Delicious Blended Burgers: The Ultimate Mushroom & Beef Recipe for a Healthier Meal
Looking for a smart way to enjoy your favorite burger while reducing red meat intake? Blended burgers offer the perfect solution! Made with a clever mixture of ground beef and finely chopped mushrooms, these patties deliver all the classic flavor and juicy texture you crave, but with added health benefits and a lighter environmental footprint. You’ll be surprised how much they taste like traditional burgers, making them an instant family favorite!
What Exactly Are Blended Burgers?
Homemade hamburgers are undeniably a universal crowd-pleaser, a beloved staple for any gathering or weeknight meal. However, in an age where many are consciously seeking to reduce their red meat consumption – whether for personal health, environmental concerns, or simply to manage grocery costs – traditional beef burgers can present a challenge. This is precisely where the ingenious concept of Blended Burgers shines as a fantastic and flavorful alternative.
A blended burger is essentially a hamburger patty where a portion of the ground beef is replaced with finely minced and cooked mushrooms. The beauty of this technique lies in the mushrooms’ remarkable ability to mimic the texture and savory “umami” flavor of meat, especially when properly prepared. This not only helps to significantly extend your ground beef supply, allowing you to make more burgers from the same amount of meat, but also ensures each patty contains a little less red meat without compromising on the satisfying burger experience.
Crucially, despite the addition of mushrooms, these aren’t “mushroom burgers” in the traditional sense. The goal is not to make them taste distinctly of mushrooms, but rather to enhance the beef’s natural flavor and texture. Many who try them, including even the pickiest eaters (like my kids, who have happily devoured them for over a year without a clue!), won’t detect any difference at all. It’s a culinary secret that yields incredible results!
Why Choose Blended Burgers? Unpacking the Benefits
Beyond simply stretching your dollar, integrating mushrooms into your burger patties offers a myriad of advantages that cater to health-conscious individuals, budget-savvy families, and environmentally-minded cooks alike. Here’s a closer look at why blended burgers are becoming increasingly popular:
- Health Benefits: By replacing some of the ground beef with mushrooms, you naturally reduce the total and saturated fat content of your burgers. Mushrooms are low in calories and fat, yet rich in essential vitamins and minerals like B vitamins, selenium, potassium, and antioxidants. They also add dietary fiber, which is often lacking in a typical beef burger, contributing to better digestive health and satiety.
- Cost Savings: Ground beef can be an expensive ingredient, especially for larger families or frequent burger lovers. Mushrooms, on the other hand, are generally much more affordable. By blending them with beef, you can significantly reduce the overall cost per serving, making your meals more budget-friendly without sacrificing quality or quantity.
- Environmental Impact: The production of red meat has a notable environmental footprint, requiring substantial land, water, and generating greenhouse gas emissions. Opting for blended burgers, even occasionally, helps to lessen this impact by reducing the demand for beef. It’s a small but meaningful step towards more sustainable eating practices.
- Flavor Enhancement (Umami Boost): Far from diluting the flavor, mushrooms contribute a rich, savory umami taste that actually intensifies the beef’s natural deliciousness. When finely minced and cooked, mushrooms develop a deep, earthy flavor that complements the meat beautifully, creating a more complex and satisfying burger profile.
- Picky Eater Approved: As mentioned, one of the most astonishing aspects of blended burgers is their ability to fool even the most discerning palates. When prepared correctly, the mushroom mixture integrates seamlessly with the ground beef, resulting in a patty that looks, cooks, and tastes so much like a pure beef burger that many won’t even realize they’re eating vegetables.
Choosing the Right Mushroom for Your Blend
While most common mushroom varieties will work well for blended burgers, certain types offer slightly different flavor profiles. White button mushrooms are the mildest and most discreet, making them an excellent choice for those who are hesitant about tasting the mushrooms. Cremini (or baby bella) mushrooms are slightly more mature, offering a deeper, earthier, and more intense umami flavor. You can use either interchangeably, or even a mix of both, depending on your preference for a subtle or more robust mushroom presence.
What’s the best mushroom to beef ratio to use for blended burgers?
Experimenting with different mushroom to beef ratios is part of the fun in mastering blended burgers. I’ve personally tried various combinations, starting cautiously with a low mushroom content and gradually increasing it. Each ratio offers a unique balance of benefits and flavor, allowing you to customize your burgers to your liking. All of these ratios have successfully passed the “picky kid test,” meaning the mushrooms remained undetected!
My personal preferred ratio, after extensive testing, is a 1:1 mushroom to beef ratio by weight. This provides a perfect balance of flavor, texture, and the benefits of blending. However, if you’re new to blended burgers, starting with a lower mushroom ratio is an excellent way to ease into it and gain confidence.
1:2 Mushroom to Beef Ratio (1 part mushroom, 2 parts beef)
This is an ideal starting point if you’re just dipping your toes into the world of blended burgers. With only half the amount of mushrooms compared to beef, their presence will be extremely subtle, if noticeable at all. The texture will remain very close to a pure beef burger, and the beef flavor will still dominate. While this ratio provides fewer of the extended benefits (cost savings, health advantages) compared to higher mushroom ratios, it’s a great way to introduce the concept without any risk, ensuring everyone enjoys their meal.
1:1 Mushroom to Beef Ratio (1 part mushroom, 1 part beef)
This ratio is often my go-to choice, offering a fantastic balance. With an equal amount of mushrooms and beef by weight, you’ll still find the mushrooms largely unnoticeable in terms of distinct flavor, but they’ll contribute a wonderful depth of umami. More significantly, this ratio allows you to yield approximately 1.5 to twice the number of hamburger patties you would typically get from a pound of ground beef. This translates directly into significant cost savings and increased portion sizes, all while maintaining that classic burger appeal.
2:1 Mushroom to Beef Ratio (2 parts mushroom, 1 part beef)
For mushroom lovers or those keen on maximizing the health and cost benefits, this ratio offers the most dramatic impact. At double the amount of mushrooms to beef, you will begin to notice the mushrooms, both in texture and flavor. The cooked patties will have a distinctly darker color (as seen in some of the photos – rest assured, they’re not burnt!). You’ll experience a more pronounced earthy, savory mushroom taste, which can be a delightful addition if you appreciate mushrooms. Despite the higher mushroom content, the burgers will still hold together wonderfully, and you’ll truly stretch that pound of ground beef to create a substantial number of delicious patties.
Preparing the Mushrooms for the Perfect Blend
The key to successful blended burgers lies in the proper preparation of the mushrooms. This step is crucial for achieving that “beef-like” texture and ensuring the mushrooms blend seamlessly into the meat mixture.
- Clean and Chop: Start by gently wiping any dirt off your mushrooms with a damp paper towel. Avoid rinsing them under water, as they absorb moisture easily. Break them into smaller pieces suitable for your food processor.
- Mince (Food Processor is Best): Place the mushroom pieces into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse the mushrooms, scraping down the sides as needed, until they are finely minced. The goal is a texture that resembles ground beef, not a watery paste. A food processor makes this task incredibly quick and efficient. If you don’t have one, you can finely chop them by hand, though it will take more time and effort to achieve the desired consistency.
- Cook Thoroughly: This is the most critical step. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the minced mushrooms along with any minced onion (as per the recipe). Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have released all their moisture and the mixture becomes beautifully browned, dry, and crumbly. This process usually takes about 10-15 minutes. As they cook, the mushrooms will transform, taking on a strikingly similar appearance to cooked ground beef. This pre-cooking step is vital as it removes excess water from the mushrooms, preventing your burgers from becoming soggy, and it develops their rich, savory flavor.
- Cool Down: Once cooked, set the mushroom mixture aside to cool completely before mixing it with the raw ground beef. This prevents the beef from prematurely cooking or changing texture.
How to Cook Blended Burgers to Perfection
Once your mushroom mixture is prepared and cooled, the rest of the process is straightforward and very similar to cooking traditional beef burgers. The crucial pre-cooking of the mushrooms means you can treat the blended mixture much like regular ground beef.
How do you cook blended burgers?
The golden rule for cooking blended burgers is to ensure the ground mushroom mixture is fully cooked and dried out before it’s combined with the raw ground beef to form patties. Once this step is complete, the cooked mushroom mixture will remarkably resemble cooked ground beef (as shown in the first photo of this post and within the recipe instructions).
After the mushroom mixture has cooled, gently mix it with the raw ground beef and your chosen seasonings. Form the blend into uniform patties of your desired thickness. From here, you can cook them using any method you typically use for burgers: on a hot grill, in a cast-iron skillet, or on a griddle. For this article, I cooked them in a skillet, as our grill wasn’t operational, but they perform beautifully on the grill as well.
Always remember to use an instant-read thermometer to verify that your burgers have reached a safe internal temperature of 160°F (71°C). This ensures not only food safety but also the optimal juiciness and flavor of your blended burgers.
Serving Suggestions and Topping Ideas
A perfectly cooked blended burger deserves to be dressed up! The beauty of these patties is their versatility; they pair wonderfully with all your favorite burger toppings and side dishes. Don’t be afraid to get creative or stick to the classics.
Classic Burger Toppings:
- Cheese: A slice of cheddar, American, Swiss, or provolone melting over a hot patty is always a winner. Skip for dairy-free options.
- Fresh Veggies: Crisp lettuce, juicy tomato slices, and thinly sliced red onion add freshness and crunch.
- Pickles: Dill pickle slices provide that essential tangy counterpoint.
- Sauces: Ketchup, mustard, relish, and mayonnaise are traditional choices, but don’t shy away from barbecue sauce, a spicy aioli, or a secret burger sauce.
Gourmet Touches:
- Caramelized Onions: Slow-cooked sweet onions add a rich, savory depth.
- Avocado or Guacamole: Creamy avocado adds a luxurious texture and healthy fats.
- Crispy Bacon: For an extra layer of savory indulgence.
- Sautéed Mushrooms (extra!): If you truly love mushrooms, add another layer of sautéed whole or sliced mushrooms on top!
Perfect Side Dishes:
- Fries: Classic French fries, sweet potato fries, or even baked potato wedges.
- Salad: A fresh green salad or a vibrant coleslaw can balance the richness of the burger.
- Onion Rings: Another beloved fried side that perfectly complements a juicy burger.
Remember to choose good quality hamburger buns, whether homemade or store-bought. For gluten-free options, simply use gluten-free buns.
Want more Burger related recipes?
Blended Burger Nutrition Notes:
The nutrition information provided in the recipe below is calculated using 1 pound of mushrooms in conjunction with 1 pound of ground beef, and it includes one hamburger bun. Please note that this calculation does not account for any additional toppings you might add, such as cheese, sauces, or vegetables, which would alter the final nutritional values.
If you choose to use less than 1 pound of mushrooms in your blend, the resulting patties might be slightly smaller, with minimal appreciable changes to the per-burger nutrition information. Conversely, if you opt for more mushrooms, your individual burger patties could be larger while retaining similar nutritional density, or you might yield an extra hamburger patty or two. In the latter case, each individual patty would then contain proportionately fewer calories, fat, protein, and other nutrients, making them even lighter.
This flexibility allows you to fine-tune the recipe to meet your dietary goals, whether you’re aiming for a slightly leaner meal or a heartier, more filling burger. Regardless of the mushroom ratio, you’re making a choice that generally supports a healthier and more balanced diet compared to a 100% beef burger.
Blended Burgers
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Equipment
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Food Processor
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Instant-Read Thermometer
Ingredients
- 1/2 to 2 pounds mushrooms (Read the section titled “What is the best ratio for blended burgers” in the blog post and see note below)
- 1 Tablespoon canola oil
- 1 small onion minced
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 teaspoon seasoning salt or other seasoning mix (or 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper)
- 4 hamburger buns use gluten-free buns for gluten-free burgers
- cheese skip for dairy-free burgers
- pickles
- ketchup, mustard, relish, mayo, etc.
- sliced onions, lettuce, and tomato
Instructions
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Gently wipe any dirt off the mushrooms with a damp paper towel. Break the mushrooms into pieces and place into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse mushrooms, scraping down the sides and stirring as needed until they are minced fine (avoid over processing to the point that they become a paste).
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Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the minced onion and mushrooms, stirring occasionally. Cook until the mushrooms have released all their moisture, and the mixture becomes browned, dry, and crumbly (it will resemble cooked ground beef – see photo), about 10-15 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.
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Once the cooked mushroom mixture has cooled, combine it with the raw ground beef in a large bowl. Mix gently but thoroughly until both are well incorporated. Form the mixture into 4 evenly sized hamburger patties. Season each patty generously on both sides with your preferred seasoning salt or a simple mix of salt and pepper.
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Cook burgers fully using your favorite method – whether grilled over medium-high heat, cooked on a flat griddle, or seared in a skillet. Ensure they are cooked through and juicy, reaching a safe internal temperature of 160°F (71°C) when checked with an instant-read thermometer. Serve immediately with your choice of buns and toppings!
Nutrition
Notes
You can use either white button or brown (cremini) mushrooms for this recipe. White mushrooms will generally provide a more subtle flavor, making them ideal for a less “mushroomy” burger. Brown or cremini mushrooms will contribute a slightly deeper, earthier, and richer flavor profile. Feel free to use a mix of both for a balanced taste.
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Conclusion: Embrace the Blended Burger Revolution
Blended burgers are more than just a trend; they represent a smart, delicious, and responsible way to enjoy one of America’s favorite foods. By incorporating humble mushrooms into your ground beef patties, you not only unlock a world of enhanced flavor and juiciness but also contribute to a healthier lifestyle and a more sustainable planet. Whether you’re looking to cut down on red meat for health reasons, save money, or simply try something new and exciting in the kitchen, this blended burger recipe is sure to impress. Give it a try, and you might just discover your new go-to burger!