Certain members of my family like to limit their meat eating, for various reasons. Aldi sells plenty of food to please a vegetarian or even a vegan palate, ranging from fresh and frozen produce to various offerings under the grocer’s Earth Grown private label. Occasionally, Aldi will also rotate some name-brand vegetarian and vegan selections onto its shelves. This year, I’ve noticed Aldi has frequently stocked Beyond Burgers, which are plant-based patties — made primarily with pea protein — made by Beyond Meat.
Beyond Meat was created in 2009 and makes a variety of plant-based meat substitutes. The company is based in Los Angeles, and its products were initially sold at limited locations and eventually in Whole Foods stores before expanding to other retailers such as Walmart. Beyond Meat has also partnered at different times with fast food retailers such as Dunkin’ Donuts, McDonald’s, and Taco Bell.
Beyond Meat Beyond Burger Plant Based Patties cost $3.99 at the time of publication for an 8-ounce package that contains two 4-ounce patties. That comes out to about $2 per patty.
These are not stocked all the time at Aldi. Instead, they’re an Aldi Find, which means they’re only in stores for a short time. (And you can’t order them online if they aren’t in stock at your local store.) Fortunately, if you miss these, Aldi seems to bring them back often, so you might only have to wait a couple of months or even just a few weeks. If you don’t want to wait, you might also find these at your local regular grocery store or at stores such as Walmart (where they cost $4.34 for a 2-patty package, or $2.17 per patty, at the time of publication) or Target (where they cost $4.79 for 2 patties, or about $2.40 per patty, at the time of publication). The markups at other retailers aren’t bad, but you’ll pay less if you buy these at Aldi.
Beyond Meat Beyond Burger Plant Based Patties nutrition information and ingredients. (Click to enlarge.)
These patties are kosher and vegan-approved. They contain no GMOs, soy, or gluten. The package also states these patties have marbling that melts and tenderizes as you cook. They also advertise having 35% less saturated fat than a 4-ounce patty of 80/20 ground beef.
Glancing at the ingredients list, these have more whole, recognizable ingredients and fewer overall ingredients than I expected for a processed meat substitute. Ingredients are: water, pea protein, expeller-pressed canola oil, refined coconut oil, rice protein, natural flavors, dried yeast, cocoa butter, methylcellulose, and 1% or less of potato starch, salt, potassium chloride, beet juice color, apple extract, pomegranate concentrate, sunflower lecithin, vinegar, lemon juice concentrate, and various vitamins and minerals.
These contain no peanuts or tree nuts. The label does state that peas are legumes and that people with severe allergies to legumes like peanuts should be cautious when introducing pea protein into their diet because of the possibility of a pea allergy.
One patty (113 grams) has 230 calories, 14 grams of total fat (18% DV), 5 grams of saturated fat (25% DV), no cholesterol, 390 mg of sodium (17% DV), 7 grams of total carbohydrates (3% DV), 2 grams of dietary fiber (7% DV), no sugar, and 20 grams of protein.
These patties should be kept refrigerated and used within three days of opening. If purchased frozen, thaw in the refrigerator before cooking, and consume with 10 days of thawing in the fridge. Do not refreeze.
The patties can be cooked on the grill or in a skillet. To cook, preheat the grill or a nonstick pan to medium-high heat and cook for about 4 minutes on each side. Do not overcook. The edge and interior of the patty may still be red or pink when fully cooked. It is not recommended to microwave, boil, or deep fry the patties.
Beyond Meat patties on the left, and Wahlburgers beef patties in the center and on the right.
These patties aren’t bad. I’ve looked at them, thought about them, and set them back on the refrigerator shelf several times in the store. I think they have a slimy-looking appearance when viewed through the packaging, which initially put me off trying them. However, when I finally bought them and served them (grilled) for dinner recently, my family thought they were all right.
Grilled Beyond Meat patties on top, grilled Wahlburgers beef burgers on the bottom.
We noticed they have a slightly different texture compared to a regular burger. I also think they have a mild pea-like aftertaste, but it wasn’t bad. In some ways, these reminded me a bit of school lunch burgers back when I was a kid — not necessarily bad, but different from what I was used to eating at home. For dedicated vegetarians or vegans, these are a solid option if you’re craving a burger without the meat.
The Verdict:
Beyond Meat Beyond Burger Plant Based Patties are made primarily with pea protein, and if you’re looking for a meat substitute to put between your burger buns, this is a decent option. Their texture is only slightly different than a regular burger, and they have a slight pea-like aftertaste, but overall we liked these. They’re also not exclusive to Aldi, so you might be able to find them at other retailers if Aldi isn’t currently stocking them.
