MANY of us have jumped on the Veganuary bandwagon, but it’s not always easy to constantly come up with meals that don’t include meat.
Luckily, some of our favourite fast food chains have launched vegan alternatives on their usual delicious menus to help us out.
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But how do they compare to the real thing?
I tested vegan menu items from seven of the UK’s favourite takeaways, rating each out of five for taste and how much they could pass as meat.
McDonald’s Double McPlant, £4.49
When it was launched in September 2021, McDonald’s first vegan burger – the McPlant – became an instant hit.
Now, after a lot of demand, the fast food chain has finally brought out the Double McPlant, and it tastes just as good.
The burger features two Beyond Meat patties, a vegan sesame bun, mustard, ketchup, the ultimate vegan sandwich sauce, fresh onion, pickles, lettuce, tomato and of course, vegan cheese.
Although this burger tastes much more like veggies and sauce than meat, it’s really delicious – and is a great selection for any vegans or veggies out there.
Taste: 4
Meatiness: 2
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Calories: 590kcal
Domino’s The Vegan American Hot, £12 for a large throughout January
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Domino’s American Hot has always been one of the pizza chain’s bestsellers, and now it comes in a vegan version too.
The pizza, made with vegan mozzarella cheese, is topped with specially-created pepperoni from The Vegetarian Butcher – which could easily pass for the real thing – as well as red onions and green jalapeños for that extra kick.
As a big Domino’s fan, this didn’t disappoint in flavour, but the vegan cheese made the dish taste noticeably different to the usual cheese used in their pizzas.
The pizza also came with a vegan version of Domino’s famous Garlic & Herb dip.
However, while it was nice, it wasn’t a patch on the original.
Taste: 4
Meatiness: 3
Calories: 2059kcal
Subway Plant-based Teriyaki Steak, prices vary
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For the new year, Subway has brought out a new Teriyaki Steak sub, as well as a plant-based version, created in partnership with The Vegetarian Butcher.
The sub has a Teriyaki sauce, Vegan CheeZe – as well as whatever veggies you like.
The fake steak in this sub was quite nice, somehow tasting like duck you’d get in a cheap Chinese restaurant, and the sauce was OK.
But, overall, I found the sub to be quite dry unfortunately, and I couldn’t taste the CheeZe at all.
Taste: 2
Meatiness: 3
Calories: 580kcal for a footlong
Nando’s Spiced Chickpea Wrap and Pitta, £8 with no sides
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Nando’s lovers will know that the spicy chicken restaurant already had a Spiced Chickpea Burger – and now you can get it in a wrap or pitta too.
I’d never tried the chickpea and spinach patty before, and was very pleasantly surprised.
While it’s definitely not a replacement for the meat flavours, it’s absolutely delicious, full of flavour, and has just the right amount of kick (I opted for medium sauce to go on top).
Whether you get the patty in a burger, wrap or pitta, it comes with houmous, red pepper chutney and pink pickled onions.
Plus, the pitta comes with rainbow slaw, and the wrap with lettuce.
Taste: 5
Meatiness: 2
Calories: 656kcal (Wrap), 621kcal (Pitta)
Greggs’ Vegan Southern Fried Chicken-Free Baguette, £3.60
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Adding to their vegan menu, alongside the iconic vegan sausage roll, Greggs has brought out a vegan version of its Southern Fried Chicken Baguette.
It’s made with chicken-free goujons – which you can also buy on their own – topped with mature Cheddar vegan cheeZe flavour slices, sliced red onion and chipotle chilli sauce, and it’s quite tasty.
The Southern fried coating on the vegan pieces tricks your mind into thinking it’s chicken, although there’s a slight aftertaste of soy.
Meanwhile, the cheeZe also seems like the real thing when it’s inside a warm baguette.
Taste: 4
Meatiness: 4
Calories: 570kcal
KFC’s Vegan Burger, £5.99
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KFC’s vegan burger is made with an original recipe Quorn fillet, coated in the fast food joint’s famous 11 Herbs and spices.
That’s then put into a sesame bun with lettuce and vegan mayo.
Despite all that, this burger was extremely dry, and very disappointing.
I wouldn’t rush back to have it.
Having said that, the herbs and spices recipe slightly made up for it when it came to taste.
Taste: 2
Meatiness: 3
Calories: 405kcal
Burger King’s Vegan Royale Bakon King, £6.69 – £7.49 (dependent on location)
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All I can say about this is WOW.
If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve definitely thought I was eating real beef, bacon and cheese eating this burger.
The Vegan Royale Bakon King comes with Burger King’s Vegan Royale patty in a soft sesame bun, topped with La Vie plant-based bacon (which we’ve previously rated as our favourite fake bacon), two slices of smooth vegan Cheeeze (which tastes so creamy), plus egg-free mayo and ketchup.
We have a winner!
Taste: 5
Meatiness: 5
Calories: 691kcal
