To wonder what most vegetarians prefer

[shaniahoo]

I was looking at reviews of a brand of meat free burger and somebody said that they're sick of these meat replacement products and that vegetarians tend to prefer a burger made with chickpeas, beans, pepper etc which is more like real vegetarian food. I'm not a vegetarian but sort of a meat-avoider because I don't like meat very much and prefer vegetarian products, but I still firmly prefer a veggie burger or sausage to taste like meat and I often find the stuff made of pulses to be quite mealy. If you're a vegetarian what do you prefer?
YABU - prefer pulses and vegetables etc
YANBU - prefer meat imitation

I’m not overly keen on either, but for the occasional veggie burger would opt for pretend meat one.
Never really enjoyed the combo of pulses, beans on a burger bun.

I think it depends on why the person isn't eating meat. If they don't like the taste and texture of meat then bean burgers etc are ideal. However, if they are doing it for ethical reasons, then meat alternatives that resemble meat are probably what they would choose.
I tried a McDonalds vegan burger and was impressed with it (as a meat-eater) and it's less calories than meat. However, the burger contains:

Plant Based Burger
Ingredients: Water, Pea Protein (16%), Rapeseed Oil, Coconut Oil, Flavouring, Rice Protein, Stabiliser (Methyl Cellulose), Potato Starch, Apple Extract, Salt, Pomegranate Extract, Potassium Chloride, Concentrated Lemon Juice, Maize Vinegar, Yeast Extract, Carrot Powder, Emulsifier (Sunflower Lecithin), Colour (Beetroot Red), Maltodextrin.

Compared to the real version:

Quarter Beef Patty
Ingredients: 100% Pure Beef.
No additives, fillers, binders, preservatives or flavour enhancers. Just pure forequarter and flank. A little salt and pepper is added to season after cooking.

Think it depends on how long you’ve been a vegetarian as well as why you gave up meat. I know people in both camps. The people I know who cite ethics seem to like the meat replacements as they fend off a craving. People I know who haven’t eaten meat for years or stopped eating meat as children because of taste or texture reasons get really pissed off that in nearly every pub now they can’t get an old skool veggie burger.
For me bean burgers don’t “offend” anybody so I don’t know why all pubs seem to insist on these fake meat things which send many veggies running

I can’t vote as enjoy both. I make burger types dishes at home using chickpeas and veggies etc. I also like to make seitan which is ‘fake meat’ although homemade with no additives just the flour and some seasoning.

I’m vegan though so if I’m dining out my options are limited so am happy with anything..

I'm vegan. I can have both, but don't like meat replacements to be too realistic! I like the soya stuff to taste very obviously like a cheap imitation!
I do think overall I prefer to eat beans and beans iyswim. I think the realistic fake meat options are great for new veggies/vegans who have converted for the ethics, but very wedded to the taste and texture of real meat. So, I'm glad that exists for them. The more people who give up meat the better.

I prefer bean burgers but make them myself as the commercial ones tend to be full of additives. A few of the meat substitute burgers are OK, Linda McCartney's mozarella burgers (I think) are alright, but I find most are tasteless and dry, and they are more full of additives than the vegetable/bean ones.

I'm not vegetarian but eat a lot of veggie food - never eat fake meat, taste and texture is horrible and it's super processed.

depends.
for burgers I prefer imitation meat.
for most other dishes we don't try to replace tbh. we just make tasty meals that are meat free.

not vegetarian, but only eat meat/fish once a week.

I can’t stand meat alternatives.

increasingly I find “vegetarian” options eating out include fake meat, and are often vegan imitations of meat dishes.

can’t think of anything worse than a soy burger with fake sheeze etc.

I'd like to have both options. I love a good bean burger, and I also like the McPlant. I don't like the fact that many vegetarian options (not just burgers) are being replaced by fake meat, such as vegetable tacos being filled with fake chicken instead, etc. There seems to be room on menus for a million meat options so I don't see why we can't have the option to choose between the two!

The fake meat ones are hard to digest IMO. The veggie ones are ok if they have protein in. The ones made from just veg and no pulses are a bit pointless.

One of my relatives rarely eats meat or chicken, just doesnt like it. He went to a very high end restaurant and ordered a veggie burger, expecting it to be a gourmet conconction made in house. He was very annoyed when it was a commercial veggie burger that he eats all the time at home.

I like both, but they're entirely different things to me. I've been vegetarian for forty years and grew up on horrible dry Sosmix-type 'burgers' that were pretty much the only tings available when I first stopped eating meat aged 11, so I quite like some of the fake meat ones occasionally because they're such an improvement on those, but not if they're too meaty-looking. I like beanburgers etc. as well, though. DH has also been veggie since childhood but will only eat the beany types, although he does like the new Richmond veggie sausages. DS much prefers the fake meat ones.

Quorn gives me a stomach ache. I'd rather have a falafel, or vegatable pakora or samosa. So something that is naturally vegetarian if you see what I mean. Or a bean chilli rather than a meat chilli. Or a curry with paneer.

The fake stuff just isn't to my taste.

YABU
I don't eat fake meat products as having been veggie for near for nearly 40 years, I don't want the taste or texture of meat. I don't even eat meat flavoured items such as crisps

Not the point of the post but it is important not to be afraid of ingredients. Potato starch, yeast extract, beetroot colour etc. These are in a lot of foods, and are not scary.

For people worried about processed food with a lot of ingredients, perhaps they get their burger on its own? Because this is the list of ingredient in the bun:
Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Water, Sugar, Yeast, Soybean Oil, Contains 2% Or Less: Salt, Wheat Gluten, Potato Flour, Vinegar, Dextrose, Corn Starch, Modified Food Starch, Vegetable Proteins (Pea, Potato, Rice And/or Faba Bean), Sunflower And/or Canola Oil, Maltodextrin, Natural Flavors, May Contain One Or More Dough Conditioners (DATEM, Ascorbic Acid, Mono And Diglycerides, Enzymes).

I would also add, that I think “beef” ingredients should also include everything the cows are fed and injected with prior to slaughter. Now that might put a few “clean” folk off.

To answer the OP, it’s entirely subjective. I was totally sick of bean burgers and really pleased when decent imitation burgers were introduced. But I will still eat a nice bean burger from time to time. Co Op does a really nice one.

Ok I'm not vegetarian but I really don't eat much meat and I'm super happy to eat vegan or vegetarian anytime, as long as it's not super processed.

I really don't like the pulse based burgers. Find that really stodgy.

Fake meats are not something I'd consider (because again, not a vegetarian so I would consider real meat as an option)

The best veggie burger I had was with a big fat portobello mushroom beautifully roasted with herbs and spice. I'd have that over real meat any time.

Total personal preference. 90% of the time I prefer veg and other ingredients to a meat substitute. The disappointment when ordering a vegetable lasagne at a restaurant and they bring out a fake meat substitute dish 😫

I have been a vegetarian since a young age and don’t “miss” meat. But if you’ve eaten meat for most of your life, you might really crave something like a comfort meal you’ve had your whole life but with a fake meat

The worst thing now is the cheese or lack of cheese should I say. I’ve been veggie for years and what made most of the veggie dishes nice was the cheese. Also the substitution of veggies for pasta. I used to love a nice lentil veggie lasagne that the chain pubs used to to do. Now it’s vegan cheese and the lasagne sheets are substituted with butternut squash so it qualifies as vegan. Veggie meals have been kicked off the menu at most places as it’s easier to do vegan and cover both

Not a veggie but happily eat veggie food often.

I don’t mind which kind of burger as long as it’s not too dry, but I really hate fake meat sausages. I’ve tried a few versions and always find them to have a strange taste and be quite indigestible.

I am a big fan of some of the frozen quorn products - their nuggets are so good! I’ll happily have those instead of chicken ones.

Give me a sexy massive bean burger any day! Although I also love a huge Linda Mac fake meat one. I just love it all

I rarely eat meat substitutes. They tend to just taste a bit yuck and sit on my stomach for ages but I have been vegetarian for over 30 years now which might be why. Every now and again I’m tempted to try something eg recently bought ?marbles steaks. They were ok but I wouldn’t buy them again.

I’m a long time vegetarian and I prefer the bean burger type products. I don’t dislike meaty flavors and textures but I hate to eat anything when I have no idea how it’s made or what it might be made from iyswim. I don’t want to eat vegan cheese unless it says made with coconut milk or almond milk etc. If I eat a vege burger I want to know if it’s soya based or whatever. I’m assuming a lot of long term vegetarians feel the same way and that’s why there is a dislike of vegan food creeping onto menus. Not because we object to vegan food but because you suspect it’s a pile of processed crap that you would rather not eat.

I'm vegetarian because I dislike the taste and texture of meat. I'd much prefer pulses and vegetables!