Vegan Fast Food Burgers in the UK – Which One is Best?
Last updated on December 9th, 2023
Today’s questions – Who has the best vegan burger in town?
When it comes to fast food burgers the most popular vegan options have to be the McPlant from McDonald’s, the Vegan Royale from Burger King or the Original Recipe Vegan Burger from KFC. But which one is the best?
If you’re a vegan here in the UK, you know we’re long past being stuck with either a bowl of chips or some bland boiled veg.
Today there’s little we can’t have, and that includes some pretty incredible vegan fast food burgers from all the most popular chains, such as McDonald’s, Burger King and KFC.
Now, I know there’s plenty of debate as to whether vegans, or in fact anyone should be eating at these places at all. And while I do think the arguments are valid I’m going to play devil’s advocate here.
If a vegan burger from McDonald’s can make or break someone’s transition to veganism, I’d rather they go there and eat the vegan option rather than the meat option.
So, let’s get to the topic at hand…
Where to Get the Best Vegan Fast Food Burger in the UK.
Honestly, there are only really three true contenders if we are talking about easily accessible fast food around the country. And they’re the ones you’d guess:
- McDonald’s
- Burger King
- KFC
Of course, you can find vegan burgers in most places you go. I mean, there’s one on pretty much every pub menu going nowadays. But if you’re after the true definition of fast food then these are your choices.
Let’s take a look at the vegan burgers these three fast food restaurants offer.
McDonald’s – McPlant Vegan Burger
This was a game-changer and I honestly can’t believe it took so long.
If you’ve missed McDonald’s burgers since going vegan then the release of the McPlant must have filled you with joy.
And whether we like it or not, for many, McDonald’s is part of life growing up, so having that familiar taste but as a vegan fast food burger, can be a very satisfying feeling for many people.
The McPlant is a vegan burger made with a plant-based patty co-developed with Beyond Meat. It’s on a sesame bun with vegan cheese, vegan sandwich sauce and all the other usual stuff inside such as ketchup, mustard, onion, pickles, lettuce and tomato.
Now, if you’re not in the UK and you have a plant-based burger on your McDonald’s menu then I recommend you check the ingredients because I don’t know if they all follow suit.
Take a look here to check out the info on McPlant in the UK.
McPlant Nutritional Stuff:
429 kcal
20 grams fat
6.6 grams saturated fat
10 grams sugars
2.2 grams salt
19 grams protein
Burger King – Vegan Royale and Plant-Based Whopper
Next up is the vegan burger at Burger King, actually, I should say vegan burgers, that’s right, there’s more than one option here.
Well according to their menu, the Vegan Royale is vegan, whereas the plant-based Whopper is, as the name suggests, only plant-based. Yes, they can be different things sometimes!
The only difference I can seem to find is how it’s cooked, the Whopper is made of all vegan ingredients, however, sadly it is cooked on the same grill as the original Whopper.
Unfortunately, I think this could be a more common problem than we realise when it comes to vegan options in restaurants. So, this comes down to each individual to decide if this is acceptable or not for them.
Let’s take a more detailed look at the two plant-based / vegan burgers available at Burger King.
The Vegan Royale is approved by the Vegan Society, so we can feel pretty confident with this one. If you’re more into chicken-style vegan fast food burgers, this is the one for you. It’s a crispy vegan patty on a sesame seed bun with iceberg lettuce and vegan mayo.
They’ve recently upped their game with options of Vegan Royale that are topped with vegan cheese and bacon.
Vegan Royale Nutritional Stuff:
Per serving
571.2 kcal / 2,389.7 KJ
Carbohydrates 52.4 g
Of Which Sugars 6.9 g
Fat 30.8 g
Of Which Saturates 3 g
Proteins 17.1 g
Salt 2.9 g
The Plant-Based Whopper is a flame-grilled plant-based burger on a sesame seed bun, with tomatoes, lettuce, vegan mayo, pickles, ketchup, and sliced onions. You can also get your Plant-Based Whopper with vegan bacon and cheese.
Plant-Based Whopper Nutritional Stuff:
Per Serving:
Kcal 554.7
Carbohydrates 55.1 g
Of which are Sugars 12.3 g
Fat 27 g
Of which are Saturates 4.8 g
Proteins 24.3 g
Salt 2.7 g
Once again, I know this info is correct in the UK, but if you venture to a Burger King further afield you should make sure to check all the details.
Since January 2022, the vegan KFC burger can be found in 900 restaurants, which is good to know as there was a lot of confusion about it coming and going in the last couple of years.
It’s not available in every restaurant because they don’t all have the ability to ensure there’s no cross-contamination. Find out if your local KFC has the vegan burger available.
The Original Recipe Vegan Burger is a Quorn fillet, chicken-style burger on a sesame seed bun. The burger is coated with KFC’s famous 11 herbs and spices with lettuce and vegan mayo.
Original Recipe Vegan Burger Nutritional Stuff:
Per serving:
kcal – 450
Fat – 18 grams
Sat. Fat 1.6 grams
Carbs – 45.2 grams
Sugars – 7.2 grams
Protein – 16.4 grams
Salt – 3.15 grams
There you have it, the big three are now all offering vegan fast food burgers in the UK.
So, if you’re on any high street or feeling hungry at a motorway service station with little to no options, you’re pretty likely to find one of either McDonald’s, Burger King or KFC to offer more than just fries.
Whether or not these fast food chains are where you want to be spending your money is a separate question. Surely we can all agree and bask in the progress that is being made. If having the options means more people will dabble in a plant-based world, that has to be a good thing.
There’s nothing I love more than checking out the best vegan restaurants around the world. To learn about what’s available near you take a look at the food section of my blog.
Meet the Author
Meet Sinead O’Carroll: Vegan explorer, sustainability advocate and the founder of The Wondering Wandering Vegan. Embracing veganism since 2018 and vegetarianism since 2005, Sinead is armed with a Vegan Health, Nutrition and Lifestyle qualification, and is on a mission to share her passion for cruelty-free living.
With a taste for adventure and a heart for eco-conscious choices, she’s here to prove that vegans never miss out on flavour, fun or style. Join her in enjoying the delights of a vegan-friendly world! 🌱✈️🌍
Want to know more? Check out Sinead’s About page here.
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