Fool a Carnivore

Just in time for the 4th – a truly meaty vegan burger!

Date: / By Nancy Olah

Vegans and vegetarians rejoice! You finally have a plant-based burger that can compete with the “real meat” burgers at your family’s Fourth of July bash.  The cool folks at Beyond Meat have taken the Beast Burger up several notches with  The Beyond Burger.

I was thrilled to find it yesterday at my Charlotte Whole Foods Market – in its very own separate refrigerated display cooler right next to the meat section.

That strategic placement should give carnivores some food for thought!

Consider this:

  • The 1/4 lb.  Beyond Burger actual has more protein, iron, and fiber than a similarly sized real beef burger.
  • The Beyond Burger has less fat and zero cholesterol.
  • The Beyond Burger uses non-GMO peas as its protein source – which means that unlike many veggie burgers, it is soy-free and gluten-free.

And, the biggest news of all is that it is sold refrigerated – not frozen – which means that it really does look like a beef patty.

Since I have tried almost every plant-based burger out there, I was a bit skeptical that The Beyond Burger would live up to its hype.  After all, I have loved Beyond Meat’s Beast Burger, as well as Gardein’s Ultimate Beefless Burger.

The Beyond Burger blows both of them out of the water!

It’s been a very long time since I ate meat, but The Beyond Burger really had the same taste, texture, and mouth-feel as meat.  And dig this . . . because of the use of beet juice in its ingredients, the interior of the burger actually stays pink once the outside is cooked!

I’ve been reading a lot about The Impossible Burger  – but unfortunately, I don’t live in one of the eleven ultra-cool cities where it is currently available.  Since The Impossible Burger isn’t currently sold in grocery stores or on-line, I can’t try it until I travel to one of those cities.   But one point worth mentioning is that a key difference between The Impossible Burger and The Beyond Burger is that the former uses wheat and soy protein sources – but The Beyond Burger is free of both soy and gluten.

When no less a committed carnivore than my hubby exclaims that “The Beyond Burger tastes more like meat than any veggie burger I’ve ever tried” – that says a lot!

Have a safe and happy 4th of July!