What would summer be without burgers?! I mean c’mon, there’s nothing like enjoying a burger and a brewski on a hot summer day, am I right?! Right!!! However, one struggle that I’ve found being plant-based is finding a veggie burger that is super indulgent AND also tastes great! So we decided to taste test 5 different vegan patties to see which one snagged the title of “Team Jilly’s Best Summer 2017 Veggie Burger” … yeah, it’s a long title but it’s well deserved! LOL!
So the 5 different patties we taste tested were: Beyond Meats “Beyond Burger”, Morning Star’s “Grillers Prime” and “Spicy Black Bean Chipotle”, Field Roast’s “Fieldburger” and a good ol’ fashioned Portobello mushroom burger!!
Before we dig into the results, I should mention that if you’re going to be eating a burger … most burgers aren’t healthy, as we all know … and if it’s vegan they TRY to make it healthy, but you need the butter and the special sauce and the white bun to make it TASTE good … you can’t do the vegan burger with a brown bun and no sauces and expect it to taste like a real burger because it just won’t!
Also, I would suggest FRYING these burgers in lots of vegan butter and not to barbeque them! Originally I thought I was going to write about the best vegan barbequed burger but the more research I did the more I realized the best burgers were all fried!! For the meat lovers out there, all of the juicy A&W burgers are grilled and not barbequed! I also like to add a touch of salt to the burgers as well!
We made sure to dress all of these burgers the exact same so the taste test was true, we used the following on our burgers:
- Mayo
- Mustard
- Vegan Thousand Island Dressing (See below for recipe)
- Pickles
- Tomato
- Lettuce
- White Onion
- White Bun
- Tofutti Milk Free Cheese
Vegan Thousand Island
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup Vegan Mayo
- 4 tbsp Ketchup
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 4 tbsp Dill Pickles, minced
- Salt, to taste
Directions:
Stir together and serve with your favourite vegan burger!
One of the many pros to eating vegan burgers is that you don’t have to worry about cooking them long enough since they’re all plant based!
Ok, let’s get right into our thoughts on each veggie burger!
1. Beyond Meats “Beyond Burger”: This smells like meat and looks like meat! The patties are quite thick so I had to keep flipping it and I found that they actually stick to the pan. The texture and taste literally tastes like meat …. it actually weirded me out a bit!! It has the right saltiness and reminds me of a burger you would get at a diner. The con, however, is you can only purchase these in the States and I think they were a bit expensive.
2. Morning Star’s “Grillers Prime”: You can get them almost anywhere!! I got mine from Target in the states when I was there and they’re reasonably priced! These burgers actually tasted like a fast food hamburger and the patties were really thin which I liked! The only downfall is the fact that they have egg whites in them!
3. Morning Star’s “Spicy Black Bean Chipotle”: I purchased these from Costco! I think the size of these patties would appeal to most men, they’re pretty big and they already have a smoky flavour to them! They’re also pretty firm and would hold up well on the BBQ! They TASTE vegetarian but the black bean is over powering and the texture is quite beany … is that a word? Beany?? Lol! It is now!!
4. Field Roast’s “Fieldburger”: This burger smells like beef and it seems to be more “bubbly” when I was frying it so I think it has more fat? To be honest … I felt the flavour was totally off on this one and I would give it a 1/10!
5. Portobello Burger: I’d give this a solid 2/10 … LOL!! If I want to have a burger I’m definitely not going to be craving a mushroom … just sayin! LOL!
Soooo out of the 5 burgers we taste tested we have a winner and a very close runner up … drum roll, please …
The winner is … Morning Star’s “Grillers Prime“ (no, this isn’t even a sponsored post! LOL!! You’re welcome, Morning Star!!). I thought this was the BEST burger because it really did remind me of a burger you would get at a fast good restaurant, it tasted so indulgent and I loved how thin it was!! The runner up was the Beyond Meats “Beyond Burger” this burger is totally vegan but it reminded me too much of meat and I found it to be too thick! I think most guys would love this burger though!!
Have you tried any of these burgers?? If so, what did you think of them? Or, have you tried one that we didn’t test above and that you LOVE?? If so, let us know what one it is below!!
xo
Jilly
The beyond burger is my favorite! Beyond meat also makes the beast burger which you might like more – it’s thinner and reseambles meat less but is equally delicious! My meat eating bf actually prefers the beast burger.
I’ve tried the black bean burger and it’s fine for every day. I take them for lunch (although my new fave is the Trader Joe’s That Sweet Chili Veggie Burger). I definitely plan on trying the Griller’s Prime and Beyond Burger.
Thank you Jill, for testing all these veggie burgers for us! I’ve always loved Morning Star, but was curious as to others. There is also a Veggie Burger at Trader Joes with black bean and corn! They are so good!
I’m 100% a meat eater, but all my in laws are vegetarian so we once in a while eat a vegetarian meal and we absolutely love the costco black bean patties! we eat them just as a patty with helleva good dip(which is not vegan for sure) but it’s our favourite vegetarian meal of the week! But I will try your number 1 and 2 recommendations
Hi Jillian!
I’ve been trying to adopt a vegan lifestyle over the past 6 months and I absolutely love it. I’m super excited about this post because I’m a huge burger fan and a vegan option always makes me happy. I wanted to note that one thing I noticed in looking at the link for the MorningStar Farms Grilled Prime Burgers is that they’re not actually vegan! It says they contain milk and egg ingredients. Just an FYI for those that want to maintain a strictly vegan diet.
Your top vegan burger isn’t vegan and the top two aren’t available in Canada. I was so looking forward to this post … at least I know what not to buy now.
We love the Morning Star “beany” ones. lol. Haven’t come across any of the others yet. Usually make my own though!
President’s Choice makes a great meatless burger and meatballs. I also find that many meatless burgers are very high in sodium. The best meatless burger that I’ve eaten lately was at Heathrow airport, terminal 2.
I agree with you about the Field Roast burger. I didn’t like it at all. I love their sausages though and had high hopes for the burger. Will check out the Morning Star one next.
I LOVE the Morning Star Black Bean Burgers. They are so great on the BBQ or even thrown in the microwave in a hurry. But the taste does linger in your mouth haha.
The Morningstar black bean burgers are my absolute favorite and the only veggie burgers I buy actually! And that’s because of the texture! ? I don’t like the texture of hamburger and the grillers remind me a bit too much of that. I like the softer texture of the black bean burgers!
Hey there Jillian, I love your blog! I just tried the Black bean chipotle burger from Costco as well. While we found the burger ok for a vegan burger, we loved it cooked and broken into small pieces over nachos.
Which Costco have you found these at? I’ve been looking for a while now. Thanks 🙂
In Kelowna!!! xo
Dr. Praeger’s veggie burgers (Costco Canada) are amazing 🙂
We LOVE the chipotle black bean one from Costco you’re right it’s beany and not burger like but it’s so good! Thanks for saving me $$ as I was about to buy the fieldroast ones.
hold on a minute, I thought these burgers contained egg and milk???? vegetarian yes, vegan not so much! or am I out to lunch! lol, ( sorry I couldn’t help the bad pun there ).
Hi Jill – yummy! I’ve recently discovered Hilary’s root veggie burgers (much better than their other one for my taste) and I love the flavour! It doesn’t taste anything like a real meat burger but it tastes great dressed with my favourite toppings. It’s almost like having ham fries in your burger. ?https://www.hilaryseatwell.com/products/root-veggie-burger/
Can’t wait for your cookbook collab with Tori!!
Please tell me your going to put a wack of Vegan recipes in the cookbook!! PLEASE!!!
You should try Schneiders Oh Natural meatless burgers. They do have milk ingredients but we indulge with them every so often. I will seek out the Morning Star ones to give them a try.
Do you know where you can find morning stars grillers prime in Canada? I’m from Vancouver !! 🙂
Try Walmart!!!! XOXO
Nah they dot have it
The best veggie burger that I have found is Costco’a Kirkland garden burger. It has the best texture and is perfect BBQ or baked in the oven. I will even have this with a variety of sauces on it’s own. I’ve tried many but this is hands down my favourite
Presidents choice has meatless burgers that are delicious!! They are 8 bucks for 4, so the price isn’t bad! And they have the satisfaction of a burger! Lol! Thanks for the post! I’m going to try the morning star!
I feel the same way about portobello burgers! If I want a burger, I don’t want a mushroom! I’m definitely going to have to try Morning Star “Griller’s Prime” now!
Unfortunately they aren’t available in Canada anymore ☹️Their products are my favourite though!
Gardein makes an AMAZING veggies burger as well!! It’s thick and juicy, unlike some other veggie burgers that can be dry. Thanks for testing these out!
Can you pls share that garlic sauce you bought in the states. Thank you.
Yes!! It’s this stuff http://www.garlicsauce.com/ XOXO
Can you buy the Morning Star Grillers Prime in other stores here in the lower mainland? Would like to try them!?
You should be able to find them at Walmart! XO
Lovely! Jillian what kind of make up have you been wearing especially in these pictures? You look so young and fresh!
The whole burger isn’t really vegan if you’re using mayo and a white bun, both of which have eggs. No big deal, but maybe calling them vegetarian burgers makes more sense? This is coming from a meat eater, but I do try to have a mainly plant-based diet, too.
Hi! I just bought the gardein beefless burger for the first time but I’m new to the game and I’m starting out by incorporating meatless Monday’s into my meal planning. I thought I remembered you trying this brand before from one of your insta snaps and was curious how you thought it stacked up against the ones you just tested. Thanks in advance! And happy birthday to little Leo!
Animal protein has more pesticides then plants as it’s stored in fat cells. Same with antibiotics (now a leading factor in antibiotic resistance). Do some research on science/ medical sites. It was an eye opener for me.
Thanks for the evaluation of the burgers! I have been making an effort to go vegan/vegetarian, but may change my mind back to “traditional” eating. The thing with the vegan burgers is that they all have so many additives, etc in them. I think I would rather have organic, grass fed (cows naturally roaming in the pasture) real beef patties. I do not like the idea of trying to imitate beef, cheese, etc. I’d rather eat the real thing or not at all. The Vegan products seem to be too processed to me. Real, natural food is better so long it does not have pesticides, herbicides, GMOs, antibiotics, etc. in them! Hard to find though and a little on the expensive side. I have found a farm, Sumas Mountain Farms (grass fed, organic) in Abbotsford which I haven’t tried yet, but think I will. Still researching on this whole food dilemma!!
If you haven’t tried Sol’s Sweet Potato Chickpea burger, they are a definite win as well! I top with Earth Island’s Sriracha Veganaise, tomato, pickles & lettuce…yumm
This one isn’t trying to be “meat” But – Morningstar Farms Roasted Garlic & Quinoa Burgers are good ! I cut them up & toss in a Greek Salad. Kind of a Falafel substitute !
Here’s a quick tip I learned on another site: toast your morning star veggie patties 2-3 minutes. Can even toast your bun last minute. Fastest lunch around!
Costco garden burgers are delicious!! They do have cheese in them so just vegetarian but really good!
I recently tried the beyond meat burger and couldn’t finish it – it tasted like part canned salmon part unidentifiable Thursday High School lunch meat; however, my boyfriend did enjoy them and liked the fact that they tasted like meat (which is exactly what I didn’t like).
I love both the morning star patties; the spicy bean ones are in my shopping cart regularly and I add them to salads, wraps or as is! I have never tried the field roast patties, but their sausages are out of this world!Trader Joes also has these cauliflower kale patties which are to die for!
Thank you so so so much for your post though, we have been waiting eagerly for your results!
Is Gardein available in Canada? (I think it was originally produced in Canada?) Gardein is by far the best brand of vegan meats, and their burgers are the BEST! Gardein’s Chiken Patty burgers are even more delicious! But you certainly need to make sure to get your hands on Gardein if you haven’t yet, because ALL of their products are AhhhhMAZING! Thanks for this post!
Hilary’s The Best Veggie Burger is by far the best!!! Give it a try – they have so many different ones.
Thanks for the review Jilly. I just started eating clean and am trying different foods especially veggie burgers. I am going to try Morning Star and Beyond Meats to compare. I like Dr. Praeger’s Mushroom Risotto Veggie Burgers (they have many varieties) and local farmers market organic veggie burger, Grandpa Dave’s Veggie Burger, check out on FB.
Delicious! My favorite homemade veggie burger is a mushroom veggie burger (not the same as the portabello one you have here), made with oatmeal and mushrooms chopped up.
My husband and I aren’t vegetarians but we absolutely LOVE to eat these to cut back on our meat intake!!
Can’t wait to give some of these a try 🙂
Thanks for this post! My 11 year old daughter is a new vegetarian and have tried and failed at finding good burgers for her to try. Can’t wait to try Morning Star!
I recently purchased some veggies burgers from Trafer Joes and have been loving them. This Sweet Chili is really good but my favourite is the Black abeam and Corn. Going to have to try the Morning Star Black Bean Burgers from
Costco.
You guys should give the Botanical Burger from the Rebar cookbook (Victoria BC) a try. A true vegan/veggie (as in not meant to taste like meat) burger. So so good. As are most of the recipes in the book. The pineapple carrot cake is the cats pajamas https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/rebar/9780968862308-item.html
We just tried Gardein’s Burgers last night (https://gardein.com/products/beefless-burger/) and they are amazing! We have also had they’re “meat” balls and crumbles– amazing product! We are in the US but their line of products is also available in Canada.
Hey Jillian – I LOVED LOVED LOVED the Beyond Meat burger. Thanks so much for the recommendation. I totally fooled my spouse, he had no idea. I usually get the Morningstar because they’re easier to find and a little more affordable but man, that Beyond Meat was beyond delicious. hahaha…I did set off my smoke detector cooking it…it really does need medium low as opposed to medium high.
thanks again!!
Hi Jillian!
Have you ever tried Wholly Veggie burgers? A friend of mine who did some food styling for them let me know about the brand.
They come in a beat burger, normal veggie burger and my fave…. curry carrot!! You can cook them in the toaster which I love.
Love the blog 🙂
I can respect that you are “plant based”, but you lost all credibility with your statement that “most burgers aren’t healthy , as we all know”. Just not true.
Mmmm… Dr. praegers veggie burgers (Costco) are the best!!
I just tried the Beyond Meat Burger at Seymour mountain and like you I felt it looked like and tasted like beef, which I haven’t had in over 13 years so I was feeling guilty as I took my second bite. By the third bite i went and asked that I was indeed a veggie burger. And that’s when the manager told me the name and the ingredients. I went back and enjoyed the Beyond Meat veggie burger!
So crazy right?!?!
I have purchased “beyond meat burgers” at my local Safeway in small city cranbrook, B, . Just saying you can buy them in Canada
For anyone on the lower mainland in Abbotsford, the ABC Christian store (affiliated with the 7th Day Adventist Church) sells the Grillers Prime! I buy a case every time I am down there!
I love the Morningstar patties most too! I just tried the Beyond Meat burger & it was good but I like my burgers more thin!
I get the beyond meat burgers from save on in the lower mainland and just flatten them a bit to make them thinner( just a touch ) we adore them ?
This is great to know! I a meat-eater, but always like to know of good alternatives. I know in Calgary I’ve noticed beyond burgers advertised at Save On and Co-op! Must be expanding up here.