I Tried Beyond Burger's New Recipe for Plant-Based Beef

Veggie patties intended to be sandwiched in a bun, burger-style, have been around since the advent of the burger itself. Meat analogues, on the other hand, are more new. Designed not so much for longtime vegetarians who have no particular craving for anything that behaves like meat, brands such as Impossible and Beyond came into the market in the 2010s, ostensibly to offer meat-eaters a plant-based but meat-like alternative. 

As many fast-food, chain and even single-owned restaurants added these beefy meat alternatives to their menu, often replacing traditional veggie burger patties, (much to the chagrin of vegetarians) sales of faux meat products peaked around 2020. Despite early success, detractors have cited the extensive ingredient list of new meat alternatives -- they often include heavy amounts of vegetable oil or saturated fat -- and the fact that they weren't healthier by any meaningful metric. 

Facing sluggish demand, category leader Beyond Meat is shaking up its fake beef recipe with the release of the Beyond Burger IV. As someone who writes about nutritional wellness, when Beyond Burger announced earlier this year that it had changed up its recipe, the fourth iteration of it's plant-based beef, in order to address some of these concerns outlined above, I was admittedly curious to try it. 

And so I, a meat lover, delved once again into a meat analogue meal.

Beyond Burger IV: What's different?

With 60% less saturated fat and 20% less sodium, the leading change in the new Beyond formula is that it utilizes heart-healthy avocado oil as opposed to canola, or rapeseed oil. (Both the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association have signed off on it in various ways.) While the total ingredient list still requires the use of two hands to count, with water and pea protein as the leading ingredients, lentil protein and faba bean protein have also been added to the formula, and the majority of its ingredients relegated to after the phrase "less than 2% of." The "juiciness" factor of Beyond's burger alternative, the signature which makes it behave like meat, is accomplished with both beet and pomegranate juice.

With 230 calories and 14 grams of fat (2 grams from saturated fat) the Beyond patty is on par nutritionally with an 85% lean beef patty, though the saturated fat portion is about a third as that of beef. 

Cooking a Beyond Burger IV patty

First things first, it's impossible not to notice how beef-like the patties seem in the package. The near exact color of raw beef, its ground appearance, and even the slight tackiness or stickiness one would expect of handling a raw burger patty are all there. It's admittedly impressive, from a visual standpoint.

The packaging recommends cooking in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat for about 4 minutes per side. It doesn't mention the need for cooking oil of any kind, and because the product already contains high-heat tolerant avocado oil, and a healthy dose of fat, I didn't bother to do otherwise. (Gas-grill cooking is also encouraged. No mention of an air fryer, though this is one of my favorite burger-cooking methods, and I certainly think it's worth a shot.) I also added sliced cheddar cheese to one of the patties after I flipped it, because otherwise what is the point?

The patties took on a slight char in the recommended cooking time -- I believe you could even try pressing them thinner during the process for more of a smash-burger effect. Despite being plant-based, the cooking instructions suggest cooking the patties to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit, which seems like it would be hard to actually check for, given its consistency. 

Like a burger, the outside will darken, and the inside can stay pink, even while getting up to the appropriate temperature. It's doubtful that cooking the burger longer will produce a "well-done" effect on the inside, so if you're a burger lover who needs the assurance of a cooked-through, monochromatic interior, the Beyond Meat patty may not be for you.

The verdict: Beyond Meat IV flavor and texture

Not a perfect beef imitation, but that's OK

Flavor wise, I found the Beyond patty smoky, rather than truly meaty, which I presume is a flavor covered under "natural flavors," in order to suggest a char-grilled effect. A slightly ferrous tang is reminiscent of iron-rich foods including beef. 

There's no trace of a pea flavor, despite being the leading ingredient, and the overall vibe is savory. It's lacking some of that deep umami character that real beef has, but it's well-seasoned and tastes more like meat than a portobello mushroom. 

If anything, I think the closest comparison for the Beyond patty is to that of a turkey burger. Not a bad outcome, but not quite as satisfying if a beef burger is what you're craving.

The texture is uncanny

Texture, for me, was the real winner. The Beyond patty really does come out seeming like a medium-rare burger, in both look and texture, the various plant proteins and starches coaxed into a reasonable facsimile as a minced and formed meat patty. 

Unlike a lot of veggie patties, it holds its shape admirably when inevitably squeezed with each bite. The juiciness wasn't off-putting, but then again I'm not a vegetarian, and I expect for a burger to leech a little moisture into the bun. It does that, but not in an overly apparent way. ("Look ma, I'm bleeding!")

Value: Ground beef is still cheaper

I paid about $3.50 for each patty, which isn't so far off of what preformed burger patties would cost, though it's definitely steeper than buying ground meat and shaping them yourself. The unformed Beyond Meat is a better value, but the stickiness of the product makes it a little harder to deal with, and conventional beef is definitely still cheaper. (If you're aiming high with leaner, grass-fed products, it becomes much closer in price.)

All in all, I wasn't disappointed by my quadrennial foray into analogue meat. I'm glad products such as Beyond Meat exist for those looking to make plant-based choices.