ROANOKE, Va. – It's the ultimate burger showdown… meatless burgers that is. Both contenders are plant-based.
Consumer Reports says the Beyond Burger gets its 20 grams of protein from peas, mung beans and rice, it's fat from canola and coconut oils, and uses beets and pomegranates to provide meat-like redness.
In the other corner, the Impossible Burger gets its 19 grams of protein from soy and potato - And its fat from a mix of coconut and sunflower oils.
"Well, both the burgers were impressive imitators of meat. But the Impossible Burger was that much closer to a mimic of real meat, because of the taste and appearance," said Amy Keating, Consumer Reports nutritionist.
Because both burgers are plant-based, you might think they are healthier than an actual burger.
"But that's not necessarily the case," said Keating. "Both burgers have ultra-processed ingredients like soy concentrates, isolates, oils, flavors. And they have similar amounts of saturated fat but much more sodium than regular beef."
If you are looking for a healthier meatless burger made with whole food ingredients, CR's tasters also tried Amy's California Veggie Burger, which did well in CR's previous tests.
Unlike the Beyond and Impossible Burgers, IT doesn't try to taste exactly like meat, and it has less sodium, fat, calories and fewer highly-processed ingredients.