Cheesy Keto Stuffed Mushrooms with Sausage

This is a yummy recipe for Keto Stuffed Mushrooms that can be an appetizer or a main dish, whichever you want it to be. 

They are super easy to make and very delicious and an appetizer that can be served at an elegant affair like a wedding, you can make them for a family dinner, or serve them before the big game!

Stuffed Mushrooms are an amazing appetizer that I have made almost my entire marriage, more than 40 years mainly because of the fact that a lot of people like them, including my husband who loves them and would usually help me make them for guests. We have made all kinds of stuffed mushrooms over the years, but my favorite is Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms.

Keto Stuffed mushrooms take the original idea and adapts it to a low carb diet.  They are one of those appetizers that most people love but would never think of making themselves. They are easy to make and delicious to eat and we can show you how to make them.

What Are Stuffed Mushrooms?

Stuffed mushrooms are simply a mushroom that is hollowed out in the middle and stuffed with whatever you want to stuff it with. It can be a sausage based stuffing or a seafood-based stuffing or even just stuffed with veggies for our vegetarian readers.

Often they even have cheese on top, adding to the flavor!

Are Mushrooms Good on a Keto Diet?

Mushrooms, just like a lot of other vegetables are a good choice for Keto. It’s one of the best vegetables that are low in carbs and at the same time can add a lot to your recipes as far as flavor and texture. 

White mushrooms for example are only 1 gram of carbs per cup.

Are Stuffed Mushrooms Keto-Friendly?

Normally Stuffed Mushrooms are not Low Carb/Keto mainly because they are usually full of bread crumbs which are mixed together with some kind of meat, seafood, veggies, etc. Depending on the size of the mushrooms you can fit a lot of bread crumbs inside some of the larger mushrooms, which can hold a lot of carbs in them. 

The difference with these Stuffed Mushrooms that we are going to talk about in this recipe, is that to be Low Carb the first thing we had to do is to omit the bread crumbs and it may be surprising to you that you don’t need them to get the good flavor in your mushrooms. 

In fact, I think they have a lot more flavor without the bread crumbs because it’s really the meat, seafood or veggies that really have all of the good flavors, including the mushrooms themselves. 

And then to top it off, with the cheese on the top you can’t even tell that these mushrooms don’t have any breadcrumbs inside. The breadcrumbs are just a filler.

They are a winner at a mere 0.9 NET Carbs per mushroom.

What Ingredients are in Keto Stuffed Mushrooms

Mushrooms – There are several types of mushrooms that can be used but the most common kind are White Mushrooms. They make the best Stuffed Mushrooms and come in multiple sizes.

Scallions -These give you that onion taste but not overpowering onion flavor. Plus the green adds color to your stuffing.

Red Peppers – I love the mild pepper flavor that comes from red peppers and it adds a nice color to the stuffing.

Sausage – Mild or Hot flavor depending on your choice. My brand of choice is Perri and I like the spicy kind.

Mozzarella Cheese – The best cheese to put on top of your Stuffed Mushrooms by far is mozzarella.

What Kind of Mushrooms Can You Use?

I think the most popular mushrooms to use are large white mushrooms. They are readily available in all grocery stores and don’t cost too much money and everyone knows what they are. They come in several sizes from small to medium to large and you can stuff any size that fits your needs.

There are also other types of mushrooms that can be used to stuff. One mushroom type is Baby Bells, which are very small. 

Then on the other side of the coin, there is one mushroom that is typically a very large mushroom which is called a Portabello mushroom. They are large in diameter and flatter than your typical white mushroom but are good for stuffing because you can fit a lot of stuff inside the cavity. 

But they don’t taste like your traditional mushroom, they are thick and therefore some people say they taste more like meat, in fact, they are called the steak of the vegetarian world. 

How to Shop for the Best Mushrooms?

When you go to the store to buy your mushrooms Keep in mind how many people will be eating them so that you can buy the right amount. My advice is to buy a few extra just in case when you are stuffing them you press too hard and it cracks which may make it hard for you to stuff.

When picking out white mushrooms, look for the ones first of all that are the right size for what you want. Sometimes it’s nice to do small ones especially when you have a lot of people that are going to be eating them. That way your portion of mushrooms goes farther. If the group that’s eating with you is a smaller group then you can make mushrooms that are a little bigger.

When you look at the mushrooms also pick out the ones that are white, not brown or full of scrapes and bruises. The whiter your mushroom the fresher and firmer it will be which will make it easier to stuff and more likely to hold its shape.

What Different Stuffings Can You Use?

There are so many things that you could stuff mushrooms with, and so many combos of things that go together well.

Let’s talk about some of the different things that are yummy stuffed in mushrooms. There is not a lot of space in the cavity of the mushroom to put too many things but you can try to stuff it as much as you can, and it’s ok if it overflows a bit! 

My favorite base is Italian sausage, either hot or sweet whichever you prefer. Then you can add some veggies or cheese to the stuffing. You can choose a grated or shredded cheese to mix with the sausage such as parmesan or romano for instance. I prefer to put mozzarella on the top, but you can also do both if you are a real cheese lover.

As far as veggies, I like to keep it simple with a small amount of scallions and red peppers chopped fine. But you could also be creative with some chopped spinach or anything else you can think of.

Another base that I like to use is crab meat which takes on a whole different flavor. I like to keep it simple since the crabmeat has so much flavor and I  don’t like to cover over the seafood taste so I just mix the crabmeat with butter and scallions, then also cover it with mozzarella cheese. 

If you don’t eat meat or seafood then you can just make a mixture of sour cream or cream cheese and blend it with some spinach or scallions or peppers or any other veggies that you would like to. 

Also if you can’t eat dairy, don’t despair, you can stuff your mushrooms without using cheese inside the mushroom or on top of the mushrooms. Just stuff your mushroom with other ingredients like meat or seafood along with scallions, spinach, peppers or any veggie of your choice. 

What Cheese Is Best for Stuffed Mushrooms?

There is really no right answer to this question, but just which cheese you prefer to use.

My favorite cheeses to use in my Stuffed Mushrooms are grated or shredded Parmesan Cheese or Romano Cheese in the stuffing. 

Cream Cheese can be used as a binder in the stuffing too if you are going to make a stuffing that would go well with cream cheese such as spinach for one thing. 

Mozzarella is the best cheese to top off the mushrooms. It makes a nice layer of stringy and creaminess on top.

What Temperature Do You Cook Stuffed Mushrooms?

I have tried baking my Low Carb Stuffed Mushrooms at different temperatures but sometimes it was too low and it took forever to cook, or the oven was too hot and then the cheese on top burnt while the mushroom was not cooked yet. in my experience, I have found that the best temperature to bake them at is about 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

How Long to Cook Stuffed Mushrooms?

The goal is to make your  Keto Stuffed Mushroom gooey and creamy and not overcooked or too crispy. If you cook it at a higher temperature, the cheese on top of your Stuffed Mushrooms may get too dark while the mushroom is not cooked all the way through, and likewise, if you cook your Mushrooms at a temperature that’s too low it will take forever to cook your Stuffed Mushrooms.

We have found that the best temperature to cook your Low Carb Mushrooms at is 375 degrees for about 20 minutes and then they will come out with this perfect blend of soft mushrooms and gooey cheese on top.

How to Make Keto Stuffed Mushrooms

You may be a bit nervous about making Keto Stuffed Mushrooms but don’t despair they are easy to cook and I am going to share with you how to do it step by step in the next 3 steps below.

You’re going to learn how to clean your mushrooms, prepare them, make the stuffing and then put it all together in the oven.

Do You Clean Stuffed Mushrooms Before Stuffing Them?

The first thing that you do is to wipe the dirt off your mushrooms with a good technique I use which is a damp paper towel or if they are really dirty you may have to rinse them and then pat them dry.

When you buy your mushrooms sometimes they are pretty clean and sometimes they are really dirty and need to be cleaned. When they have dirt on them the best way to clean them off is to rinse them lightly, do not soak them in a lot of water because they will become too wet and soggy. 

Take a small knife and pop off the stems and then with the same knife or with a small spoon scoop out as much flesh of the inside of the mushroom to allow as big of a space as possible to be able to stuff it.

Arrange all of the mushrooms flat in your baking dish or on a tray.

Making the Stuffing

There are many ways to make a stuffing for mushrooms but in this case, I will show you how to make the sausage stuffing that I mostly like to make.

Take your sausage, hot or mild, and take it out of the casing so that you can brown it up. 

Cook your sausage over medium heat, breaking it up while stirring, until all your pieces of sausage are cooked through, which means that they are not pink anymore. 

When your sausage is done you could drain off the grease if you don’t want to use the little bit of residual grease. Or you can retain it and mix it in with your scallions and peppers. It’s up to you, some people like a little grease in things for the flavor and some people don’t.

While your sausage is cooking mince your scallions and red peppers and then blend them in with your sausage.

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Now you are ready to stuff your mushrooms with your sausage mixture. Fill the mushroom cavity as much as you can, because after all the stuffing is the best part of your Keto Stuffed Mushroom!

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Baking Them

Once all of your mushrooms are stuffed then top them off with mozzarella cheese, as much as you would like. Some people like a small amount and some like a lot of cheese, it depends on you.

Bake your Stuffed Mushrooms at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes.

When you stick a paring knife into your mushroom and it’s soft and your cheese on top is melted then its time to take them out and serve them hot right out of the oven.

Now your gooey and cheesy delicious low carb stuffed mushrooms are ready to eat. ENJOY!

Best Tips for Cooking Stuffed Mushrooms 

I know that it has always helped us when we look for a recipe and they have tips to help us be successful. So the same is true with us in return, we like to share helpful tips with you in making our recipes.  Here are some for stuffed mushrooms:

• The bigger the mushrooms the easier they are to stuff and likewise, the more yummy stuffing can fit in there.
• Also the smaller you chop your ingredients the less space they will take up so you will be able to fit more in your mushroom cavity.
• You can prep your mushrooms a day ahead and refrigerate until you are ready to bake them.
• Do not freeze mushrooms because they will get mushy.
• When you take the stems off your mushrooms put them aside and use them in another recipe such as soup or eggs or a stirfry…etc. so as not to waste them.
• When buying sausage you can use hot or sweet, and if you buy them in the casings just cut the casing off.

Can I Make the Mushrooms Extra Crispy?

If you like your Stuffed Mushrooms crispier than creamy you can definitely put them under the broiler to crisp them up after they are cooked thoroughly. Just broil them until the desired doneness is reached. Just be careful not to overcook them or they may dry out.

Other Diets This Recipe is Good For

Low Carb/Keto – These mushrooms are low carb with just meat, veggies and cheese.

Gluten-free – Another recipe made without gluten because unlike traditional stuffed mushrooms which have bread crumbs, these don’t.

Dairy-free – If you don’t put cheese on the top they can be dairy-free.

Nut-free – There are no nuts in this recipe so no worries.

What to Serve with Stuffed Mushrooms

The beauty of Stuffed Mushrooms is that they can be a stand-alone appetizer or meal replacement, so you don’t need anything else to eat with them if you don’t want to. But my go-to food with anything and everything is a tossed green salad. It goes with everything and is low carb and healthy.

If you are going to have guests or a party, you can easily make your Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms along with a bunch of other appetizers.

Can You Stuff Mushrooms the Night Before?

If you want to make stuffed mushrooms ahead of time you certainly can make your stuffing the night before and you can even stuff them too if you want to. Then just wrap them tightly and then refrigerate them. Now they are ready to bake the next day.

How to Store Stuffed Mushrooms 

The best way to store leftover sausage stuffed mushrooms is to wrap them up tightly or put them in an airtight plastic container and store them in the refrigerator for 2-23 days. 

Do not freeze them or they will become mushy because mushrooms are high in water content.

How to Reheat Stuffed Mushrooms

We have found that the best way to heat up stuffed mushrooms is in the oven. You can take them right out of the refrigerator and place them on a baking tray or baking dish and heat them up at 350 degrees at least for 5 minutes, maybe a little more if not hot enough in 5 minutes.

The same results will also come from the toaster oven if you decide to heat them up that way. I like to use the toaster oven because it doesn’t heat your kitchen up as much as the big oven does which is important in the Summer. Plus, I use it a lot because it is more energy-efficient than a normal oven.

You can heat them up in the microwave if you choose to but they may become really soft or even soggy if not careful.

Can You Freeze Stuffed Mushrooms?

Sorry to say, we freeze a lot of leftovers but Stuffed Mushrooms are not one of them. Because mushrooms are high in water content they will become soggy in the freezer, and won’t taste as good when you cook them.

More Keto Appetizer Recipes

If you’re in the mood for some other Low Carb Appetizers then try our:

• Low Carb Onion Rings
• Best Buffalo Chicken Dip
• Low Carb Spinach Artichoke Dip
• Keto Mozzarella Sticks

They all are Keto-friendly and low carb, and will be a hit at your next party!

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