Easy Portobello Pizzas
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Published Sep 29, 2021, Updated Jan 23, 2023
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These tasty portobello pizzas use portobello mushrooms as the crust instead of a topping. They’re healthy, low carb and nutrient packed!
If you’re a mushroom pizza lover, get excited because with this recipe we’re using portobello mushroom caps as the pizza crust so you get a little mushroom in every bite.
And portobello pizzas are so easy to make! Simply grab your mushrooms, make a batch of pizza sauce (or use store-bought), prep your veggies, add toppings and bake.
Healthy, Low Carb Pizza Option
I’m all about low-carb alternatives for pizza (my faves are my cauliflower pizza crust and eggplant pizza). These mini mushroom pizzas are a nutrient-packed, vegetarian dish that you can feel good serving up for pizza night on the regular.
While the raw pizzas look really pretty, trust me the cooked version is absolutely delicious. I made these for some friends and we all devoured them! I can’t wait to make these again with different toppings.
Ingredients Needed for Portobello Pizzas
- whole portobello mushroom caps – wipe the mushrooms clean with damp cloth and remove the stem and the gills from the mushrooms. This will keep the pizzas from turning brown and make space for pizza toppings.
- pizza sauce – make your own pizza sauce or use a store-bought option. If you’re using one from the store, look for a pizza sauce with no added sugar.
- baby arugula – I love adding greens to my pizza and I love the peppery flavor of arugula. That said, feel free to use your favorite greens.
- goat cheese – goat cheese adds an amazing, creamy flavor to these pizzas. You can also use mozzarella cheese or use a dairy-free cheese if needed.
- portobello stems – we’re using the stems that we cut off of the mushrooms as a topping for the pizza! You can never have too many mushrooms, am I right?!
- yellow onion – for a savory flavor base.
- cherry tomatoes – I like adding a few fresh tomatoes to my pizza as well.
- fresh basil – the secret to delicious pizza every time? Fresh herbs!
- optional toppings – freshly grated parmesan and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Try my hemp parmesan cheese if you need a dairy-free option!
Tip! Make sure to clean your portobello mushroom caps with a damp cloth to remove any dirt. You don't want to clean them under running water because mushrooms absorb a lot of water and can become quite soggy/chewy.
Topping Ideas
I personally love this variation with the arugula and goat cheese, but the options are endless when it comes to portobello pizza toppings. Here are some different ideas:
- Sauce – switch up the marinara sauce and use a traditional pesto or sun-dried tomato pesto as your sauce.
- Veggies – so many vegetable combinations are possible! Add bell peppers, spinach, roasted garlic, artichokes… whatever your heart desires!
- Protein – add extra protein with turkey sausage, turkey pepperoni, tofu or tempeh.
How to Make Portobello Mushroom Pizza
Prep the mushrooms – While the entire mushroom is technically edible, I recommend removing the stems and gills. We’ll be chopping up the mushroom stem as a topping so start by cutting that off at the base and setting them aside. The gills can turn the entire pizza a brownish-black color so let’s save our appetites and remove them with a spoon. When you’re done you’ll have a clean portobello cap that’s ready for its toppings.
Fill the mushroom caps – Place the mushroom caps stem side up on a baking sheet. Fill the center of each mushroom with pizza sauce, goat cheese and arugula. Then top with onion, chopped portobello stems, cherry tomatoes and fresh basil leaves.
Bake – Bake at 400ºF for 15-20 minutes. After the mushrooms are done cooking, sprinkle with fresh Parmesan cheese, top with fresh basil and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.
Tips
Since the mushroom caps are fairly small, I recommend slicing your toppings small! You can make your pizza as simple or as complex as you’d like. Avoid toppings that release water as they cook like fresh mozzarella or zucchini – you don’t want soggy mushroom pizzas!
If you are worried about your mushroom pizzas being too watery, you can roast the mushroom caps first and drain off the excess water. Bake at 400ºF for 10-15 minutes and then drain any water off the mushrooms before adding the toppings and baking for an additional 5-10 minutes.
If you’re not crazy about the toppings I chose or if you’re making this for kids, you can absolutely keep this simple. Spread marinara sauce across the portobello cap and top with shredded mozzarella cheese. Start with that simple base and add any toppings you’d like for a completely customized portobello pizza!
How to Serve the Pizzas
To make these a full meal, you could simply add some protein as a topping or serve some protein on the side. It would be delicious with ground chicken sausage, turkey pepperoni, grilled chicken or even tempeh! For a protein-packed side, I would serve it with this incredible healthy chicken parmesan or eggplant parmesan for a vegetarian option.
If you want to serve the pizza as is, I recommend serving it with some filling sides. You could make a simple side salad to pair with the pizza – this garlicky kale salad would be delicious or this easy quinoa salad would be the perfect protein-packed side.
More Healthy Pizza Options
- Spaghetti Squash Pizza Crust
- Vegan Tortilla Pizzas
- Zucchini Pizza Bites
- Naan Pizza
- Easy Tortilla Pizzas
- Cloud Bread Pizza
- Protein Pizza
More Mushroom Recipes
- One Pot Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff
- Zucchini Noodle Fettuccine Alfredo
- Mushroom Kale Quinoa Risotto
- Healthy Green Bean Casserole
- Kale Detox Salad
- Kale and Feta Crustless Quiche
Portobello Pizzas
Ingredients
- 4 large whole portobello mushroom caps, wiped clean
- 1 cup no-cook pizza sauce, or healthy store-bought pizza sauce
- 2 cups baby arugula leaves
- ¼ cup goat cheese crumbles, or mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup portobello stems, sliced
- ¼ cup onion, finely chopped
- 12 cherry tomatoes, sliced
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves
- freshly grated parmesan, for topping
- balsamic vinegar or balsamic glaze, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Cut stem off each portobello mushroom cap and remove the gills using a spoon. Save the stems that aren’t woody and discard the gills.
- Lie the caps stem side up on a baking sheet.
- Fill the center of each mushroom with a quarter of the arugula, ¼ cup of the pizza sauce and 1 tablespoon of goat cheese. Then place 1 tablespoon onion, 1 tablespoon of portobello stems, a quarter of the sliced cherry tomatoes and couple fresh basil leaves on top of each.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven, sprinkle on a little freshly grated Parmesan cheese, top with fresh basil, drizzle with balsamic vinegar and serve.
Notes
- Cheese: Feel free to use a different cheese option or use dairy-free if you need this recipe to be vegan.
- Sauce: You can switch up the marinara sauce and use a traditional pesto or sun-dried tomato pesto as your sauce.
- Veggies: So many vegetable combinations are possible! Add bell peppers, spinach, roasted garlic, artichokes… whatever your heart desires!
- Protein: Add extra protein with turkey sausage, turkey pepperoni, tofu or tempeh.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These look outstanding!
i used spinach instead of arugula because that’s what i had on hand and they were DELICIOUS! my husband says it’s his new favorite dinner and has requested i make them again this week! thanks for the recipe!
This made my day, Allison. So happy that your husband liked them so much!
These look delicious! I’ve made zucchini “pizzas” before but I am going to have to try them on portobello next time because I love mushrooms
Brittany, I love this twist for a pizza- The only downside is how hard it is to find portobello mushrooms here. Pinning regardless- I’ll hunt them down!
Oh boo! I hope you can find some. 🙂
These look great! I am sharing this on pinterest.
Probably one of my favorites on here! I seriously have these once a week. Love your recipes!!
Thanks for sharing, Sarah. That makes me so happy to hear! And thank you for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. It means the world to me. <3
I came home with a pack of portobellos from Costco (total impulse buy haha) and was searching for recipes when I found this gem! WOW. I’ll be making this on the regular!! Along with your lemon orzo chicken soup and baked peanut tofu, this was another hit for the family. Thanks, Brittany!
Ah this is the best, I love impulse buys that turn out to be a hit! Glad you found this recipe and the while family is loving it, Lisa. Thank you for your review & star rating, I really appreciate it!