Plant-based burger meals have surged in popularity with two brands dominating the business sector in the U.S. Beyond Meat Burger and Impossible Burger have redefined what a veggie burger is because they both give the same texture and consistency of real organic beef. As more and more people eat less meat for ethical and dietary View Postreasons — and implications the cultivation of it has on the environment — a new focus has been placed upon companies that leave a more positive impact on the environment.

Impossible Burger and Beyond Burger are currently the top companies in the meatless market, so most consumers end up choosing in between the two. While they may be similar in concept, they differ in taste, texture, smell, and price. Let us look at what they are made of and how they compare against one another.

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Impossible Burger

Impossible Burger includes ingredients such as coconut oil, sunflower oil and soy protein with the primary ingredient being soy protein concentrate. What makes this fact so fascinating is that because soy protein concentrate is a soybean derivative, one would presume that it is safe, but it is heavily processed. This means that when many people turn to a meatless alternative to avoid refined ingredients that have been stripped of their original nutrients, the advantages of changing this type of burger are lost. For example, while raw soybeans provide an abundance of vitamin C, B, calcium and iron, Impossible Foods tries to replicate this by adding extra minerals and ingredients to make up for missed nutrients. Another concern of soy protein that it is a common allergen.

Image source: Ofer Kor / CC BY-SA

Beyond Meat Burger

Everyone has wondered what is inside the Beyond Burger? How can a burger look like a meat burger, but be made with a completely different substance? It contains ingredients such as potato starch, pea protein isolate and coconut oil. Beyond Meat uses pea protein instead of soy protein which is easier to digest. The downside to pea protein is that some people can experience gastrointestinal discomfort. It contains beet extract which gives it the red color that mimics blood when you bite into it.

Coconut Oil

A worry for some nutritionists is that they both contain coconut oil which has more saturated fat than butter or lard. Impossible Burger contains 40% of your daily recommended serving and Beyond Meat contains 30%. This should be alarming, but one should note that it’s not bad, but ok if you eat these burgers in moderation. It will not be wise to eat a burger daily.

Are They Truly Vegan?

One of the number one questions on everybody’s mind is if both Beyond and Impossible Burgers are vegan. Since, neither contains animal products, they are categorized as being vegan. However, in a statement which was made to CNET, Impossible Foods acknowledged that while its burger is vegan, it was used in animal testing trials to determine the safety of soy leghemoglobin. Impossible Burger is also categorized as being halal and kosher. On the other hand, Beyond Meat, made its position clear by getting their products certified by the Vegan Action Foundation.

Which One Is Healthier?

When you look at the core of what these companies are, you come to realize that both created a burger patty within a laboratory setting. Made from plants, these patties are designed to emulate the texture and taste of authentic beef which offers a wealth of benefits particularly to people who are on a meat restricted diet. A few things to consider when it comes to making your own decision about which one is healthier, include:

Beyond Burger contains man made ingredients, Impossible Burger consists of 100 percent, organic ingredients.
Impossible Foods received backlash surrounding their inclusion of genetically-modified ingredients which contained the compound – pesticide glyphosate.
Beyond Burger is not made with GMO ingredients.
Impossible Burger has been fortified with significantly more minerals and nutrients than Beyond Burger.

Calorie Count

As far as nutrition per serving goes, each burger is similar with just under 300 calories, approximately 20 grams of protein and close to 400 milligrams of sodium. The one exception is that Impossible Burger has 14 grams of fat, while Beyond Meat has 20 grams of fat.

Which One Tastes Better?

Many people have raved about the fact that the Impossible Burger tastes exactly like real beef. Various food scientists have come to say that it can be used as an effective substitute for ground beef in various recipes.

On the other hand, Beyond Burger has gotten an abundance of reviews which specifically stated that it has a coconut-like taste. A majority of reviews from sites such as Amazon show that consumers are more than happy with its likeness to real beef.

Both burgers are described as resembling beef more so than any other veggie patty on the market. However, one should bear in mind that when it comes to dining out, no two Impossible or Beyond Burgers will taste the same, because restaurants will use patties from either company or mix both together.

Meal Delivery Service Kit

With the way things are going with the post office, the idea of ordering meat online is just out of the question. Luckily, the same cannot be said about plant-based options. Unlike meat patties which can go bad in an hour, plant-based alternatives take a much longer time to go bad. As such, many meal delivery service companies are selling plant-based recipes that include Beyond Meat and Impossible burger as a great replacement within their meals.

Impossible Burgers Locally

Impossible Foods has partnered up with various restaurants in large metro areas such as Los Angeles, New York City and San Francisco. To date, there are over 4000 restaurants which offer impossible burgers on their menus. Some of their well-known partners include:

Burger King
White Castle
Umami Burger
Qdoba
Little Caesars (Impossible Sausage)

Beyond Burgers Locally

While Impossible Burgers has been focused on providing its products to restaurants who then give it to the consumer, Beyond Burgers utilized a different approach which focuses on giving the consumer the chance to cook it themselves at home. Most grocery stores that offer Beyond Burgers will offer their line of products which include Italian sausage, meat crumbles and bratwurst sausage. Their partners are grocery stores and popular restaurants such as: