SAN ANTONIO – From fast-food restaurants to grocery stores, meatless burgers are increasingly available to consumers.
Just what's in these plant-based burgers and how do they taste?
Companies that make the newer plant-based burgers claim they look and taste like the real thing while being better for the environment, so Consumer Reports took a look at what's between the bun.
The Beyond Burger gets its 20 grams of protein from peas, mung beans and rice. The burger gets its fat from canola and coconut oils, and uses beets and pomegranates to provide meat-like redness.
The Impossible Burger gets its 19 grams of protein from soy and its fat from a mix of coconut and sunflower oils.
"Both burgers are impressive imitators of meat, but the Impossible Burger is that much closer to real meat because of its taste and appearance," said Consumer Reports nutritionist Amy Keating.
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Because both burgers are plant-based, you might think they're healthier than an actual burger, but Keating said that's not necessarily the case.
"Both burgers have ultra-processed ingredients, like soy concentrates, isolates, oils, flavors," she said. "And they have similar amounts of saturated fat, but much more sodium than regular beef."
The Impossible Burger also has an ingredient called soy leghemoglobin, a compound that gives it some of the taste, texture and juicy look of real beef.
Is soy leghemoglobin safe to eat? Consumer Reports has concerns, saying scientists don't know enough about it yet and won't know for sure without additional research.
In response to Consumer Reports' concerns about soy leghemoglobin, Impossible foods said, "That all of the studies we did indicated there was no risk of allergenicity or toxicity."
If you are looking for a healthier meatless burger made with whole-food ingredients, Consumer Reports' tasters also tried Amy's California Veggie Burger, which did well in Consumer Reports' previous tests. Unlike the Beyond and Impossible Burgers, it doesn't try to taste exactly like meat. It has less sodium and fat, and fewer calories and highly processed ingredients.