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Beyond Meat Burger Review

June 18, 2022   69 Comments

This Beyond Meat Burger review is for those of us looking to changed it up. Some plant-based burger patties have been showing up at Burger King (and selling out).

Beyond Meat Burger Review

What are they?

They are not your typical vegetarian substitute for meat like my Mushroom Lentil Burgers or my Portobello Burger.

These Beyond burgers are trying to mimic an actual beef hamburger.

How do they do it? I’m not exactly sure but one fact that I noticed right away was that this burger has 20 grams of fat (5 grams of which are saturated). The saturated fat is from coconut oil and is not the same as the saturated fat you would find in beef.

What I find really interesting is that the nutritional make-up of the 4 ounce Beyond burger versus an 85% lean beef burger isn’t that different.

Beyond Burger:
Four ounces = 270 calories, 20 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 5 g carbohydrates, 0 g sugar, 20 g protein, 3 g fiber, 380 mg sodium, 8 Freestyle Smt Pts

Beef Burger:

85% Lean Meat, Four ounces = 284 calories, 17 g fat, 7 g saturated fat, 0 g carbohydrates, 0 g sugar, 29 g protein, 0 g fiber, 81 mg sodium, 8 Freestyle Smt Pts

Obviously, if you want to mimic meat it doesn’t hurt to have the about the same fat and protein content.

Here is the Beyond Burger thawed:

You are supposed to thaw it before cooking and as you can see it is red like meat. They use annatto - a natural red dye and beet juice extract to get the color.

It is made with pea protein isolate (no soy or gluten), canola oil, and coconut oil. There is a little cellulose from bamboo and other stuff but I don’t have a problem with the ingredients.

It does grill up like a burger and was easy to cook. This is as easy as any pre-made meat burger you can find at the grocery store.

How did it taste? It had a crispy exterior and a soft interior - like a rare burger. The consistency approached meat and I found it quite tasty. Was it like meat? Not exactly, but it was pretty convincing.

But, I have a few problems with the Beyond Burger. First, these two patties set me back $7! Ouch! These patties are running $14 per pound.

Also, I was hoping for that a plant based burger would be lighter (fewer calories) than a beef burger but, alas, Beyond has added a ton of fat to ensure it tastes good. You can add fat to almost anything to make it taste really good (I drown my kale in olive oil sometimes to get my kids to eat it).

These patties are better for the earth than cow meat but there is a lot of plastic packaging that isn’t planet friendly. Also, I would like to know how much energy it takes to produce one of these babies. I am sure that these are better for the environment than beef but not as good for the planet as my portobello burger.

Have you tried the Beyond Meat Burger? Please share your review.*

Other posts you might like:

Mushroom Lentil Burgers

Mushroom lentil burgers are a very healthy replacement for 8 ounce beef burgers....

Try A New Burger This Summer

I know what you are thinking - "Hello, lovely.....nom nom nom" Yes, that is a portobello mushroom burger that you will be making this summer....

Get Free Email Updates! Yes please!

69 Comments:

Sadly these are filled with glysophate! I did learn this after my son got the whopper made with it and I could not tell the difference! Take out the crappy chemicals and I’m all about this burger!

Burger King carries the Impossible Burger, another plant-based burger, NOT the Beyond Meat brand.

I'm curious about the comment or who said the Beyond patties are filled with glysophate. That's not an ingredient in the package - where is this information from. Also, The beyond sausages use a compostable tray in their packaging. I hadn't noticed that the burgers do not. I plan to write the company to ask why. It's such a great product. Switching to compostable packaging would make it even better!

So far I've opted to go support a local restaurant and buy my favorite Santa Fe burger than to buy a hyped-up chemical pattie. I, too, am interested about the actual carbon footprint of the Beyond (as I believe that corn ethanol creates a bigger carbon footprint than the gasoline it replaces; I live in corn country and drive by an ethanol plant twice daily when I go to work-nonstop diesel truck traffic in and out of there all day long, 7 days a week.) I am very interested in comments from people who have actually tried it.

I've tried the Beyond Burger and I think it's pretty good. I paid $5.99 for the package of two at my local grocery store, so it is expensive. I'm not a big meat eater, but even my husband the carnivore approved of it. I will probably buy it again.

We tried them and were quite surprised. I found them tasty and even my husband liked them. I will be continuing to look at the packaging as that is one of my concerns too. And I also found them a little pricey. But if they do turn out to be okay for the planet and the air I will be buying them again and hopefully sales volume will go up so the price can go down.

How does a regular beef burger of 14 grams of carbohydrates?

I've tried both the Beyond and Impossible burgers a few times each, and I'm not impressed with either. The texture is very nice, but they don't taste like meat. In fact, they taste like soy-based products, even though they are soy-free...they taste like the frozen meat-free meatballs I've been getting from whole foods and Aldis, as well as the much older Boca Burger...maybe they use similar flavorings. The other problem is that both of these burgers gave me gastric symptoms, so they must be harder to digest. My favorite veggie burgers are the ones that don't taste like meat, like the ones at Houstons and J. Alexanders.

@Traci - that was a mistake and I have fixed it. Thanks!

@Donna - I don't see glyosphate on the ingredient list so I am also interested in that information.

@Steve - sorry about that - you are right! The Impossible burger and the Beyond burger are getting lumped together but they are different brands. THANKS!!!

I’ve tried the Beyond Burger, the Impossible Burger and pretty much every other plant based burger (and sausage) out there. I also make my own. All of them have merits. I eat a whole food plant based vegan diet so processed foods aren’t a routine part of my diet. That said, I’ve only been vegetarian and then vegan for 10 years so I still remember how burgers taste and these are pretty darn close. Like everything, if you’re interested try it. If it’s just not for you that’s your choice too.

I have tried the pre-made burgers that you are reviewing and really liked them. I agree about all the crazy overboard packaging. I also purchased the package that is like a block of meat (so you can break it up like for stews or chili, tacos, etc.) the texture is a little weird but IRS so much better than the normal "crumbles" from the frozen section we have been used to using. My hope is that more folks will love this stuff and the pricing will eventually come down.

For anyone interested in the carbon footprint, there was a somewhat recent NPR episode on the footprint of "plant based"versus regular meat patties. It aired about 2 months ago. I personally don't like the beyond meat burger and find that these and many others use a lot of fillers with plant names in them. This was also an issue that was discussed on NPR- can we really call them plant based if they aren't made with whole plants? That is how a plant based diet is defined in the nutrition research literature. Yes these might be a better alternative and definitely better carbon footprint than regular burgers (spoiler from NPR) and theoretically should be better for health but I have a problem with them being called plant based and the high amount of fat (I am not a fan of coconut oil either). That's my personal/research based opinion.

Watch the sodium....

Tried this burger and although pricey was very tasty. I will try it again. Believe after a while the price will go down, hopefully!

As a very long time vegetarian (30+ years actually closer to 40!) I can not wrap my head around these. Admittedly my friends tease me that I am a horrible vegetarian because I only like a limited number of vegetables but I have gotten by and had two children while following a non meat/seafood diet. My son bought the Beyond Burgers a couple months ago because he wanted to try them even though he is a meat eater. I did not like the look and when he cooked it the smell was so disgusting to me I could not even try a bite! He took a couple bites and threw the rest away. Could not eat it he said. Unfortunately we dine out pretty often and I find many restaurants are turning to these rather than a veggie/black bean burger which I would much prefer. It is just too much like the meat that I don't eat to stomach for me. I am hoping it is a passing fad and that the black bean burgers I buy at the store won't be replaced with these!

As a vegetarian I also think they resemble meat to much. I also hear people say they taste just like meat. Well that is exactly why I would NOT like to try them. I don’t want to eat something that tastes like meat!!!

I think Bey Beef is a great step towards awareness; health of planet, animals and US! I liked it when they first came out about 2yrs ago, but after a few times I decided my health would be better off with my home-made burgers. Never a huge beef burger lover, my favorites were always the toppings! But I get it, lots of Americans are all about their burger ’n fries. So Impossible and Beyond Burgers are a step in the right direction. Soon WFPB will be understood as the cure for all the top killers like this article below identifies. Very interesting how the dairy/meat industries influence our education on this very important topic. I remember when doctors recommended moderation to smokers much the same as they tell us today to eat less red meat. BUT, when the scientific data is finally laid bare for all to see, we act in our own best interests. Thank you for this important review, Lisa!!

https://www.forksoverknives.com/new-reports-controversial-c…

I've seen the labels and tasted both the Beyond Meat and Impossible Burgers. As stated, maybe better for the environment than supporting the beef industry, but also a non organic product loaded with fat and calories. No better than beef as a health option. As a semi vegetarian, I might occasionally order these at a restaurant or serve at a BBQ, but I would not purchase or eat them at home. I much prefer the whole, plant based burgers made with beans and grains, like the Mushroom Lentil Burgers posted on this page. Much healthier option.

My adult offspring are vegetarian and I am working toward it. Our main reason for not wanting to eat meat is because we love animals. They way they are treated is horrible and heartbreaking... and to eat their flesh is disgusting. Yes saving the planet and having improved health is important... but for us, the less animals raised just to be killed on this earth is the key purpose of not eating meat.

That said I am so happy that Beyond meat patties exist. I do not like the majority of the meatless burgers out there. This satisfies me! And my kids like them too. Win, win! Yes they cost more but they are totally worth it.

We eat them as a treat- like an expensive steak. I really like them.

I would like to comment as an RD. I'm concerned about the 20 grams of total fat, and 5 grams of artery-clogging saturated fat. Though it is from a plant, it does raise cholesterol. Another concern is the high level of sodium, 380 mg, and that is without the bun, which would add much more. The recommended limit is 2400 mg/day for those who are healthy and under age 50. Those of who are older and/or have cardiovascular issues--we are advised to limit the sodium to 1500 mg/day--not an easy task. I am glad to see meat alternatives being developed, but I will pass on this one.

I would take a real, grass-fed beef patty over this any day, and not just for taste. I think why so many people are confused about what's healthy is because of products like this. It's soooo ridiculously processed our bodies don't even recognize it as food. Nutrition really isn't that hard. Stop looking at calorie and fat count and eat REAL food!

I tried these I found them at ALDI for $4.49 which is still pricey so I agree with you there snack girl. The taste is better than most metless burgers butI could tell the diffrence between it and meat because it was bland to me. Maybe it needs some seasoning and it would taste better to me. If it wasn't so pricey I would buy it again because I can't eat soy so it works for me in that way. I would eat it once in a while to eat some vegtables in me since I don't eat veggies much but your right the proccess they use to make them at the Beyond Burger factory sems as time consuming as real meat production. I woukd much rather have an 85% leanbeef burger

25 year vegetarian and not a huge fan of the squishy texture, there are better veggie burgers and this needs condiments.

I have yet to find a convincing reference for the glyphosphate, which meat eaters keep bringing up, and I'm viewing it as a sort of antivax logic to keep rationalizing meat as safer.

It's pricey, pea protein has not my favorite taste, but if it does bring alt burgers to the masses hurray, we can't sustain the cattle, cattle feed and or crazy consumption so it is a step in the right direction

I am not a vegetarian, but do like to eat healthy. I ordered a Beyond burger at my local brew pub and at first it tasted good, but an hour later I was dying of thirst!! Waaaaay too much sodium for me!!! If I want a burger, I will just get a beef burger from now on. I do like veggie patties (Hilarys), but this is not what I would call a veggie pattie.

I would try them during Lent as another option for meat.

Impossible Burgers are proudly GMO soy so please don't confuse them with Beyond Burger. I do like a Beyond Burger once in a while... only buy it when I find it on sale..or from Aldi. I'm happy with black bean or portobello mushroom burgers.

I read an article about these and actually they are not all that healthy. I forget the reson why, but if you are looking for a healthy substitute for a burger, keep looking! If you don't believe me, then read here: https://www.womenshealthmag.com/food/a21566428/beyond-meat-…

and here:

https://www.organicconsumers.org/news/controversy-over-fake…

I've been a veg for...almost 30 yrs, so my taste buds might be rusty at comparing BBs to meat. But - I love them. So much so that I questioned the server to ask if she'd actually brought me someone else's meal. Before I went veg, I loved meat and still love the smell, so can't speak to the taste/smell "negatives" for this product. I do NOT like the packaging! Yes, lots of fat/calories. But I eat cookies, cake and candy, too... just a veg, not a saint!

I’m not one for the beyond burger since it has the aftertaste of cat food to me, but you HAVE to try the Beyond Sausage-Hot Italian!!!

I am vegetarian because I really don’t like meat at all. I have not tried these but appreciate the review. Being gluten free and vegetarian can be challenging and to try the substitutes can be expensive. I have bought many GF products only to throw them out.

I'm not much of a meat eater, but I have yet to try Beyond Meat. I have tried the Impossible Burger at a diner as that's what they had for their veggie burger. It was tasty. I, like other readers, have gastric distress when eating processed veggie burgers (Morningstar, Boca, etc.). Once I realized that, I stay away. I would try it at least once. If they work for me, then they will be the occasional treat. The price at the supermarket has kept me from trying them so far, but they do go on sale from time to time. Your Mushroom Lentil Burgers and Portobello Burgers have been a lifesaver for my veggie burger jones. I do much better tummy wise and pocketbook wise when making my own. Thanks!

I tried the one at Burger King. I did not like it and after I saw the nutritional points value, I liked it even less. It did taste more like beef. I always bought their black bean veggie burger which I loved.

Costco and B.J.'s sell Beyond Meat in bulk, which brings down the cost. We eat the 1-2 times in a two week period. I prefer Beyond over Impossible.

The Beyond Meat one-pound package has no container other than the wrapping. It smelled terrible while cooking (I used in with Manwich Sandwich), but once cooked the smell went away. It tasted good in the sloppy joes but I've never had it as a plain hamburger and don't plan to because I don't like the mega-ag culture around which it is made. We'd be so better off to concentrate on small farming, from which most of our food comes in the first place--89%. Better for the environment. We will use Beyond Meat only rarely--like when I want a special bolognese as opposed to just spaghetti sauce. Maybe once a year.

I've had it. It's good, but honestly not worth the points for me. There are other brands (maybe not as natural) that are 2 points. I'd rather eat them. They taste good (I especially like SOL brand) and fewer points. They are thin though.

It's great to have another option, but I like my mushroom burgers and black bean burgers too.

I tried the one at Burger King. I did not like it and after I saw the nutritional points value, I liked it even less. It did taste more like beef. I always bought their black bean veggie burger which I loved.

I love these burgers!! Our grocery store sells them in the 2 pack (like you said for $7) and many times has a $1 off coupon. They a,so sell it in the 1 pound brick which is $8.99. One time they had a box of 10 patties for $15 but I have never seen them again, since. Costco sells an 8 pack for $15 but quite regularly the have the $2 off sale. I agree the packaging could be MUCH better.

We use this stuff for lasagne, spaghetti, tacos, .... anything you would use bround beef for. It has a great chewiness for tacos (ground beef just turns to tiny grains of meat when broken up and cooked Beyond Beef stays in nice chewy chunks. I am the only vegetarian in my family but, my meat eaters really like Beyond Beef too 😊

Beyond Burgers - yuck! Finally tried them due to all the hype and didn’t think they tasted at all like “real” burgers. Texture also felt funky to me. Very expensive and I found little hard bits that were very off putting to me. I eat minimal red meat anyway but on the rare occasions I want a good burger I will still vote for the real thing.

I am sorry but just the smell when I opened the package turned me off. Smells like bad dog/cat food.

I have to avoid high sodium foods, so these are a no go for me when they are so much higher in sodium than beef patties. It is disappointing how many "healthy" (processed) foods use sodium to compensate for whatever they are taking out (calories, fat, or sugar) because most people don't pay attention to sodium.

I like the Beyond Meat products, Dunkin' Donuts has a breakfast sandwich with Beyond Sausage that I get every so often. I gave up meat because I care about the animals so it's nice to have a substitute that tastes similar without actually eating a dead animal.

I haven't tried Impossible Burger. I love Beyond Burger. I read about the trace levels of glyphosate in GMO products. BB says it is non-GMO. I can't say. But BB IS tasty.

I may try them again, I thought the taste at Qdobas was a little off. I do however like the Impossible burger, I need to try to cook it myself I have not done that yet.

Okay so they are vegan? Yes,but are they healthy? No. For me if I'm going eat meat free/dairy free, I want it to be healthy. If it's the ONLY choice I have, yes I would eat it, but don't think that you are doing better by eating this instead of meat.

I agree with Sue. The nutrition information on Beyond Meat does not inspire confidence in me. It doesn't sound healthy.

I bought this when my vegan daughter came over. And we loved them! I'm not a vegan nor vegetarian but I actually crave these burgers and have made them again for myself. I realize that with the all the fat and processing this will be a sometimes food but it is so much healthier than eating red meat and I am not contributing to factory farming of animals.

Not a fan of pea protein isolate. Gives me digestive problems.

When they first showed up on restaurant menus I did give it a try and I liked them, but after doing a little research on these "beyond burgers" there's a lot of added ingredients I wasn't too pleased about. Also, for people like myself who watch their sodium intake 380 mg of sodium is quite a bit. My family tends to choose healthier choices. Also, since I'm on WW blue we do eat a lot of veggies, beans, etc.

Saturated fat is saturated fat whether the source is coconut or animal according tho the Heart and stroke society. Also it is very irresponsible for that poster to say those burgers are filled with glysophate. When you make a statement like that you need to back it up with proof.

The Beyond burger has been improved twice since it was first released, Lisa - if you check the updated ingredients on the website / fat is now down to 14% - still 5% saturated fat - but they are working on making all their products healthier on an ongoing basis. I follow the company for my stock club and read the news regularly.

I’m a little surprised you don’t mention the smell before they are cooked. It is overwhelmingly awful! I managed to overcome that and cooked them ( not going to throw them out having spent do much) to find that they taste fine.

End result: not cooking them myself but happy to have one out.

I'm confused. This is not sold at Burger King? why did you mention Burger King?

@Sheryl, I agree about the smell, both before and as it's cooked. Horrendous. We tried some with sloppy joes. It wasn't bad after it was cooked and the sauce was added, but I almost threw the whole mess out when I first cooked it. Overall, I'm not a fan because of the fat content. I'm not vegetarian, so I would use 96% lean ground beef if I wanted the beef flavor, or else ground turkey.

My husband and I love both Beyond and Impossible burgers. Are they health foods? No. But they are delicious substitutes for those that have concerns for climate change and raising animals in horrid conditions to kill them. We are thrilled to buy them at even the regular price but i have found them at the big box stores for considerably less than the supermarket.

Most of your comments are from 2019. Two years old. Beyond Meat has changed their formula and the price has gone down. I guess in a big end grocery you would pay up to $6.90 but that is much higher than a ShopRite or Safeway. They are delicious, good for animals and good for me. I love them.

I am a vegetarian and I am always trying everything that comes out. These are so delicious!!! They are pricey, and because I am doing itrackbites, I can't eat them as much as I'd like to. They are a great treat though. Last time I was at Costco they were on sale and I was so excited to stock up. My husband (non vegetarian, but trying to reduce his meat consumption) absolutely loved these. Both my sons(25 and a picky 14) did as well. A great way to get meat eaters to reduce red meat.

I use bocca burgers as mtmy go to for tracking bites/points, but I'm happy to save up for a splurge with beyond burgers!

I did try these at home,not realizing that they cook up like rare beef. I don't eat my meat rare, so, I gave the other to my husband. I didn't like the red color inside (like blood) nor the texture inside (mushy).

I'll stick with MSF spicy bean burgers.

I have been told they where trying to get it to taste like meet and have a texture like meet. I haven't liked the meet since I was a kid. I don't like the taste or texture of it so the whole things kind of pointless to me.

I've tried these and many others for lazy day convenience but keep coming back to my own bean burgers mostly for preferred content and taste. It's worth a little effort to make my own plus they freeze beautifully. My favorite and easy burgers are by ''plant-based Gabriel''. He makes several variations as in All-American, Marinara, Porkless, BBQ, Salsa, and basically any flavor I can invent. They not only freeze well they grille perfectly. I bought his 2 dollar pattie-maker and haven't looked back.

Hi Barbl! I went to the plant based Gabriel website, and wow - that is a lot of sugar in his "pork" burgers. I like the short list of ingredients, but is there a way to make these without 1/4 cup of maple syrup?

I agree. I use date paste or syrup often for sweetener because it’s a whole food. So far I've made Gabriel's marinara and BBQ burgers not the pork ones yet. The cool thing is, because these have no meat or egg you can taste and tweak to your liking. What I would do for pork burgers is try 1T of date paste and add ground fennel to taste. I'd also add 1-2T of red wine. I think sausage needs fennel more than sweet. My italian MIL always added wine. Happy cooking! PS Date paste is easy to make in a blender. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YxpxbBRtmQ

Wow, the difference in the sodium content is staggering! 81 grams in the hamburger versus 380 grams in the Beyond Meat one!

I have not tried the Beyond brand, but I have tried other meatless options made with pea protein. My family did not know they were eating meatless and liked the bratwurst and burgers. I also thought they were good. It’s not exactly like eating meat, but the food tasted good. We really did not miss the meat!

As a strict vegan, going on there years now, I buy them in the store when they are marked down or on sale. We mostly serve them to other people when they are visiting our non meat home but we will eat them ourselves occasionally. There are so many better whole foods options, and we choose better options in our home (including other plant based burgers). We also believe beyond is better than impossible but we do eat both of them, when they are the only plant based option in restaurants. Vegans don't have to worry about calories but we do try to minimize oils and processed foods. These burgers are processed and have added oils and fat so I cannot remember the last time I had one but I'm sure that it looked and tasted like a meat burger.

i love the impossible burger much more than the beyond beef products. i first tried the IB at a restaurant and was hooked from day 1. and there is so much more you can do with the IB brick—drunken noodles, no-meatballs,

tacos—so yummy! beyond beef has to work hard to match the impossible burger in taste and looks, let alone pricing. we love the impossible burger!

♥️

I prefer the portobello mushroom burgers the most.

I’ve tried both the beyond and impossible burgers and liked them both. I will have one very rarely - I want to know more about what they are made from -

I have been using Beyond Meat since it came out. Costco sells a sleeve of them (10 in a sleeve) for $16.69 which is 2.5 pounds (each is a 1/4 pound patty). We make meatballs, lasagne, meatloaf, anything you can make with ground beef you can make with Beyond Meat. We found that buying the sleeve of burgers was cheaper, by far, that buying their 1 pound packages. Sure you ha e to mash up the patties but money wise it's worth the 1 minute to do it. I'm a vegetarian but my hubby is not, however, he will eat anything g I make with Beyond Meat. Does it taste like actual beef, nope. But the texture is there and you can add spices to it to make it taste however you want. It's by far the best beef substitute I have ever tried.

I think that the Beyond Burgers have an aftertaste. The Impossible Burgers seem to have the same consistency but not the aftertaste.

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