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In our Taste Test series, BA editors conduct blind comparisons to discover the best supermarket staples (like mayonnaise or frozen pizza). Today, which veggie burger should you grab from the freezer aisle?
There was a time when the mention of a veggie burger at a barbecue would elicit scoffs, but these days it’s a different story. Veggie burgers are a popular option as more people move toward a vegetarian diet, or simply one that includes less meat. And as veggie burgers become more mainstream, they’ve become more delicious—craveable in their own right.
One of the first veggie burgers to see widespread success was created in London in 1982 by Gregory Sams, who also owned SEED, a pioneering vegetarian restaurant in the UK made famous by regulars John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Sams made his VegeBurgers from wheat gluten, sesame, soy, and oats, and they quickly became a success in grocery stores across the country. By the time he sold the company in the late ’80s, it was selling millions of veggie burgers per year. Fast-forward to the early 2000s and companies like Boca Burger, Dr. Praeger’s, and Gardein were making veggie burgers readily available in supermarkets. Eventually fast-food chains like Burger King and McDonald’s caught on as well.
Lukas Volger, author of the cookbook Veggie Burgers Every Which Way, has seen firsthand how the perception of veggie burgers has changed since he published the first edition of his cookbook in 2010. Whereas they used to be the domain of non-meat eaters, “they’re fully canonized now as a food item that a lot of people eat, whether they’re vegans, vegetarians, or omnivores,” he says. And that’s exactly why we set out to find the best veggie burger brand in our latest taste test.
How we picked the products
To put together the list of veggie burgers for our test, we started by asking the Bon Appétit staff for their preferred brands. From there we reviewed other veggie burger taste tests to see what brands are typically covered and what gaps in coverage we could fill.
Veggie burgers come in several different varieties, but we focused on the garden or California-style veggie burgers, which are often made of beans, grains, and other legumes, sometimes with a melange of vegetable mix-ins for color and texture. We eliminated “big personality” flavors that were singular to specific brands. MorningStar Farms, for example, makes a Spicy Black Bean Burger and a Tomato & Basil Pizza Burger, but we picked its Garden Veggie burger because it’s a gets-along-with-everyone everyday option. Finally, we made sure each brand we tasted was sold nationally so that it would be available to most readers regardless of location.
Where does plant-based meat fit into all of this? Vegetarian alternatives have exploded onto the grocery scene, but they serve a different purpose than the age-old veggie burger. Though some people consider fake meat burgers (like from Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods) to be veggie burgers, we see this as a subset, a category in itself. Plant-based “beef” burgers are vegetarian, yes, but this genre of fake meat has a unique spectrum of ingredients, flavors, and textures.
How we set up our blind taste test
Most veggie burgers live in the freezer, so that’s exactly how we stored our contenders. When the time came to cook, we used a hot cast-iron skillet and a squirt of vegetable oil to promote browning and minimize sticking. We cooked each burger according to its package instructions, which broadly meant searing over medium heat for 10–15 minutes, flipping either halfway through or frequently. We adjusted as needed to make sure each burger crisped up handsomely. Each brand offers several cooking methods—such as stovetop, oven, and microwave—but we chose to prepare them all on the stovetop for consistency.
Once all the burgers were cooked, we cut them up into wedges and tried them plain—no condiments, no bun. Understandably, this upset some tasters, but we had our reasons: The flavor and texture of each veggie burger had nowhere to hide, plus it allowed us to get a clear picture of the contents. While a beef burger aims to be uniform, in a veggie burger we appreciate the opposite—a terrazzo vibe, if you will. Our tasters were looking for a kernel of corn or nub of broccoli, evidence that the burger was proud to be vegetarian, not shy about it.
How our editors evaluated
We had 10 tasters and a lot of opinions about what makes a great veggie burger. With respect to texture, staffers wanted a crackly, crusty exterior with a springy, toothsome center. That’s hard to achieve. “Vegetables are mostly water,” Volger explains, “so it can be kind of tricky when you’re making [veggie burgers] that they don’t end up being totally mushy.” Everyone agreed that mushiness, dryness, and/or crumbliness were dealbreakers.
When it comes to flavor, tasters wanted a veggie burger that “celebrated that it’s made of vegetables.” Getting a taste of real produce and umami hits of aromatics like garlic was important. But the spices should stay subtle: A veggie burger that can play as a part of a symphony of sauces, condiments, and bun is the GOAT—no veggie burger divas allowed.
Things got rowdy at times, as they do, but in the end we landed on three favorites that offer something for everyone.
Tastes Homemade: Bubba Burger Original Veggie
The Bubba veggie burger is made with a base of black beans and oats and bound with potato starch. But those are just a few of the many ingredients: In addition to vegetables like carrots, broccoli, corn, and green bell pepper, there’s also mention of mustard seed, garlic, parsley, basil, chives, tomato paste, and white wine. That last is rather unusual, but who are we to question the wisdom of Bubba Burger, which has been in the burger business for nearly 30 years.
Why it won us over: The positive comments started before tasters even took their first bites. They oohed and aahed over the vibrant chunks of vegetables they could see in the burger: carrots that are actually orange! peas that are still bright green! After tasting, staffers loved that the veggies had integrity and “crispness,” as research fellow Zachary Zawila said. Those vegetables came through in the flavor too. Many appreciated the light springiness of the burger. Ian Stroud, director of creative development, said there was a “plumpness” to each patty, while associate test kitchen manager Inés Anguiano loved that each burger felt “like a homemade veggie burger.” Perhaps no endorsement was as ringing as senior visuals editor Megan Paetzhold who, after a moment of silence, asked, “Can I have another piece?”
We’d love it in: The more mild veggie-centric flavors would shine on a bun with some iceberg lettuce, sliced tomato, and a swoosh of garlicky aioli. Or tuck it into a pita with some hummus, pickles, and hot sauce.
Ultimate Umami: Amy’s Organic California Veggie Burger
If you’ve been in a grocery store freezer aisle, chances are you’ve seen an Amy’s Kitchen product. The company makes a wide range of frozen vegetarian foods, including burritos, mac and cheese, and several different types of veggie burgers. We tested the California Veggie Burger, which has a relatively short ingredients list of easily recognizable whole foods. The base here is mushrooms and bulgur, plus vegetables like carrots, onions, and celery. Also walnuts!
Why it won us over: Tasters quickly identified the earthy, umami-forward mushroom flavor. In fact, on taste alone, several people said that Amy’s ranks highest. Jesse Szewczyk, senior test kitchen editor, liked that the outside of the burger got “especially crunchy.” Though some tasters said the burger was a bit crumbly, everyone agreed the big wave of flavor outweighed any textural shortcomings. As associate director of cooking Emma Laperruque said with a wave of her hand, “Throw a sauce on it and it would be great.
We’d love it in: Swap an Amy’s California Veggie Burger into this saucy Sunny Side Burger With Salsa Verde. Or chop it up and sprinkle it over a salad or grain bowl.
The VBVB (Very Best Veggie Burger): Dr. Praeger’s California Veggie Burgers
Yes, Dr. Praeger was a real doctor. Peter Praeger, a cardiothoracic surgeon, along with his medical partner, Dr. Eric Somburg, created the brand of vegetarian food products in 1994. Carrots, onions, green beans, zucchini, corn, spinach, soy beans, and red bell peppers make up the vegetable base here. Seasonings include garlic, salt, parsley, and black pepper. Ingredients like oat bran, soy flour, and arrowroot keep the patties from falling apart.
Why it won us over: Our tasters said Dr. Praeger’s veggie burger tasted like the platonic ideal of a veggie burger. Inés called it “vegetable-forward,” and associate newsletter editor Li Goldstein liked that she could see distinct pieces of vegetables in the burger. The flavor was balanced between a vegetal greenness and savory umami, while the crisp crust gave way to a soft, chewy center. Emma described the burger as the “classic cookout veggie burger.”
We’d love it in: It’s true what they say: A veggie burger can do anything a beef burger can do. Check out our best burger recipes and substitute to your heart’s content.
We also tried…
In alphabetical order, here are the other burgers we tried in our taste test.
- Actual Veggies Black Bean Veggie Burger: The texture was passable, but the seasoning was too mild.
- Boca All American Veggie Burger: Closer to fake meat, with no identifiable vegetables and a chemical aftertaste.
- MorningStar Farms Garden Veggie: Nice flavor—almost like boxed stuffing!—but overly dry for our taste.
- NoBull Original: An at-home go-to for food director Chris Morocco, some of our tasters loved its heavy hand with lentils, while others found it too legume-y.
- Trader Joe’s Quinoa Cowboy Veggie Burger: Our tasters loved the spice here, but ultimately the burger was too oily, leaving a ring of grease on the plate.