Plant-Based Burgers and Fast Food Have Had a Tumultuous Relationship — Here’s Where They Stand Today

If you’re a vegetarian or vegan, it’s likely that Taco Bell is your favorite fast food chain. You can substitute beans for ground beef in any menu item at the Mexican-inspired restaurant giant, providing meat-free patrons a vast array of options to choose from. But what if you’re not in the mood for a Crunchwrap Supreme or some Doritos Locos Tacos, and you’re craving the most iconic fast food item of all time: a burger?

As people have become more aware of the environmental impact of animal husbandry, gained access to unlimited information online, and developed social media platforms to share their beliefs, the number of individuals following plant-based diets has gradually increased in the 21st century. Today, around 6% (or possibly more) of Americans identify as vegetarian, compared to 5% in 2018. At the start of the century in 2000, that number was closer to 2.5%.

The number of vegetarians and vegans in America isn’t skyrocketing, but it is likely increasing slowly. Many consumers may also be part-time plant-based eaters, purchasing dairy-free products due to intolerances or choosing to skip red meat. The result? A market for plant-based products that’s valued at $8.1 billion. 

Although $8.1 billion isn’t a number to scoff at, it also pales in comparison to the beef industry, which is valued at $108.14 billion in the U.S. There has also been a surge in interest in animal-based diets — often called the carnivore diet — courtesy of influencers online. 

Suffice it to say, the American population’s messaging about what it wants from veggie burger offerings — and whether it wants them at all — is somewhat confusing. The result has been a tumultuous market for some plant-based meat companies and fast-food menus that sometimes give customers a bait-and-switch.

Which major fast food chains have plant-based burgers?

Thanks to brands like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, which developed meat-free burgers that looked almost identical to their beef counterparts, interest in plant-based meat surged from 2018 to 2021. To keep up with consumer interests, the largest fast-food restaurant in the country — McDonald’s — tested its Beyond Meat-based burger, the McPlant, in European markets and a select number of states in the U.S. in 2021. 

Unfortunately the offering didn’t last long, and in 2021 Joe Erlinger, president of McDonald’s USA, explained at the Wall Street Journal Food Forum that “We actually tested the McPlant and I asked the team to test [the] McPlant in two very different markets, and so they chose San Francisco and Dallas and I said, ‘Perfect.’ It was not successful in either market. 

“And so I don’t think the U.S. consumer is coming to McDonald’s or looking for a McPlant or other plant-based proteins from McDonald’s now.” The chain currently does not offer any vegetarian burger options, and when I reached out to McDonald’s to inquire about future plans, the brand had no comment on the possibility of reintroducing any plant-based options.

The second-largest burger chain in the country, Wendy’s, has experimented with veggie burgers that don’t rely on faux meat. The brand has tested various iterations of a bean-based burger — an early version in 2015 and the Spicy Black Bean Burger in 2021 — but neither has made it to nationwide, permanent menus. As of now, Wendy’s does not offer a nationally available vegetarian burger.

Burger King, the third-largest burger-centric chain in the United States, has seen greater success with its plant-based burger, the Impossible Whopper. This sandwich is exactly what it sounds like: a rendition of the chain’s classic Whopper featuring an Impossible Burger patty. When it launched at Burger Kings nationwide in 2019, it marked the first time the Impossible Burger would be available at restaurants across the country. It proved to be a hit, with the novelty of the vegan burger that seemed to “bleed” attracting customers who wanted something as close to beef as possible.

Coverage of the Impossible Whopper at the time described the burger as “wildly popular,” and its addition to the menu reportedly boosted foot traffic at participating Burger Kings by 18%. In 2025, you can still score this vegan burger at most locations of the fast-food chain. However, despite this faux-meat sandwich’s apparent success, the beef-alternative brands that seemed poised to dominate the plant-based industry are struggling today.

What’s happening to plant-based meat brands?

Companies like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods have experienced significant declines in sales over the past few years, with the former particularly affected. Beyond Meat went public in 2019, but its stock prices have dropped from an all-time high of $234.90 that year to $2.28 per share today. The company reported a net loss of $44.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2024 and laid off 6% of its workforce earlier this year.

Impossible Foods’ private share value dropped 89% from $14.64 in 2021 to $1.67 in 2023, although it has since recovered somewhat with a current value of $2.25. Overall, plant-based meat and seafood dollar sales decreased by 7% in 2024, according to the Good Food Institute (GFI). As the GFI points out, while dollar sales and unit sales of plant-based meat and seafood have been declining, their price per unit has been increasing. 

Coupled with increased consumer concerns about overly processed foods and lengthy ingredient lists — which prompted Beyond Meat to update the recipe for several of its products last year — these prices make customers more reluctant to buy faux meat products in stores. However, when it comes to vegetarian burgers that aren’t pretending to be meat, the story might be a little different.

Are customers interested in real veggie burgers?

The Shroom Burger has been on the menu at restaurateur Danny Meyer’s fast-casual chain Shake Shack since its first permanent location opened in 2004. For anyone who hasn’t tasted this crispy, cheesy delicacy, its “patty” consists of a breaded and deep-fried portobello mushroom that’s been stuffed with melted cheddar cheese. The golden-brown shroom is then sandwiched inside a potato bun with all the usual Shake Shack burger toppings, like lettuce, tomato, and tangy Shack Sauce.

After 21 years, the Shroom Burger has demonstrated its staying power. But Shake Shack wasn’t satisfied with just one vegetarian burger. In 2018, the brand introduced the Veggie Shack at select locations, and in 2023, it was added to menus nationwide. This burger features a patty made from vegetables and grains, including mushrooms, sweet potatoes, carrots, farro, and quinoa. 

I spoke with Shake Shack’s executive chef and VP of culinary development, John Karangis, who notes that the chain introduced this burger because it wanted vegan and vegetarian customers to have a range of options.

“We want to make sure that there’s a range of offerings that could satisfy someone should they want to indulge one time, then maybe the next time they can have something that’s less rich, but still delicious,” Karangis says. “And so that’s one of the reasons why we have both, because I think it’s important to have that [variety] no different than if you had a burger on your menu and a chicken sandwich.”

Shake Shack is considering the plant-based consumer’s repeat experience, but it’s also concentrating more on flavor than on mimicking the appearance of meat. According to Karangis, their team didn’t love the flavor of fake meat patties — a sentiment that’s likely shared by some of the customers who haven’t remained loyal to Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods — which led Shake Shack to develop its own veggie patty.

Karangis calls the Veggie Shack a “celebration of vegetables.” He explains that while developing the new-ish menu item, “A lot of research was done, and what we found out was people wanted an alternative to meat that met their expectations of if they were to come to Shake Shack, they would want to ensure that there was real food and real ingredients. And so we dug deep into that and wanted to make a veggie patty.”

Granted, Shake Shack rides a fine line between fast casual and fast food. The chain has its roots in Danny Meyer’s fine dining background, which explains why its culinary team pays such close attention to details like ingredient sourcing. However, with around 330 locations in the United States, Shake Shack has shown that its vegetarian options can be recreated and enjoyed at scale.

When it comes to smaller, independent restaurants, there’s also a demonstrated interest in plant-based sandwiches that highlight vegetables. Superiority Burger in New York City’s East Village — which has earned a spot on the New York Times’ list of the 100 best restaurants in the city — has drawn crowds and received rave reviews with its entirely vegetarian menu since its reopening in 2023. It’s likely you’ll encounter a line at the popular New Orleans sandwich shop Turkey and the Wolf, where a triple-decker collard green melt has remained on the menu for years.

Options like these don’t fulfill the role of an affordable burger that costs the same as a fast food staple, but they do provide a vegetarian offering that prominently features whole ingredients and visible, real vegetables. Perhaps if a major chain can combine a creative sandwich that highlights vegetables with an accessible price, they’ll hit the jackpot.