McDonald’s McPlant Burger Divides Our Veggie Taste-Testers

So, we finally have the first new Adele’s song in years. But it’s not the only launch that has left Twitter hungry for more this week.

McDonald’s new McPlant burger has also hit 250 branches around the country, following a test-run in Canada and a trial in 13 UK restaurants in September.

The fast food outlet says the McPlant is its first ever plant-based burger and, in the UK and Ireland at least, it’s accredited as vegan by the Vegetarian Society.

The impressive burger stack is built around a plant-based patty from Beyond Meat, a slice of cheese made from pea protein, a new vegan sauce, as well as that Maccies mix of mustard, ketchup, onion, pickles, lettuce and tomato.

Oh, and a vegan sesame bun.

The HuffPost team was obviously keen to put this heavily-touted product to the taste-test. But not before we checked – and McDonald’s confirmed – that it’s prepared in a Vegan-friendly way, too.

“The meat is cooked on a separate grill and used with separate tongs to avoid cross contamination with meat and dairy products,” said a spokesperson, who added that the fries supplied are also vegan, not just because they’re made from potatoes – “obvs!” – but because they are cooked with sunflower and rapeseed oil in dedicated vats, separate from any animal products.

McDonald’s says it plans to roll them the McPlant nationwide by January. In the meantime, four (mostly) veggies from the newsroom got stuck in to give us their verdicts below.