When vegetarians went out to eat and ordered a veggie burger, even as recently as a few years ago they’d get a hardened puck of black beans or mish-mashed vegetables.
Now it’s a whole new world. Vegetarians and flexitarians alike can bring Beyond Burgers to backyard barbecues and order Impossible patties as a sub at local restaurants (if they’re in stock, that is).
Impossible and Beyond may be the two names that even most carnivores are familiar with, but they’re far from the only ones making plant-based burgers meant to look, grill, and even “bleed” like real beef. Should you want to venture — cough, beyond — here are a few other options in the grocery aisle.
Nestlé: The Incredible and Awesome Burger
Photo: Nestlé
Nestlé announced last December that it would be launching two meaty plant-based burgers over the next year. Launched under the Swiss giant’s Garden Gourmet brand, the Incredible Burger (in no way inspired by the Impossible Burger) became available in Europe this spring. It currently stars in the Big Vegan TS at McDonalds in Germany. Stateside, Nestlé plans to release the Awesome Burger under its Sweet Earth brand in the fall of this year.
Lightlife: The Plant-Based Burger
Lightlife’s plant-based ground “beef”
Earlier this year plant-based food brand Lightlife began selling its new plant-based burger, called… The Plant-Based Burger. Like Beyond Meat, Lightlife’s burger uses beets to get its red color. Interestingly, Lightlife (along with fellow vegan meat brand Field Roast) are owned by Maple Leaf Foods, a major Canadian meat processing company which recently announced it was building the largest plant-based protein factory in North America.
Dr. Praeger’s: The Perfect Burger
Photo: Dr. Praeger’s.
Natural food company Dr. Praeger’s just launched its new plant-based burger… today! Modestly called The Perfect Burger, it’s made of sweet potatoes, butternut squash, carrots and beets (presumably for color). Dr. Praeger’s offering is significantly lower in fat and sodium than options from Beyond and Impossible, and is seemingly trying to position itself as a more wholesome, natural alternative to their heavily-processed patties. The Perfect Burger is currently available for foodservice and will soon roll out in retail.
Morningstar Farms: Meat Lovers Vegan Burgers
Photo: Morningstar Farms.
Though not quite as meaty-looking as any of the above, Morningstar Farms, a stalwart of vegan animal products, released the Meat Lovers Vegan Burger last year. It comes pre-cooked and doesn’t contain any beets to get that rosy color, but it does have tomatoes, soy and wheat protein, and lots of spices, making it less of a neutral base and more like veggie burgers of yore. However, the Meat Lovers burger does have a whopping 27g of protein per serving — significantly more than Beyond or Impossible.
Moving Mountains: The Moving Mountains Burger
Photo: Moving Mountains burger.
If you’re in the U.K. or Europe you can try Moving Mountain’s eponymous plant-based burger. Made with a very similar ingredient list to the Beyond Burger — pea protein, coconut oil, and beets — the plant-based burger launched in select London restaurants last year. The Moving Mountains burger is currently available in over 3,000 foodservice establishments in the U.K. and Europe.
Have you tried any of the above meatless burgers? Which was your favorite? Sound off in the comments below!
Clearly, Beyond Burgers are the Winner.
This is because they have started this revolution of meats without the Animal.
Ethan Brown started this movement back before 2009 when he technically launched BYND meat.
He had this vision since he was a young boy living on his family dairy farm.
He had educated himself in the ways to build the company having worked in clean energy companies prior and having gone vegan on the side while spending time in silicon valley with techies who are were beginning to envision with Ethan how a future of meat without Animals could come to be.
Although I am thankful as is Ethan that there are more competition meaning that there are more options and more people can experience these delicious burgers, I know as much as Ethan Brown knows, that this movement is not going to end.
And that those who have come to terms with the movement will begin to make more and more types of non animal meats.
We are moving into a new wave of environmentalism where we as humans remove ourselves from the equation of harm.
And turn towards rejuvenation.
It might be too late for the Earth and for many, but it is happening nonetheless.
I grew up vegetarian and my family bought morning star products. They are very good, especially for vegans and vegetarians.
This new burger is quite tasty.
But then again, I am a vegan so it is a bit biased.
I was a die hard meat eater before my family went vegetarian though and I remember the taste of meat from our own farm animals and hunting.
Beyond burgers are overall the best burger because they taste closest to meat of all of these without the gmo’s that the impossible burger has in it.
The gardein burger is pretty close as well.
The sweet earth burger is great but still lacking in texture and moistness.
The Dr Praegers burgers are nice with lots of sauces but still need some meatiness.
As I mentioned, The Impossible Burger is gmo so I don’t touch it.
The lightlife burger is kind of strange tasting.
I am routing for BYND for more reasons than others because the idea of putting them in the meat section, to compete with actual meat farmers, to make a burger without the Animal and to corner the carnists market as well as to go NO GMOs.
Also, Ethan Brown is the CEO, one of the main reasons to support them. He is a Super Hero, you know.
He’s also Vegan, like Josh Tetrix, another Super Hero of Hamtpn Creek Just Foods and Justegg, (replacing the egg).
More reasons for BYND meat is:
~Concept is to replace the animal in the production of meat.
So we can eat MORE of what we love rather than less.
We can eat more and enjoy the 90% reduction of our carbon footprint in the meantime.
~Supporting meat ranchers around the world who are losing their livelihoods for many reasons, especially with animals not being sustainable to use for food anymore to the diseases they have to contend with job their farms, to choose another way to make just as much or even MORE money by going the vegan meat route.
~Addressing climate change in such as way that climate migrants won’t need to travel large distances to go to countries which have not destroyed their lands to live and stay in their own homelands because the land is being restored by growing the plant products to make Beyond Meat.
~Not being afraid of competition as a means of addressing the problem in as fast a manner as possible.
Even operating on a negative for overall revenue.
~Like Tesla, addressing the serious problem of climate change head on rather than through politics or through other means. Choosing to make the exact answer to the problem and making it be enjoyable for the shift for everyone. Making it FUN!!!
~Having the highest quality product which continues to be innovated again and again using patented technology to mimic the Animal so that BYND meat is exactly as their name says.
~Living for a larger goal that spans generations.
Those burgers are more processed than junk food. Funny how the one thing they tell us to stay away from, is now what they are trying to shove down our throats.