Grilled stuffed mushrooms flame-cooked for the ultimate BBQ side dish recipe. Made with bacon, cream cheese and jalapeño filling, before topped with melted cheddar.
Traditional stuffed mushrooms often get a bad rap for being boring, but that’s only because people haven’t had them like this: Loaded with melted cheese, crispy bacon, and cooked over fire.
Our grilled stuffed mushrooms recipe is quick and easy, and a great place to start if you need a quick last-minute grilled side dish. They’re cooked over indirect heat to turn the portobello mushrooms spongey and sweet, while the gooey cheese filling melts, and our jalapeno and bacon toppings turn crispy. It’s a perfect combination.
The good news is that making these flame-licked stuffed mushrooms is easy: Quickly fry the bacon before dicing it into cubes; combine it with cream cheese and chopped jalapeños for the filling; stuff the mix into the destemmed mushrooms; and grill over indirect heat for just ten minutes. Easy.
Best Mushrooms for Grilling
When it comes to selecting the ideal mushrooms for grilling, not all fungi are created equal. The best mushrooms for grilling are undoubtedly portobello mushrooms (which we’ve gone for in this recipe) and shiitakes, due to their firm and robust caps that make them easy to manage on the grill. Their size not only allows for easy flipping (eliminating the need for skewers) but also, in the case of portobellos, they’re robust enough to accommodate filling with other ingredients.
Smaller mushroom types, like creminis, are too petite to deal easily with on the grill grates. Without skewers or a basket, they’re prone to slipping through the grates and just too fiddly to handle. However, these smaller types are great when skewered and cooked directly over high heat, where they can caramelize quickly. They’re just not built for stuffing and cooking at more of an even pace.
How to Grill Stuffed Mushrooms
These stuffed portobello mushrooms are beautiful cooked over fire, and only need 10 minutes on the grill. A great last-minute addition to a BBQ platter or party. Our full recipe (with exact quantities) is below, but these are the main steps:
- Prep: Remove the stems from the portobello mushrooms (you can easily do this with your hands by just twisting the stems) and lightly wash them to remove any dirt. Pat them dry inside and out.
- Fry: Heat up vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet either on your grill or over the stove. Add the bacon and fry until crispy and brown.
- Mix: Dice the fried bacon strips into small squares. Add to a small bowl, along with chopped jalapenos, cream cheese, and chopped red onion. Mix together to create a consistent filling.
- Stuff: Lay the mushrooms out, with the inside pointing upwards. Use a tablespoon to scoop up the cream cheese mix and fill each portobello mushroom near to the brim.
- Grill: Fire up your grill to medium heat and set it up for indirect grilling. Grill the stuffed mushrooms for ten minutes, before sprinkling with shredded cheese and grilling for an extra couple of minutes to let the cheese turn gooey and the bacon nice and crispy.
- Eat: Remove from the grill and serve as a side or as part of your BBQ party platter.
How Long to Grill Stuffed Mushrooms
In general, portobello mushrooms only need 10-12 minutes on the grill over a medium heat of 300-375°F (150-190°C). The first 8-10 minutes of this time is cooking them over indirect heat, before we top them with shredded cheese and grill for 2 more minutes to let it melt over the mushrooms for an incredible injection of extra flavor.
Quick Tips
- Get good quality mushrooms! Make sure the portobello mushrooms you use are fairly uniform in size, and have large enough caps to offer enough room for the cheese filling.
- Leave your cream cheese out for 20-30 minutes before using it for the filling. This will allow it to soften, making it easier to use for the filling.
- Don’t underestimate the impact of a paper towel—patting down the mushrooms will improve their texture when grilled, while doing the same for the cooked bacon before adding it to the cream cheese will stop excess fat from spoiling the consistency of the filling.
Grilled Stuffed Mushrooms
Equipment
- Cooking oil
- paper towels
Ingredients
- 8 portobello mushrooms
- 1 cup cheddar cheese grated or shredded
Filling
- 4 slices bacon excess fat trimmed
- ½ lb cream cheese
- 1 large red onion thinly sliced
- 1 jalapeño pepper thinly sliced
Instructions
- Wash the portobello mushrooms. Remove and discard the stems.
- Heat a oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon, cooking to golden brown on both sides.
- Remove the cooked bacon from the skillet and pat dry with paper towels to remove excess grease. Then, cut the bacon into small squares.
- In a small bowl, combine the sliced jalapeño pepper, sliced red onion, bacon squares, and cream cheese. Mix until you have achieved an even consistency.
- Fill each portobello mushroom to the brim with the cream cheese mixture
- Heat up your grill to medium heat, about 300-375°F (150-190°C). Set up for indirect heat, with coals or burners at one end and the area where you'll cook the mushrooms at the other.
- When your grill has fully warmed up, place the filled mushrooms on the grill grates, cap-side down. Close chamber door/lid and cook for 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle shredded cheese on top of each mushroom. Cook for a further 1-2 minutes to let the shredded cheese melt, before serving.
