I tried a plant based "ground beef" because I'm easily influenced when it comes to food. Once a waiter said to me, Go ahead, try the barnacles and I said Yes. That's how easily influenced I am when it comes to food suggestions.
The brand of fake meat I bought was Beyond Beef. It's a plant based product for vegetarians and vegans to make burgers, chili or anything else that calls for ground beef.
For carnivores it's a way to feel like you're doing something good for the planet once you've washed your Ziploc baggies out for the 3rd time and can't think of anything else to do.
For this I was excited, because even though I don't eat meat every day, I do like to eat it a few times a week.
I, like a lot of you, love hamburgers. I, like a lot of you, have been told multiple times over the years that cattle are bad for the planet because of their sky poisoning burps.
There's more to it than that I think, but this isn't a post debating the effects of cows on environment.
This is a post debating the effects of imitation beef on your appetite.
Table of Contents
The Test
O.K. I will set the scene for you.
I sought out and bought Beyond Beef after watching a documentary on Netflix that was supposed to be about the eating habits of identical twins but ended up turning into a vegan slasher film.
They wanted me to slash buying beef.
I was perturbed for feeling like I was duped, but duped I was, so off to the grocery store for fake meat I went.
It's sold in the freezer section of the grocery store, so that's where I stored it as soon as I got it home. When I decided to make burgers a few days later I forgot to take it out of the freezer in time and ended up trying to defrost it a bit in the microwave.
The result was meat that started to melt into a revolting silly putty coloured plate of goo.
DO NOT TRY TO DEFROST BEYOND BEEF WITH A MICROWAVE.
I cannot advise you to do that. Don't.
The product was pretty soft after my microwaving mistake and to make the burgers hold I felt like bread crumbs were definitely necessary.
It shaped into a hamburger patty perfectly and easily.
I cooked the burger in a cast iron pan.
Cooking it
The really wonderful thing is the size you make your burger is the size it will be when you're done cooking it. No more having to cut your hamburger buns down to size to fit your shrunken beef burger.
It browns really well but faster than regular ground beef so lower your temps a bit and keep an eye on it.
I managed to eat half of my delicious looking hamburger before I had to stop because I just couldn't get the smell out of my head or nose.
The SCENT from the raw "meat" stayed on my hands after multiple washings and even using hand sanitizer. That smell just ran up into my nose and held on for dear life. You will find out exactly what that scent was soon.
I don't know if this is a well known thing, or if anyone else has experienced the smell issue but it really was unpleasant for me.
What's It Made Of?
Water, peas and a fair amount of hydrogenated oil.
Beyond Beef isn't a healthier choice than beef, it's just another choice. For a healthier choice, bean burgers would be your option.
Full Ingredient list
Water, pea protein, expeller-pressed canola oil, refined coconut oil, rice protein, natural flavors, dried yeast, cocoa butter, methylcellulose, contains 1% or less: potato starch, salt, potassium chloride, beet powder color, apple extract, pomegranate concentrate, sunflower lecithin, vinegar, lemon juice concentrate, vitamins and minerals (zinc sulfate, niacinamide [vitamin B3], pyridoxine hydrochloride [vitamin B6], cyanocobalamin [vitamin B12], calcium pantothenate).
Beyond Beef
- Contains more grams of fat than lean ground beef.
- Contains sightly less saturated fat than ground beef.
- Has a lot more sodium than ground beef.
- Has about the same amount of protein.
- Has about the same amount of calories.
Calories | Fat (g) | Sat fat (g) | Chol (mg) | Sodium (mg) | Carb (g) | Fiber (g) | Protein (g) | |
Impossible Burger (4 oz) | 240 | 14 | 8 | 370 | 9 | 3 | 19 | |
Beyond Burger (4 oz) | 230 | 18 | 5 | 390 | 7 | 2 | 20 | |
85% lean ground beef (4 oz) | 240 | 17 | 6 | 80 | 80 | 21 | ||
Ground turkey (4 oz) | 170 | 9 | 2 | 80 | 70 | 22 | ||
Black bean burger (Sunshine Non-GMO Original brand) (2.5 oz) | 230 | 13 | 1 | 300 | 20 | 3 | 10 |
So don't pick it for your health because there doesn't seem to be an advantage.
Taste, Smell & Texture
RAW
Taste I couldn't bring myself to taste it raw. Mainly because of ...
Smell Beyond Beef smelled like a toasted bagel dipped in Jello to me. Yet it looked like meat. It was disturbing.
Texture In it's raw form Beyond Beef looked quite similar to a very uniformly produced ground beef. There were white bits of solid fats throughout giving it the look of beef.
COOKED
Taste It doesn't taste like beef. I hoped covering the burger in all the condiments available would distract from this fact. It really didn't.
Smell The Jello bagel smell was less pronounced but it was still there on my face.
Texture The texture was excellent. They've done a really good job of simulating ground beef in that department. It fries in a pan very similar to ground beef with browning and caramelization happening more quickly.
Cost
Beyond Beef costs $2.94 per 100 grams with a 340 gram package selling for $9.99. (as of March 2024)
Lean Ground Beef costs $1.65 per 100 grams
340 grams of Beyond Beef = $9.99
340 grams of lean ground beef = $5.61
If I liked it, I was willing to pay nearly twice the price for Beyond Beef because I'm single, I have no kids and own all the designer bags I need (1, it's a large leather Prada). I can afford to be a Beyond Beefer.
Pros and Cons
- More environmentally friendly than beef.
- Once it's covered in pickles, mustard, ketchup and onions you can hardly taste it.
- If you don't get turned off by the smell you'll likely think it tastes just fine.
- Anyone I know who has had a Beyond Beef burger at a restaurant or burger chain says they're noticeably not beef, but taste good.
- Harder to find in a grocery store and more expensive.
- Highly processed.
- Looks like melted Silly Putty when it gets warm in the microwave.
- No real health benefits.
In Summary
For me, the homemade Beyond Beef burger was a fail. The only other time I've only eaten half a hamburger was when it was my second hamburger of the night.
I wanted so very badly to like it. I didn't have to love fake meat, I just needed to not to have to wash my hands 97 times after touching it. It only needed to be 'fine'. A very slightly obstructed view at a concert fine. Tap water fine. Local news anchor fine.
I'm not giving up on my quest to find a decent ground beef alternative so I hope the food magicians and scientists aren't either.
I'm going to try this again (because I optimistically bought 2 packages of it) but I'll either make chili or meatloaf the next time.
I will not add in any barnacles.
Tawny Lynn Stoddard
while Im not a vegetarian by any means, I have made the black bean burgers and they were fairly decent. I definitly was not expecting them to be the same as a beef burger. But with all the added ingredients to make fake beef veg products, I think I would just rather have a meatless meal a skip weird things!
JLou
Guess how many ingredients are in meat? One. Meat. Fake meat is disgusting. Almost as disgusting as crickets. Give me cow any day.
Librarian Nancy
I’m really sensitive to smells, so I don’t think I’ll be trying this. I have tried black bean and veggie burgers but find them too salty. I use ground turkey for chili, nachos, sloppy joes, etc., and it works great for anything that has more seasoning/spices. Thanks for trying stuff for us and sharing the results!
Jody
Way to sell it! Actually I' m quite pleased someone-you-tried this product out and gave an honest opinion. I don't think I could get past bagel jello smell. I'm shuddering just thinking of it.
Stacey
A waiter at a resort I was staying at recently encountered me to order cricket guacamole. I wasn't a big fan.
Karen
I applaud your adventurous spirit! And excellent palate. ~ karen!
Amber
Haven’t tried the impossible burgers, since I can get excellent meat from the local farms. But mum and I made tacos with grocery brand ground turkey cooked slow and the regular trimmings and they were amazing! Taco seasoning goes so well on turkey! Especially if you find Tajin classic with lime. That stuff makes my world go round.
Natasha Loeblich
As a long time vegetarian who has tried MANY fake meat products, I will add my two cents. I think the main issue was that you were trying to make a patty with the ground "meat". I find that their ground meat only works when sautéed first and added to chili, etc. Before you give up on Beyond, I highly suggest trying their pre-shaped patties which are meant to be a burger. I agree the raw smell is really off-putting, but I think that totally goes away when its cooked on the grill. I do also like Impossible Burger patties so if you can find those you might give those a try. For a ground round type meat, I think Gardein crumbles are the best. I can't remember if you have done a post about this but there are some great recipes for making your own bean based patties that are really good and much less processed if you want to eat less meat. They are just pretty different from true beef but still satisfying. I recommend that for meat eaters they view the vegetarian options as something new to try not as a meat substitute since they haven't really made any that are perfect in that sense.
Karen
Thanks Natasha! I'm actually not a huge bean burger fan. I'd rather make them into refried beans and eat them all. I haven't tried the crumbles, but a few people. have recommended it so I'll look into those. They do seem like an ideal nacho option. :) ~ karen!
Cathi Kmieciak Carpenter
Thank you for this blog post! My husband and I tried the same product one day walking through Sam’s Club. Though it didn’t taste bad both of us later said it had a weird aftertaste, but after reading your blog post, it wasn’t aftertaste at all. It was the smell that lingered in my mouth. I don’t know if I’d say a Jell-O Bagel… But it sure was odd. But I don’t see is that by being environmentally friendly it’s a fail on all the other things… Calories, sodium, fat… Sure I want to save the environment, but I’d also like to prolong my own life too. Again, thanks for your post love reading you.
Karen
Thanks Cathi! Glad you liked it. ~ karen!
Sharon
Hi Karen, I buy a frozen ground mixture made by Gardein, although it's crumbly when frozen so we use it for nachos, etc. You wouldn't be able to use it for burgers. I don't find it tastes much like beef, but the texture is good and we like the taste. We used the Beyond Beef ground mix last night for nachos for the first time and it was...squishy.
Karen
Did you notice any smell, lol? I can't wait to thaw the other package to see if it smells the same or if I was just having a nose stroke. ~ karen!
Sharon
I bought ours fresh not frozen and there was no smell. Probably a good thing you only ate half the burger! 😂
Linda in Illinois
I agree with you on the smell. Not a fan. I’ve tried it and saw no benefit to trying it again.
Jan in Waterdown
According to their website, Impossible burger is available at your Food Basics and Costco in Ancaster. I bow to your bravery in trying it. Just seeing the raw stuff up close is a big “Nope!” from me 😝
Karen
Crud. I was just at Costco. I'll look next time but I only go about 3 times a year, lol. ~ karen!
M Birds
Thanks for the funny, informative post. “It only needed to be 'fine'. A very slightly obstructed view at a concert fine. Tap water fine. Local news anchor fine.” Lol. I’ve little interest in eating this stuff but may have considered buying it if I was having some vegan guests over. But nope, I don’t think I would feel good about feeding this to others, when you consider the ingredients. I’m skeptical that is better for the environment in the long run. If this product was being consumed at the same rate that beef is, I would think there’d be a negative environmental impact. It contains coconut oil which needs to be chemically refined and shipped long distances.
Linnea
Heya! Popped in to mention -- there are absoLUTEly health differences between Beyond Beef and cow beef! The cholesterol difference alone is a very real benefit to skipping the animal meat. That being said, you're spot on that it's very much not designed to be a *healthy* option - after all, it's designed to mimic ground beef, and for burgers, I way, WAY prefer your classic veggie burger: something made with legumes, nuts, and, er, veggies. The fake stuff like Beyond and Impossible beef is definitely at its best used in stuff like chili, in my opinion, rather than a burger or meatball situation.
Bea
One of my sons is vegan, so I've used Beyond Beef a few times, and totally agree about the off putting smell. To me it's kind of chemically and not at all inviting, and really puts me off the whole idea. My son likes it enough to have requested repeats, mostly of a vegan Beyond Beef Wellington, which he has for Christmas dinner. I don't eat beef myself, and am just as happy with beans or the occasional turkey burger.
Jane
We tried the plant-based burgers from one of the fast food places, don't know what brand they use. Hubby is a super-taster and he said that the texture was closed enough, but after the first couple bites, the taste was definitely not meat. We also tried the Impossible chicken nuggets, same comment. From what I understand, some brands of plant-based meat are better than others, in terms of taste and texture. I personally like the Impossible nuggets, and I'd eat them if I can get them on sale. But then, I like soy products and seitan just as much as I like meat, as long as they are made tasty enough.
tuffy
Good try Karen!!!
Love your report on this!
I’ve personally not found a good meat sub, no matter the animal species it imitates. They taste like crap.
And the hit to my health via processed vegetable protein and the super high levels of hydrogenated fats and resulting chemicals when heated to just under char, are something to avoid in my opinion.
No, I’ve committed to real food in either direction: whether meat or plants. Real beef stew/real fried chicken, or real veggie stir fry or meatless lasagna using real veggies.
No fake crap anymore.
And Yes, absolutely: it’s a different issue, but the question of health for the planet via nixing cows and subbing fake meat burgers is WAY WAY more complex than vegan propaganda and fake meat proponents would have us think.
Let’s consider one fact alone:
Approximately the same numbers of *wild* ruminant grazing/browsing herbivores existed before us human invaders came along, that exist today in domestic and wild animals combined! (~80% are domestic now). And no ill effects existed on the planet back then, which was at peak health.
The problem is, again, the way we humans do things/keep animals that is the issue, not the animals themselves!!
Animals have evolved *with* grasslands, forests and plants over millions of years, mutually beneficially and successfully, before we humans ever came along…
Yeah, I think human negative activities are the actual issue — more than any animal or plant on the planet combined.
Healthy Beef Burgers and Healthy Broccoli forever, baby!!💪❤️
Marie R
I hope this inspires you to find/create the perfect bean burger recipe to share with us. I’m on a low sodium diet and make everything (without salt) but can’t find a good vegan burger.
Mindy
My friend has switched to bison for all her ground beef needs and swears by it. I've never had it. And yes, I'm aware bison isn't a plant. 🤪
tuffy
Bison rocks 👌
Karen
I've had bison burgers! And I've cooked with ground bison, it really isn't much different than beef. ~ karen!
Deborah Roney
I wonder if you have a special sense of smell, the Beyond Burgers tasted pretty much like Beef to me, but I'm concerned about how processed it is and don't eat much meat anyway, so not a biggie for me.
But I wanted to tell you I tried your latest mayonnaise recipe and method and OMG it works! Perfectly! It's so quick.....when my husband said, oh are we out of mayonaise? I whipped up a cup in 2 minutes! Easy peasy!
I love it because I don't want to buy in plastic and all the glass mayo is so expensive. This is cheap, quick, easy and no preservatives! Perfect!
Thank you so much! You're a genius!
BTW I also made your battery recharger gizmo and brought two rechargeable weed whacker batteries back to life! What can't you do?!
Karen
Good for you! I'm glad you did both! The mayo recipe is really good isn't it?! That feeling of WOW, it worked! is exactly what I wanted from Beyond Beef, lol. ~ karen!
Sandra Blackwell
I get frozen Impossible Burgers. No thawing and shaping, just put some worshstirshirshire sause and seasoning salt on and fry or grill. I want to make sure it is browns through, or the mouth texture is a bit weird, but they taste pretty good.
Jan in Waterdown
“ worshstirshirshire”?? Hah! That cracks me up! You did a pretty good job of phonetic spelling there. Next time make it easy and just use Wooster and you’ll nail it 😁!
Bet
I wish there were more critical thinkers. Beyond beef is not at all more environmentally friendly than beef raised conscientiously. If we got rid of concentrated animal feeding operations where they grow the masses of beef that are damaging to the environment, cows are actually better for the environment than fields of cultivated vegetables. Cows raised naturally live in a field with small animals, many different types of plants, and they fertilize the soil with their waste. To cultivate vegetables they kill all the competing plants, bugs, small animals, and spray it with pesticides while growing and glyphosate to harvest. So saying a plant is better for our world than an animal is a falsehood. Then you have the factory processing which uses chemicals and pollutes . I wish people would actually do some critical thinking about the things that are presented to them as facts. Oh and by the way, methylcellulose is sawdust! Beef is also much more nutritious.
Karen
Keeping in mind that that isn't how all vegetables are grown. But yes, it's the commercially available beef that's the problem. ~ karen!
Hollis
In complete agreement with you!
gretchen
Ah? Not sure where you ever got the idea that raising cattle just to be slaughtered is healthier than raising vegetables and grains. You do realize that the cows need food and that food is raised in fields that could be used to raise food for PEOPLE?
Sandra Blackwell
I thought about getting the bottle or using spell check. But this was funnier.
Rick Thompson
LOL !!!!!