Taste Test: The Plant-Based Meat Products You Need to Try
Our testers called in loads of different plant-based meat products and cooked their way through all of them. Read on for our favorites.
By
Marianne Williams ,
Melissa Gray and
Bridget Hallinan February 16, 2021
With each passing year, the plant-based "meat" market continues to explode, offering consumers more options for not only meatless burgers, but "chicken" nuggets, sausage, and even bacon. You can find the products at restaurants across the country—chains like Umami Burger, Pizza Hut, and Dunkin' have them on their menus. And plant-based meat is stocked at plenty of stores, too. Trader Joe's carries its own plant-based burgers, while Swedish-style "plant balls" (aka plant-based meatballs) are on offer at Ikea, ready for you to try in your own kitchen.
Since there are so many choices out there for home cooks, we were curious to see which plant-based meats—whether patties, crumbles or nuggets—would yield the most satisfying results. So our testers got to work, calling in tons of different products to cook (and eat) their way through them all. Each product was evaluated based on its taste, texture, smell, appearance, and even the sound it made (both while cooking and as it was eaten). In the end, after going through our notes and crunching the numbers, there were several products we'd happily cook with again and again. Read on for some of our favorites, organized by category.
Ground and Crumbles
The first thing that comes to mind when you think of plant-based meat might (understandably) be burgers. After all, brands like Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat have their patties at restaurants all over the country. But don't sleep on meatless crumbles and ground meat—the former can be used in recipes like tacos and meaty pasta sauces, while the ground options are ideal for forming into burgers, meatballs, and more. In our test, we found a spot-on substitute for pork chorizo and meatless meatballs we liked so much, we'd buy them over the regular kind. Below, we've rounded up a few of our top performers in the category.
Ready for Breakfast: Before the Butcher Uncut Breakfast Ground
With a slightly sweet flavor, just a touch of mild heat, and a coarse grind, this breakfast crumble seamlessly stands in for your favorite breakfast sausage. It browns beautifully in the pan, making it look and taste like premium ground sausage. "The flavor and texture are incredible… I truly believe if this is the future of plant-based protein, I'm totally in!" wrote one tester.
Burgers and Patties
The burgers and patties category for our test was pretty broad, including products that were meant to mimic beef hamburgers, breaded chicken patties, turkey patties, and chicken burgers, too. Before the Butcher earned high marks for its Uncut Plant-Based Savory Chicken Burger, Uncut Classic Plant-Based Burger, and Mainstream Plant-Based Patties; we also loved Impossible's burger and MorningStar Farms' Incogmeato patties. As for breaded patties? Try Quorn's.
Poultry and Breaded Patties
Test Kitchen Favorite for Poultry Patties: Before the Butcher Uncut Plant-Based Savory Chicken Burger
With a crispy golden crust and a tender juicy interior, this faux-chicken burger tastes like the real deal. One tester said, "if you put any other chicken patty next to this, I don't think you'd be able to tell which was the real and which was the plant-based." Standout traits of this sandwich-ready patty: A slight spice that set it apart from its blander competitors, and a rich, savory aroma that earned it a perfect score in our taste test on all metrics.
Perfect for: Chicken "Parm" and salads.
Burgers
Test Kitchen Favorite for Burgers: Before the Butcher Style Uncut Plant-Based Burger
The Before the Butcher burger sears nicely into a rich brown, and is well-seasoned—our tester remarked that it reminded her of a burger seasoned with Worcestershire sauce. The crunch of the crust that chars and browns beautifully like a beef patty gives way to a tender, juicy burger that stays pink from beet extract to give it the appearance of a medium-rare beef burger.
Perfect for: Classic burgers.
If You're Craving Meatloaf: Before the Butcher Mainstream Plant-Based Patties
With a strong tomato flavor, plenty of "beefy" umami, and a bit of a chew to the grind, these patties would be perfect for a meatloaf sandwich. After a sizzle on the stove, layer them up with plenty of ketchup, crispy butter lettuce, a slather of vegan mayo, and maybe a handful of onions or pickles on your favorite sandwich bread. A slice or two of Chao cheese wouldn't be out of place, either.
Perfect for: Meatloaf sandwiches.
By Marianne Williams , Melissa Gray and Bridget Hallinan