroom caps

Start by cleaning the mushrooms: gently rub the mushrooms with a damp paper towel. Do not submerge the mushrooms in water so they don't turn soggy.

Then, if they still have a stem on, remove it by pushing them to the side gently. Chop the stems into small cubes and set aside.

Now, this is optional, but I like to remove the gills from the mushrooms (the black fibrous interior) for cleaner results and simply to give more space for the filling. To do it, just scrape it out by rubbing it with a small spoon (then discard it). Be gentle when doing this so as not to break the mushrooms.

First bake

Place the mushrooms upside down on the baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

Make the vegan stuffing mixture

While the mushrooms are baking, you can prepare the other vegetables and make the filling.

Warm up a large skillet or non-stick pan with a little oil and then add the onion with a pinch of salt. Cook on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, then add the zucchini, red peppers, chopped mushroom stems (if any) and dried herbs. Stir and cook for another 5-7 minutes. 

Then, add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes stirring often. Add the tomato paste and pour the soy sauce and water over. Stir to combine and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes.

Transfer about half of the chickpeas to a plate and mash them (keep the other half whole). 

Add the chickpeas (both mashed and whole) to the pan with the spinach and cook until the spinach is wilted. Once done, taste to adjust the saltiness and set aside.

Assemble and second bake

Once the filling is prepared and the mushrooms are done pre-baking, then flip the mushrooms on the baking sheet and scoop the vegetable mixture into the portobello. Use a large spoon and gently press on it as you go to help everything stick and hold well. Add as much of the filling as you can, it is ok if it falls a little.

Then, bake for an extra 15-20 minutes or until slightly golden brown.

Prepare the tahini sauce and serve

While the mushrooms are baking, make the tahini sauce.

When done, drizzle the tahini sauce over the mushrooms at serving. Enjoy!

Helpful tips

• Try to keep the filling mixture from turning too dry while cooking it. You are looking for a moist yet not too saucy consistency that somehow is a little sticky. This will help pile the mixture over the mushrooms without everything crumbling or falling apart too easily.
• Try to dice the vegetables pretty small, which also helps fill up the cavities of the mushrooms.
• You can adjust the baking time depending on the size of your mushrooms. 
• If your portobello mushrooms are super small, then you might want to use 6 instead of 4 and also bake them a little less (or skip the pre-baking time altogether).

What to serve with stuffed portobello mushrooms

You can choose to serve this recipe as a side dish or main course. 

As a side dish, you can opt to serve it alongside an oat milk Alfredo pasta dish, a simple pan-fried tempeh or delicious blackened tofu steaks to boost your meal with more vegetables. This recipe also makes for a delicious side dish during the holiday season, such as for Christmas or Thanksgiving.

As a full meal, these stuffed portobello mushrooms would be great served with a light green salad or with a side of rice, such as this chimichurri rice or this Mexican tomato rice. It would also work well with a side of green vegetables, such as steamed green beans or broccoli.

We also loved ours simply served with some bread!

As for the topping, I highly recommend pairing with the lemon herb tahini sauce as seen in the pictures. The bright flavors balance well with the hearty flavor of this dish. But here are other sauces you can try instead:

• Balsamic tahini dressing
• Creamy basil balsamic vinaigrette
• Vegan queso sauce
• Vegan honey mustard dressing
• Creamy Cajun dressing
• Spicy harissa dressing
• Tahini Caesar dressing

As a side note, classic stuffed portobello mushrooms are usually topped with cheese before baking in the oven. If you would like to have a similar result, then you can omit the sauce and top with some vegan mozzarella cheese or vegan parmesan cheese before baking instead.

Variations

This stuffed portobello meal is super versatile and makes for a basic recipe you can use to modify to your taste or what you have.

Here are a few ideas:

• Vegetables: use other veggies that you like, such as cherry tomatoes, leeks, celery, sweet potatoes, corn, broccoli, etc. Be sure to chop them small.
• Spices: play around with the flavoring ingredients and feel free to include chili powder, cumin powder, liquid smoke, garlic powder, smoked paprika and red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper for a little heat.
• More flavoring ingredients: try adding some balsamic vinegar, nutritional yeast or maple syrup, especially if the zucchini turns out to be a little bitter.
• Whole grain: you can also add some cooked whole grain to the filling mixture, such as quinoa, barley or brown rice. In that case, you might want to add more of the flavoring ingredients to compensate and also, use more mushrooms since you will have more of the filling mixture (maybe 6 instead of 4).
• Fresh herbs: such as fresh basil, rosemary, thyme or parsley.

Storage tips

Leftovers keep fairly well for a few days in the fridge (about 2-3 days). Keep them in an airtight container to prevent drying and keep the sauce apart so the mushrooms don't turn mushy.

To reheat, use the oven (a small toaster oven works well for that) or the microwave. The overall texture will be a little softer after reheating, just something to keep in mind. Drizzle the leftover sauce over the reheated mushrooms when serving.

I do not recommend freezing this recipe.

FAQs

Can I make this recipe with different types of mushrooms?

Similarly to these vegan mashed potato stuffed mushrooms, you can use smaller mushrooms instead of portobello. This can make for a nice finger food or appetizer. Just try to use mushrooms on the bigger side to help with the stuffing step and skip pre-baking the mushrooms.

How can I make this recipe gluten-free?

Simply swap the soy sauce for a gluten-free tamari sauce to make this recipe completely GF. 

Can I skip removing the gills?

Yes, absolutely. Removing the gills makes for a cleaner meal and presentation, but other than that, taking them off or not won't change the recipe outcome.

More recipes like this

• Vegan barley stuffed peppers
• Roasted vegetable sandwich with portobello
• Portobello mushroom poke bowl
• Oyster mushroom burgers
• Buckwheat mushroom risotto
• Mushroom Stroganoff
• Ancient grain bowl with portobello

I hope you like this vegan stuffed portobello mushrooms recipe as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it was. Your feedback is so helpful!

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📖 Recipe

Please note that the nutritional information is an estimate provided for informational purposes only (calculated by software) and may vary based on cooking methods and ingredients used. Consult with your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if you need precise nutrition calculations for health reasons.

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