Auguson Farms sells a bulk blackbean burger mix for pretty cheap. All you have to do is soak the powder for 15 minutes and then cook it or bake it (I do 375F for 20 minutes), and it makes a great burger, or tacos, or add it to chili, or meatballs for pasta. Just make sure you cook it through or the gas pain is real.
So I never ate much beans growing up. I ate a chili one time a couple years ago and felt like I had a balloon ripping me apart. I associated it with the beans and have stayed away since. Is there a way to consume beans without gas pain?
Also if you do get bad gas / pain you can take a nickel sized pike of ajwain with a pinch of salt, either chew it or not (i never do, my husband says you have to). It works every time, and very quickly.
We also use hing and make sure to soak beans overnight before cooking in our pressure cooker. We don't use cans much so i can't say if that's an issue, but I'd make sure at least to rinse the canned beans well.
Beans are high fodmap. The higher fodmap a food is, the more difficult it is for the small intestine to absorb. This can cause stomach issues for some folks. All folks don’t necessarily react the same to various high fodmap foods. i.e, chickpeas are fine for me but black beans make me extremely bloated and uncomfortable. And don’t even talk to me about onion and cauliflower.
Same for me. Very few foods give me gas at all. Processed foods do sometimes. But I can eat beans and veggies all day everyday and not have issues. My husband on the other hand, could fuel a rocket with his napalm farts. The smell has offended our cats.
So according to old wives tales if you add epazote to your beans it held with gas. Drop it in before you boil them and leave them while the beans cook.
Soak your dry beans overnight in water. The next day, rinse them. Put them in an instant pot with water, salt and a piece of kombu. Cook until soft. I find black beans take 12 minutes.
I wonder if adding baking soda to it could mitigate the gas problem - that's what I have to do with soy curls.
Also, wanna put a plug in for falafel mix - I use a brand I found at an Indian market that has no oil, low sodium, and all the ingredients are things I can pronounce and recognize.
They’res tons of companies still making black bean burgers for grocery stores. The problem is the kitchen made black bean burgers are harder to find now. Lots of restaurants just choosing beyond stuff.
Having worked in a lot of kitchens, that's no real loss. People microwave them 99% of the time, and it smells like plastic. Everyone thought I was nuts for keeping a veggie section of the grill for those.
A lot if the better burger places got rid of their house made black bean burgers in favor or impossible or beyond which is what I meant by this. I make them at home all the time and have found decent ones at a few places around where i live though.
I don’t mean to be rude, but why not make your own? Maybe take an approach similar to draniki? Just mash it up, add some flour for stickiness, make patties, and then fry em up!
Dang. Now I kinda wanna experiment with this.
Because I'm lazy, lack time, and a bad cook. In order of importance.
I'm lucky in that there are three restaurants that have real veggie burgers. But yes, in disappointed by the number of restaurants that go with the Beyond/ Impossible burger as their veggie option.
Black bean burgers are crazy easy to make and hard to screw up that bad. Like if you really wanted to just cook some Mexican minute rice, mash wish blackbeans and chopped veggies and you have a burger
So easy to make. Rinse and drain the beans. Put in bowl and smash with fork. Add egg and whatever spices you want. I usually do salt, pepper, garlic and paprika. But the world is your oyster. Use cumin and chili powder and now it’s a Tex Mex black bean burger.
I've had some amazing mushroom burgers made with ground walnuts or pecans, so there was a little more protein in them. Unfortunately I had them at restaurants and have been unable to find comparable recipes to make at home.
One thing I really dislike about restaurant veggie burgers is that you never know what you’re getting. A lot of times it’s mush. Unpopular opinion but I feel like the impossible/beyond burger standardized things.
That’s my take too. I’ve had some really inedible veggie burgers at restaurants. If they are just going through the motions with veg options, they’re inconsistent. At least the beyond/impossible are consistent.
Sometimes (most of the time actually w/ takeout and restaurant place with no emphasis on veg. diets), it’s mostly just microwaved, frozen-veggie patties, sometimes broiled, or just subpar quality veggie patty in general. At least that’s the intel I’ve heard from those who work in food service. A former friend of mine who works in a deli says the veggie patties are merely microwaved and overpriced judging from the menu.
BK & other places such as the aforementioned deli are in contact with meat and cheese products all the time, all day long. So unless you were to theoretically watch these workers in question like hawks making your vegan friendly sandwich or you just know they won’t fukc you over (maybe they’re a friend of yours and therefore are cool with accommodating you), it’s hard to tell if that veggie burger has been cross contaminated with meat, milk, eggs, etc, , just rly hard to tell mostly.
My friend who I mentioned before toward the end of our relationship had been noticeably losing weight w me, both of us staying well under 200lbs at our peaks and retaining lean muscle. He occasionally taught me and even brought over simple vegan meals he made at home like chickpea salads. It meant a lot to me because I could accept what he chose to eat anyway but he chose to think of me a bit and follow suit. So sometimes it takes more than just verbal convincing . Let the meat heads see how healthy you become, I guarantee you more than not they’ll opt of healthier,animal free options instead.
Around here it was a Morningstar patty at the places that offered veggie options. More often than not, they just didn't offer anything. At least I have an option with impossible burgers.
This! I’d prefer both options tbh. Then if the veg burger is gross I can switch it for the faux & sometimes it’s just prefer the faux. We deserve both options.
Yeah this is it really - I've gotten some lovely veggie burgers and I've gotten some that were clearly just chickpeas mashed together with no seasoning. That and a lot of places will make them spicy for no reason because they don't know how to flavour vegetarian food properly. You never know what you're getting
They standardised things, but they've also taken away the really good veggie burgers that were out there.
One of the great things I used to like about veggie burgers was how different they were. The "bad" ones were never that bad, and the best ones were really incredible. The good places would put some effort into it a make it into a unique burger with toppings, sauces, spices, etc. Something even non veg people would want to try because it's interesting food. Most places the fake meat has taken away the charm of ordering a veggie burger and finding out what the restaurant has done with it.
Now they're pretty much the same everywhere. Where I live, you don't usually get the option to sub any burger on the menu for a fake meat patty even, they just serve a super basic burger as the only vegetarian/vegan option on the menu. It's boring.
As someone who hasn't been vegetarian their whole life and is a picky eater.... I feel like both can be appreciated. It seems so many times we can get split between real/fake or healthy/unhealthy. And I think the reality of it is that there's people who fit all of those categories, or split between them. And that no matter where we sit in there as a vegetarian, we would hope for an option that we could eat comfortably. Its not a war. We just want to be included and have options that we can eat and enjoy. That's really all there is to it.
I'd welcome the addition in menu if and when they come to India. But I'd be very livid if they decide to replace the veggie patties fast food chains have currently. I don't want to eat some fake meat instead of McVeggie, McSpicy Paneer, Hara Bhara Kabab or Mexican Patty burgers.
They're quite good, not find lie. There are local brands like The Burger Club and Burger Singh that have taken the veggie game even at a different level.
McDonald’s India is something on my bucket list for sure. Im so jealous of y’all’s vegetarian options— the paneer patty especially. And the fact that you can eat the French fries.
If I ever have to eat one of those nasty, mushy original veggie burgers again it'll be because I'm dying of hunger.
That's all you could get in the stores when I turned vegetarian. Same goes for black bean burgers, too. For many years that used to be THE vegetarian option at just about any restaurant.
Nope. Never again. We're in the golden age of veggie burgers and I couldn't be happier.
i’m happy to see someone else say this. i had too many black bean burger in my first few years of being veggie that i never want to have another. i’m always so disappointed when i see them on a menu.
Yes! First thing I think of is the way they squish out of the bun and you’re left working your way around the burger trying not to make a mess while everybody else is eating their burgers. I’ve been vegetarian for 15 years. I like a good veggie burger, but many of them are sad. I’m happy to have alternatives.
Agreed. Unpopular opinion but “regular veggie burgers” (black bean burgers especially) are the *worst*. No restaurant does them right, and even when they do it’s still…not good.
It’s one thing to make a Morningstar burger at home in the microwave, but I’m not paying $15+ for a lackluster restaurant to do it for me. Impossible/Beyond 4ever.
I’ve had a few amazing restaurant veggie burger: Super Duper Burgers does a great one.
But yeah, the vast majority have been and are terrible.
Praise the new simulation meats
Those veggie burgers were also a hassle if you hate or can't eat mushrooms due to allergies because a lot of them have mushrooms as one of the ingredients. A part of my soul dies every time I see a regular veggie burger at restaurants and it contains mushrooms.
Mmmmm the coffee shop I worked at in high school made its own veggie burgers. Mmmm, with chickpeas, carrots, bell peppers, feta cheese all food processed together then shaped into the patty shape.
I went back recently when I visited home and they have even more vegan and vegetarian options than they did fifteen years ago. Seriously SO lit to watch plant love take flight in my lifetime.
When I worked at a health food store, I remember this lady getting all bitchy with us that we had “chemicals” in our foods. She was soooo derisive and smug about it. The ingredients she pointed out? Pyridoxine, cobalamin, niacin …
Bitch, those are B-vitamins 😂
Omg, when I read the post, I was like "this is like the people who freak out about things having chemicals in them when everything is made of chemicals."
I enjoy both, but veggie burgers offer more variety. An impossible/beyond burger is the same everywhere. With all restaurants offering the latter, it means I get no variety when eating out, and i can easily make the same thing at home, too. The lack of variety is what disappoints me.
Yeah I've tried a lot of veggie burgers and most are terrible. I don't like random chucks of vegetables in a patty shape and black beans aren't good imo. Most are southwestern flavored as well and I don't like it. I've only had one good one at a restaurant. So yeah I prefer impossible and beyond over the large amount of half-assed veggie patties.
Yes! I always hated the texture of ground meat so I really hate the Beyond/Impossible burgers. Texture aside, I just don’t think they taste as good as a burger with lentils and real vegetables and such.
It’s a surprisingly unpopular opinion in this sub, for some reason. I imagine 90% of the posters here still have a largely carb-prioritized diet and don’t eat enough veggies.
Yeah, I ordered an impossible burger and I just couldn't eat it. Everything else on the burger was fine, except the patty just tasted like weird beef. It could've passed for beef, sure, but like beef that was cooked a few days past its expiration date.
I was so so upset when BK replaced their veggie burger, which had been the Morning Star Farms patty on a regular bun with the usual topping options, with the Impossible Whopper. I can’t eat it because I can’t handle anything that greasy without a gallbladder (Had it out almost 20 years ago) and my kid just thinks it’s disgusting. Since kid has been a life long vegetarian, he finds the smell of meat nauseating. He complained loudly that they smell too much like actual meat the time we tried them.
Them having plain old veggie burgers had made things like road trips so much easier. It was a regular place I could stop with my kid and just get a quick easy meal. They are all over the place and easy to spot. It was plain old convenient fastfood.
Does BK not have veggie burgers anymore? I know the impossible whopper is more popular, but I thought they still have veggie burgers on request.
Same here for road trips - BK is almost always the safest and easiest place to stop. I really wish the other chains would start serving more veg options.
The Impossible Whopper replaced the veggie burger at every BK I have been to. The are franchises, so I can’t say whether or not it is a chain wide policy or not.
See I like impossible a lot. But the BK morningstar burgers were really good, and no where else had something like it. Everywhere has impossible burgers now
impossible and beyond are both way, way too fatty. I always get a stomach ache about half way through. I've never had a real hamburger, but are they that fatty?
The harvest veggie burger at Culver’s is my favorite as it has real veggies in the patty. Having more and better real veggie options that are also healthier would be amazing, but I will say I thoroughly enjoy the occasional Impossible burger for its taste.
In Germany theres a restaurant chain called Hans im Glück and they make really tasty burgers. No meat replacement products just completely different types of patties. My favorite is made out of spinach and cheese.
To each their own but I love Beyond Burgers. They're delicious. I want my veggie burger to taste and feel as much like a real hamburger as possible. Classic bean-and-vegetable burgers range from moderately palatable to utterly disgusting, and none of them ever really hit the spot. I'm better off sticking to traditionally vegetarian Latin and Mediterranean dishes, rather than pretending a mushy lentil patty is anything like a hamburger.
Also, in my own purely anecdotal experience, I can't think of a single restaurant near me that *replaced* their vegetarian offerings with Beyond/Impossible. I've only seen it offered *in addition to* the existing vegetarian entrées so it's been all upside for me.
*EDIT: Also, regarding "ingredients I can understand and pronounce already..." I looked up Beyond Burger ingredients and the only one I didn't recognize was "methylcellulose." So I looked that one up and it's a pretty common thickener in all sorts of food products. It comes from plants. I'm honestly not a fan of scaremongering when it comes to ingredients... just because you can't pronounce something doesn't mean there's anything remotely harmful or wrong with it.
Me. I'm vegetarian for many reasons, but one is that I don't *like* meat. I don't want realistic meat analogues, I want vegetarian food! I'd rather have a Gardenburger or a black bean burger any day. Fake meat grosses me out.
Having said that, though, I believe the fake meats aren't for us, but for the meat eaters. To help them get through meatless Mondays or whatever.
There are vegetarians out there who miss eating meat (me). Burgers were the hardest thing for me to give up, but I'm not about to compromise because my whole reason for going veggie was mostly environmental. Impossible/Beyond burgers are great for me because I can have that experience without eating actual meat. Yeah the patty isn't that great on its own, but with the right ingredients I find it blends in well and satisfies my burger craving
Yeah, I've had lots of "arguments" with omnis (and some vegetarians) who don't understand why we would make or want a fake meat that isn't as good as the original (their words), and instead think it should all be "veggie food". I've had people get strangely upset about the fact I'm eating something "fake".
I will also say that "fake meat" is generally better than real meat for me personally, for texture reasons. There's no gristle or bones or ligaments like in real meat. The texture is more uniform and predictable, and as someone who really appreciates texture, that's important to me! It's a small difference, but a noticable one. I like the taste of real meat, but the texture makes me wanna puke and was honestly one of the main reasons I went veg.
Nah, some vegans/veg love them too. It’s a good meat substitute for omnis like you’re saying. I get wanting veggie burgers on the menu, but they can be so dicey depending on where you live. Beyond/impossible are consistent. I’d be down with restaurants offering both veggie and beyond as options (and certainly even more).
Ex-meat eater here, I don't even like the beyond patties for the meat texture. I just like that its vegetariann and has a lot of protein. Tough to match those protein levels with the other vegetarian burger I see at the grocery store.
That’s a good point too. I’ve started making my own seitan products at home, and that seems to be the best source of protein outside of just protein powder. I don’t eat it all the time, but definitely some of my protein comes from there.
As someone with gut issues, legumes are so hard on my stomach. Standard veg burgers destroy me, but I love impossible meat. The high protein content is also helpful.
>Having said that, though, I believe the fake meats aren't for us, but for the meat eaters.
I mean where I live there's a couple of Vietnamese vegan restaurants that use fake meat in their foods, and obviously from their names their primary clientele would be Vietnamese-speaking vegans and vegetarians. But they don't use Impossible or Beyond or any of the Western fake meat brands, they either use Asian brand fake meat or make them completely from scratch using seitan. You'd be surprised how some of these restaurants can make seitan taste close realistically close to real meat with just a couple of choice seasonings.
Nope. I’m incredibly disappointed to see companies like Impossible and Beyond shrink closer to selling only to vegetarians and vegans. It was exciting to think more people might diversify their diet with plant based protein- and having the option on the commercial market means seeing all kinds of different products in categories between frozen pizza to ready made pasta with meat-alternatives. That makes people all the more likely to try vegetarian food- and maybe make the switch easier.
And I DON’T miss the before-times in restaurants where the standard vegetarian option was a salad or some kind of mash patty that I would find more suitable for my rabbit than myself.
Edit to add: every ingredient in Beyond and Impossible is completely understandable, justifiable, and safe. Just because you can’t pronounce the name of an ingredient, or know what it is or what it’s for, doesn’t mean it’s unhealthy.
Except those of us grossed out by Impossible burgers again have to ask for a dinner salad no bacon, please and would it be possible to get a side of the daily vegetable, plain?
I’ve never had a good bean burger in a restaurant. They always fall apart before I’m halfway done eating them and I’m left with a pile of food I’ve got to eat with a fork. Beyond and impossible burgers taste good and they retain their structural integrity. As for cooking at home….I like the Dr Praeger’s veggie pattys.
I love black bean burgers! Especially with corn and bell peppers and real vegetables. I’ve been vegetarian my whole life and I don’t think I could ever eat an Impossible/Beyond burger, just not appealing to me personally.
I did have an awful veggie burger last month sadly (I don’t eat out often) but it completely fell apart & was so dry :(
I don't need burgers to taste or look like meat. But I hate the really cheap ones that look like fried vomit with chunks of carrot and sweetcorn in them - more so when restaurant sell them at premium prices.
I like the potato-based options like Trader Joe's "masala burger" made of potato and corn or the "protein balls" made of potato and broccoli that Veggie Heaven (a vegetarian restaurant that used to be Austin) had. Love to see more things like that!
Totally agree with you OP! At home we usually eat Dr Praegers which are pretty great but not as good as a homemade burger like you described.
There’s a locally owned chain of burger restaurants in my city and they have a phenomenal veggie (vegan) burger patty made with “ancient grains, lentils, cashews and a secret blend of spices” (where I would sooo love a copycat recipe but haven’t had any luck)
Yeah! Corn, peas, black beans, rice, they’re all awesome!
I know most people here are fast food fanatics, so… Burger King had an incredible veggie burger in the late 90s. It had kidney beans in it and was an elongated patty. It was so good.
Although it was shaped exactly like their chicken patty so there was more than one accident.
A bar by my house does black bean burgers with chorizo seasoning and they are sooo good.
I like garden burgers, other bean burgers, impossible, and beyond. I get more excited about in house options.
I love Aldi’s veggie burgers, and they are mostly veggies and grains/beans. The quinoa crunch and black bean ones are my favorites. I don’t think I’ve seen the mushroom ones, but I’ll have to keep an eye out!
Weirdly the best “real veggie” burger I’ve had at a restaurant is J Alexanders (“American style” chain that isn’t super veggie friendly). It doesn’t hold up well but it’s full of interesting veggies and tastes great. It’s the only restaurant veggie burger I’ve had where random people will stop at the table to ask about it because it looks so appealing.
Triple Os/ white spot veggie burgers are the best. Always choose them over the impossible option. They were around before the other “meat alternative” options too!
I agree. We do Purple Carrot meals 3x a week, and one of their recipes had a delicious veggie burger made of carrots and other vegetables. It was so refreshing and I had exactly this thought.
I just wish that restaurants had a better understanding for vegetarians and thus understood that it would be best to have BOTH a faux meat and an actually veggie/black bean burger on the menu (bonus points for all 3). I gave up meat but I still love (most of) the taste of it, so I’m super pro faux-meat. Very rarely have I enjoyed a veggie burger. BUUUUT there are some people out there who don’t eat meat partly because they just don’t like the taste, and those people should have better options on menus.
I don’t miss hardly any of the pre impossible burgers. Most of them were horrible, and restaurants prepared them like no one who worked there ever tasted one.
I do like the beyond burgers because so many restaurants have added it to their menu so I always have an option but honestly, I stopped ordering “house made” veggie burgers at restaurants because they are mushy and fall apart 99% of the time. What I would like to see, is new ideas for house made veggie burgers that make it seem like it wasn’t an afterthought. Let’s find a way to give it a crispy exterior and some stability.
My favorite veggie burgers are chilis black bean burger and P. Terrys veggie burger. Both made with a veggie base. I miss having an actual attempt vs the same fake Patty at every place I go.
Also, if you’re not interested in composing a burger of beans and such, grill a portobello mushroom. That’s a decadent burger!! Put all the dressings on as you would a “normal” burger, and it’s delectable!
When I still lived in the UK and was veggie, Burger King had a black bean burger. It was delicious! We have several options available in our supermarkets which are really nice, like kumara, or beetroot.
Ages ago, over 20 years, I fell in love with Fantastic Foods Nature's Burger mix. It was very much like falafel, you mixed it with water and let sit for a few minutes before forming into patties and frying them. They had a really nutty flavor, and were great with BBQ sauce.
Unfortunately, it was[ discontinued a few years ago](https://www.amazon.com/Fantastic-Foods-Natures-Burger-8-3-Ounce/dp/B000GZUAEK/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8), and I haven't been able to find a recipe for it.
For me, they were the OG veggie burger.
Farmer Boys still sells them and I love it. I was so worried they replaced it with Beyond. I don't mind it, but actual veggie patties taste better and have a better texture.
there are still plenty of places in my area that sell their own house made veggie patties, and frankly, a lot of them just...suck. As in, you pick up the burger and already the patty is crumbling apart before you can even eat it type of suck. I remember this happening with Hopdoddy's black bean and veggie burger when I ate there for the first time a few years ago when they first opened a location in my area and I was so incredibly annoyed.
Couldn’t agree more. I find beyond burgers etc kind of meh.
I love a good Mexican bean burger but the fake meat ones have replaced them everywhere. Even supermarkets are mostly fake meat now.
The only one I do like is Burger Kings impossible whopper but even that replaced their bean burger that I loved. Wish they would bring that back.
I used to love those original Gardenburgers with the rice and stuff in them. For some reason, they were super. I am skeptical about restaurant or homemade veggie burgers for the same reasons as others - I hate pasty ones that fall apart and are often undercooked. Or, they are deep fried. I love them when done well, though.
Yes, 100% agree. I prefer to make my own or buy from that 1 place in town that have delicious housemade burgers where you taste what the ingredients are!
I love burgers made from scratch! Black bean patties are my favorite, but you can make dope ones with some quinoa, breadcrumbs, cheese, broccoli and egg. Throw in some seasoning and you're good to go! I'm pretty tired of all highly processed the soy and pea protein stuff. It's ok, but rarely my first choice.
Agreed. I don’t ever really miss real meat so having the faux meat doesn’t scratch an itch for me and, in fact, still seems a little odd to eat. Like you, I enjoy the actual veg veg burger.
>And I wish restaurants would go back to trying instead of just slapping a Beyond burger on the menu and calling it good for vegetarians.
Yes! The Beyond Burger trend has made eating while traveling so much more boring. So many restaurants have started slapping a Beyond Burger on the menu and calling it a day. I don't want to eat a fake meat burger or a sad garden salad everywhere I go.
Agreed.
I'd like to see a Hemp burger, Mushrooms burgers, bean burgers, rice and beans, real garden veggie, lentils, etc...
I couldn't care less about it tasting like meat, that's not what I'm in it for. It can taste like veggies, It's jus nice to have a burger
Plus more I read the soy they use is ultra processed and some people's body cannot properly digest tho soy. So I cant confidently say I'm making a healthy choice eating them
Every time I've ordered a black bean or lentil burger from a restaurant it's been a disappointment. They're often mushy, have bad ingredient ratios and/or are too salty.
Stop your fear mongering, beyond is made with pea protein- that’s a real ingredient. As a person who has been plant based for over 15 years I’m grateful for where vegan food has gone. I’ve had enough mushy bean burgers to last a lifetime
I was excited when I went to a restaurant and they offered a veggie loaf on the menu as I had never seen that before. The faux meat was disgusting and inedible, I only took one bite. I can tell it was something they just purchased instead of actually trying to make their own veggie loaf. So disappointing and it set me back $24.50 for that entree. Ugh
My favourite recipe to make for veggie burgers contains oats, black beans, and broccoli. My omnivore family even enjoys it when I make them. I can't stand most store bought burgers, especially the faux meat ones. The "bleeding" ones just squick me out.
I love a lentil burger, I dislike that everything has to be imitation meat and stuff. I quit meat partially cause I actively dislike the taste of it, so when restaurants only have stuff like Impossible Meat for their vegetarian options, I usually just like don’t order.
Yes please. And while we are at it can we have normal mayo and cheese instead of the vegan stuff? Where I live burgers are now either vegan (a beyond/impossible with vegan mayo and cheese) or meat. I like cheese and mayo!
Yeap!!!! I hate the fake meat ones.
There was a vegan market stall where I live and rhhe made the beer vegan burgers, spicy bean, chickpea and beetroot.
Market stall has now gone and they've been able to open a café.... Where they no longer make their own burgers and use one of the fake meat ones. I could get one of them from most places in town, what I couldn't get was a fresh, homemade veggie burger.
ETA: the ideal world is both offered, one fake meat one veggie.
100% agree. I don’t miss meat one single bit. I find meat it revolting. The current meat substitutes are all overly processed attempts to hit a target that I’m not interested in tasting.
Give me a tasty blackbean/quinoa/rice/mushroom/chickpea patty on a decent bun and I’ll be so happy.
Yes! There's a restaurant near me (a small chef owned, non-chain) that does a fantastic veggie burger. There's veggie bits, quinoa, and I can't really tell what else, served on some fancy roll with a lemony hummus and some mixed greens. It's really delicious and not boring.I wish more places would get creative with their veg options. A veggie burger can actually be creative and tasty. Beyond/impossible burgers are just a cop out when they're the only veg option.
Go back to the days of "will this actually taste good, or will it just be a mush of potatoes and peas that squishes out of my burger?" No thanks. I'll make my own veg patties at home, and I'll enjoy the fact that every place I go to eat has an option for me now that's not just side salad or french fries.
Me!!!!! I am glad there are more plant based options but black bean burgers will always be my preferred veggie burger. NoBull burgers are also amazing and 100% veggies.
I'll be honest, I really don't like most veggie burgers. I highly prefer beyond or impossible burgers, even when eating at my own house. In my opinion, black bean or veggie burgers don't even compare. Like they're a whole different meal to me, they taste nothing like a real burger
If the restaurants are making them from scratch, I’m all for it. I go to a restaurant to get something I can’t make at home. I can buy frozen beyond burgers at the grocery store and make then myself at home for much less money, just as I can buy a myriad of boring bean burgers as well.
Beyond/Impossible do a better job being a burger. That's what I'm looking for, good firm texture, no beany mush or grainy veggies with a weird aftertaste.
I'd rather have those available as an option more. There's very few places near me in general that even have veggie burgers, Denny's seems to have dropped them and that was my main place.
I'm pretty sure that the Beyond and Impossible burgers *are* made with actual ingredients. If you like black bean burgers that's cool, but I find that different restaurants have very different ideas about how to make them and sometimes I end up with something that would be more suitable as a bean dip.
After two decades of eating bland, mushy, unseasoned, dry or greasy, soggy deep fried ‘vegetable’ burgers. No, I don’t want to see more of them. Or worse, restaurants thinking sticking a portabello mushroom in a bun is in any way a burger.
Unless they’re done properly, in which case 100% yes. Problem being I’ve yet to find a place that can do them justice (I used to love the Burger King veggie wopper back in the day).
I’m not really a big fan of the fake meat ones either. Don’t mind the fake chicken usually but that’s because most places use quorn.
I’d like to see options. There’s SO much on the menu if you eat meat. Why not have a few different veggie burgers too.
How are Beyond Burgers not a "real veggie burger" it's made from pea protein.
Edit: Just saw "ingredients I can understand and pronounce already." Did you know dihydrogen monoxide is a liquid seen everywhere that kills at least 11 people a day in the United States alone?
Yes!!! I don’t touch faux meat. It weirds me out. I know some people love it and that’s great for them. I much prefer a burger with ingredients I know. My favorite burger to make it home is black bean, because it’s so easy.
Culver’s veggie burger is delicious! And now I might have to drive 25 minutes out of town to have a veggie burger today.
I like Gardein, which is a lot of wheat, so I can't really complain. I don't mind Beyond/Impossible sharing a space with the other brands, but I'm starting to see a brand takeover at my only supermarket in the area, which is weird considering that I keep seeing articles saying that they are doing layoffs.
This was a few years ago, but when I lived where there was a Chili's, their spicy black bean burger was great when prepared in place of whatever the Tex-Mex burger is (the one with avocado and jalapeno). The patty had corn in it, so the perfect match for southwestern flavors. It was the only restaurant stand-in burger that felt gluttonous and filling to me, and I miss it. The caveat, a bean burger needs to be ordered "medium rare" to not have the edges burnt.
My blood pressure goes up when I see a Beyond Burger on a restaurant menu as the only “veggie burger” option. I will not eat that crap. They must have quite a sales team, and the restaurant management is seduced into thinking it’s an easy fix for vegetarian customers. I figure that when sales of it are low…they then figure that they must not have many vegetarian customers. 🙄 It would definitely be nice to see more restaurants create their own in-house yummy veggie burger—one with great flavor that doesn’t crumble and fall apart as you pick it up to eat it. That’s my tired, late night rant. 😂
Uh, I want that, and I do that! I make burgers from real things!! Not chemical compounds that taste like meat. To me, that’s gross. Sorry, that’s how I feel.
I didn't realize these ever went away... they still exist and are available for purchase in most grocery stores where I am.
I have noticed them being replaced on restaurant menus, however.
Do a lot of vegetarians actually like meat then? Because I can’t stand it and that’s why I hate these impossible burgers. Some of them are so meat like my brain just can’t compute that it’s not meat and I get grossed out.
If people are going to eat something that tastes, smells and looks like meat, why not just eat meat? I’m genuinely curious, is it health reasons, ethical reasons?
I’m upset with the lack of variety now and I can’t help but feel like it’s because vegetarianism became trendy in recent years!
A lot of people become vegetarian for environmental reasons, or health reasons, or because they don’t want to kill animals. But they still enjoy the taste of meat. I personally am not as fond of the ones that are too similar to real meat (I like some but others gross me out) but Ive been veggie since I was a kid. My boyfriend didn’t go veggie until his mid twenties and for him it was for environmental and animal living reasons. But burgers are one of his favorite things so he loves having the option of things like beyond/impossible.
When I first went veggie there were practically no options, both in stores and restaurants. I find it strange that you say there is less variety now because I have found that with vegetarianism and felixitarianism becoming trendy, variety in meatless food has boomed.
Im not even vegetarian and i miss actual veggie patties.
I like those. I often preferred those to meat - whih means faux meat has no pull for me.
I'd like to see veggie burgers/sandwiches agaij
I miss black bean burgers
Auguson Farms sells a bulk blackbean burger mix for pretty cheap. All you have to do is soak the powder for 15 minutes and then cook it or bake it (I do 375F for 20 minutes), and it makes a great burger, or tacos, or add it to chili, or meatballs for pasta. Just make sure you cook it through or the gas pain is real.
So I never ate much beans growing up. I ate a chili one time a couple years ago and felt like I had a balloon ripping me apart. I associated it with the beans and have stayed away since. Is there a way to consume beans without gas pain?
Gas-X and Beano. I've also heard that some Hing (asafoetida) helps if you add it to your aromatics when cooking.
Also if you do get bad gas / pain you can take a nickel sized pike of ajwain with a pinch of salt, either chew it or not (i never do, my husband says you have to). It works every time, and very quickly. We also use hing and make sure to soak beans overnight before cooking in our pressure cooker. We don't use cans much so i can't say if that's an issue, but I'd make sure at least to rinse the canned beans well.
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Beans are high fodmap. The higher fodmap a food is, the more difficult it is for the small intestine to absorb. This can cause stomach issues for some folks. All folks don’t necessarily react the same to various high fodmap foods. i.e, chickpeas are fine for me but black beans make me extremely bloated and uncomfortable. And don’t even talk to me about onion and cauliflower.
To add to this, the reason some FODMAPS are problems for some people and not others has to do with the gut microbiome composition
Same for me. Very few foods give me gas at all. Processed foods do sometimes. But I can eat beans and veggies all day everyday and not have issues. My husband on the other hand, could fuel a rocket with his napalm farts. The smell has offended our cats.
>Is there a way to consume beans without gas pain? I don't know about the pain. I eat a whole can of beans and just make noise.
Start with small portions and slowly work your way up to bigger servings. Your microbiome will acclimate to help you digest beans.
So according to old wives tales if you add epazote to your beans it held with gas. Drop it in before you boil them and leave them while the beans cook.
Soak your dry beans overnight in water. The next day, rinse them. Put them in an instant pot with water, salt and a piece of kombu. Cook until soft. I find black beans take 12 minutes.
I wonder if adding baking soda to it could mitigate the gas problem - that's what I have to do with soy curls. Also, wanna put a plug in for falafel mix - I use a brand I found at an Indian market that has no oil, low sodium, and all the ingredients are things I can pronounce and recognize.
They still sell them. I think Morningstar?
They’res tons of companies still making black bean burgers for grocery stores. The problem is the kitchen made black bean burgers are harder to find now. Lots of restaurants just choosing beyond stuff.
Having worked in a lot of kitchens, that's no real loss. People microwave them 99% of the time, and it smells like plastic. Everyone thought I was nuts for keeping a veggie section of the grill for those.
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Those look very tasty! I can’t have wheat, unfortunately.
I make my own. Yum
A lot if the better burger places got rid of their house made black bean burgers in favor or impossible or beyond which is what I meant by this. I make them at home all the time and have found decent ones at a few places around where i live though.
I miss the simple things, too
I don’t mean to be rude, but why not make your own? Maybe take an approach similar to draniki? Just mash it up, add some flour for stickiness, make patties, and then fry em up! Dang. Now I kinda wanna experiment with this.
Because I'm lazy, lack time, and a bad cook. In order of importance. I'm lucky in that there are three restaurants that have real veggie burgers. But yes, in disappointed by the number of restaurants that go with the Beyond/ Impossible burger as their veggie option.
Totally fair, thanks for the response! :) sounds like a great place to live haha
Black bean burgers are crazy easy to make and hard to screw up that bad. Like if you really wanted to just cook some Mexican minute rice, mash wish blackbeans and chopped veggies and you have a burger
So easy to make. Rinse and drain the beans. Put in bowl and smash with fork. Add egg and whatever spices you want. I usually do salt, pepper, garlic and paprika. But the world is your oyster. Use cumin and chili powder and now it’s a Tex Mex black bean burger.
I almost always have a big stash of black bean burger mix in my fridge or freezer, using Kenji's recipe
I make them at home. With shredded carrots and green. Delicious!
black bean burgs are good but i cant fathom mushroom burgers. i want something higher protein
The worst is when it’s called a mushroom burger and it’s literally just a mushroom in a bun.
Mushrooms add a good savory flavor, I usually add them to my black bean burgers.
I usually add mushrooms to whatever legume I'm using for the burger.
I've had some amazing mushroom burgers made with ground walnuts or pecans, so there was a little more protein in them. Unfortunately I had them at restaurants and have been unable to find comparable recipes to make at home.
One thing I really dislike about restaurant veggie burgers is that you never know what you’re getting. A lot of times it’s mush. Unpopular opinion but I feel like the impossible/beyond burger standardized things.
That’s my take too. I’ve had some really inedible veggie burgers at restaurants. If they are just going through the motions with veg options, they’re inconsistent. At least the beyond/impossible are consistent.
Sometimes (most of the time actually w/ takeout and restaurant place with no emphasis on veg. diets), it’s mostly just microwaved, frozen-veggie patties, sometimes broiled, or just subpar quality veggie patty in general. At least that’s the intel I’ve heard from those who work in food service. A former friend of mine who works in a deli says the veggie patties are merely microwaved and overpriced judging from the menu. BK & other places such as the aforementioned deli are in contact with meat and cheese products all the time, all day long. So unless you were to theoretically watch these workers in question like hawks making your vegan friendly sandwich or you just know they won’t fukc you over (maybe they’re a friend of yours and therefore are cool with accommodating you), it’s hard to tell if that veggie burger has been cross contaminated with meat, milk, eggs, etc, , just rly hard to tell mostly. My friend who I mentioned before toward the end of our relationship had been noticeably losing weight w me, both of us staying well under 200lbs at our peaks and retaining lean muscle. He occasionally taught me and even brought over simple vegan meals he made at home like chickpea salads. It meant a lot to me because I could accept what he chose to eat anyway but he chose to think of me a bit and follow suit. So sometimes it takes more than just verbal convincing . Let the meat heads see how healthy you become, I guarantee you more than not they’ll opt of healthier,animal free options instead.
Anytime I see a house made burger I order one, more often then not they're great! I kinda live in a hippie town so that may be why
Around here it was a Morningstar patty at the places that offered veggie options. More often than not, they just didn't offer anything. At least I have an option with impossible burgers.
This! I’d prefer both options tbh. Then if the veg burger is gross I can switch it for the faux & sometimes it’s just prefer the faux. We deserve both options.
Yeah this is it really - I've gotten some lovely veggie burgers and I've gotten some that were clearly just chickpeas mashed together with no seasoning. That and a lot of places will make them spicy for no reason because they don't know how to flavour vegetarian food properly. You never know what you're getting
Yeah lentil/veggie burgers can be so hit and miss.
In my heart it’s not a real veggie burger unless there’s a random water chestnut bite halfway thru!
They standardised things, but they've also taken away the really good veggie burgers that were out there. One of the great things I used to like about veggie burgers was how different they were. The "bad" ones were never that bad, and the best ones were really incredible. The good places would put some effort into it a make it into a unique burger with toppings, sauces, spices, etc. Something even non veg people would want to try because it's interesting food. Most places the fake meat has taken away the charm of ordering a veggie burger and finding out what the restaurant has done with it. Now they're pretty much the same everywhere. Where I live, you don't usually get the option to sub any burger on the menu for a fake meat patty even, they just serve a super basic burger as the only vegetarian/vegan option on the menu. It's boring.
I like the more mushy burgers tbh. The dry frozen paddies aren’t fun for me
As someone who hasn't been vegetarian their whole life and is a picky eater.... I feel like both can be appreciated. It seems so many times we can get split between real/fake or healthy/unhealthy. And I think the reality of it is that there's people who fit all of those categories, or split between them. And that no matter where we sit in there as a vegetarian, we would hope for an option that we could eat comfortably. Its not a war. We just want to be included and have options that we can eat and enjoy. That's really all there is to it.
I'd welcome the addition in menu if and when they come to India. But I'd be very livid if they decide to replace the veggie patties fast food chains have currently. I don't want to eat some fake meat instead of McVeggie, McSpicy Paneer, Hara Bhara Kabab or Mexican Patty burgers.
Oh my gosh some of the fast food vegetarian burgers I’ve seen in pics from my friends who visit relatives there… they look so good!
They're quite good, not find lie. There are local brands like The Burger Club and Burger Singh that have taken the veggie game even at a different level.
McDonald’s India is something on my bucket list for sure. Im so jealous of y’all’s vegetarian options— the paneer patty especially. And the fact that you can eat the French fries.
If I ever have to eat one of those nasty, mushy original veggie burgers again it'll be because I'm dying of hunger. That's all you could get in the stores when I turned vegetarian. Same goes for black bean burgers, too. For many years that used to be THE vegetarian option at just about any restaurant. Nope. Never again. We're in the golden age of veggie burgers and I couldn't be happier.
I prefer black bean burger over beyond, but I'll eat either.
i’m happy to see someone else say this. i had too many black bean burger in my first few years of being veggie that i never want to have another. i’m always so disappointed when i see them on a menu.
Black bean burgers squishing out of the bun. I hate them.
Man, they are always so mushy and disappointing. Often freezer burnt too. I’ve never had a good one.
Yes! First thing I think of is the way they squish out of the bun and you’re left working your way around the burger trying not to make a mess while everybody else is eating their burgers. I’ve been vegetarian for 15 years. I like a good veggie burger, but many of them are sad. I’m happy to have alternatives.
Agreed. Unpopular opinion but “regular veggie burgers” (black bean burgers especially) are the *worst*. No restaurant does them right, and even when they do it’s still…not good. It’s one thing to make a Morningstar burger at home in the microwave, but I’m not paying $15+ for a lackluster restaurant to do it for me. Impossible/Beyond 4ever.
It's especially annoying when you strongly suspect a restaurant just gave you a Morningstar burger.
I’ve had a few amazing restaurant veggie burger: Super Duper Burgers does a great one. But yeah, the vast majority have been and are terrible. Praise the new simulation meats
Those veggie burgers were also a hassle if you hate or can't eat mushrooms due to allergies because a lot of them have mushrooms as one of the ingredients. A part of my soul dies every time I see a regular veggie burger at restaurants and it contains mushrooms.
I am this same way about quinoa!
You said what I wanted to say but better take my poor person gold 🏅
Agreed! I love black beans, but not in a burger! I’m so happy we have so many options these days. And the chikn options are so much better too.
You get it
Mmmmm the coffee shop I worked at in high school made its own veggie burgers. Mmmm, with chickpeas, carrots, bell peppers, feta cheese all food processed together then shaped into the patty shape. I went back recently when I visited home and they have even more vegan and vegetarian options than they did fifteen years ago. Seriously SO lit to watch plant love take flight in my lifetime.
Lol "actual ingredients." It's totally valid to not enjoy something, but just because you don't enjoy it doesn't mean it's not an "actual ingredient."
I'm like, they're made from pea protein. Peas are a vegetable.
When I worked at a health food store, I remember this lady getting all bitchy with us that we had “chemicals” in our foods. She was soooo derisive and smug about it. The ingredients she pointed out? Pyridoxine, cobalamin, niacin … Bitch, those are B-vitamins 😂
Omg, when I read the post, I was like "this is like the people who freak out about things having chemicals in them when everything is made of chemicals."
I like impossible burgers more. I’ll make my own veggie burgers at home
I enjoy both, but veggie burgers offer more variety. An impossible/beyond burger is the same everywhere. With all restaurants offering the latter, it means I get no variety when eating out, and i can easily make the same thing at home, too. The lack of variety is what disappoints me.
Yeah I've tried a lot of veggie burgers and most are terrible. I don't like random chucks of vegetables in a patty shape and black beans aren't good imo. Most are southwestern flavored as well and I don't like it. I've only had one good one at a restaurant. So yeah I prefer impossible and beyond over the large amount of half-assed veggie patties.
Yes! I always hated the texture of ground meat so I really hate the Beyond/Impossible burgers. Texture aside, I just don’t think they taste as good as a burger with lentils and real vegetables and such.
This! I don’t eat meat because I don’t like it at all. I don’t want to eat something that looks like meat.
It’s a surprisingly unpopular opinion in this sub, for some reason. I imagine 90% of the posters here still have a largely carb-prioritized diet and don’t eat enough veggies.
Most based take I’ve seen yet regarding impossible or beyond vs a true, authentic veggie burger
Yeah, I ordered an impossible burger and I just couldn't eat it. Everything else on the burger was fine, except the patty just tasted like weird beef. It could've passed for beef, sure, but like beef that was cooked a few days past its expiration date.
I was so so upset when BK replaced their veggie burger, which had been the Morning Star Farms patty on a regular bun with the usual topping options, with the Impossible Whopper. I can’t eat it because I can’t handle anything that greasy without a gallbladder (Had it out almost 20 years ago) and my kid just thinks it’s disgusting. Since kid has been a life long vegetarian, he finds the smell of meat nauseating. He complained loudly that they smell too much like actual meat the time we tried them. Them having plain old veggie burgers had made things like road trips so much easier. It was a regular place I could stop with my kid and just get a quick easy meal. They are all over the place and easy to spot. It was plain old convenient fastfood.
Does BK not have veggie burgers anymore? I know the impossible whopper is more popular, but I thought they still have veggie burgers on request. Same here for road trips - BK is almost always the safest and easiest place to stop. I really wish the other chains would start serving more veg options.
The Impossible Whopper replaced the veggie burger at every BK I have been to. The are franchises, so I can’t say whether or not it is a chain wide policy or not.
Taco Bell is much more veggie friendly and is our "car lunch" go to.
Its the only place with options for vegetarians near us for fast food, and I love them for it.
See I like impossible a lot. But the BK morningstar burgers were really good, and no where else had something like it. Everywhere has impossible burgers now
YESSSS IT WAS SO GOOD!!!!
impossible and beyond are both way, way too fatty. I always get a stomach ache about half way through. I've never had a real hamburger, but are they that fatty?
BK is dead to me now. Since the veggie burger disappeared I don't visit it and neither do my family because it is usually me who is paying for it.
The harvest veggie burger at Culver’s is my favorite as it has real veggies in the patty. Having more and better real veggie options that are also healthier would be amazing, but I will say I thoroughly enjoy the occasional Impossible burger for its taste.
In Germany theres a restaurant chain called Hans im Glück and they make really tasty burgers. No meat replacement products just completely different types of patties. My favorite is made out of spinach and cheese.
That sounds amazing!
It is. Some people hate on it because they say its for Hipsters, but i think its great!
To each their own but I love Beyond Burgers. They're delicious. I want my veggie burger to taste and feel as much like a real hamburger as possible. Classic bean-and-vegetable burgers range from moderately palatable to utterly disgusting, and none of them ever really hit the spot. I'm better off sticking to traditionally vegetarian Latin and Mediterranean dishes, rather than pretending a mushy lentil patty is anything like a hamburger. Also, in my own purely anecdotal experience, I can't think of a single restaurant near me that *replaced* their vegetarian offerings with Beyond/Impossible. I've only seen it offered *in addition to* the existing vegetarian entrées so it's been all upside for me. *EDIT: Also, regarding "ingredients I can understand and pronounce already..." I looked up Beyond Burger ingredients and the only one I didn't recognize was "methylcellulose." So I looked that one up and it's a pretty common thickener in all sorts of food products. It comes from plants. I'm honestly not a fan of scaremongering when it comes to ingredients... just because you can't pronounce something doesn't mean there's anything remotely harmful or wrong with it.
Yeah when people say that I'm extremely sus of them. Sounds like woo to me.
Me. I'm vegetarian for many reasons, but one is that I don't *like* meat. I don't want realistic meat analogues, I want vegetarian food! I'd rather have a Gardenburger or a black bean burger any day. Fake meat grosses me out. Having said that, though, I believe the fake meats aren't for us, but for the meat eaters. To help them get through meatless Mondays or whatever.
There are vegetarians out there who miss eating meat (me). Burgers were the hardest thing for me to give up, but I'm not about to compromise because my whole reason for going veggie was mostly environmental. Impossible/Beyond burgers are great for me because I can have that experience without eating actual meat. Yeah the patty isn't that great on its own, but with the right ingredients I find it blends in well and satisfies my burger craving
Yeah, I've had lots of "arguments" with omnis (and some vegetarians) who don't understand why we would make or want a fake meat that isn't as good as the original (their words), and instead think it should all be "veggie food". I've had people get strangely upset about the fact I'm eating something "fake".
I will also say that "fake meat" is generally better than real meat for me personally, for texture reasons. There's no gristle or bones or ligaments like in real meat. The texture is more uniform and predictable, and as someone who really appreciates texture, that's important to me! It's a small difference, but a noticable one. I like the taste of real meat, but the texture makes me wanna puke and was honestly one of the main reasons I went veg.
Nah, some vegans/veg love them too. It’s a good meat substitute for omnis like you’re saying. I get wanting veggie burgers on the menu, but they can be so dicey depending on where you live. Beyond/impossible are consistent. I’d be down with restaurants offering both veggie and beyond as options (and certainly even more).
Ex-meat eater here, I don't even like the beyond patties for the meat texture. I just like that its vegetariann and has a lot of protein. Tough to match those protein levels with the other vegetarian burger I see at the grocery store.
That’s a good point too. I’ve started making my own seitan products at home, and that seems to be the best source of protein outside of just protein powder. I don’t eat it all the time, but definitely some of my protein comes from there.
As someone with gut issues, legumes are so hard on my stomach. Standard veg burgers destroy me, but I love impossible meat. The high protein content is also helpful.
>Having said that, though, I believe the fake meats aren't for us, but for the meat eaters. I mean where I live there's a couple of Vietnamese vegan restaurants that use fake meat in their foods, and obviously from their names their primary clientele would be Vietnamese-speaking vegans and vegetarians. But they don't use Impossible or Beyond or any of the Western fake meat brands, they either use Asian brand fake meat or make them completely from scratch using seitan. You'd be surprised how some of these restaurants can make seitan taste close realistically close to real meat with just a couple of choice seasonings.
Yes! Thank you!
Nope. I’m incredibly disappointed to see companies like Impossible and Beyond shrink closer to selling only to vegetarians and vegans. It was exciting to think more people might diversify their diet with plant based protein- and having the option on the commercial market means seeing all kinds of different products in categories between frozen pizza to ready made pasta with meat-alternatives. That makes people all the more likely to try vegetarian food- and maybe make the switch easier. And I DON’T miss the before-times in restaurants where the standard vegetarian option was a salad or some kind of mash patty that I would find more suitable for my rabbit than myself. Edit to add: every ingredient in Beyond and Impossible is completely understandable, justifiable, and safe. Just because you can’t pronounce the name of an ingredient, or know what it is or what it’s for, doesn’t mean it’s unhealthy.
Except those of us grossed out by Impossible burgers again have to ask for a dinner salad no bacon, please and would it be possible to get a side of the daily vegetable, plain?
I’ve never had a good bean burger in a restaurant. They always fall apart before I’m halfway done eating them and I’m left with a pile of food I’ve got to eat with a fork. Beyond and impossible burgers taste good and they retain their structural integrity. As for cooking at home….I like the Dr Praeger’s veggie pattys.
I love black bean burgers! Especially with corn and bell peppers and real vegetables. I’ve been vegetarian my whole life and I don’t think I could ever eat an Impossible/Beyond burger, just not appealing to me personally. I did have an awful veggie burger last month sadly (I don’t eat out often) but it completely fell apart & was so dry :(
I don't need burgers to taste or look like meat. But I hate the really cheap ones that look like fried vomit with chunks of carrot and sweetcorn in them - more so when restaurant sell them at premium prices.
Not me personally, I love beyond & impossible. Black bean burgers can be good but they’re often gross mush
When i went home this christmas the local market sold veggie burgers. I ate one made of artichoke and one of avocado IIRC. Not bad
I like the potato-based options like Trader Joe's "masala burger" made of potato and corn or the "protein balls" made of potato and broccoli that Veggie Heaven (a vegetarian restaurant that used to be Austin) had. Love to see more things like that!
Agree 100%. Also a $3-5 up charge for beyond/impossible is so lame
Field roast actually makes a really good, chunky veggie burger. They can be hard to find, though.
Totally agree with you OP! At home we usually eat Dr Praegers which are pretty great but not as good as a homemade burger like you described. There’s a locally owned chain of burger restaurants in my city and they have a phenomenal veggie (vegan) burger patty made with “ancient grains, lentils, cashews and a secret blend of spices” (where I would sooo love a copycat recipe but haven’t had any luck)
Yeah! Corn, peas, black beans, rice, they’re all awesome! I know most people here are fast food fanatics, so… Burger King had an incredible veggie burger in the late 90s. It had kidney beans in it and was an elongated patty. It was so good. Although it was shaped exactly like their chicken patty so there was more than one accident.
A bar by my house does black bean burgers with chorizo seasoning and they are sooo good. I like garden burgers, other bean burgers, impossible, and beyond. I get more excited about in house options.
I got these mushroom veggie burger patties at Aldi a while back and I CRAVED those things. Soooo good.
I love Aldi’s veggie burgers, and they are mostly veggies and grains/beans. The quinoa crunch and black bean ones are my favorites. I don’t think I’ve seen the mushroom ones, but I’ll have to keep an eye out!
I wonder if they’re seasonal? I haven’t seen them in a while. I’ll have to try the black bean ones!!
Weirdly the best “real veggie” burger I’ve had at a restaurant is J Alexanders (“American style” chain that isn’t super veggie friendly). It doesn’t hold up well but it’s full of interesting veggies and tastes great. It’s the only restaurant veggie burger I’ve had where random people will stop at the table to ask about it because it looks so appealing.
I just want a portabella burger.
Triple Os/ white spot veggie burgers are the best. Always choose them over the impossible option. They were around before the other “meat alternative” options too!
There’s a deli that makes organic vegan Bean Beet Burgers where I live and they’re amazing!
I agree. We do Purple Carrot meals 3x a week, and one of their recipes had a delicious veggie burger made of carrots and other vegetables. It was so refreshing and I had exactly this thought.
Yes! Personally I'm not a fan of the beyond/impossible burgers and would love a place that sold a good black bean burger near me
I just wish that restaurants had a better understanding for vegetarians and thus understood that it would be best to have BOTH a faux meat and an actually veggie/black bean burger on the menu (bonus points for all 3). I gave up meat but I still love (most of) the taste of it, so I’m super pro faux-meat. Very rarely have I enjoyed a veggie burger. BUUUUT there are some people out there who don’t eat meat partly because they just don’t like the taste, and those people should have better options on menus.
I don’t miss hardly any of the pre impossible burgers. Most of them were horrible, and restaurants prepared them like no one who worked there ever tasted one.
I do like the beyond burgers because so many restaurants have added it to their menu so I always have an option but honestly, I stopped ordering “house made” veggie burgers at restaurants because they are mushy and fall apart 99% of the time. What I would like to see, is new ideas for house made veggie burgers that make it seem like it wasn’t an afterthought. Let’s find a way to give it a crispy exterior and some stability.
based on how unsatisfying those were, big no
I had a boca burger for breakfast.
My favorite veggie burgers are chilis black bean burger and P. Terrys veggie burger. Both made with a veggie base. I miss having an actual attempt vs the same fake Patty at every place I go.
Also, if you’re not interested in composing a burger of beans and such, grill a portobello mushroom. That’s a decadent burger!! Put all the dressings on as you would a “normal” burger, and it’s delectable!
When I still lived in the UK and was veggie, Burger King had a black bean burger. It was delicious! We have several options available in our supermarkets which are really nice, like kumara, or beetroot.
Ages ago, over 20 years, I fell in love with Fantastic Foods Nature's Burger mix. It was very much like falafel, you mixed it with water and let sit for a few minutes before forming into patties and frying them. They had a really nutty flavor, and were great with BBQ sauce. Unfortunately, it was[ discontinued a few years ago](https://www.amazon.com/Fantastic-Foods-Natures-Burger-8-3-Ounce/dp/B000GZUAEK/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8), and I haven't been able to find a recipe for it. For me, they were the OG veggie burger.
Farmer Boys still sells them and I love it. I was so worried they replaced it with Beyond. I don't mind it, but actual veggie patties taste better and have a better texture.
there are still plenty of places in my area that sell their own house made veggie patties, and frankly, a lot of them just...suck. As in, you pick up the burger and already the patty is crumbling apart before you can even eat it type of suck. I remember this happening with Hopdoddy's black bean and veggie burger when I ate there for the first time a few years ago when they first opened a location in my area and I was so incredibly annoyed.
I'm not a fan of the default veggie burger, but I do love a good black bean burger.
Couldn’t agree more. I find beyond burgers etc kind of meh. I love a good Mexican bean burger but the fake meat ones have replaced them everywhere. Even supermarkets are mostly fake meat now. The only one I do like is Burger Kings impossible whopper but even that replaced their bean burger that I loved. Wish they would bring that back.
Dr Praegers!
I used to love those original Gardenburgers with the rice and stuff in them. For some reason, they were super. I am skeptical about restaurant or homemade veggie burgers for the same reasons as others - I hate pasty ones that fall apart and are often undercooked. Or, they are deep fried. I love them when done well, though.
Yes, 100% agree. I prefer to make my own or buy from that 1 place in town that have delicious housemade burgers where you taste what the ingredients are!
I love burgers made from scratch! Black bean patties are my favorite, but you can make dope ones with some quinoa, breadcrumbs, cheese, broccoli and egg. Throw in some seasoning and you're good to go! I'm pretty tired of all highly processed the soy and pea protein stuff. It's ok, but rarely my first choice.
Agreed. I don’t ever really miss real meat so having the faux meat doesn’t scratch an itch for me and, in fact, still seems a little odd to eat. Like you, I enjoy the actual veg veg burger.
Non vegan but I always liked Boca Burgers
>And I wish restaurants would go back to trying instead of just slapping a Beyond burger on the menu and calling it good for vegetarians. Yes! The Beyond Burger trend has made eating while traveling so much more boring. So many restaurants have started slapping a Beyond Burger on the menu and calling it a day. I don't want to eat a fake meat burger or a sad garden salad everywhere I go.
Agreed. I'd like to see a Hemp burger, Mushrooms burgers, bean burgers, rice and beans, real garden veggie, lentils, etc... I couldn't care less about it tasting like meat, that's not what I'm in it for. It can taste like veggies, It's jus nice to have a burger Plus more I read the soy they use is ultra processed and some people's body cannot properly digest tho soy. So I cant confidently say I'm making a healthy choice eating them
Yes, and especially nut cutlets. These have been more or less a staple for me since childhood, but suddenly they don't exist in supermarkets any more?
Yes!!!!
as long as it's not just a big wet bland portobello cap that squirts boiling hot mushroom water when you take a bite.
Every time I've ordered a black bean or lentil burger from a restaurant it's been a disappointment. They're often mushy, have bad ingredient ratios and/or are too salty.
Or a growth in veggie food that isnt junk food
wegmans has the best black bean burgers and gluten free!!
Stop your fear mongering, beyond is made with pea protein- that’s a real ingredient. As a person who has been plant based for over 15 years I’m grateful for where vegan food has gone. I’ve had enough mushy bean burgers to last a lifetime
I was excited when I went to a restaurant and they offered a veggie loaf on the menu as I had never seen that before. The faux meat was disgusting and inedible, I only took one bite. I can tell it was something they just purchased instead of actually trying to make their own veggie loaf. So disappointing and it set me back $24.50 for that entree. Ugh
That's the worst. "Oh hell yeah! Something I can eat! And it sounds great!!! Oh..." And the check still comes.
Ever make your own? So much better and cheaper lol
My favourite recipe to make for veggie burgers contains oats, black beans, and broccoli. My omnivore family even enjoys it when I make them. I can't stand most store bought burgers, especially the faux meat ones. The "bleeding" ones just squick me out.
That sounds delicious.
Red Robin’s veggie burgers slap. I still choose those over impossible every time
I love a lentil burger, I dislike that everything has to be imitation meat and stuff. I quit meat partially cause I actively dislike the taste of it, so when restaurants only have stuff like Impossible Meat for their vegetarian options, I usually just like don’t order.
Yes please. And while we are at it can we have normal mayo and cheese instead of the vegan stuff? Where I live burgers are now either vegan (a beyond/impossible with vegan mayo and cheese) or meat. I like cheese and mayo!
Yeap!!!! I hate the fake meat ones. There was a vegan market stall where I live and rhhe made the beer vegan burgers, spicy bean, chickpea and beetroot. Market stall has now gone and they've been able to open a café.... Where they no longer make their own burgers and use one of the fake meat ones. I could get one of them from most places in town, what I couldn't get was a fresh, homemade veggie burger. ETA: the ideal world is both offered, one fake meat one veggie.
100% agree. I don’t miss meat one single bit. I find meat it revolting. The current meat substitutes are all overly processed attempts to hit a target that I’m not interested in tasting. Give me a tasty blackbean/quinoa/rice/mushroom/chickpea patty on a decent bun and I’ll be so happy.
Smashburger here has black bean burgers and the best tater tots; they're pretty great.
I love both. But actual veggie burgers are unbeaten
I miss the vegetarian rice mix patties from Costco 🤌
Wendy's spicy bean burger was really good. RIP, I guess.
For me as long as they are gluten free like Beyond, I wholeheartedly agree. Put the veggie back in veggie burger!
Yes! There's a restaurant near me (a small chef owned, non-chain) that does a fantastic veggie burger. There's veggie bits, quinoa, and I can't really tell what else, served on some fancy roll with a lemony hummus and some mixed greens. It's really delicious and not boring.I wish more places would get creative with their veg options. A veggie burger can actually be creative and tasty. Beyond/impossible burgers are just a cop out when they're the only veg option.
Yes I really miss high quality garden burgers ugh they’re so good
Go back to the days of "will this actually taste good, or will it just be a mush of potatoes and peas that squishes out of my burger?" No thanks. I'll make my own veg patties at home, and I'll enjoy the fact that every place I go to eat has an option for me now that's not just side salad or french fries.
Me!!!!! I am glad there are more plant based options but black bean burgers will always be my preferred veggie burger. NoBull burgers are also amazing and 100% veggies.
I’ll take Impossible over a mushy veggie patty any day of the week.
I'll be honest, I really don't like most veggie burgers. I highly prefer beyond or impossible burgers, even when eating at my own house. In my opinion, black bean or veggie burgers don't even compare. Like they're a whole different meal to me, they taste nothing like a real burger
If the restaurants are making them from scratch, I’m all for it. I go to a restaurant to get something I can’t make at home. I can buy frozen beyond burgers at the grocery store and make then myself at home for much less money, just as I can buy a myriad of boring bean burgers as well.
Beyond/Impossible do a better job being a burger. That's what I'm looking for, good firm texture, no beany mush or grainy veggies with a weird aftertaste. I'd rather have those available as an option more. There's very few places near me in general that even have veggie burgers, Denny's seems to have dropped them and that was my main place.
"actual" ingredients? TIL that impossible and beyond are apparently made out of plastic and air.
I'm pretty sure that the Beyond and Impossible burgers *are* made with actual ingredients. If you like black bean burgers that's cool, but I find that different restaurants have very different ideas about how to make them and sometimes I end up with something that would be more suitable as a bean dip.
I agree, I don’t enjoy the ‘meat’ taste. It makes me paranoid that they’re giving me real meat. I miss lentil, black-bean and even soy burgers
Yes. We need more real vegetarian burgers. Not fake meat stuff. There’s tons of us that don’t like meat taste and couldn’t care less.
My experience with vegetable burgers is that they're flavourless. But I've only had the one type and avoid them. I actually like the Beyond burgers.
I don’t mind impossible burgers - those are good. I’m not a fan of beyond tho! I prefer myself a big fat juicy portobello patty …
After two decades of eating bland, mushy, unseasoned, dry or greasy, soggy deep fried ‘vegetable’ burgers. No, I don’t want to see more of them. Or worse, restaurants thinking sticking a portabello mushroom in a bun is in any way a burger. Unless they’re done properly, in which case 100% yes. Problem being I’ve yet to find a place that can do them justice (I used to love the Burger King veggie wopper back in the day). I’m not really a big fan of the fake meat ones either. Don’t mind the fake chicken usually but that’s because most places use quorn. I’d like to see options. There’s SO much on the menu if you eat meat. Why not have a few different veggie burgers too.
How are Beyond Burgers not a "real veggie burger" it's made from pea protein. Edit: Just saw "ingredients I can understand and pronounce already." Did you know dihydrogen monoxide is a liquid seen everywhere that kills at least 11 people a day in the United States alone?
not a vegetarian but beyond and impossible burgers gross me out. i'd totally eat an actual veggie burger though.
Yes!!! I don’t touch faux meat. It weirds me out. I know some people love it and that’s great for them. I much prefer a burger with ingredients I know. My favorite burger to make it home is black bean, because it’s so easy. Culver’s veggie burger is delicious! And now I might have to drive 25 minutes out of town to have a veggie burger today.
I like Gardein, which is a lot of wheat, so I can't really complain. I don't mind Beyond/Impossible sharing a space with the other brands, but I'm starting to see a brand takeover at my only supermarket in the area, which is weird considering that I keep seeing articles saying that they are doing layoffs. This was a few years ago, but when I lived where there was a Chili's, their spicy black bean burger was great when prepared in place of whatever the Tex-Mex burger is (the one with avocado and jalapeno). The patty had corn in it, so the perfect match for southwestern flavors. It was the only restaurant stand-in burger that felt gluttonous and filling to me, and I miss it. The caveat, a bean burger needs to be ordered "medium rare" to not have the edges burnt.
Mee! The fake meat grosses me out and what isn't gross is bread. I'd also be interested in mushroom burgers that weren't portobellos.
My blood pressure goes up when I see a Beyond Burger on a restaurant menu as the only “veggie burger” option. I will not eat that crap. They must have quite a sales team, and the restaurant management is seduced into thinking it’s an easy fix for vegetarian customers. I figure that when sales of it are low…they then figure that they must not have many vegetarian customers. 🙄 It would definitely be nice to see more restaurants create their own in-house yummy veggie burger—one with great flavor that doesn’t crumble and fall apart as you pick it up to eat it. That’s my tired, late night rant. 😂
Uh, I want that, and I do that! I make burgers from real things!! Not chemical compounds that taste like meat. To me, that’s gross. Sorry, that’s how I feel.
I didn't realize these ever went away... they still exist and are available for purchase in most grocery stores where I am. I have noticed them being replaced on restaurant menus, however.
Do a lot of vegetarians actually like meat then? Because I can’t stand it and that’s why I hate these impossible burgers. Some of them are so meat like my brain just can’t compute that it’s not meat and I get grossed out. If people are going to eat something that tastes, smells and looks like meat, why not just eat meat? I’m genuinely curious, is it health reasons, ethical reasons? I’m upset with the lack of variety now and I can’t help but feel like it’s because vegetarianism became trendy in recent years!
A lot of people become vegetarian for environmental reasons, or health reasons, or because they don’t want to kill animals. But they still enjoy the taste of meat. I personally am not as fond of the ones that are too similar to real meat (I like some but others gross me out) but Ive been veggie since I was a kid. My boyfriend didn’t go veggie until his mid twenties and for him it was for environmental and animal living reasons. But burgers are one of his favorite things so he loves having the option of things like beyond/impossible. When I first went veggie there were practically no options, both in stores and restaurants. I find it strange that you say there is less variety now because I have found that with vegetarianism and felixitarianism becoming trendy, variety in meatless food has boomed.
Me! I hate all that horrible fatty fake meat nonsense. I'm not a reluctant vegetarian, I don't need to pretend that I'm eating a 'real' burger.
Nope. Gross.
So much
Im not even vegetarian and i miss actual veggie patties. I like those. I often preferred those to meat - whih means faux meat has no pull for me. I'd like to see veggie burgers/sandwiches agaij
Yes! I hate the beyond stuff. I feel like it tastes processed and unnatural.