Beyond Meat Burger takes over the Meat Case
Beyond Meat Burger has just arrived on the East Coast and is prepared to shake up the meat counter. During our visit to the new Whole Foods in Pentagon City this week, we learned about this top secret product. Something fresh and exciting has come to Virginia, just in time for barbecues and grilling season. They are trying to win over all the meat lovers with this patty that is quite similar in color and style to a ground beef burger. These patties will be sold IN the meat case at Whole Foods (only in Pentagon city for now, they were first sold in Colorado to sell out crowds).
August 20 ,2106 UPDATE: Starting today these burgers are being sold at:
Pentagon City, Virginia Whole Foods
Rockville, Maryland Whole Foods
Boulder, Colorado Whole Foods (Superior, Baseline, and Alpine and Pearl St)
Denver, Colorado Whole Foods (Belmar, Capitol Hill, Tamarac, Colfax and Washington Park)
Fort Collins, Colorado Whole Foods
Cottonwood Heights, Utah Whole Foods
Trolley Square, Utah Whole Foods
May 2019 Update:
Beyond Meat burgers are available all over the world! It is amazing how quickly these burgers have gained ground.
I wonder if a carnivore, standing at the meat case choosing a ground beef, might stop for a second and say, hmmmmm, maybe I will pick up that more expensive vegan patty instead. I am not quite sure how many sales will be converted at the meat case, but I do think these patties will still be quite popular, especially since they are very hard to find. Vegans and vegetarians might be longing for a nice juicy burger, especially during this time of outdoor grilling and family BBQ time. July 4th weekend was the perfect time to debut a new plant based option! If you are a visual person, you can watch our Youtube video and see exactly what these patties look like!
This plant based patty is taking a very interesting approach. With more people in the US worrying about their health and considering breaking away from meat and animal products, they have decided that this product should be right in the meat case, side by side with the fresh ground beef. What a crazy idea! I give Whole Foods props for trying something like this in their newest store. Do I think it is worth a try? Heck yeah! I have not eaten any meat in many many years, but I am also not looking for my burgers in the meat case either, if you know what I mean.
So let’s look closely at this package. It is a bit pricey, you will get two 1/4 lb each burgers for $5.99 plus tax. This is a lot more expensive than the meat that Whole Foods sells. As a Mom with allergies the back of the package is even more important than the front. So, what is this patty made out of? Here are the first 10 ingredients in order:
- pea protein isolate
- expeller pressed canola oil
- refined coconut oil
- water
- yeast extract
- maltodextrin
- natural flavors
- gum arabic
- sunflower oil
- salt
These ingredients do not scream burger to me, but when you put them all together they really do combine to make a burger-ish looking patty. If you watch our video above, you can see how the patty sizzles and oozes like a real beef patty does. But looking at the top 10 ingredients I can see why. There are 3 types of oil in it! No wonder it is juicy and sizzling in the hot pan.
So how does it taste and what is our verdict? The burger patty was easy to cook (heat the pan and cook for 3 minutes per side). When you finish cooking/grilling and then dressing it, you will have a really delicious burger to eat at your next BBQ. But, based on the ingredients and nutrition, this should really only be a once in a while kind of treat. At almost 300 calories and 22 grams of fat you need to watch how many you are eating. Also of note, there are only 6 gm of carbs, 450 mg of sodium and 20 grams of protein in one patty. We were really impressed with the consistency of the cooked patty and the taste was really good.
This burger will most definitely be a strong contender in the vegetarian/ vegan market. I wish there were a few more healthy ingredients at the top of the list, but heck, if I want a healthy burger I know how to make them myself. This burger might also be a great way to introduce a friend who is trying to avoid meat, to the world of vegan foods. Your friend might even be surprised at how delicious it is.
I was psyched to see this review. I’m a longtime vegetarian and have been seeing these all over the place on social media, but this is the first review I’ve come across. They’re not likely to come to Denmark anytime soon, vegetarian/vegan products are slowly becoming available, but I was very curious about them. The price seems a bit steep, I wish vegetarian/vegan products would come down in price to be more in line with traditional products. It’s the same in Denmark, I think more people would be open to the idea if it didn’t break the bank.
Thanks for satisfying my curiosity 🙂
You are so right! It seems unfair to have to pay so much more for a vegetarian or vegan option! Denmark will hopefully get some of these new products soon too.
I grew up eating Morning Star. These sound really good! Are they really expensive?
These burgers are MUCH better than Morningstar. They are a bit more expensive too. This particular package was two 1/4 lb patties for $5.99 If you went out to eat a burger it would be much more expensive than that though!
I want to try this! I currently only eat black bean burgers when I have a burger. I like that these have a lot of protein!
Yes! These burgers have 20 grams of protein in a fairly small patty. I also love black bean burgers, they are on my list to make this weekend.
Very interesting…we have been trying to go more plant based for a little while now. It is harder in the summer for sure, with all the grilling! We have a few Whole Foods, so I think I will check these out!
Plant based eating is definitely the healthier way to go. But when the grilled food smells so good sometimes it is hard to stay strong.
I need to get my hands on these!! Even though I don’t eat meat, I can’t believe how much these look like real burgers!! Do they sell these in Canada because I haven’t seen them anywhere!?
Right now you can only buy these burgers in Colordao and Virginia, they will be expanding by the end of the year across the US
My daughter is a vegetarian who is often eyeing our meaty meals and missing tastes of certain dishes. I’m familiar with Beyond meat products as she already loves the ground beef alternative. I’ll definitely be checking these out for our BBQ days for her!!
This burger would be perfect for her, I really think that she is the target audience! Having a burger that looks, feels and tastes like real meat will appeal to a certain group and I think you have identified it! By the end of the year these burgers will be found all over the US, I am sure.
In your video, the music intro is super loud but the vocals are quiet.
Thanks for letting me know. I will tell my video editor to try and fix that.
we have been vegetarians for years now.we are perfectly happy with the “burgers” that are currently available to us.Blood,i don’t care what its made of is something we gave up eating at that time.i am actually dry heaving at the mere thought of even seeing it in my kitchen ever again.i equate blood to suffering,and animals .i was the biggest burger lover you ever met before we made the conscience decision to live vegetarian.for 40 something yrs. the only red meat i ever ate was burgers.it only took 1 poster,that i saw ,which at the time i was horrified by,but now extremely grateful for.it made all my burger eating,and loving come to a screetching halt!it said and i quote “each burger you eat starts out as an animal begging for its life…..” so no i am horrified at the blood concept.nothing i put in my mouth will ever have a soul ,smile,heartbeat, or mind again.in my opinion only,this has gone too far…sorry!
I really agree with you Monica! I also do not want to eat bloody food. It disgusts me completely. But, I do see how this product will appeal to a certain group of people. And when we cooked our burger there was no blood or red liquid coming out of it, it just sizzled oil. Thanks for visiting and sharing your opinion. I feel the same way.
I’ve heard great things about Beyond Meat. I am working on a lifestyle change including reducing my meat intake so this is perfect for me to try. I’ll check my local stores to see if they carry it and make burgers over the weekend as my first try.
Congrats Kita on your healthy changes! I really think that if you find the right meat substitutes you really will not miss meat anymore. I hope you have success on your journey to healthy eating!
I’ve had the “beef” and “chicken” alternatives from Beyond Meat. They are absolutely delicious. I would definitely try these burgers. I’ve cut my meat consumption drastically so this is perfect.
Yes, these are made by the same company that already has a lot of successful meatless alternatives on the market. I am sure you would love these too!
This looks like a great meat alternative. We are always looking for more ways to be healthy around here. I can think of about a hundred ways to use these “meat” patties. My kids will be requesting sliders aplenty.
I am so glad these burgers are inspiring you to feed your family healthier foods! That is awesome. Happy 4th of july and thanks for visiting.
These look awesome! I recently stopped eating beef and pork and I feel so left out a BBQ time! These are going on my shopping list for sure!
I think you are awesome for making the healthy changes in your food intake. Having a meatless option that you can grill will hopefully help more people eat less meat and be healthier. Thanks for stopping by!
I could enjoy these I think. I worked in a burger place when I was a teen and I grew to hate traditional burgers but would like to try these. They sound healthier without the meat.
I bet you became quite sick of burgers after working with them. That is not surprising at all. These might be a good option for you, no meat at all, all plant based ingredients.
Will have to try! Thanks!
I hope you will try one! Thanks for visiting.
Wow, the Beyond Burger is interesting, for sure. Such a great option for vegan and vegetarians to still be able to enjoy a nice burger. I have to say, as a meat-eater — I might just try one of these. They look delicious!
This is exactly what the Beyond Meat company wants to happen, they want meat eaters to try one of these and possibly switch some meat to more plant based options. I hope you will be able to give it a try!