I Cooked Beyond Beef and Impossible Burger Side by Side. Here’s What Happened.

As of September 20, both Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat have plant-based ground beef available in select grocery stores across the country!

While I have eaten both the Impossible Burger and the Beyond Burger many times at restaurants, I couldn’t wait to cook them at home side by side. Luckily, my local Gelson’s Market was one of the first grocery stores to start selling ground Impossible Burger!

The Packaging

The first difference I noticed was the price: Beyond Beef costs four dollars more than Impossible Burger but has four more ounces of vegan beef. The second difference was the color. While both products looked like conventional beef, Impossible Burger appeared more “bloody,” with red juice pooling in the plastic. It was eerie but also very cool, because I knew the “blood” didn’t come from an animal!

The Cooking

A little back story: I never get creeped out by “realistic” plant-based meat. As long as I know it didn’t come from an animal, I’m good to go. But both of these plant-based ground meats gave me goosebumps! They just felt, looked, and acted so much like animal meat as I formed them into burger patties. While the Beyond Beef was certainly disconcerting, the “blood” of the Impossible Burger running down my hand made me a bit squeamish.

I popped the two burger patties onto my electric George Foreman grill and watched them cook, that old-school barbecue meat smell filling the air. The bottom of the Beyond Beef patty quickly turned a nice dark brown, while the Impossible Burger browned on the bottom as the sides faded to a gray color. That burger really cooks just like beef made from cows. It’s wild.

When the two burgers were ready—cooking time for both was about the same—I flipped and topped them with Field Roast’s Chao Cheese slices (my personal favorite vegan cheese). When they were finished cooking, I put them on buns loaded with Vegenaise, mustard, ketchup, lettuce, and tomatoes. 

The Eating

I cut the two burgers in half so my husband and I could try both. Now, the moment of truth!

We started with the Beyond Burger because we were more familiar with it, and dang, that burger was good. It was juicy, flavorful, and meaty, with a unique taste that is hard to describe. I could probably eat this burger every day and be very, very happy.

Next, we tried the Impossible Burger. One of the craziest things about this burger is its texture: It just looks like meat. It is also delicious, savory and chewy, and just an overall satisfying burger.

The Verdict

While my husband and I agreed that both burgers were very tasty and that picking a  favorite was nearly impossible, the “realistic” look and taste of the Impossible Burger won over my husband. But I slightly preferred the Beyond Burger. While it doesn’t exactly replicate conventional beef, its distinctive flavor is just so good that I find myself craving it. 

Which plant-based burger is your favorite? Let us know by tweeting at us or commenting on our Facebook and Instagram pages!

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