If it looks like a burger, tastes like a burger, and even bleeds like a burger, then it must be a…plant based creation crafted by the mad scientists over at Impossible Foods?
That’s right.
Their latest target? A sandwich as American as mom’s apple pie and a legend as old as time: Burger King’s flagship sandwich, The Whopper.
As vegan cuisine enters its very own renaissance, fast food restaurants are beginning to capitalize on the sensation.
Taco Bell has become the Mecca for vegan fast food. KFC is rolling out their very own Impossible fried chicken by the buckets. Burger King has finally unleashed its plant-based substitution, and the subject of today’s review, the Impossible Whopper.
Entering the (onion) ring at a suggested retail price of $5.59 (a dollar more than the original beef whopper), the Impossible Whopper comes out swinging on all fronts.
Upon first bite, you would be hard pressed to find a discernible difference between the impossible patty and your standard beefy affair. It tastes and looks just like an ordinary Whopper; there’s even a little pink in the “meat” to psych you out further.
Per the Impossible Foods website, the “meat” is able to bleed because of a key ingredient called soy leghemoglobin. Soy leghemoglobin is a genetically altered yeast molecule that mimics the bleeding effect and even the iron-y taste of real beef.
As far as burgers go, it’s a cut above the hastily made sandwiches you would find at your local Wendy’s or McDonald’s, much like the original Whopper is. Although, it would be a reach to claim that these burgers are on the same caliber as something you would find at Five Guys or even your local Chili’s.
Most importantly, the Impossible faux beef is noticeably lighter, meaning you don’t feel the imminent despair that follows eating the original Whopper (or literally any other item from Burger King). It’s worth the extra dollar up front to not pay the price afterward. Fork up another buck, forgo the grizzly aftermath.
As great as the Whopper’s vegan counterpart is, it still falls victim to the sandwich’s traditional shortcomings. Unfortunately with the Impossible Whopper, it’s not as if Burger King became the east coast’s answer to In-N-Out.
An everlasting gripe with the whopper is the (vegan) beef to bun ratio; by the time the patty has sailed through the ocean of condiments and toppings you’re left with a sesame encrusted raft.
However, if you expected that raft to hold up through the abundance of mayonnaise and tomato, you would be sunk. Depending on who’s building the ship, your mileage may vary (I had to eat it twice to be sure; upon removing the mayo and tomato, the whopper proved itself to be structurally sound).
So nice, I had to try it twice.
Smaller patties and soggy buns aside, the Impossible Whopper does its meaty predecessor justice. It functions perfectly fine as a burger, and for those vegans who yearn for the char and gristle every time they’re invited to a cookout, this should bring you and the family a little closer together next Memorial Day.
The impossible Whopper gets 7.5 Guy Fieris out of 10.