Impossible won because it cracked the code on the hardest part of faking beef: the Maillard reaction. Soy leghemoglobin (heme) gives the patty a browning behavior and savory depth that pea-protein competitors can't touch. Sporked's editorial panel gave it a perfect 10/10 and named it Best of the Best after three separate rounds of testing. Their resident plant-based meat reviewer Jordan said the contest with Beyond was 'very close,' but Impossible's texture and moistness edged it out.
Make It Dairy Free independently confirmed the pick. They tested 11 brands side-by-side on identical buns with ketchup, looking specifically for 'the one closest to what we remember meat-based burgers tasting like.' Impossible won. Larisha Bernard's team praised the browning, the lack of grease, and the flavor that held up without heavy condiments.
The patty chars like ground beef on a hot skillet. It crumbles when bitten into rather than bouncing back like rubber, which is the failure mode of most plant burgers. Eat This Not That's dietitian ranked it #4 overall but noted it was 'undoubtedly more satiating than many.' At roughly $2.75 per patty, it sits in the same price band as Beyond, so the choice between them comes down to soy tolerance and seasoning preference.
One source dissented hard. Tasting Table's Sierra Winters ranked it #11 of 14, calling the flavor 'flat' and flagging sticking problems. That's worth knowing: Impossible polarizes. If you're coming from the veggie-forward tradition and don't want your burger pretending to be beef, this pick will confuse you.
What It Won't Do
The ingredient list reads like a chemistry set. Soy protein concentrate, methylcellulose, soy leghemoglobin, cultured dextrose, modified food starch. If 'recognizable ingredients' matters to you, Impossible fails that test completely. It also contains soy and coconut, ruling out two of the most common food allergies. And Tasting Table's reviewer flagged real sticking problems: the patties cling to their packaging and to cookware, requiring careful handling that other brands don't demand.
Dr. Praeger's California wins on a simple math equation that none of the meat-mimickers can match. Four patties for $5.99 works out to $1.50 per burger, roughly half what Impossible or Beyond costs per serving. That price difference compounds fast if you're eating veggie burgers two or three times a week.
The Kitchn's editorial team ran a panel taste test across 10 brands and picked it unanimously. Brian, their director of people operations, said it 'tastes homemade,' which is the highest compliment a frozen product can receive. The panel loved the visible vegetables (carrots, peas, spinach, corn) peeking through the golden-brown crust.
This is a veggie burger that knows what it is. It doesn't bleed, it doesn't pretend to be beef, and it doesn't need to. The flavor is fresh and garden-forward. The calorie count is 110 per patty, less than half of Impossible's 240. Dr. Praeger's has been making these since 1994, which means the formulation has had three decades of refinement.
The tradeoff is protein. At 5 grams per patty versus Impossible's 19, this is not a macro-friendly post-workout meal. It's a weeknight dinner patty that costs less than a dollar fifty and tastes better than anything at that price point has a right to.
What It Won't Do
Five grams of protein per patty is the elephant in the room. Fitness-conscious buyers or anyone tracking macros will need to supplement with another protein source. The patty also contains soy and wheat, so it's not allergen-friendly despite the whole-food ingredients. And it's fragile; multiple sources note it falls apart on the grill. This is strictly a skillet or oven burger.
Who Should Buy Which
Impossible Burger Plant-Based Patties
The one that fooled meat eaters in every taste test we analyzed
- You want to serve burgers at a mixed gathering where some guests eat meat and others don't
- The Maillard browning, the char, the crumble, and the juiciness matter more to you than a clean ingredient label
- You're a former meat-eater transitioning to plant-based and want the closest sensory match to what you remember
- You have access to any major US grocery store (Impossible is stocked virtually everywhere)
- You prioritize taste-test consensus: Impossible won two of our six sources outright
Dr. Praeger's California Veggie Burgers
The $1.50-per-patty veggie burger that tastes homemade
- You eat veggie burgers multiple times a week and the per-patty cost adds up
- You actually like tasting vegetables in your veggie burger rather than engineered beef flavor
- You're counting calories and want a 110-calorie patty instead of a 240-calorie one
- You prefer recognizable ingredients (carrots, spinach, broccoli, peas) over protein isolates and methylcellulose
- You want a brand with 30 years of frozen-food expertise behind every box