25 Innovative Puffball Mushroom Recipes for Culinary Enthusiasts

Puffballs are among the large-sized varieties of edible mushrooms. Their high nutritional value and dense structure make them a popular choice for entrée and main course dishes across the globe.

I think that puffball mushrooms are an excellent source of protein, carbohydrates, and good fats; hence, they can help you meet your daily nutritional needs, especially if you are on a strictly vegetarian diet.

The taste of puffball mushrooms is often compared to tofu. They readily absorb the flavors of surrounding ingredients, which offers endless possibilities from a culinary point of view. 

Puffball Mushrooms can be cooked in so many different ways, and the pairing options are equally diverse. Their mild flavor with subtle earthy and nutty tones makes them perfect for creating hearty and filling food. 

If you lack experience cooking with mushrooms or recently shifted to a no-meat diet, these Puffball Mushroom recipes will allow you to indulge in the wonders of palatable fungi like never before.

1. Puffball Patties

Who says you need meat to make burger patties? If a simple vegetable patty does not impress you, the Puffball Patties might be just what you’re looking for.

The Puffball Mushroom recipe combines shredded mushrooms with peas, herbs, and spices. An egg and rice flour is added to hold the mixture together and turn it into shapely patties. The result is a fleshy creamy patty that tastes so incredible that you cannot even tell that it is meatless.

The Puffball patties make for a healthy snack; you can eat them with dipping or chutney, put them between buns, or make a sandwich with salad and dressing of your choice. 

2. Puffball (Mushroom) Parmesan

Puffball mushrooms can be used to make a range of quick hors d’oeuvres. Their bulkiness makes it easy to identify them and cut them into different shapes.

For this Puffball Mushroom recipe, you have to cut the mushrooms into thick round slices. The mushroom slices are then dipped in egg and breadcrumbs, so it’s a lot like making nuggets or cutlets.

You may deep fry or fan fry the coated mushrooms and enjoy them just like that. This recipe features marinara sauce and shredded cheese as toppings, which make it more fancy and indulgent. 

3. Puffball Alfredo Sauce

The silky texture of puffball mushrooms makes it an ideal ingredient for sauces and purees. This Puffball Mushroom Recipe features a sauce for Alfredo pasta, but you can use it as a dip for other snacks too.

Since the puffball mushrooms are naturally bland, they nicely soak the flavor of herbs and spices added to the mix. If you are vegan or vegetarian, you may skip the chicken stock. You can also adjust the recipe to exclude ingredients containing gluten.

I started making this sauce for game nights a while ago and everyone assumed it was some fancy store-bought dip. Don’t tell anyone, but it goes really well with chips and nachos too! 

4. Puffball Mushroom Lasagna

In my opinion, lasagna makes the top ten of the most incredible food inventions of all time. You have to agree that it’s all the best comfort foods wrapped in one – pizza, pasta, and pie to be precise.

However, lasagna is not something you can treat yourself to that often if you are committed to eating healthy. The Puffball Mushroom Lasagna is not exactly a meal for the health-conscious, but it sure does cut down on calories and incorporates better nutritional value.

This Puffball Mushroom recipe entails the use of thinly sliced mushrooms to replace the pasta layers in lasagna. Creating this out-of-the-box recipe requires sufficient time and effort, but it’s certainly worth it!

5. Giant Puffball Mushroom Pizza

If I had to choose one food to eat for life, I’d choose pizza! If you think about it, pizza is such a versatile and nutritionally balanced meal. Giant Puffball Mushroom Pizza has it all.

You can put all the essential food groups together in this simple yet scrumptious Puffball Mushroom Recipe. You could make your own pizza dough or just get a ready-made one from the grocery store the way I do (guilty).

I like to keep my pizza simple with a moderate amount of pizza sauce, lots of cheese, and few toppings. Puffball Mushroom pairs well with almost anything (even pineapple), so you do you.

6. Fresh Puffball Mushroom Ragu or Pasta Sauce

Since the texture of Puffball Mushrooms is suited for preparing sauces, let’s do another one with vibrant color and added spiciness. The Fresh Puffball Mushroom Ragu is savory, thick and chunky, i.e., just perfect for serving with pasta.

This Puffball Mushroom recipe is nostalgic, as it reminds me of the pasta sauce jar used at home during my childhood. Store-bought pasta sauce is true and tried (and obviously convenient), but the one you make yourself is better in every aspect.

This pasta sauce can be prepared in a few easy steps and you can store it in the refrigerator for about a week. It is preservative-free, healthy, and tastes out of this world, so all pasta lovers out there must try it!

7. Puffball and Squash Gratin with Goat Cheese

Do you like gratin? Just to be clear, the gratin is not a food ingredient, but in fact a culinary technique. Any dish having a crusty brown top layer that typically constitutes cheese, butter, and breadcrumbs can be referred to as a gratin.

Puffball and Squash Gratin with Goat Cheese is prepared like a casserole using a deep dish and lots of layers. Therefore, you may easily deduce that this dish is visually appetizing and irresistible.

I don’t cook with squash that often, but its mild sweetness blends well with the earthy flavor of puffball mushrooms. This Puffball Mushroom recipe is full of calcium, as both squash and goat cheese are rich sources of this essential mineral. 

8. Warm Puffball Bites with Pumpkin Seeds & Miso Dressing

If you have fresh puffball mushrooms lying around, you can make a quick and healthy snack out of them. Consider this a mushroom salad that would pass as a sophisticated entrée in any posh restaurant.

The pumpkin seeds are meant to add a nice crunch, and it doesn’t hurt that they are an excellent source of antioxidants as well. I occasionally use cashew nuts in place of pumpkin seeds, and I love that combination just as much.

The miso dressing adds a great deal of character to this Puffball Mushroom recipe, as it has a number of contrasting flavors blended as one. Make sure to add ample nutritious greens of your choice; my favorite is spinach leaves for this one. 

9. Stir Fried Spicy Thai Puffball Mushroom With Pork

The Stir Fried Spicy Thai Puffball Mushroom with Pork is commonly known as ‘Hed Thob’ and ‘Hed Poh’ in Thailand. The traditional names translate to ‘pop mushroom’, which describes the crunch or popping sound made when you bite into it.

This recipe utilizes the younger variety of puffball mushrooms, which are softer and slightly sweeter than the bigger ones. Puffballs are seasonal mushrooms, so you can use another type of mushroom, like shitake, in case they’re not available.

This Puffball Mushroom recipe tastes best when prepared with fresh ingredients. I usually serve it with coconut rice, which beautifully complements the complex flavors of the dish. 

10. Puffball Mushroom Parisienne Gnocchi

Parisienne Gnocchi is a French delicacy which has its roots in Paris; it is a variation of Italian potato gnocchi. In this recipe, we swap the potatoes with puffball mushroom flour to create light and airy dumplings.

The Puffball Mushroom Parisienne Gnocchi is a good substitute for the original potato-based dish if you are trying to cut down on starchy foods. It is comparatively low in calories and offers an opportunity to explore unique flavors.

There are no limits to creativity with this dish. You can pair it with seasonal vegetables and enjoy it with different kinds of sauces or seasonings. 

11. Puffball Schnitzel

What’s a schnitzel, you ask? FYI it is merely a fancy name for fried food coated in egg and breadcrumbs. This is probably the simplest recipe on this list, so you can totally ace this even if you consider yourself an amateur cook.

All you have to do is get a big puffball mushroom, remove the tough outer layer, and slice it up. Since the mushroom is quite bland on its own, you are supposed to add some herbs, spices, and parmesan to the bread crumbs.

I usually like to put a bit of salt, oregano, and black pepper into the mix, but you should definitely experiment with other ingredients as well. 

12. Cream of Giant Puffball Soup

Nothing beats a rich and hearty soup when you’re famished and it’s freezing outside. This Puffball Mushroom recipe is a winter special, but you can have it whenever you crave warmth and coziness.

Cream of Giant Puffball Soup typically uses chicken broth, which makes it light yet filling. It is a great option for weight watchers and anyone looking out for innovative low-calorie recipes.

You may customize this recipe in accordance with what you prefer or what ingredients you have on hand. A few things I like to toss in my soup include sweet corn, chopped green onion, and a beaten egg. 

13. Lamb and Puffball Mushroom Cannelloni

Here’s one more recipe that replaces pasta with mushrooms, and the results are astounding. Cannelloni, which resembles big hollow tubes, are traditionally made out of regular pasta dough. Since we’re using slices of puffball mushroom here, this version is practically gluten-free!

You’re probably skeptical about this one, but I assure you that this Puffball Mushroom recipe is life-changing. However, it is necessary to acquire even and undamaged sheets of mushrooms to make the presentation work.

This recipe is a bit time-consuming since you have to prepare multiple elements before putting together the entire dish. You may save this one for a special occasion, such as an anniversary surprise dinner. 

14. Puffball Mushroom Mozzarella Sticks

Everybody loves mozzarella sticks, right? I mean what’s not to like about all the cheesy goodness? A friend of mine introduced me to puffball mushroom mozzarella sticks, and I liked them.

However, I was shaken when my friend told me that there wasn’t any actual mozzarella in those sticks. The first thought that comes to mind is that this is probably a joke and those cheeses-less replicas cannot be any good.

Long story short, this Puffball Mushroom recipe is commendable because the taste is pretty close to actual mozzarella sticks. Try them yourself to believe it. 

15. Puffball Mushroom Jerky

Most of the recipes I’ve shared above require fresh puffball mushrooms. In spite of this, it’s unlikely to have fresh mushrooms at your disposal at all times.

The thing is that puffball mushrooms are quite big, so it’s difficult to use up the entire thing in one session. What to do with the leftovers? They won’t remain fresh for long after all.

Puffball Mushroom Jerky is the answer to make use of the remaining scraps. You’ll have to douse strips of the mushroom in a marinade and then dehydrate them to make jerky. This snack has a crisp smoky flavor that is quite decent, and it’s highly recommended for vegans. 

16. Air Fried Puffball Recipe

If chicken nuggets are your favorite thing in the world, the Air Fried Puffballs have the potential to take second place. They are certainly worth a try if you are challenging yourself with a no-meat diet.

Despite the fact that Puffball Mushrooms are generally enormous, they do not grow that big in certain parts of the world. If you have foraged small-sized mushrooms of this variety, they’re ideal for this recipe.

The technique is pretty simple, so you can even teach your kids to make this as a quick and nutritious snack. 

17. Puffball Ravioli With Kale, Mushrooms, And Sage Butter

It’s no secret that puffball mushrooms can be used instead of sheets of pasta (thanks to their silky stretchy texture), so why not make something highly sophisticated out of it?

If you want to surprise a special someone with a fancy dinner, and that someone is a vegan or vegetarian, this Puffball Mushroom recipe is a good bet to make a lasting impression.

The best thing about this state-of-the-art ravioli is that you can choose any filling you want. I’ve tried quite a few combinations, such as spinach with cheese, chicken with garlic and onion, and potato with carrots and peas. 

18. Easy Crustless Puffball Pie

Given the creamy and malleable structure of Puffball Mushrooms, it would be a shame to not consider making a delectable savory pie with them. The Easy Crestless Puffball Pie is as simple and opportune as the name suggests.

You do not need to make a crust for this pie or cook any of the ingredients in advance. Can it get any easier than that? In summary, you just have you fold the ingredients together and put them in a baking dish.

This Puffball Mushroom recipe results in a pie that is similar to a quiche or dense soufflé, which is a win-win if you ask me.  

19. Cheese Stuffed Puffball Mushrooms

Do you want another easy and cheesy snack recipe? Look no further because it does not get any more straightforward than this Puffball Mushroom Recipe.

The Cheese Stuffed Puffball Mushrooms utilize slices of the mushroom as pieces of bread. You place the cheese between the slices, dip it in egg, cover in breadcrumbs, and fry.

If you want to take things up a notch, you may combine the cheese with other ingredients to add flavor and texture. I usually add a slice of tomato to add some juiciness to these makeshift croquettes. 

20. Puffball Mushroom Burgers

Have you grown weary of traditional vegan or vegetarian burgers? It can be off-putting when all the commercial options are using the same formula.

Burgers are such a versatile meal that you can enjoy at any time of the day. There is a wide variety to choose from when it comes to meat-based burgers, but the vegan and vegetarian sections are limited if not non-existent.

Luckily, recipes like the Cheese Stuffed Puffball Mushrooms exist to put your frown upside down. I suggest that you go all out and make this burger exclusive by adding lots of salad, a nice tangy sauce, and perhaps an egg. 

21. Puffball Mushroom Hummus

Giant puffball mushrooms give you a lot to work with, and it’s amazing how it can be utilized in so many different ways. The dense fleshy texture of the mushrooms is resourceful, so it’s no surprise that you can turn it into a phenomenal hummus as well.

The fleshy part of this big mushroom can replace chickpeas in traditional hummus to produce the same creamy profile. You shall cut the mushroom into smaller pieces, bake them until golden brown, and then puree in a high-speed blender.

You may follow this Puffball mushroom recipe as it is, or add your own touch to enhance the flavor of the hummus. Enjoy the puffball Mushroom Hummus with roasted vegetables, grilled, meat, crackers, and whatever comes to mind. 

22. Puffball Piccata

If you’re in touch with Italian cuisine, you might have tried the Italian dish ‘Piccata’, which features slices of crusty meat served with a tangy sauce. The Puffball Piccata is a groundbreaking twist on that old-school recipe.

Once again, we substitute the meat for slices of our legendary puffball mushroom, and the rest is history. Recipes like these show that the vegan lifestyle isn’t unvaried from a culinary point of view.

If you would prefer a non-alcoholic version of this Puffball Mushroom recipe, just use chicken broth and vinegar instead of white wine. 

23. Puffball Mushroom Bratwurst

This Puffball Mushroom is particularly for people who are fascinated by the art of charcuterie and sausage making. You might be aware that milk powder is often added to the sausage-meat mixture to add a firm bouncy texture.

In Puffball Mushroom Bratwurst, we use powdered toasted mushrooms in place of dry milk. This adds a nice earthy flavor to the bratwurst, whilst providing the desired pliability.

This recipe is yet another clever way to utilize the giant puffball mushroom. These sausages turned out really good on my very first try; you can make hot dogs, serve them with gravy, make a sausage pizza, or simply relish them with a sauce or ketchup. 

24. Classic Fried Puffballs

It is hard to go wrong with fried snacks. Most of the time, anything tastes good after it has been deep-fried in oil or butter. I mean deep fried ice cream sounds bizarre, but it is a legit thing that people like to eat.

Not everyone is a fan of the dense silky structure of Puffball mushrooms, but it works well with a crispy crust of egg, breadcrumbs, and butter. The caramelization process in Puffball Mushrooms recipes is of utmost importance.

If you add this variety of mushrooms to your dish without toasting or roasting first, you won’t achieve the desired nutty and cheesy flavor. 

25. Caramelized Puffball Puree

If you have a hefty amount of Puffball mushrooms that you would like to store for future use, this recipe shows the right way to do it. You cannot preserve the mushroom in its raw form without compromising its taste and texture.

By making a puree out of the mushroom’s dense matter, you can refrigerate or freeze it for long-term use. The process is quite simple, and it helps you avoid wastage of food, which is awesome.

The Caramelized Puffball Puree is a unique and flavorful condiment that can be added to sauces, soups, dressings, gravies, and so much more.

Bonus Recipe !!