Consumer Reports Tasting Experts Test Veggie Burgers to See How Well They Stack Up to Ground Beef

In an effort to determine which veggie burgers can satisfy our carnivorous cravings, Consumer Reports' tasting experts considered dozens of options for sale at retail and put 12 that appeared most meat-like to the test. Their mission was to see how well each patty compared to ground beef in terms of texture and taste. Among the tested brands were Bokeh Gardenburger, Morning Star Farms Grillers, Amy's, as well as other beef burger alternatives such as chicken and turkey ground beef.

It's worth noting that if undercooked ground beef can make you sick, it's essential to cook it thoroughly to a temperature of 160° to stay safe. According to Consumer Reports' recent tests of 458 pounds of ground beef, nearly every sample contained bacteria that can cause illness or food poisoning. If you're looking for alternative options to hamburgers, there are some vegetable-based alternatives that have been brought into their lab.

One of the burgers being tested is getting a lot of buzz in the food world - the Beast Burger made with pea protein. According to its website, the company has assembled the building blocks of meat from plant-based sources to capture the taste texture and nutrition of meat. When Consumer Reports' testers looked at the Beast Burger, they were impressed by its resemblance to a real beef burger, complete with grill marks on the surface. The patty also sizzled nicely in the pan.

However, despite its impressive appearance, the Beast Burger still fell short of the sensory panel's standards when it came to tasting like meat. One of the testers noted that their first reaction was getting a distinct fishy note, which is not characteristic of a real beef burger. Additionally, the sponginess of the patty made it feel very non-meat-like.

On the other hand, one of the panelists thought that the Morning Star Farms Grillers original made of vegetable protein came closest to achieving a meat-like experience. The tester noted that this particular veggie burger had a crispy exterior with a texture similar to beef, making it a pretty decent fooler and potentially a suitable replacement for a typical burger.

Consumer Reports' food experts also visited a jam-packed veggie burger joint in New York City to broaden their search for options that can satisfy our beef cravings. During their visit, they tasted the Superiority Burger, which was described as chewy, nutty, and quite spicy. While it may not be the most convincing substitute for a beef hamburger, the expert noted that it was satisfying overall, with plenty of heat if you're not considering it in terms of a beef burger.

Ultimately, Consumer Reports' testing suggests that veggie burgers don't necessarily have to taste like meat to be tasty and satisfying. Whether or not they can replicate the experience of eating a traditional beef burger is up for debate, but there are certainly options available for those looking to explore alternative protein sources.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enon the bun with the lettuce and the tomatoes and the ketchup it could be a fooler Consumer Reports tasting experts considered dozens of veggie burgers for sale at retail and put 12 that appeared most meat-like to the test their mission to see how well each Patty stacked up to ground beef in texture and taste among the tested Brands bokeh gardenburger Morning Star Farms grillers and Amy while there are other beef burger Alternatives such as chicken and turkey ground beef Remains the predominant Burger of choice in the US if undercooked ground beef can make you sick Consumer Reports recent tests of 458 lbs of ground beef revealed bacteria in nearly every sample that can cause illness or food poisoning to stay safe cook ground beef to 160° and if you want to avoid hamburgers altogether there are some vegetable-based Alternatives such as the on brought into our lab but will they satisfy your carnivorous Cravings one of the burgers they tried is getting a lot of buzz in the food world the Beast Burger made with pea protein its website says the company has assembled the building blocks of meat from plant-based sources to capture the taste texture and nutrition of meat our testers found that indeed it has the look of a real beef burger with grill marks on the surface it also sizzles nicely in the pan however it still fell short of the sensory panel standards when it came to tasting like meat my first reaction was I get a distinct fishy note it's not a fool with a real beef burger I'll tell you that the sponginess makes it very non meat-like the winner panelist thought the Morning Star Farm's griller original made of vegetable protein came closest to achieving a meat-like experience it has a crispy exterior with a texture similar to beef it's a pretty decent fooler this is really pretty good it could be a replacement for a typical burger to widen the search our food experts visited a jam-packed veggie burger joint in New York City they thought the superiority Burger was chewy nutty and quite spicy I thought it was definitely satisfying overall a lot of heat if you're not thinking in terms of a beef hamburger it was tasty Bottom Line If you're looking for alternatives for your beef burger craving a veggie burger doesn't necessarily have to taste like meat to be tastyon the bun with the lettuce and the tomatoes and the ketchup it could be a fooler Consumer Reports tasting experts considered dozens of veggie burgers for sale at retail and put 12 that appeared most meat-like to the test their mission to see how well each Patty stacked up to ground beef in texture and taste among the tested Brands bokeh gardenburger Morning Star Farms grillers and Amy while there are other beef burger Alternatives such as chicken and turkey ground beef Remains the predominant Burger of choice in the US if undercooked ground beef can make you sick Consumer Reports recent tests of 458 lbs of ground beef revealed bacteria in nearly every sample that can cause illness or food poisoning to stay safe cook ground beef to 160° and if you want to avoid hamburgers altogether there are some vegetable-based Alternatives such as the on brought into our lab but will they satisfy your carnivorous Cravings one of the burgers they tried is getting a lot of buzz in the food world the Beast Burger made with pea protein its website says the company has assembled the building blocks of meat from plant-based sources to capture the taste texture and nutrition of meat our testers found that indeed it has the look of a real beef burger with grill marks on the surface it also sizzles nicely in the pan however it still fell short of the sensory panel standards when it came to tasting like meat my first reaction was I get a distinct fishy note it's not a fool with a real beef burger I'll tell you that the sponginess makes it very non meat-like the winner panelist thought the Morning Star Farm's griller original made of vegetable protein came closest to achieving a meat-like experience it has a crispy exterior with a texture similar to beef it's a pretty decent fooler this is really pretty good it could be a replacement for a typical burger to widen the search our food experts visited a jam-packed veggie burger joint in New York City they thought the superiority Burger was chewy nutty and quite spicy I thought it was definitely satisfying overall a lot of heat if you're not thinking in terms of a beef hamburger it was tasty Bottom Line If you're looking for alternatives for your beef burger craving a veggie burger doesn't necessarily have to taste like meat to be tasty\n"