What’s The Difference Between A Veggie Burger And A Plant-Based Burger

Are veggie burgers and plant-based burgers the same thing? If they aren’t, what’s the difference between a veggie burger and a plant-based burger.

In this article, I discuss the similarities and differences between veggie burgers and plant-based burgers. I suggest go-to brands for both foods and reveal what my favorite burger is. Let’s get started.

Plant-Based burgers are made from ingredients that have been isolated and removed from plants to create a meat-like patty. Veggie burgers are made by mixing together a base of beans, rice or soy with binders, seasonings and vegetables.

Table of Contents

Are Veggie Burgers And Plant-Based Burgers Different

Veggie burgers and plant-based burgers are not the same thing. Let’s look at each product closely.

What Is A Veggie Burger

A veggie burger is a burger patty that is made from ingredients that are grown on plants.

A veggie burger is a combination of filling base like beans, rice or soy mixed with vegetable and seasonings.

Here are some ingredients often found in veggie burgers.

White beans
Black Beans
Lentils
Soy
Rice
Nuts
Quinoa
Wheat Gluten
Breadcrumbs
Onions
Mushrooms
Carrots
Potatoes
Spinach
Peppers
Zucchini
Squash

Veggie Burger Brands

Veggie burgers have been around for a long time, they were commercially introduced in the mid-80’s.

MorningStar Farms and Boca Burgers were the first to go mainstream in the United States and have been the big players in the industry until recently.

Lucky for us vegetarians or just veggie lovers overall we now have an abundance of competition in the market and many brands to choose from.

If you are curious about the history of veggie burgers, Smithsonian Magazine has a great article on the subject.

The History Of The Veggie Burger

Here are some pre-made veggie burger brands.

MorningStar Farms
Boca Burger
Dr. Praeger’s
Gardein
Amy’s Organic
Field Roast
Sunshine Organic
Qrunch
Sol Cusine
Sweet Earth
Hillary’s World
Upton’s Naturals

What Is A Plant-Based Burger

Plant-based is kind of a new buzz word.

In theory it should mean any food that is made with plants. That would make both veggie burgers and plant-based burgers the same thing.

Plant-based can be a confusing term depending on how it’s being used. A plant-based diet is a diet that is based on plants and avoids processed foods.

A plant-based burger is referring to burgers that are made from plants that are created to mimic the look, feel, texture, and taste of real meat.

Plant-based burgers do not contain vegetables they are a highly processed creation made in a lab.

I wrote an entire article on What Is Plant-Based Meat Is Made Of.

Plant-Based Burger Brands

Plant-Based burger brands are exploding onto the grocery store and restaurant scene, with what appears like new brands showing up every day.

Here are some plant-based burger brands.

Beyond Burger
Impossible Foods
Incogmeato
Lightlife
Field Roast
Gardein
Raised & Rooted
Pure
Sweet Earth
Good & Gather

What Ingredients Make Plant-Based Burgers Different Than Veggie Burgers

Plant-based burgers are made by extracting and isolating certain parts of plants like the starch or protien. These isolated elements may be fermented and then are combined to make a meat-like food product. Veggie burgers are made with a base item like beans and combined with vegetables and binders.

Are Plant-Based Burgers Better Than Veggie Burgers

Whether a plant-based burger is better than a veggie burger will depend on what you are looking for in a meat-less burger.

What Burger Is Most Like Meat

If you are looking to mimic the real meat burger experience, a plant-based burger would be better than a veggie burger.

What Burger Has More Flavor Options

Veggie burgers have many different flavor options to choose from. There is everything from Italian-style burgers to southwest black bean burgers.

If you are looking for distinct and unique flavors in you meat-less burger patty a veggie burger is a better choice.

Are Veggie Burgers A Processed Food

Any veggie burger that you buy that’s premade from the store is a processed food.

Are Plant-Based Burger A Processed Food

Plant-Based burgers are highly processed foods.

Which is More Healthy Plant-Based Or Veggie Burgers

Depending on the veggie burger you select a veggie burger is more healthy than a plant-based burger.

Both veggie burgers and plant-based burgers are highly processed and can contain genetically modified foods and foods highly sprayed with pesticides.

Plant-based burgers are too new of a food item to know for sure what effects they will have on the human body.

The healthiest option is to select a veggie burger that is organic to ensure it doesn’t contain GMOs or pesticides. After you’ve found an organic burger make sure it doesn’t contain any ingedients that you may be sensitive too like soy or wheat.

The least amount of ingredients in a food the better.

Are Homemade Veggie Burgers Better Than Storebought

Homemade veggie burgers are better than storebought when it comes to health benefits. You know exactly what is going into your burger.

The only challenge is it can be hard to get the consistency correct and make sure the burgers bind and stick together during the cooking process.

Are veggie burgers and plant-based burgers different

Are Veggie Burgers Vegan

Not all veggie burgers are vegan, many veggie burgers contain eggs as a binder. Some brands that carry vegan veggie burgers are Amy’s. Boca, Dr.Preager’s, and Qrunch. Always make sure to check the ingredient list first.

Are Plant-Based Burgers Vegan

The majority of Plant-Based burgers are vegan friendly.

What Is My Favorite Veggie Burger

My favorite veggie burger at the moment is the Vegefi burger from BurgerFi.

The Vegefi burger is a crispy quinoa and veggie burger topped with your traditional burger toppings plus a delicious sauce.

Final Thoughts

Veggie burgers and plant-based burgers are completely different animals (or non-animals) although they are both made from plants.

The processes and the ingredients to make these burgers are very different. Plant-based burgers isolated specific parts of the plants to make a creation in a factory that seems a lot like meat, where veggie burgers are a mixture of ingedients that form a veggie patty.

Don’t be fooled by veggie burgers, they seem like nutritious food but, they can include GMO ingredients, heavily sprayed ingredients with pesticides, and ingredients that can irritate those with food sensitivities.

Plant-based burgers haven’t been around long enough to know if they will be back for your health. We can only guess that they aren’t healthy food.

As with anything it’s best to enjoy your veggie or plant-based burgers in moderation.