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Portobello Mushroom Parmesan! So good and so easy to make! Crispy breaded hearty portobello mushrooms topped with tomato sauce and melty cheese. A recipe even meat lovers will enjoy!

Portobello Mushroom Parmesan! OMG! Are you ready for this? It is so good and so super easy to make. My inspiration for this recipe was my Husband who LOVES Chicken Parmesan. I was determined to create a vegetarian version for him and I believe this is the perfect recipe.
Great for a Healthy Main Dish or Family dinner night!
Hearty portobello mushroom caps sliced and dredged in an incredible breadcrumb coating then lightly fried and baked until super, crazy crispy. This is now the most requested recipe by my family so there you go!
You may also low these air fryer mushrooms that are also so good and easy to make!
Why you will love this recipe
- Easy to make in only a few easy steps.
- Possibly better than some chicken parmesan recipes I have made
- Crispy breaded meaty portobello mushrooms, enough said!
- A meatless meal anyone will love, even kids!
- Stores great and is so good for a delicious lunch or dinner.
Are Portobello Mushrooms Good for you?
Yes, they are and they are absolutely DELICIOUS! Here are some wonderful bonuses of eating these beauties.
- Low-Calorie
- Plant-based protein
- Vitamin B
- Fiber
- Potassium
Can you eat portobello mushrooms raw?
You can eat them raw but the recommendation is to always eat any type of mushrooms cooked vs. raw since raw mushrooms contain toxic carcinogens. Due to their tough exterior, raw mushrooms are also tougher to digest. Plus cooked mushrooms are so good and bring out their flavor so please always cook your mushrooms rather than eating them raw.
You can read more about portobello mushrooms here.
Ingredients needed to make this recipe
How to make Portobello Mushroom Parmesan
- First, you need to clean the mushrooms. To clean portobello mushrooms: Use a damp paper towel or clean kitchen towel and lightly wipe the outside to get all of the dirt off. Remove the stem simply by pulling it off gently and then scrape the gills off of the bottom of the mushroom using a spoon.
- Once they are clean, place them into a bowl and drizzle them with lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Let them hang out for a few minutes to break them down. The combo of lemon juice and salt will help them become softer and more pliable and easier to work with.
- Then slice. them in half, if they are thicker mushrooms so they are slightly thinner and will cook faster.
- Set up a dredging station with flour. egg, then the breadcrumb mixture and then dredge each mushroom cap in the flour, then eggs, then the breadcrumbs and place them onto a plate or dish.
- Heat up a pan with some olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the breaded mushrooms caps to the pan and cook until crispy golden brown on each side. About 2-3 minutes per side.
- Place each crispy browned mushroom onto a baking sheet with a baking rack on top, spread some tomato sauce onto each mushroom, tops with some shredded parmesan and mozzarella cheese. Brown in a 375-degree oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese.
- Top with a sprinkle of chopped parsley or basil and serve warm.
- 1. Drizzle the mushrooms with lemon
- 2. Let sit for a few minutes to breakdown
- 3. Set up a dredging station
- 4. Lightly pan fry the mushrooms
- 5. Top with sauce and cheese and bake
Then tap into your willpower and try not to eat every single bite! So good! Perfect for a fun date night.
Recipe tips and variations
- Try to choose mushroom caps that are relatively the same size so they cook evenly at the same time.
- If the mushrooms you have are on the smaller, thinner side then you don’t need to slice them in half before dredging them.
- If you don’t have any butter crackers for the breadcrumb mixture, then you can leave them out or replace them with another type of cracker or even pulsed corn flakes.
- For a vegan version use dairy-free parmesan and mozzarella.
- You can shallow fry these in olive oil or avocado oil.
- To make this recipe gluten-free, use gluten-free breadcrumbs and gluten-free flour.
- These store great in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, cook them at 375-degrees in the oven for 7-8 minutes.
- Top it with a Simple Homemade San Marzano Tomato Sauce!
I hope you try this recipe. If you do, then please leave a rating and comment below.

Crispy Baked Portobello Mushroom Parmesan
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Portobello Mushroom Parmesan! So good and so easy to make! Crispy breaded hearty portobello mushrooms topped with tomato sauce and melty cheese. A recipe even meat lovers will enjoy!
Ingredients
- 2 large portobello mushrooms
- the juice of 1 lemon – about 1 tablespoon
- salt and pepper
- 12 butter crackers
- ¾ cup breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup minced parsley
- ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 large eggs (beaten)
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil
- ½ cup tomato sauce
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese
- fresh chopped basil (for garnish)
Instructions
Prep the mushrooms
- Clean and wipe the mushroom caps and place them into a medium-size bowl. Squeeze the lemon juice onto the mushrooms and sprinkle them with some salt and pepper. Let them sit on the counter for about 20 minutes. This will help break them down and start to cook them a little so they are more pliable.
- Slice each mushroom cap in half lengthwise. Be careful and make sure to use a sharp knife.
Dredge the mushrooms
- Setup 3 shallow bowls or pie plates. Place the butter crackers into the food processor and pulse until fully crumbled like breadcrumbs and place them into one of the bowls with the panko breadcrumbs. Add the chopped parsley, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and a pinch of salt and pepper to the breadcrumb mixture and lightly whisk to combine.
- Add the beaten eggs to another one of the bowls and add in the salt, and pepper and whisk lightly to combine.
- Add the flour to the last bowl and season it with salt and pepper and stir to combine.
- Set up the station like “FEB” Flour, Egg, Breadcrumbs. To dredge the mushrooms, lay each one in the flour and coat on both sides, then the egg and then fully coat both sides in the breadcrumbs and set aside on a plate or dish. Continue with this process until all four mushrooms are fully dredged.
Cook the mushroom parmesan
- Preheat the oven to 375 F degrees and place a wire rack onto a baking sheet. If you don’t have a wire rack then just place some foil onto a baking sheet and spray it with cooking spray.
- Heat up a medium-size skillet with the oil on the stove to medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and lightly pan fry each side. About 2-3 minutes per side. Place the mushrooms on a paper towel-lined plate to get rid of any excess oil and then place them on the rack on the baking sheet.
- Spread some of the spaghetti sauce and some mozzarella and parmesan cheese on top of each mushroom and bake in the oven for 5-7 minutes until the cheese is fully melted and the breadcrumb coating is uber crispy. Top with some fresh basil and enjoy!
Notes
- You can make this gluten-free by subbing in all-purpose gluten free flour and gluten-free breadcrumbs.
- Try to choose mushroom caps that are relatively the same size so they cook evenly at the same time.
- If the mushrooms you have are on the smaller, thinner side then you don’t need to slice them in half before dredging them.
- If you don’t have any butter crackers for the breadcrumb mixture, then you can leave them out or replace them with another type of cracker or even pulsed corn flakes.
- For a vegan version use dairy-free parmesan and mozzarella.
- You can shallow fry these in olive oil or avocado oil.
- These store great in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, cook them at 375-degrees in the oven for 7-8 minutes.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Dishes
- Method: Pan Fried
- Cuisine: Italian
This recipe sounds and looks absolutely amazing! I think the mushroom frying portion should work like a charm in the air fryer, must try this, thanks so much for sharing, Amy! 🙂
Thank you Nicole! It’s definitely a family favorite! Let me know if it works in the air fryer and I can add that to my notes in the recipe.
Is it possible to bake these and get the crispiness still?
Hi Linda, I did try to bake it instead and it did work, but not as well. You would need to add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the breadcrumbs mixture and mix it in with your hands before dredging the mushrooms. Then bake as instructed in the recipe. If you try this, please let me know how it turned out for you!
This is Awesome
We air-fried (about 400F and about 10 minutes on each side) then put some sauce and cheese on and baked for a short more time – they were terrific!
Yummy! I used some marinara sauce I had in freezer so not quite meat free. So delish! I would definitely make again going totally plant based.
Hi Bernie, marinara sauce sounds amazing! I will have to try that out. I am so happy you enjoyed it.
Excellent recipe. My meat-eating husband liked it too!
Hi Julie, Thank you so much! I am happy you both enjoyed it.
This was super easy and all came together quickly. My husband devoured it! I appreciate the tip to slice them down the middle. My mushrooms were on the larger side and I wasn’t quite sure how I would manage but cutting them in half made it much easier I had dinner on the table in about 30 minutes. I definitely pinned this. We try to have 1-2 meatless dinners a week. I will keep this on my back pocket for my next potluck. Soo good with or without pasta!
Hi Kristie, I am so glad you and your husband enjoyed it! Definitely one of my faves for sure!
This recipe was perfect! I followed the directions to a T, and it turned out wonderful! My whole family enjoyed this dish and my kids asked for seconds. Very filling too. Thank you for this keeper!
Hi Sarah! I am so glad you enjoyed it!
This was a fantastic recipe and such an interesting twist to our regular meatless meals. Didn’t even have to use the egg, just used a flour slurry and the breadcrumbs. Worked like a charm. Thank you for this lovely recipe 🙂
Hi Vaani, thank you so much! I am so happy you enjoyed it!
This recipe is absolutely delicious! Next time I make this , I will make extra for sandwiches!
Hi Alisa! I am so glad you liked it!