Kevin Lee Jacobs

Gardening, Recipes & Home Décor Tips

Taste-Testing the “Beyond Burger”

BY Kevin Lee Jacobs | 44 Comments

Last updated on June 9th, 2019

You might wonder why an unabashed omnivore would bother to taste-test the vegan “Beyond” burger. Well, let’s just say I have a curious mind! And here, for other curious minds, is my unsolicited — and definitely not sponsored! — review of this popular plant-based patty:

The following video review is very short and to the point. Click the “play” arrow to watch it:

Have you already sampled the Beyond Burger? Please post your own review in the comments field below. And please note that I am not a food purist. As proof, check out the myriad dessert recipes on this site.

xKevin

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Comments

  1. 1

    Jane says

    Thanks for the review Kevin. The burgers certainly looked good. Kind of pricey though.

  2. 2

    Barb says

    Thanks, Kevin! We will try them! Please share your barbecue sauce recipe. Thanks so much!

  3. 3

    Bernadette says

    You have me sold, I will try. The price is irrelevant anything you buy at the grocery store is still inexpensive compared to going out to eat. I treat myself to both.

  4. 4

    Pam says

    Terrific timing for me to watch this video and comment! I am a vegetarian. My nephew told me about this burger a couple weeks ago. I thought it was a little expensive at $3 a piece, but I bought a package. FABULOUS!!! In the past I’ve made my own veggie burgers… used different recipes… often labor intensive. Nothing compares to this. Give it a try… and as Kevin commented, consider steering away from beef. You will help the planet.
    Ingredients: Water, Pea Protein Isolate, Expeller-Pressed Canola Oil, Refined Coconut Oil, Contains 2% or less of the following: Cellulose from Bamboo, Methyl cellulose, Potato Starch, Natural Flavor, Maltodextrin, Yeast Extract, Salt, Sunflower Oil, Vegetable Glycerin, Dried Yeast, Gum Arabic, Citrus Extract (to protect quality), …

  5. 5

    Bonnie Netherton says

    I really enjoy Beyond Burgers! They are delicious! You don’t need to put oil in the skillet to get a crust – they naturally get a little crispy. Best veggie burger I’ve ever had.

  6. 6

    Peggy says

    The burgers may taste good but having an allergy to the onion family their products almost all contain onion or garlic.

  7. 7

    Lori Schmidt says

    I also discovered these recently and as a vegetarian found them to be amazing. The beefless crumbles and the brat sausages are also great. Thanks for reviewing these!!!

  8. 8

    Kate St-Aubin says

    Yuck! Terrible ingredients. I wouldn’t touch these even if they tasted good. Meat raised in regenerative agriculture for the win, both for health and for the environment.

  9. 9

    Tonya says

    My brother-in-law cooked some for us. They tasted ok but they have a lot of sodium. Pricey too.

  10. 10

    Andrea Ferguson says

    We tried them this week on the grill! Amazing! And very filling like s beef burger.

  12. 12

    Diane Hinkle says

    I am very allergic to onion. Everything I find that is already put together, like these burgers, contain onion. Do these? I have to do everything from scratch because onion is literally in everything. My granddaughter has Celiac Disease. You should see the two of us in the grocery store. It takes forever as we must read every ingredient label. I could tell these are good for a man to say they are.

  13. 13

    Louise l says

    I wonder how long it will take to recipe test and develop this burger recipe. I am sure we could make them using a food processer.

    From my gluten free baking before I had good recipes, I don’t want to make “door stops” again!

  14. 14

    Peggy says

    I contacted the company and they said the only product onion free was the original brats.

  15. 15

    Adriana says

    Tried these last year. I had to throw them out. Found the smell while they were cooking nauseating. And the grease they left behind, combined with the litany of chemicals was very off putting. I’ll stick with my bison burgers.

  16. 16

    Sheila Julson Thompson says

    As a vegetarian of 15 years, it’s exciting to see so many more choices available for meat alternatives. My local health food co-op started carrying Beyond Burgers last summer, and I enjoy them on the grill or pan fried (I also use olive oil when cooking them on the stove; olive oil seems to give them a nice sear and enhances the flavor).

  18. 18

    Diane says

    Thanks Kevin. Can’t wait to try! Quit eating anything with a face about a year ago for health reasons and especially for the love of animals and our planet! Plant based eating makes so much sense!! Please watch the videos “What the Health” and “Forks Over Knives”. Seeing those did it for me once and for all! Blessings!!

  19. 19

    Patricia crosby says

    Hello, Kevin. I dig Mr. Potato Head on the counter. Have a great day.

  20. 20

    jody says

    I was so excited to find these in my local Food Lion that I bought 2 packs months ago. With great anticipation, I cooked up one burger, took a bite or 2 and threw the thing out. I thought it was atrocious and didn’t even give it to my dogs. I let the remaining one in the package get old and then I just tossed it. The other pack I had frozen and finally realized that I’d never eat them, so tossed that package too. I’m glad you had a good experience, but I just didn’t.

  22. 22

    Larry Mac says

    Kevin, I believe you must be invested in this company, you gave it such RAVE reviews.
    This is a GMO loaded piece of poison and I wouldn’t eat it with your mouth. My trust and faith in you and your “reviews” is gone.

  24. 24

    bren english says

    Tried it once, never again. I did not enjoy the ‘boingy-ness’ or the mouth feel that they achieved trying to make this be ‘beyond meat’. Why I wonder, if people want to be vegan or vegetarian would they want to replicate what they are so against? That has never made any sense to me. If you want to eat as a vegetarian, eat veggies-why shape them or make them smell, taste, look like meat? The packaging alone for those 2 patties is appalling and negates any supposed ‘earth-saving gains’, let alone the cost of them is foolish. Purchase your meats from as local as you can, grass fed organically raised meats and sustainable sources. Yes it is more money so, just don’t eat meat as often, eat vegetables that look like vegetables a few times a week and derive your proteins from beans and grains and legumes for those meals. My opinion only.

  25. 25

    Lisa says

    It just seems wrong to me to want to eat vegan or vegetarian, yet still want your food to look and taste like animal! And to make a plant based burger pink and juicy, like underdone beef, is just gross to me!
    I’ve eaten the bean burgers, and they were good, not a meat replacement, but as a change from beef on a burger.
    Think about it… many don’t eat meat to save the animals, but want to keep the yummy animal taste and bloodiness! Something is just not right there.
    I say, enjoy plant based foods for the taste of the plants!

  26. 26

    Mary Ann says

    The Beyond Meat Burger is my favorite meatless burger. I have even served them to non-vegetarians with sautéed mushroom and onions, getting rave reviews. They look and taste very “gourmet.”

  29. 29

    Pam says

    Glad you tried them, but I am not a fan. Anything with seed oils is inflammatory to our systems. Pea protein was just in the news showing a host of allergic reactions because we’re eating so much of it. It’s the new protein. Not many people know that more animals are killed in the monocropping of these plant crops than if just a cow is killed. There’s lots of misinformation out there. There’s more nutrient dense goodness in a beef patty than all the ingredients in those burgers. Bamboo? Not sure we’re supposed to be eating that . Anyhoo, love your posts. Just felt compelled to speak up since this is all the new rage and I believe it’s going to actually lend to more inflammation and illness in the long run. To each their own. But if vegans and vegetarians dislike beef so much, why the expense to try to imitate it? It’s curious to me. Also, saw yesterday they’re coming out with plant based eggs. People need to understand cholesterol is essential to our health. It’s been demonized.
    Keep up the awesome posts and love your sense of adventure and candid assessment! Cheers

  30. 30

    sharon bowsher says

    thank you Kevin for reviewing this food- have read and heard about it .next time i get the chance i will buy and try it.

  31. 31

    Tiffany says

    The packaging is atrocious! I also agree that the ingredient list is cringe worthy. Both will keep me from ever buying this product. I appreciate that Kevin did a review. But I’ll pass! I do agree with others that I’ve never understood why vegan food should imitate the very thing they say they hate!
    I still love you, Kevin and all the great stuff you put into your blog!

  32. 32

    Joanne says

    I also have never understood vegan “bacon”-“turkey”- “sausage” etc. If you don’t eat animal products then just don’t eat them or look alikes. It’s just stupid. “I’ve never killed a real animal but I like eating things that taste like the dead animal”. Listen to yourself.

  33. 33

    Andi says

    Thanks. I am glad to see you review this. I have seen the hype, but have not yet found this in local markets. It helps to have a review from someone whose judgment you know and trust.

  34. 34

    Lisa says

    I was very intrigued by your review, and made the Beyond Burgers for dinner last night. I haven’t eaten red meat in over 30 years, and you are right- these taste much better than I remember beef burgers tasting! They are quick to make and taste like a real burger grilled outside, with a nice smoky flavor. Thanks for the video and recommendation!

  35. 35

    Tara Lynn says

    I’ve tried them too, and love them! You’re right, they don’t need any seasoning. We need more plant based options for the sake of the environment and our own health : )

  36. 36

    beth says

    I formally ate all local/organic raised poultry and pork products but can’t any longer – I’m allergic to meat now thanks to a tick bite, so I’m pescatarian not by choice. I like the Beyond Meat products to add variety – the hot italian sausage is my favorite. Sorry to everyone that’s so offended that they can make things taste like meat out of plants, but some us us get tired of just plant taste.

  37. 37

    Dayna S. says

    So glad you tried it and others seems open to doing the same! The Beyond Burger is on weekly rotation at my house. I use a heavy hand of Montreal Seasoning plus goes great with the Trader Joe’s Goddess dressing. Yum!

  38. 38

    Allison Hamilton says

    I was very pleased to see that you agree with me that the Beyond Burger is delish. They cook up perfectly outside on the grill too so I don’t get left out when the rest of the party is eating cow. Happiness all around. 🙂

  39. 39

    Valerie H says

    Really enjoyed your video….I totally agree with you…they cooked up nicely…and tasted excellent! Will definitely be buying these again! Thanks for sharing with us! 🙂

  40. 40

    Joanne in Zone 6b says

    Thanks for reviewing this product, Kevin, and on your recommendation, I will give it a try, despite the negative reviews. I never cook meat burgers of any kind since I tried your black bean burger recipe; that’s my burger now. Delish!

  41. 41

    Cornelia Vick says

    Kevin, I enjoy your web site so much. Many years ago I printed out one of your
    recipes……….Carmelized Onions and Vermont Blue Cheese Galette.
    Just found the recipe in a drawer. I keep all of your other recipes in my Kevin
    Folder. Just tried to find this recipe on line, but do not see it. It did not have a
    picture with it…..Guess that was before you filmed all of your things. I want to make
    this for a group this summer. Let me know if you have a picture of the
    finished product……. If not, I will just have to wing it !!!!! I have a friend who loves
    Blue cheese…….. Thanks………..Cornelia

  43. 43

    Nancy says

    Thanks for the review, Kevin! Just to clarify for everyone, the Beyond Burger is non-GMO. Its ingredient list is a bit more to my liking and sounds healthier. The Impossible Burger, a different brand, is loaded with soy and is likely made with GMO soy, and has other lab-grown ingredients. Come to your own conclusions, but they are very different from each other.

  44. 44

    Dana says

    I bought these marked down to 55 cents (Au) at Coles supermarket, 95% off. I found them chewey, all the cellulose (from bamboo). I too often wonder why vegans and vegetarians need to pretend they are eating meat. I believe Hungry Jacks/Burger King in Australia serve these.

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