McPlant vs. Quarter Pounder: A Vegan Showdown at McDonald’s in London

McDonald’s in the UK offers a vegan burger called the McPlant, which is made from pea and rice proteins. The patty was developed in collaboration with Beyond Meat and is served with a variety of toppings. While trials of the McPlant were not successful in the US, it has been available in countries such as Germany, Portugal, and the UK since November 2021.

In some countries like the Netherlands, there may be potential contamination with meat due to the burger being described as “for flexitarians.” However, in the UK, where the McPlant has been on the menu for over a year, it is certified as vegan and served with vegan cheese and sandwich sauce.

I recently sampled both the McPlant and the most comparable non-vegan option, the Quarter Pounder with Cheese, from a McDonald’s in London. Both burgers came with standard toppings such as onion, pickles, ketchup, and mustard. The McPlant also included lettuce, tomato, and vegan sandwich sauce while the Quarter Pounder with Cheese had two slices of processed cheese. It was notable that while both cheeses melted during cooking time, only one was labeled vegan – this just goes to show how important it is for consumers to ask about ingredients when ordering food at fast food chains.

Overall, while availability and composition of the McPlant burger differ by location and it has not been successful in some countries like US but remains popular in others such as UK