Plant-based burgers have become increasingly popular in recent years as more people enjoy meatless Mondays or go fully vegan and vegetarian.
Now, one of the country's largest fast-food chains is jumping on the meatless patty wagon and will offering up a vegetarian burger at restaurant locations nationwide.
Starting August 8, Burger King will be serving its Impossible Whopper to customers from coast-to-coast.
Burger King began testing the meatless version of its famous Whopper in St. Louis, Missouri locations back in April. It was then rolled out to other test cities including San Francisco, Las Vegas, Miami, Baltimore and Columbus, Georgia.
“We are really excited to be able to offer our new Impossible Whopper to our guests across the country at an unbeatable value for a limited time,” Chris Finazzo, president of Burger King North America, said in a statement. “Since we first launched our market tests in St. Louis in April, and later in six other markets across the country, we’ve heard great feedback and know the Impossible Whopper appeals to both current guests who are already big fans of the Whopper sandwich, as well as new guests who are excited about this new option."
The flame-grilled patty is served with all of the usual Whopper fixings like sliced tomatoes, onions, lettuce, ketchup and pickles. Since the sandwich uses an egg-based mayonnaise it's not vegan.
The patty itself is made from Impossible Foods' signature burger blend which includes soy protein, potato protein, coconut oil, sunflower oil, salt, yeast and a variety of emulsifying agents. The key, not-so-secret ingredient is heme, an iron-rich molecule that gives Impossible burgers a meaty taste.
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But how does it really taste?
On Friday, the TODAY anchors gave the new burger a try and were all happily surprised.
"I love a good Whopper," said Sunday TODAY anchor Willie Geist, "and this tastes very similar."
"This is delightful!" Sheinelle Jones exclaimed.
While the anchors could tell that the patty wasn't exactly beef, they enjoyed the "flame-grilled" taste and texture. Savannah Guthrie did ask the question on many people's mind as they contemplate meatless options: Is it actually better for you? The answer is a little complicated.
A traditional Whopper has 660 calories, 40 grams of fat (12 of which are saturated) and 28 grams of protein. The Impossible Whopper clocks in at 630 calories, 34 grams of fat (11 saturated) and 25 grams of protein, so it's pretty similar from a macro nutritional standpoint. However, the Impossible Whopper has 58 grams of carbs to the traditional Whopper's 49. It also has more sodium. Still, if you're avoiding meat for ethical or environmental reasons, it's nice to have a choice.
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If you really, really want to try the new Impossible Whopper but don't want to leave your house, DoorDash is going to make it easier for you in the next few weeks.
Burger King will be partnering with the the third-party meal delivery service from August 8 to September 1. Just use the code IMPOSSIBLE at checkout to enjoy one Impossible Whopper, plus one original Whopper burger for just $7.
While this might not be an ideal deal for two vegetarian diners, it could be a fun experiment for the carnivores out there to see if they can really taste the difference. (You probably can, but it's still tasty.)
Most people are pretty stoked that McDonald's biggest competitor will now be offering something the golden arches doesn't have.
Burger King told TODAY that its Impossible Whopper will only be available for a limited-edition run, but would not specify an exact timeline.
"We’ll see how our guests respond. If our guests tell us they want more of the Impossible Whopper, we’ll take this into consideration," a representative for the chain said via email.
While available, the Impossible Whopper will sell for $5.59. A regular, meaty Whopper costs about $4.50.
