Product Review: Beyond vs. Impossible Ground “Beef”
Which impossibility is beyond compare? I go beyond to uncover which vegan ground beef is impossibly beyond for you to enjoy impossibly meaty meals beyond compare.
but only 2 products?!
There really are only 2 US-nationally available vegan ground beef products (as in the kind that can be used for patties):
Several companies like Gardein and Lightlife make plant-based crumbles for toppings, sauces, and casseroles. However, these ingredients cannot form burgers on their own. And one company, Everything Legendary, has a regionally available product that I may pit against my winner one day!
But for now, my choices are Beyond and Impossible.
There’s also no conventional control 
I haven’t eaten meat in 15 years, and haven’t cooked it in 5. Although I’m open to revisiting dairy products for things like my vegan cream cheese review, meat is where I draw the proverbial line.
That said, since my grandfather was a loyal employee of Perdue, wholesale meat was a childhood staple of mine. My memories of it are strong!
Yet should they falter, my omnivorous spouse Chuck is more than happy to eat in the name of data collection.
Nevertheless, it remains…
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Chronological Assessment
I generally buy, prepare, cook, and eat any product in that order. With few contestants in this review, I decided to report and rank my experiences with Beyond Beef Plant-Based Ground and Impossible Ground Beef From Plants in 5 chronologically ordered categories:
1. Price
Beyond 
Impossible 
Honestly, the prices of Beyond and Impossible ground “beef” are comparable. Around the time of this post, my regional grocer sold 16-oz (454-g) packages of Beyond for $9.99; 12-oz (340-g) packages of Impossible, $7.99 – not on sale.
Beyond was therefore 62¢/oz (28 g) and Impossible was 67¢. However, when the latter is on sale, it can be cheaper (per oz/28 g) than the former.
2. Packaging
Beyond
Impossible
Beyond has a serious advantage here: It comes in a 16-oz (454-g) package! Many recipes call for this amount of ground beef which is an annoying 1.3 packages of Impossible.
However, both are equally easy to open.
3. Shaping
Beyond
Impossible
But they are not equally easy to shape! Beyond frustrated me as it stuck to my fingers even as I dipped them in water to prevent any sticking from happening.
I much prefer Impossible at this stage.
4. Grilling
Beyond
Impossible
Grilling Impossible ground “beef” is a dream! It flips flawlessly, and changes from pink to brown as it cooks.
Beyond, by contrast, presents a bit of a struggle going from side 1 to 2. There also isn’t much of a color change to indicate doneness.
That said, both brands reached an internal temperature of 165°F/74°C after searing 4 minutes per side. If visual cues are unhelpful, setting timers can help.
5. Eating
Beyond &
Impossible
It’s complicated…
Beyond is more flavorful, but Impossible is more like beef in taste and texture. While Beyond is somewhat grainy, Impossible is uniformly dense –
just like an all-beef patty would be.
Parting Notes
Ultimately, my goal is to identify which product is closest to the conventional ingredient it aims to replace. Though Beyond Beef Plant-Based Ground is slightly cheaper and more flavorful than Impossible, Impossible Ground Beef From Plants behaves and tastes more like meat – making it my winner.
I still wish it came in a 16-oz (454-g) package though.
Did I miss one?
Leave a comment if you see a plant-based ground beef at Walmart, Target, Aldi, Trader Joe’s, and/or Whole Foods Market that’s not on this list. I’d love to test it against my winner and update my content!
Please know I support and shop local when I can. Everywhere I’ve lived – and the number of places is many and growing – I have discovered numerous small companies making fantastic vegan alternatives.
Yet as much as I commend them, they are not the focus of this blog. My goal instead is to curate and present information that travels with me to wherever I go, and then travels again from wherever I am to wherever you are
