We all remember news headlines from 2019 when plant-based burger patties were a hot topic of discussion. Beyond Meat went public and the stock market was buzzing about it. Curious consumers were flocking to the stores to try the new “bleeding” meatless burger. As we all know, meatless and veggie burgers are not new items in American stores and diets, they were invented by an American after all.
Plant-based and made with pride in the USA!
What actually appears to be new, is the ever-growing number of plant-based burger patties and we will do our best in this article to list some of the brands that have emerged on the market in the last few years as well as the ones that have been around for a while and perhaps don’t mimic animal meats in texture and taste but are as popular and in demand as the ones that do. Whether you are looking for a veggie patty that doesn’t resemble animal meat or you’d rather have a green patty that is made of less processed greens and veggies, you are in luck these days. The term “plant-based” gained tremendous popularity in the last six or so years and it simply allows people to choose foods that contain no animal protein even if they don’t consider themselves vegan or vegetarian. So, If you call a traditional veggie patty a plant-based one, you will not be wrong.
The proliferation of plant-based burger patties is on an upward trajectory. From scarcity just a year ago to now being on the shelves in every store, these edible products will stay with us for a long time. More and more national grocers are opting for private label burger patties and that can only be viewed as a positive trend. Competition in the plant-based foods industry will result in improved quality of the final product. Private label patties are those manufactured by one company for sale under another company. Many American national retailers sell private label patties and the most recent ones I had a chance to sample are Target’s own and Sprout’s Farmer’s Market patties.
Let’s first mention some of the pioneers of the veggie patties in the US. Some of these companies paved the way to the “high-tech, plant-based” patties of today.
Boca Burger founded way back in 1979 in Boca Raton, Florida, these patties were some of the first “All-American veggie burgers” on the market. Recently reformulated to appeal to the ever-growing flexitarian audience, these patties have excellent reviews and an affordable price tag.
Morning Star Farms introduced its first soy-based patties to the market in 1975. Although the ownership of the brand changed since then, these veggie patties remain one of the first pioneers of the plan—based burger revolution. With a large selection of vegan patties in a variety of flavors, this brand has a large fan base and it is available in virtually all food markets today. You can also order them via Instacart or through any of your favorite food delivery apps.
Don Lee Farms, established in 1982 in Marina Del Ray, California, this family-owned food factory is one of the most successful and widely recognized pioneers in the plant-based protein and veggie burger patties market. They produce vegan burger patties utilizing quinoa, GMO-free soy, and a variety of organic vegetable sourced proteins. They can be found in almost all supermarkets nationally and even internationally nowadays.
Tofurky, a vegan food company founded more than 30 years ago by a tempeh maker in Oregon, grew to a serious manufacturer of not only plant-based holiday roasts that are incredibly popular during thanksgiving but also tasty meatless patties you can buy at most health food markets as well as online. Most of us are familiar with Tofurky’s meatless turkey deli slices we use in vegan sandwiches. We expect this company’s popularity as well as its assortment of plant-based products to continue to grow globally.
A list of the American-made brand names that are more recent on the plant-based protein scene is constantly growing and nowadays we have over 50 US manufacturers of meatless burger patties in the US alone. American stores carry a wide array of English and Canadian plant-based patties today but let’s take a look at some of the popular American brands below.