Veggie Burger Taste Test: Burger King vs. McDonald’s

I’m not in the habit of eating at fast food chains, but I’m a sucker for novelty and, with the rise of plant-based options, my curiosity is easily piqued. Living in Morocco, we don’t get any of that stuff, so I have to wait until we’re in Europe to try them. 

Many European and Asian countries have been far ahead of the US when it comes to vegetarian options. Long before the Beyond/Impossible “meat” craze, fast food chains abroad were offering veggie burgers.

Burger King has a whole menu of veggie items, many of them featuring Beyond brand patties, but also some fake chicken as well, like a “chicken” burger and vegan “chicken” nuggets, which I’ve reviewed here. McDonald’s has fewer options, with many locations offering only a veggie burger and perhaps one slight variation of a veggie burger. While McDonald’s has developed its own McPlant burger, it’s still limited in availability, and instead have an Impossible brand patty at most of their restaurants.

Although my experience with Burger King nuggets was nothing spectacular (they’re fine, but nowhere near as good as KFC’s fake chicken), I was eager to try one of their Beyond burgers. I like Beyond patties and buy them as a treat sometimes to make at home. 

I was expecting a regular Beyond patty, but what I got was actually much smaller and way overcooked. The sliver of charred (is that what they mean by charbroiled?) Beyond patty was no match for the bun, and the additionally stingy amount of sauce meant the experience was needlessly dry.

After this rather disappointing experience with The King, I wasn’t expecting much from McDonald’s. I was thinking their veggie burger might just be kind of like their crappy little burgers that are just a bun, patty, sauce, and pickles, and I was ready to be happy with that.

What I got, however, was surprising: a real burger, with fresh, crisp lettuce, tomatoes, plenty of sauce, and a patty that couldn’t be mistaken for an over-toasted side of the bun. It was even assembled with both buns in place and not somehow sliding around haphazardly, as McDonald’s buns tend to enjoy doing. 

I’ve never seen such out-of-control lettuce on a fast food burger before.

Despite Burger King having far more vegetarian options, the McDonald’s veggie burger was much better, with a properly cooked patty and good ratio of ingredients.

McDonald’s definitely wins this taste test for best veggie burger!

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