As many of you know from my previous articles, I am a vegetarian and a foodie, all in one. I have already written about why I decided to eliminate meat from my diet. I also ranked Ypsilanti eateries and chain restaurants on their vegetarian options. Naturally, judging the best new vegetarian foods at favorite fast food joints seemed like an ideal topic for me.
Most fast-food joints aren't known for offering many vegetarian options. McDonald's and Wendy's offer few meals without chicken or beef. Even if a vegetarian orders a salad without chicken, you have to pay extra for the meat you aren't getting! Taco Bell only offers meatless burritos and tacos, so everything is bean-filled and cheesy.
Some fast-food restaurants do offer better vegetarian menu items. White Castle has vegetarian sliders. I have never tried the sliders because I have never been to White Castle. Del Taco serves burritos and tacos with the Beyond Meat substitute, I tried the tacos and they were delicious!
In case you're not up to speed on happenings within the foodie world, in April 2019 Burger King announced they were launching their very own vegetarian burger, the Impossible Whopper, nationwide by the end of the year.
That's right! It's a vegetarian burger!
My boyfriend and I ordered the Impossible Whopper, medium fries, and drinks. The cashier had us pull over after telling us the Impossible patties take a while to cook. We then waited five minutes before the cashier gave us our food.
The burgers were definitely worth the wait.
The Impossible Whoppers were heavy and large, I did not expect this! They looked as good as they do in the commercials (seriously!).
The burger was topped with ketchup, mayonnaise, onions, lettuce, and pickles and was in a sesame seed bun. There was no cheese on it, but do not be fooled — it's not vegan. All of the toppings were equally distributed.
I will admit I have not had a beef burger in a long time but my boyfriend does cheat on his vegetarian diet once a month. We both thought that it tasted exactly like a burger, a Whopper specifically. For a moment we worried that Burger King accidentally gave us the wrong burgers.
Although I try not to eat fast food often, I already want another Impossible Whopper! Now that I have easier access to vegetarian fast food, it will be more difficult to resist!
For all my vegetarian and vegan friends out there, Burger King does cook the Impossible Whopper on the same grill as the chicken and beef. I personally don't mind the slight cross-contamination, but it does sometimes hurt my stomach. I did not feel sick after eating this surprisingly, even though it's fast food! You could also request the grill be cleaned prior to cooking your patty (cheers to being difficult).
If you are not yet convinced to try it, the burger is a good price ($7.79 for the meal) and it isbetter for you. The Impossible Whopper has fewer calories, less fat including no trans fat, and more fiber.
If you are looking to limit calorie intake, the Impossible Whopper (with 630 calories) has 30 fewer calories than the regular Whopper (with 660 calories). The Impossible Whopper also has 4 grams of fiber, which is 2 grams more than the regular Whopper.
Since people should consume only 2 grams of trans fat a day on a 2,000 calorie diet, the Impossible Whopper is the better choice since the regular Whopper has 1.5 grams of trans fat. If you are looking to limit overall fat intake, the Impossible Whopper has only 34 grams of fat whereas the regular Whopper has 40 grams.
If you are concerned about protein, most websites conclude that a person needs 40-60 grams of protein per day, depending on weight, activity level, and other factors. To put this into perspective, the Impossible Whopper has 25 grams of protein and the regular Whopper has 28 grams of protein.
You can get almost half your day's worth of protein from the Impossible Whopper!
Whether or not you eat meat, if you like burgers, I think you will like the Impossible Whopper from Burger King. The Impossible and Beyond Meat burgers are also sold at many local and chain restaurants.
Even if you do not think you will like it, try it just ONCE. You will never know if you like something until you try it! I bet you will be impressed.
