Looking for a better burger? Ground mushrooms add incredible texture & umami flavor to a traditional patty. Best part? This tender, juicy Umami Burger recipe only has 4 ingredients!
What is an Umami Burger?
Umami (from Japanese) or savoriness, is one of the five basic tastes. Foods that have strong umami flavor include beef, shellfish, fish sauce, mushrooms, parmesan cheese, and soy sauce. It's often characterized as being earthy. Umami Burgers have been trendy in New York and Los Angeles for a while now.
Our Umami Burger used high quality, simple ingredients to create the most mouthwatering flavors. You'll never eat plain ground beef again. Top it with cheese, pickled onions and a SPICY ASIAN SAUCE for ultimate Umami flavor.
SERVE Umami Burgers with our famous Potato Salad!
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Ingredients
- GROUND BEEF: we prefer 80% lean ground beef chuck for burgers
- MUSHROOMS: we like crimini mushrooms for this recipe, as they provide great flavor and are easy to find
- EVERYTHING BAGEL SEASONING: the "secret ingredient" that makes this recipe easy. We like Everything But the Bagel Seasoning at Trader Joe's.
- GARLIC: fresh garlic cloves
*see recipe card for quantities.
How to make an Umami Burger
- start by chopping mushrooms (by hand or in a food processor) until they resemble the size of rice.
- Pour mushroom mix over ground beef along with chopped garlic and Everything Bagel Seasoning. Mix together, trying to work beef as little as possible.
- Divide mixture into 4 equal patties and set in refrigerator until ready to cook.
- The burgers can be cooked either in skillet, on the stove, or on a char-grill.
- Cook burgers for 4-5 minutes on one side and flip burger and cook an additional 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow burger to rest for 2-3 minutes.
Build the burger
- Place some of the Spicy Sauce (see recipe card for details) on the bottom of the hamburger buns.
- Add your burger (with cheese) and your favorite toppings (we like pickled onions, lettuce and tomato for optimal umami flavor).
Why this recipe works
This Umami Burger recipe has quickly moved to the top of my list of burger options. It's impossible to resist, combining fresh ground beef with ground mushrooms for a very tender (but firm) bite. The bagel seasoning and garlic help the flavors explode when you bite into it. Mushrooms work to give this burger extra tenderness and earthy flavor. The sweet and tangy sauce works perfectly with this blend.
We challenge you to put this Umami Burger recipe on your menu for your next family cookout, even if you have to fib about the mushrooms. Some of our family members still have no idea they have been eating mushrooms for ages!
Variations
- TURKEY: this recipe works just as well for ground turkey for a healthier, leaner burger
- NO CARB: go without the bun. Serve burger on top of a Crunchy Asian Salad instead.
- MAKE IT A SLIDER: this recipe works great for sliders. Just use about 2 oz. of meat per patty, and serve it them on slider buns.
Top tip
Don't press down on burgers when you are grilling. This pushes all of the juice (and flavor) out, leaving you with a dry burger.
More burgers to try
- JERK TURKEY BURGERS: a lean, flavorful burger that's not lean on flavor! Fresh pineapple slaw makes each bite savory and sweet.
- HOT SAUSAGE BURGER: when you're in the mood for something spicy, this sausage burger delivers! Made with Italian sausage, peppers and spices.
- CAPRESE PORK SLIDERS: ground pork, fresh tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and basil make these mini burger bites irresistible!
Umami Burger recipe
Looking for a better burger? Ground mushrooms add the most incredible texture & flavor to a traditional patty. Grill up an Umami Burger tonight!
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: 4 portions 1x
Ingredients
FOR THE BURGER:
- 12 oz ground beef
- 8 ounce mushrooms (we used crimini)
- 1 tbsp everything bagel seasoning
- 3 cloves garlic
FOR THE SAUCE:
- ½ C Chili sauce
- ¼ C Gojuchang paste
- ¼ C brown sugar
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder.
Instructions
- Start by chopping mushrooms (by hand or in a food processor) until they resemble the size of rice.
- Pour mushroom mix over ground beef along with chopped garlic and bagel seasoning. Mix together, trying to work beef as little as possible.
- Divide mixture into 4 equal portions and set in refrigerator until ready to cook.
- To make the sauce, simply combine all ingredients in small saucepan and cook over medium low heat for 10-15 minutes and then allow to cool.
- The burgers can be cooked either in skillet, on the stove, or on a char-grill.
- Cook burgers for 4-5 minutes on one side and flip burger and cook an additional 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow burger to rest for 2-3 minutes.
- To build the burger, place some of the sauce on the bottom of the hamburger buns, add your burger and your favorite toppings and enjoy.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Category: Burgers & Sandwiches
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 oz burger
- Calories: 199
- Sugar: 4.7 g
- Sodium: 106.3 mg
- Fat: 5.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 9.6 g
- Protein: 29.1 g
- Cholesterol: 67.8 mg
Keywords: burger, mushroom, umami, alternative, tender, grill, grilling, cookout, meat
Matt - Total Feasts says
Burgers are also a staple in our household. My boys love a good beef burger, although we have tried to find some veggie alternatives (like beyond beef) they aren't quite the same! I love the idea of adding mushrooms to the mince, along with that sauce I can see why this burger is a hit!
★★★★★