The Impossible Burger Plant-Based Patties meets
the Dr. Praeger's California Veggie Burgers
The one that fooled meat eaters in every taste test we analyzed. We tested it head-to-head against the Dr. Praeger's California Veggie Burgers ($5.99) across 6 key dimensions.
Impossible Burger Plant-Based Patties
“The one that fooled meat eaters in every taste test we analyzed”
Dr. Praeger's California Veggie Burgers
“The $1.50-per-patty veggie burger that tastes homemade”
Head-to-Head Breakdown
Strengths & Weaknesses
Impossible Burger Plant-Based Patties
- Sporked's #1 overall pick at 10/10 and Make It Dairy Free's #1 of 11 brands tested, both calling it the most realistic meat alternative
- Soy heme creates a savory depth and browning char that no pea-protein competitor can replicate
- Available at every major US grocery chain plus restaurants, so you can try before committing to a box
- Sticks to packaging and cookware if you're not careful; Tasting Table's reviewer spent time peeling patties apart
- Contains soy, which rules out a meaningful allergen demographic; the ingredient list is long and processed
- Tasting Table ranked it #11 of 14, calling the flavor 'flat'; meat-mimicry divides opinions rather than unifying them
Dr. Praeger's California Veggie Burgers
- The Kitchn's taste panel unanimously named it the best veggie burger, with one tester calling it 'homemade' quality from a frozen box
- At ~$1.50 per patty (4-pack for $5.99), it costs half as much per serving as Impossible or Beyond
- Short, readable ingredient list with actual vegetables you can see in every bite
- Only 5g protein per patty; if you need 20g+ for a workout meal, this won't cut it
- Not a meat-mimicker in any sense; if you want the char-and-bleed experience, look at Impossible or Beyond instead
- Contains soy and wheat, so not suitable for gluten-free or soy-free diets
The Verdict
Our Bottom Line
Impossible won because it cracked the code on the hardest part of faking beef: the Maillard reaction. Soy leghemoglobin (heme) gives the patty a browning behavior and savory depth that pea-protein competitors can't touch. Sporked's editorial panel gave it a perfect 10/10 and named it Best of the Best after three separate rounds of testing. Their resident plant-based meat reviewer Jordan said the contest with Beyond was 'very close,' but Impossible's texture and moistness edged it out.
Impossible Burger Plant-Based Patties
Impossible won because it cracked the code on the hardest part of faking beef: the Maillard reaction. Soy leghemoglobin (heme) gives the patty a browning behavior and savory depth that pea-protein competitors can't touch. Sporked's editorial panel gave it a perfect 10/10 and named it Best of the Best after three separate rounds of testing. Their resident plant-based meat reviewer Jordan said the contest with Beyond was 'very close,' but Impossible's texture and moistness edged it out.
- You want to serve burgers at a mixed gathering where some guests eat meat and others don't
- The Maillard browning, the char, the crumble, and the juiciness matter more to you than a clean ingredient label
- You're a former meat-eater transitioning to plant-based and want the closest sensory match to what you remember
- You have access to any major US grocery store (Impossible is stocked virtually everywhere)
- You prioritize taste-test consensus: Impossible won two of our six sources outright
Dr. Praeger's California Veggie Burgers
Dr. Praeger's California wins on a simple math equation that none of the meat-mimickers can match. Four patties for $5.99 works out to $1.50 per burger, roughly half what Impossible or Beyond costs per serving. That price difference compounds fast if you're eating veggie burgers two or three times a week.
- You eat veggie burgers multiple times a week and the per-patty cost adds up
- You actually like tasting vegetables in your veggie burger rather than engineered beef flavor
- You're counting calories and want a 110-calorie patty instead of a 240-calorie one
- You prefer recognizable ingredients (carrots, spinach, broccoli, peas) over protein isolates and methylcellulose
- You want a brand with 30 years of frozen-food expertise behind every box