McDonald’s McPlant

McDonald’s McPlant

McDonald’s McPlant Review:

Price: £3.39/£5.09/£5.49.

Calories 429 kcal.

The McPlant is now available nationwide in the UK and is a vegan burger made with a plant-based patty co-developed with Beyond Meat.

I could go into the history of the McPlant – that it was originally introduced in various overseas markets such as Austria, Denmark, Sweden and The Netherlands and that it has also had trials in a select number of restaurants in the US.

But that’s boring…

I could add that the McPlant burger itself has already been in the UK and was originally trialled in ten restaurants in Coventry from 29/09/21 and then a further 250+ from 13/10/21.

Again… do we need to go into that?

Let’s not bog ourselves down with detail and have some fun with this review instead. You know… like the original BURGER LAD®.

McDonald's Clamshell

There’s a special person that has been anxiously waiting for the McPlant because they have been really, really keen to sample the “true taste of McDonald’s” in a vegan/veggie format.

Captain QP take a bow – your time is now!!

The McPlant is not quite a carbon copy of the Quarter Pounder Cheese I’m afraid Captain.

But what I can tell you, is that if you customise via the app or touchscreen, you can remove the Sandwich Sauce, Shredded Lettuce and Tomato and you’ll be damn close to that QP.

Note: there are two slices of cheese on a regular QP but what can you do…!?

Oh wait… I’ve got a cheese slice stuck to me ala Randy – that will do it.

McDonald's McPlant

You also cannot add anything to the McPlant – but I wanted to pimp mine with bacon dammit.

January is a great time to make this nationwide as “some people” will participate in Veganuary.

Plus, it coincides with Burger King launching their Vegan Nuggets and KFC bringing back their Vegan Burger on a permanent basis. WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE!?

Moving on to the review…

I had forgotten what a hell-hole Kingsditch McDonald’s is and it was pure chaos at approximately 1:45pm – course all the Click & Serve bays were full so had to go via the dreaded Drive-Thru.

We also got told off for parking in a disabled bay while waiting for our food to arrive. Yes I know it was wrong of me to park there but there was nowhere else to go… and it seems that if you are a McDelivery driver you are allowed to park in them.

Anyway.

McDonald's McPlant

My hope of a decent looking build was severely dented when I looked in our brown bag to see the McPlant clamshell flipped on its side. Come on… just put it flat in the bottom.

The burger itself is impressive and I would want to try another again, next time trying to replicate a Quarter Pounder with Cheese as described above.

It looks and smells like a McDonald’s burger. Plain and simple.

IMO, the taste of the patty is as close as you will get to the regular beef patties – it’s not identical and nor was I expecting it to be. I didn’t even get that trademark McDonald’s cough after eating it either. Almost disappointed.

The texture is obviously different – a good quality as expected with it being Beyond Meat… it’s slightly soft. I wouldn’t want to say mushy as that would do it a disservice.

McDonald's McPlant

The crunchy, tangy onions and pickles are certainly welcome and definitely gives it that McDonald’s vibe. The prevalent flavour seemed to be the fresh tomato but that could be due to my ongoing aversion to it… I would remove this next time nay bother.

If you a curious as to what the McPlant is like, I would recommend trying it if only once. It reminded me of the Quarter Pounder Deluxe actually.

I did have some issues with my build though…

McDonald's McPlant

Upon further inspection there was very little Sandwich Sauce – not a major crime as it’s not the sort of sauce I go for… but the amount on my McPlant was minuscule. Same can be said of the Mustard – but we find that often goes missing in action on the QP too.

McDonald's Vegan Burger

Of course, I washed this down with a good old Double Cheeseburger (didn’t fancy the Triple today) minus Ketchup. Obvs.

Driving back to BLHQ as quickly as we could, I was wondering how it would compare to Burger King’s and KFC’s vegan burger options.

After now sampling all three, I would place the Rebel Whopper (now named Plant-Based Whopper) in first place, the McPlant in second and the KFC Vegan Burger third.

There was just something about the BK offering which made it nearly indistinguishable from the regular beef Whopper. Maybe it’s that flame-grilled flavour?

Overall, the McDonald’s McPlant is a thumbs-up from me and I can imagine countless veggie/vegan McDonald’s fans will be rejoicing now this is available nationwide. Give it a go and see what you think.

I bet Captain QP has already jumped in his car after reading this…

McDonald's Beyond Meat

I apologise that 2021 was a bit quiet on the website and that the McDonald’s Festive Menu didn’t receive a review.

I’ve been working on a project which has taken a lot of my time and energy but should result in some major rewards in the future.

McDonald's Beyond Meat

You can guarantee I will be back to review the Chicken Big Mac when it is makes its debut in the UK in February – and no I am not expecting it to be made with Selects… but you never know!

We are also hoping to resume your favourite fast food Podcast very soon.

Thanks again as ever for all your kind messages and support.

McDonald's McPlant

Burger Lad®

Website: https://www.mcdonalds.com/gb/en-gb.html

McDonald's Beyond Meat

McPlant

£3.39
6.8

Taste

7.5/10

Look

6.0/10

Price

7.0/10

Hot

  • Vegan/veggie option
  • Pickles/Onions
  • Low calories

Not

  • Fresh tomato
  • Miniscule Sandwich Sauce/Mustard

8 thoughts on “McDonald’s McPlant

  • 13/01/2022 at 10:18 pm
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    Agree about the Rebel Whopper (now named Plant-Based Whopper), it just feels so much more ‘burger’ in its own right and tastes great. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of things I quite like at McD’s, once you have figured out how to get it the way you like it, but BK is just so much more for me.

    I had Plant-Based Whopper this week and the next day had a McPlant, and the thing I really notice about BK v McD’s (apart from the BK version just straight up tastes better IMO) is that McD’s burgers (All of them) always seem to make me feel short-changed on the dressings.

    I regularly ask for extra onion, lettuce etc in McD’s cos there is almost never enough, and even with the extra I look and think that’s how much I should get without having to ask for more. I asked for extra onion last time I got a QP and felt lucky I got 4 strands of onion, I can’t remember the last time I asked for extra toms, onions, lettuce at BK.

    The other thing I appreciate about BK, the cheese, is optional, as in, if I don’t want it, I don’t have to pay for it unlike in McD’s.

    I liked the McPlant but it is no match for the Plant-Based Whopper, or anything from BK for that matter, much in the same way that McD’s QP Deluxe is no match for a Whopper and the Double QP is no match for Double Whopper. Each to our own though.

    Good effort though and will deffo order again if I am in McD’s vicinity rather than my usual BK places.

    • 12/05/2022 at 10:42 am
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      I’m not reading that essay + Ratio

  • 28/01/2022 at 8:06 pm
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    £3.39 is pretty expensive for a vegetable bap I’d say!! I won’t be wasting my cash on one. They should be about £1.99 at the most as meat is far more expensive than vegetables, and you really can’t beat the real thing.

  • 07/02/2022 at 1:19 pm
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    I felt that the McPlant was closer to the hamburger than the quarter pounder, it’s priced along side the larger meat options but it’s not as filling. It tastes reasonable, nothing very special in the world of vegan burgers but certainly not bad in any way except its size. I’ll never be driving past a McDonald’s and crave a McPlant, but at least it’s an option if you have to eat there. Wimpy’s spicy bean burger still holds my number one spot for the best plant-based fast-food burger ever offered.

  • 11/02/2022 at 6:35 am
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    Really not keen on this .. but I enjoy the taste and texture of meat .. it wasn’t unpleasant, just not for me.

    If you are a vegetarian or vegan this is probably going to be as close as it gets from McDonalds’s with regard to a meat substitute. However, if I had to give up meat and went to McDonald’s I would probably order french fries and a coke and give this a swerve.

  • 11/02/2022 at 5:45 pm
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    I flat out thought the McPlant was nasty. Quidgy on the inside and rubbery on the outside. It had no flavour outside of a nasty, bitter aftertaste. I WILL NOT be trying it again!

  • 25/02/2022 at 9:38 pm
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    Well what can I say, thank the lord for Macdonalds. Finally a wonderful, tasty vegan/vegetarian burger! Finally I can have something delicious to eat when I take my grandchildren to Macdonalds! Hallelujah.

Comments are closed.