Beyond Meats

My first experience with the Beyond Nuggets was at a pizza place outside of Washington, DC, which Beyond had partnered with as a way of helping more places offer quick plant-based options. While I liked the meal well enough, they didn’t come off as chicken replacements to me. The texture was off, and the outside was only crispy where the nuggets weren’t touching the tray they were baked on. So I decided to wait until I could make them at home to see what the difference was. 

Unfortunately, the home experience wasn’t much better. Beyond’s nuggets are dense even when put in an air fryer, though that did address the crunchy exterior I was missing from the restaurant version. 

Beyond’s nuggets are 190 calories for four nuggets and are made primarily with fava bean protein, which is unique for this list. The packaging warns these may not be entirely soy-free, but it’s nowhere near as prominent as many others on this list. 

Of the many plant-based things Beyond makes, many of which I enjoy on a weekly basis, these aren’t my favorite.