I tasted McDonald’s vegan McPlant and a beef burger blindfolded – could I tell the difference?

TAKING a bite of the McDonald’s burger in front of me, I didn’t know what to expect.

Blindfolded, I wasn’t sure if I was biting into beef or beyond meat, a plant-based version of a juicy meat patty.

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McDonald’s promises that its new McPlant tastes just like a real burger made from beef – but could I tell them apart?

The fast food chain’s vegan burger is is made from “fake meat” and is now available at all UK branches giving customers a meat-free menu option.

I’m not a vegan myself, but do sometimes go for veggie or vegan versions on menus over meatier dishes.

I’ve tried “fake meat” burgers and chicken from other chains and restaurants, but this was my first time tasting the McDonald’s McPlant.

I was curious to find out if I could tell the difference between the McPlant and the usual meat patties in a McDonald’s burger.

The McPlant includes a plant-based patty developed with Beyond Meat, along with onion, pickles, lettuce and tomato.

There’s also vegan cheese and the whole thing is topped with mustard, ketchup and a vegan burger sauce in a classic sesame seed bun.

After consulting my colleague who got an exclusive first taste of the McPlant last year, I decided to compare it to the Quarter Pounder with Cheese.

She said it tasted just like the meaty original – but can I tell the difference eating them side-by-side in a blind taste test?

I pulled on a trusty blindfold – an eye mask that I use for sleeping that blocks out all light – and grabbed my bag of burgers.

I took each one out of the bag at random, not knowing if I was diving into the real burger or plant-based patty.

Here’s how I got on…

Burger 1

When I first took a bite, I thought I’d missed the burger itself – with my eyes covered I thought I’d just munched a mouthful of bun.

After a second bite, there was a bit more to it, but I immediately thought it was the McPlant.

My suspicions were aroused by the consistency rather than flavour.

It was more melt in the mouth and didn’t have the heft I’d expect of a meat burger.

This wasn’t an unpleasant consistency and I still found it a tasty burger to eat.

The cheese however, tasted just like normal burger cheese – so, could I actually be eating a meat burger?

McDonald’s spent three years trying to get its vegan cheese just right.

Apparently the American slices are hard to imitate, but it appears Maccies have nailed this one.

The burger sauce, fresh veg and accompaniments like sauce and pickles were all spot on too, and the flavour was no different to a beef patty, so maybe I was wrong…

Burger 2

My first bite of the second burger appeared to confirm my already aroused suspicions – but I still didn’t know for sure which was which.

With my blindfold remaining firmly in place, I chowed down on burger number two.

This patty was much firmer and felt like there was more to chew on.

Was it proof that there was beef between the buns?

But I have to admit that the Quarter Pounder with cheese is my burger of choice when getting a Maccies takeaway – and the second burger tasted very familiar.

Having said that, this “meat” (or not) tasted drier than the first burger, which was lighter and juicer combined with the fresh veg and sauce.

The reveal

Could I tell the difference between the McPlant and Quarter Pounder with Cheese which has a real beef patty?

I took off blindfold to discover… I guessed correctly.

Trying each burger side by side, it was easy to tell the difference. Mainly this was because of the consistency of the “meat” patty.

There seems less to it, and it does look smaller when comparing both burgers in front of me.

I enjoyed the McPlant and on its own, I’d say the whole thing – bun and all – tastes just like a good burger.

With the fresh lettuce and tomato, it might be a little closer to a Big Mac apart from having one patty rather than the signature burger’s two.

If I had eaten the McPlant solo without a meat comparison, I don’t think I would have known the difference.

But biting down on a beef burger has a very specific feel about it – it is a hunk of meat after all.

And doing so straight after a taste of the McPlant highlighted those slightly different consistencies.

If I was craving a burger but didn’t want something too heavy, I would still happily order a McPlant.

McDonald’s isn’t the only expanding its meat-free menu either.

Burger King has added vegan “chicken” nuggets to its line-up and Greggs has created a vegan version of its popular cheese and bean melt.

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This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk