Make these incredibly juicy Mushroom Burgers with Swiss for your summer picnic and shock your friends and family with how tasty they are.

Blending finely-chopped mushrooms into ground beef is an inspired way to edge your way in a plant-forward direction without cutting out meat. But I’d still rather no burger than a mediocre one and that’s why skeptics should trust me here. I have been blending mushrooms with beef since before flexitarian was even a word simply for the deliciousness. Mushrooms are an incredible secret ingredient for super-juicy burgers with locked-in moisture, rich with deeply satisfying, meaty umami flavor. 

How to Use Mushrooms in a Burger:

The key is browning the mushrooms first. It adds incredible flavor that you can’t achieve simply by adding raw mushrooms. Plus, it allows the mushrooms to release their moisture so the browned, crispy bits and meaty mushroom flavor truly enhance the beef rather than diluting it.

After browning the mushrooms, they are pulsed in a food processor with onions to create a fine, ground beef like texture. This helps spread the umami mushroom flavor through the whole burger evenly, and also allows you to sneak the mushrooms in so that kids or picky eaters won’t notice.

Comparison of Different Mushrooms for Mushroom Burgers:

Button Mushrooms. I prefer these mushrooms for a few reasons. 1) They are super easy to find. 2) They have a nice firm texture similar to ground beef. 3) The flavor is incredible without being strong. With extra-strong mushroom flavor, kids will have a tendency to say “Ew, this tastes like mushrooms.” so a modestly flavored mushroom works best if you have children.

Shiitake Mushrooms. Honestly, you can’t go wrong with shiitake mushrooms for flavour. They are probably my favourite mushrooms for many applications. (It’s so hard to choose a favourite!) For burgers, they are a little soft and make a more noticeable chewy texture difference in the mixture.

Portabella Mushrooms. These are my go-to mushroom for meatiness and rich flavour in dishes where the mushroom flavour will truly shine. They’re just a little pricier, and because the mushrooms disappear into the beef mixture, it’s not necessary to splash out the extra few bucks here, but they would be divine if you happen to have a stash anyway.

The Benefits of Mushrooms

Whether you are cutting back a bit on meat, heading toward a flexitarian lifestyle or you just want have some lighter BBQ choices, adding mushrooms to your burger mix stretches the meat further and adds nutritional value at the same time. Mushrooms are low in calories but high in flavour, especially when you let them release all their moisture in a hot pan and brown up to crispy, concentratedly-delicious bits. When I was a kid, homemade burgers usually had some kind of filler. Sometimes breadcrumbs, sometimes oats. This is a vegetable filler that adds to, rather than taking away from, the flavour of the beef.

Mushroom Beef Burger Ingredients:

For this recipe you need a simple set of ingredients you can pick up at your local grocery store.

• Button Mushrooms: A moderately flavored mushroom with the perfect texture for burgers.
• Onions
• Canola Oil (Or any high-heat cooking oil)
• Salt
• Ground Beef. Regular ground makes the juiciest burgers typically but lean is fine here because of the juiciness borrowed from the mushrooms (and if you love juicy burgers, you must try my Juicy Air Fryer Turkey Burgers).
• Worcestershire Sauce.
• Pepper. Freshly ground pepper. I like a coarse grind but you can set your grinder for the grind of your preference.
• Swiss Cheese. Thinly-sliced.
• Buns.
• Mayonnaise.
• Leafy Greens. Arugula would be amazing. A spring greens mix will add a nice crunch. Almost any leafy green will work just fine.

How to Make a Mushroom Burger:

These beef and mushroom burgers with Swiss are so easy to make! Pulsing the cooked mushrooms and onions in the food processor gives it just the right texture to blend in with the ground beef in your burger. Start the cooking process by browning the mushrooms with the onions to get the best flavour and texture in your burger. Mix up the rest of the ingredients and form patties. Fry the patties in just a bit of canola oil for four minutes on each side to brown them. Cook to your desired temperature, melt the cheese, and serve.

Tips on How to Make the Best Juicy Mushroom Burgers:

If you want to make the best mushroom burger, follow our recipe step-by-step! The complete instructions are found on the printable recipe card below.

• A cast-iron pan is my cooking method of choice for these burgers. You don’t want them to stick to the pan and come apart or burn.
• Let your ground beef come up to room temperature for at least thirty minutes before making your patties. This allows the burger to cook faster so that it is not as likely to burn on the outside before the internal temperature reaches the goal. This method will result in an even juicier burger because of the shorter cooking time.

Sides to Serve with Your Mushroom Burgers

Crispy Baked Butternut Squash Fries.

Easy Couscous Salad with Lemon Dressing and Fresh Herbs.

Crispy Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon.