- 6 months ago
Chefs Alexandra Shystman, Priyanka Naik, and Lourdes Castro are used to thinking outside the box when it comes to cooking; however, today on Epicurious, we’ve asked them to give us their unfiltered, honest reviews of some prominent veggie burgers found on supermarket shelves. Which veggie burgers pack the most bang for your budget, and which should you avoid at all costs?
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00:00We gathered three veggie burger experts to blind taste test every veggie burger we could get our hands on to see which ones meet their standards.
00:14Morning Star Farms Garden Veggie Burgers.
00:17Smells very vegetal.
00:18I see some carrot. It looks like there is onion.
00:22So it's a little thin.
00:23I like a little bit more of a hearty burger.
00:25With a veggie burger, one of the things that I'm looking for is its texture.
00:30I don't want the texture to be mushy.
00:31Something that is not going to fall apart immediately when I pick it up.
00:35And if it's in a bun, I don't want it to squeeze out the sides.
00:38There should be some sort of crisp or char.
00:41I want it to be moist and juicy.
00:43It can't be overly moist and it can't be overly dry.
00:47So you need to have a combination of ingredients that are basically going to help each other out.
00:51Another thing that I would look for that's very important is a balance of flavors.
00:55I want to feel like I'm tasting the actual vegetables in it.
00:59I just want those flavors to be well-seasoned and shining through.
01:03I could see a lot of the whole vegetables in here.
01:05There's red bell pepper, there's onion, there's carrot.
01:10It's funny because it had a lot of vegetable aroma.
01:13Like I could smell peppers and onions, but I can't taste them.
01:16It tastes a little bit cardboardy to me.
01:18And there's like a sheen of oil on my fingers.
01:21So not ideal.
01:23I like this texture.
01:25It's hearty and it almost doesn't feel like plants.
01:29It's sticking together really well.
01:31Given the texture and the mouthfeel, to me, this tastes like a synthetic binder for sure.
01:35I think the binder in this actually may be some soy-based protein.
01:42When I say binder, I just mean something that's absorbing moisture in the other ingredients
01:47and holding everything together.
01:48I think it's either xanthan gum or methylcellulose.
01:52Methylcellulose is derived from cellulose, which is a fiber.
01:55Its thermal behavior is a bit unique in that it solidifies when it's hot and it melts when it's cold.
02:02It just doesn't have any other textures in it to make it feel satisfactory.
02:07It's not my favorite.
02:09Morning sight?
02:12Morning star.
02:13Soy protein concentrate.
02:15That was right.
02:15Soy beans, which are the basis of tofu and a lot of other soy-based products, naturally contain a lot of plant-based protein.
02:24You want protein because it does two main things.
02:26Number one, it helps our growth and development, so it helps our muscle growth.
02:30But then it does some other really important things.
02:32It slows digestion and it also helps create satiety, which means that it's going to help keep you full and keep you full longer.
02:40The protein from soy is a complete protein.
02:42A complete protein is something that contains all nine of the essential amino acids.
02:49So there are 20 amino acids that exist in nature that we consume.
02:53Nine of them we must obtain through our diets and 11 of them our bodies can synthesize for ourselves.
02:59So all animal products are going to be complete proteins.
03:02Plants are incomplete.
03:03Plants are usually paired together in a meal to make all nine amino acids.
03:08Although there are some exceptions to the rule.
03:11Soy is that exception.
03:12Would you read it again?
03:14Probably not.
03:17Dr. Prager's California Veggie Burgers.
03:19I am seeing chunks of vegetables.
03:22I see some green peas, carrots, some red bell pepper again.
03:26I do like the variation of color in this.
03:29Oh, okay, edamame.
03:30Edamame is immature soybeans, and so it is a complete protein.
03:34It is not holding together.
03:36I like that when you first bite into it, there's a slight crisp, so I appreciate the texture of this.
03:43I'm tasting a lot of real vegetables in here, which is great.
03:46I love to be able to identify what ingredients are in my food.
03:49Using the whole edamame was really smart because it adds a heartier bite when you actually bite into the burger.
03:56I think this would fall under the classification of a California veggie burger,
04:01which basically just means this burger is primarily made of vegetables, not so much processed protein ingredients.
04:08Is this Dr. Prager?
04:09Is this Dr. Prager's?
04:10Dr. Prager?
04:11I was right!
04:13Dr. Prager's, yes.
04:15A California burger.
04:16Oh, I'm impressed.
04:17The first ingredients are all vegetables.
04:19It doesn't have a lot of additives.
04:22It says it's made with 10 different veggies, which is great.
04:26But there is only 5 grams of protein per patties.
04:28If you're going to use this as your protein source, it's not a great option.
04:31There's arrowroot powder in here.
04:33It's the starch of a tropical root that helps to thicken.
04:35It's very much like cornstarch, except you can freeze it.
04:38And there's cornmeal.
04:39Which is what's giving it that sweet kind of flavor.
04:42That is the coating on top that I was referring to that's making it crisp and giving up that texture.
04:48I like it.
04:49I'm a Dr. Prager's fan now.
04:52Aldi, earth-grown veggie burger.
04:54It's a little bit mushy.
04:56Vegetables are largely water.
04:58So you do need to think about moisture control a lot.
05:01It's really important to have a balance of ingredients to combat the amount of moisture you have in a burger.
05:07I would definitely add more binder, something starchy.
05:11Starch absorbs moisture and it also creates structure.
05:14A lot of vegetables.
05:16There's corn, there's edamame, carrots.
05:19The flavor is very flat.
05:21It didn't really have any spices, so it just tasted like green peas.
05:25It needs seasoning.
05:26This had a little bit more mush than I'd like.
05:29Once you have mush, you're never going to have juiciness.
05:31It's just going to have this kind of mushy environment.
05:34If it's a meat burger, the meat itself is going to give it the heft.
05:37If it's a bean burger, the starch is going to give it the heft.
05:40If you're using only vegetables, it's going to be difficult.
05:43The plants have cell walls surrounding each of their cells, and there's moisture.
05:48There's water inside the cells and, of course, there's water outside the cells.
05:51But when you freeze a vegetable, it expands and it can create jagged edges and it can pierce those cell walls.
05:57Once that cell wall has been pierced, it's been compromised, and now there's no longer any real structure for that vegetable.
06:04I think the key to not having a mushy burger is having some sort of coating.
06:10Cornmeal, that could be breadcrumbs, that could even be crispy quinoa, to add some sort of crunch factor.
06:17Oh, Aldi. Okay.
06:19Vegetable burger made with 11 vegetables.
06:22See, there's no spices, so I feel like this is lacking a bit.
06:25This is starting out strong with a lot of whole foods, which I love.
06:29It feels pretty much like I could make this at home.
06:32They are not advertising protein as heavily on this package, which to me I like.
06:38Everybody's trying to promote protein like it's going to solve all of our universal problems.
06:43Spoiler alert, it's not.
06:44I think people need to focus more on fiber.
06:46Fiber is really important for your gut health.
06:49It helps regulate your blood cholesterol, helps to regulate your blood sugar.
06:53Fiber is on the package, so I like that.
06:56They use whole oats, which is great, and that's going to amp up the dietary fiber.
07:00I know it's not sexy. Fiber is not sexy.
07:06Trader Joe's Vegetable Masala Burger.
07:09There might be some curry powder in here, which I'd be very excited about.
07:13And there's a lot of yellow inside. Maybe it has some turmeric.
07:15As I squeeze down on it, I'm actually seeing a lot of oil come out onto my fingers.
07:21Mmm.
07:22Up until now, this has definitely the most flavor and the best seasons.
07:27I like the flavor on this one because it tastes Indian-ish.
07:30Turmeric, maybe like mustard seeds, maybe cumin.
07:34I think it's a delicious thing, whatever it is.
07:36I don't think it's satisfying as a veggie burger because I just, it doesn't have that hearty texture that you can really sink your teeth into.
07:45The texture is still a little mushy.
07:48I always make sure to either rest the veggies on a paper towel to make sure that it absorbs any excess moisture, or you can even squeeze it.
07:57So if you're using something like beets for color and texture, you have to make sure to squeeze out all of the moisture.
08:03Otherwise, it's just going to completely ruin and disintegrate your burger.
08:07Okay, it's Trader Joe's vegetable masala burger.
08:11With authentic Indian slices.
08:15Sorry, I'm laughing at the authentic because it's probably not authentic.
08:18But I did appreciate the flavor on it.
08:21So potatoes is the first ingredient, and it's important to see what the first ingredients are because that means that it's the ingredient that the product contains the most of.
08:29So the second ingredient of this burger is canola oil.
08:34So that explains the greasiness.
08:37Masala essentially means spice blend.
08:40It is a catch-all word for a mixture of spices.
08:44It only has two grams of protein per serving.
08:47You could plop some plain Greek yogurt over this.
08:51I think it would complement it nicely, and then that would amp up the protein content.
08:54No Bull, the true veggie burger.
08:59This one's thick.
09:00I'm picking it up, and already it's falling apart, which is not great.
09:04I can see grains and seeds.
09:06I'm seeing green lentils.
09:08I see some rice.
09:10Yeah, it's quite mushy.
09:12Oh.
09:13This is not great.
09:14This is so bad.
09:16It has a chalky texture on the tongue.
09:18It falls apart.
09:19It has zero flavor.
09:20Forget spices.
09:21I don't even think there's salt in here.
09:22And because there's no salt, I'm not really tasting any of the other ingredients either,
09:26because salt brings out flavor.
09:28I am tasting a little bit of lentil, so this is definitely a lentil burger.
09:33I just wish we could maybe bring some of the curry powder from the Trader Joe's burger and put it in here.
09:39Lentils on their own have a very earthy taste.
09:42You need to season it, and you do need to amp it up with some other flavorings
09:46to deliver the flavor expectation that someone's going to have for a burger.
09:51No Bull, the true veggie burger that has no spices.
09:56I mean, it does have lentils, and I saw some seeds.
09:59So seeds also provide protein, and you can complement the legume, which is the lentil, with the seed, and then get a complete protein.
10:06Oh, and there's chia seeds in here.
10:08Chia seeds are a great binder and great vegan egg substitute.
10:13If you bloom chia seeds in water, it becomes gelatinous.
10:18And so they can create a lot of texture and structure and gelling.
10:22So they function as an emulsifier and a thickener.
10:24This is a no for me.
10:28Impossible Burger Patties.
10:30This looks like a meat analog to me.
10:33The appearance of this is terrible.
10:35It does smell very meaty.
10:37You know, like the coloring, it's very like monotone.
10:40Like a regular burger has ridges.
10:42If I'm eating an alternate meat burger or an analog meat burger, I am looking for basically something that tastes like beef.
10:51Something that is juicy, greasy, and yeah, has like good caramelization, too.
10:57Okay, we're going in, guys.
10:58Wish me luck.
11:00I don't like that at all.
11:02It tastes bad.
11:03It smells like some of the higher-end dog food that I've seen.
11:07The flavor of this is a little weird, and it definitely tastes like man-made.
11:12It's like a compilation of synthetic ingredients, like chemicals.
11:15You would have a protein ingredient, usually something like a soy protein, wheat,
11:20or pea protein.
11:23And then it is combined with a bunch of other things, like different oils, different binders,
11:30perhaps different extracts to make it that color as well.
11:34I bet you this one has methylcellulose, because it has that gumminess in it.
11:37And you can see I'm even trying, and it doesn't give too easily.
11:39I think it hits on the juicy factor.
11:42I think it's mostly oil, though.
11:44Is it an Impossible Burger?
11:46I think this is impossible.
11:48Oh, it's soy protein, so it is essentially tofu.
11:52Soy, like hemoglobin, is derived from a soy plant, and it's fermented.
11:58A bacteria is used in the process, and it creates, essentially, heme.
12:02Heme is a form of iron, and it's used in this to fortify the patty,
12:09so that it amps up the iron content.
12:12But it also imparts color, which you can see here.
12:15And theoretically, it would also impart flavor and aroma that's similar to beef,
12:20which I don't pick up on.
12:21Not for me.
12:22Beyond Burger, plant-based patties.
12:26I really like that there is this, like, dark ring of caramelization around the perimeter
12:32that's really giving it the personality of beef.
12:35And it's kind of telling me it's going to be delicious.
12:38Oh, look, it even drips into my bun.
12:40You're definitely seeing a lot more texture.
12:43And also, it really smells like beef.
12:45This is the first one that has texture on the outside.
12:49Yeah, this is really good.
12:51I don't think it's going to fool a meat-eater, but it could come, so far, the closest.
12:55If I ordered this out somewhere, I might think this is real beef.
12:59There's, like, a satisfaction you get from biting into it,
13:01so it has a nice thickness, a nice moisture.
13:03I believe this is pea protein.
13:05Whatever you're using to get protein from, be it soybeans or peas,
13:10you would turn that into a flour and then use a chemical solvent
13:14to separate the protein out and then dry that out.
13:17I'm going to guess that this one's Beyond.
13:19Oh, and it's Beyond.
13:21So, Beyond Burger uses pea protein as its main protein.
13:25A lot of people are allergic to soy,
13:27so this is a great substitute for people who are trying to get plant-based protein.
13:32It looks like they combine it with some rice protein, some brown rice protein,
13:37and that mix will then give us that complete protein
13:41or give us all of the essential amino acids that we need.
13:44They're using a variety of legumes to achieve the texture,
13:50and then beets for the color, because beets do look very bloody.
13:54This is a pretty genius product for people who don't want to eat animals.
13:59I'm impressed.
14:00Beyond Cookout Classic.
14:04I'm seeing like red on the bun, which looks like blood.
14:09Some people like that.
14:10This looks a little bit more manufactured.
14:13I do like the thickness of it, looks very meaty.
14:16The texture of this looks very similar to the Beyond.
14:20It's very hard to get this kind of gelatinous, stretchy, chewy,
14:25meaty mouthfeel texture from vegetables alone.
14:28It doesn't taste like mushroom at all, but the texture of it feels mushroomy.
14:34And I love mushrooms, so I don't mind that.
14:36You do taste the difference or feel the difference between the dried sear on the outside
14:41and the juiciness on the inside.
14:43So the way that foods can achieve browning, it's one of two mechanisms.
14:47It's either caramelization, which is sucrose-based,
14:50and this doesn't taste very sweet, so I doubt that's that.
14:52Or there's a reaction called the Maillard reaction,
14:55which is when amino acids will interact with reducing sugars
15:00and create not only browning, but these complex flavor molecules.
15:04I think it tastes pretty, pretty good for an alternative meat.
15:07Honestly, this has been the most edible meat-like version for me so far.
15:15This kind of tastes like beef that is overcooked.
15:18Like all the particles seem like separated.
15:21It's a little bit dry, but it's still better than the impossible.
15:25I don't like the look of it, so I would not buy this personally.
15:29I wouldn't need it again.
15:30Oh, it's Beyond.
15:32Beyond. Interesting.
15:34What is the difference? What happened here?
15:38So I think the way that this is engineered is specifically to be cooked on a grill.
15:44You need a little bit more sturdiness when something hits a grill,
15:47so when you're flipping it, it doesn't fall apart into the grates.
15:51It's got that methylcellulose, which is what's holding it together.
15:53Two different types of oil.
15:55Expeller pressed canola oil.
15:57Also seeing coconut oil.
15:59Whereas the first Beyond Burger only had avocado oil,
16:02and I don't think the texture of that would hold up when putting on direct flame.
16:06And it's frozen, so it's not going to disintegrate when you put it on direct flame on a grill.
16:12Mooning Star Farms. Veggie Grillers.
16:17These thin patties remind me of sausage patties.
16:20This is almost looking like a breakfast sausage.
16:22The smell of this is a little bit more appealing to me.
16:25We're back to the more aromatics and spices, maybe.
16:29It's got good texture.
16:30As I break into it, it doesn't fall apart, so there's definitely a binder in there.
16:34It's very dry. It's very cardboardy.
16:37When you stay at a cheap hotel and you have the hotel breakfast in the morning,
16:41and then you get the breakfast sausage, that's what this tastes like.
16:44It has a decent seasoning, but it's really, really greasy.
16:47It definitely has some spices, so that's appealing to me.
16:51Maybe this could be seitan, which is essentially just taking glutinous flour
16:56and mixing it with water and continuously kneading it.
16:59You can actually do it at home if you take some wheat flour and cup it in your hand
17:03and allow water to run through.
17:05This could have some of that glutinous wheat flour in there
17:10to give it that sort of slight, chewy, meaty texture.
17:13There are a couple of things that companies can use to add, like,
17:16a savory, meaty flavor to veggie burgers.
17:19One of those things is yeast extract, which I think is what's happening here.
17:23Which is Vegemite, if you're familiar with that.
17:25And it delivers a deep, dark color, and it also delivers this umami flavor.
17:31And it does so because it's rich in glutamic acid, where that umami flavor derives from.
17:36Is this Morningstar?
17:37Is it? Is it?
17:38Am I becoming an expert?
17:40I think I am.
17:41Yay!
17:42It's Morningstar grillers!
17:44If I wanted a plant-based breakfast sausage patty, I would buy this.
17:50So I see that there's yeast extract in this.
17:53I'm assuming it's used to give it that more umami, meat-like flavor.
17:58It's got 16 grams of protein.
18:00Actually, wheat gluten is the first ingredient listed after water.
18:04Wheat gluten is seitan, which means that it's relying on gluten to be its primary protein source.
18:09I think texturally, if it was just a little bit more moist and had a little bit more depth, then I would find it to be edible.
18:16But right now, it's just too cardboardy for me.
18:18Gardein, ultimate plant-based burger.
18:23The aroma here smells a little, a little stale.
18:27It's definitely giving beef.
18:29We're seeing that dark ring that you would kind of get from like a smash burger.
18:35The sugars and the proteins react to high temperature and they turn a darker color or new flavor compounds are unlocked.
18:44And it makes things taste yummy.
18:46It's got some good thickness, which I do appreciate.
18:48It's extremely gummy.
18:50I'm having a hard time pulling it apart.
18:52Hard to even break through.
18:54It's very strong.
18:55Maybe there's just like an imbalance of the different binders and chemicals that were used in the patty.
19:00When you squeeze it, you actually see some of the juice.
19:03It feels quite moist.
19:05This is a lot meatier than the Morningstar.
19:07It does have like a smoky flavor to it, which I like.
19:10Flavor-wise, it tastes slightly smoky, very, very meaty.
19:15It delivers in terms of texture, juiciness, that satisfaction of biting into it.
19:20I'm tasting a lot of coconut oil.
19:23Fat is really important in any kind of food, right?
19:26Because it's a flavor carrier.
19:28To mimic that juiciness and mouthfeel that you would get in beef, coconut oil is the one that's used quite a bit.
19:35It's solid at room temperature, so it's able to coat your mouth and give you kind of mimic that same texture.
19:40That coconut flavor is so strong that I really don't want to taste it again.
19:44Gardein?
19:46It's Gardein.
19:47Oh, Gardein!
19:48This has like very masculine code and branding to me.
19:52The bros, the meat bros.
19:53And I'm looking at the ingredients.
19:55It's textured pea protein.
19:57It's similar in terms of its formula to the original Beyond Burger.
20:01So coconut oil is the third ingredient.
20:04That explains the heavy, heavy coconut taste here.
20:07I still think the avocado oil one is so far the best.
20:12Boca.
20:13Old American veggie burgers.
20:15It is thinner than the couple of burgers we had right before.
20:20Looks cardboardy.
20:21This to me is like a sausage McMuffin.
20:23It's so sad.
20:25Oh.
20:26Looks like there might be some grains, a little bit.
20:29I don't know what this orange is.
20:30It looks like it would be cheese or something.
20:33I feel like if it was actual cheese, it would stretch.
20:36And there's like nothing stretching here.
20:40Mm.
20:41Cardboard.
20:42It is not juicy at all.
20:43Very, very dry.
20:44Very, very dry.
20:45There is no satisfaction to biting into this.
20:47No.
20:48It's almost like a hockey puck.
20:49Ultra-processed, over-engineered.
20:51Is it Boca?
20:54Oh, Boca burger.
20:56It's Boca.
20:57I feel like this is the original vegetable burger.
21:00The third ingredient is reduced-fat cheddar cheese.
21:04I think that if they actually used a full-fat cheddar,
21:07it might have added a little bit more fat and moistness to this.
21:11I was not tasting cheese in this, no.
21:13So that's a little bit of a surprise.
21:16Actual Veggies Black Bean Veggie Burger.
21:20Now we're back to the vegetable-style veggie burgers.
21:23I feel like I recognize this burger because it has this scalloped, like, round to it.
21:30I feel like I used to eat this growing up.
21:33It looks like a little seashell.
21:34For the first time today, I am seeing a black bean, which is great.
21:39I love a black bean burger.
21:40There's some red peppers here, onion.
21:43It's looking promising, guys.
21:44We gotta harvest the vegetables in here.
21:46This is a little bit thicker than the other vegetable-based patties we've had so far.
21:51I think this has a nice texture for a vegetable-based patty.
21:55It has a nice amount of spring to it.
21:57You can see the beans.
21:58It's got the heft.
21:59It's not falling apart.
22:00But more importantly, the flavors feel well-defined and they feel a little fresher to me.
22:04I think this is actual veggies.
22:07Actual veggies?
22:08Oh, actual veggies.
22:11This is the Black Bean Veggie Burger with red pepper and caramelized onion.
22:16There's a laundry list of vitamins and minerals that are present here.
22:20When I'm looking at the ingredient list, I don't see any fortification in terms of vitamins and minerals,
22:26which means that these vitamins and minerals are coming from the food source themselves, which is a good thing.
22:31You would probably not add oil to the actual mixture and just add it to the pan when you're cooking them.
22:36So I think this is a very close match to what you would make at home.
22:41I like you, actual veggies.
22:44Dr. Prager's Black Bean Quinoa Burgers.
22:48This looks so sad.
22:50This tastes better than it looks.
22:52This is definitely potato-based.
22:54It does not belong between two pieces of bread because it would be way too starchy.
22:58In terms of the flavor, you know, it's seasoned, but it also has spices.
23:01I see beans and corn.
23:03The flavor is good.
23:05There's definitely some paprika, cumin, garlic, onion powder.
23:09It definitely has a mushy bite when you bite into it.
23:13This is more oily than juicy, and that oily is giving me the perception of moist.
23:18Because of that, I'm not a huge fan.
23:20I would say I'm fairly satisfied.
23:22Is it Dr. Prager's?
23:23Dr. Prager?
23:24Dr. Prager's is back.
23:26Okay, I think I'm a fan of Dr. Prager's.
23:28I think that's what we're establishing here, because I liked the first one that I had, too.
23:33And this is the Black Bean Quinoa.
23:36It's the first time I see quinoa.
23:37Finally!
23:38Someone's using quinoa on a burger, right?
23:39Personally, I don't think quinoa belongs in a veggie burger.
23:42I think it's a little bit too earthy.
23:44I think it's a great addition to burgers, mainly for its nutritional content.
23:48It's one of the few plant-based products that is a complete protein.
23:52I was not tasting any quinoa in here.
23:55I'm not getting that texture you would normally get from quinoa.
23:58So they must have pureed it to some degree, or maybe derived a flower.
24:01They had jalapeno, cilantro, garlic, chili, cumin.
24:05So yeah, that's how I'm feeling that Indian-esque flavor in this.
24:08Approved, Dr. Prager.
24:13Original veggie, Bubba Bugger.
24:15The height of this is good.
24:17It's pretty thick, which I like.
24:19I like the crust on top.
24:21You could actually see a lot of the chunks of the vegetables and the beans, which I appreciate.
24:26This is really, really veggie heavy.
24:28This feels like a natural food to me, like something I could have made at home.
24:32All right, we're seeing edamame.
24:33So we're on the right track here.
24:34When I'm pulling it apart, it's quite mushy.
24:38It's coming apart really easily.
24:40Given how many vegetables are there, I expected a little bit more in terms of texture and even flavor.
24:46It's kind of muted on both fronts.
24:47It's a little salty.
24:49I'm not getting any other spices, and I feel like spices would be really nice in here.
24:53I think this is like almost too far feeling like a health food for me.
24:58Like I don't necessarily want to be tasting that much carrot in my veggie burger.
25:03Oh, okay, I would not have guessed this.
25:05Oh, Bubba Burger.
25:07This is pretty good for a brand that only usually does meat.
25:11I feel like this burger tastes what this box looks like.
25:14Oh, they use flax seeds.
25:16That's good.
25:17The flax seeds are an interesting addition because those can gel up and create structure.
25:23The second ingredient is rolled oats.
25:25Those are oats that are steamed and rolled, so they are flattened and they cook quickly.
25:30It acts as a binder.
25:32It absorbs moisture from the vegetables, and it does have a little bit of protein and fiber.
25:39I would perhaps serve it on top of like a salad or something along those lines.
25:43Something that's a little more crisp and fresh.
25:45Amy's Organic Sonoma Veggie Burger.
25:50It looks really dry.
25:52This looks like they pureed or mashed up the black beans.
25:56That's why it kind of has this like grayish color.
25:59There's no like green or red in here to help balance that gray of the black bean.
26:05It's not good.
26:06It just tastes like they mashed up some beans and like put it together.
26:11I think this has the most crunch of the burgers we've had so far.
26:15Either because of quinoa or maybe there's some sort of nut added to this.
26:19Maybe like a walnut or something.
26:22It falls apart, so I'm curious to see what kind of binder it has.
26:25I think the salt is pretty overpowering to the other flavors.
26:28Just salt in this.
26:30There's no spices.
26:31There's really no other vegetables.
26:33And it's just like boring.
26:35Like I don't want to eat this.
26:36This is not satisfying to me.
26:38Is this Amy's?
26:39Oh, Amy's.
26:41Quinoa and walnuts are pretty high on the ingredient list.
26:44I think they probably ground the walnuts down too fine.
26:49I didn't get that texture at all when eating it.
26:54Trader Joe's quinoa cowboy veggie burgers.
26:58For some reason, my mind went to a falafel.
27:00This is actually what an Indian veggie cutlet looks like.
27:03I'm not even touching it, but I can tell that it's crunchy.
27:05Okay, I'm guessing there's going to definitely be quinoa in there
27:08and black beans and a bunch of vegetables.
27:10Corn, black beans.
27:12Somehow I'm anticipating like a southwestern flavor.
27:17There's a crispy texture to the outside, which is nice.
27:20You immediately get that crunch factor.
27:23This one is not dry.
27:25It's like moist and mushy.
27:27Little bit too mushy on the inside for me.
27:29It is very oily.
27:30That's the thing.
27:31If the interior was held together just a little bit better,
27:36this would be almost perfect because the outside is quite good.
27:40And this is the spiciest one we've had.
27:42I taste that there might be some smoky paprika,
27:47maybe some cumin, garlic, and onion.
27:50Very flavorful, full of spices.
27:53Yeah, I think it's pretty good.
27:54But not something I would necessarily consider a burger.
27:58I don't think it has the mouthfeel of a satisfying veggie burger.
28:03So I wouldn't put it in a bun.
28:05Is it Trader Joe's?
28:07It is Trader Joe's.
28:09The quinoa cowboy.
28:11The Tex-Mex makes perfect sense.
28:13So it has breadcrumbs.
28:15And I don't think we've seen breadcrumbs yet.
28:18I think it's what's giving it that crunchy texture on the outside.
28:23It doesn't seem over processed, over formulated.
28:26There's a whole slew of spices.
28:28Which again, like we have not seen a ton of since the last Trader Joe's burger.
28:33So I think that's what's making it like so satisfying.
28:36I do prefer this quinoa cowboy burger over the Trader Joe's authentic masala burger.
28:42Now, let's see which veggie burgers our chefs like the most and the least.
28:47In terms of flavor, my favorites today were both of the Trader Joe's.
28:51But in terms of texture, I really like the actual veggies.
28:54It wasn't greasy and it had a nice chew to it.
28:57Just a pure veggie burger.
28:59There's a tie between the Trader Joe's cowboy quinoa and the Bubba veggie burger.
29:05I think the Trader Joe's inched up a little bit on the flavor.
29:07But what I loved about the Bubba burger was that it was thicker.
29:10You could really bite into it.
29:11And I loved the texture.
29:13My favorite burgers today were the Dr. Prager's veggie burgers.
29:16The Dr. Prager's burger had whole vegetables, specifically the edamame.
29:20The textural component was really satisfactory.
29:23So it didn't feel mushy.
29:24You had a lot of nice texture from the edamame and whole vegetables.
29:28I could see what I'm eating.
29:29Of the analog meats, I really am a fan of the beyond meat.
29:33I think it's really, really similar to beef.
29:36The nutrition profile, the flavor, the texture, and the sense of satisfaction you'll get from biting into that burger.
29:42My least favorite burger was the Impossible Burger.
29:45So my least favorite was the Impossible Burger.
29:47It wasn't visually appealing.
29:49The flavors weren't there and it actually delivered a very odd aftertaste.
29:53My least favorite of the day was the No Bull Burger.
29:57It was really gritty.
29:58It was chalky.
29:59It was too much lentil and not enough flavor.
30:02I am happy to see that a lot of the veggie burgers on the market have actual vegetables in them.
30:08If I was at a cookout and I had to pick between an analog meat or a veggie burger, I'd get away with eating any veggie burger.
30:14That's not fine, but I'd be very picky with the analog meat that I would pick.
30:17There were some that I just really did not like.
30:19There's a burger out there for everyone.
30:21It's just a matter of finding the right veggie burger for you.
30:24It's just a matter of finding the right burger for you!
30:26.
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