Pssst! This post isn’t sponsored by any of the brands mentioned below and I haven’t been paid by any of them in the past for any campaigns. I just thought it would be fun to create a guide for some of the best frozen store-bought veggie burgers. 
Summer is officially here! With the 4th of July holiday coming up fast on Wednesday, I thought it would be fun to do a roundup of some of the more popular frozen veggie burgers you may find in the store. Although homemade veggie burgers are by far the tastiest, sometimes it’s just more convenient to pick up some frozen ones. However, not all frozen veggie burgers are created equal! I can probably speak for many fellow vegan/vegetarians who have gone to cookouts in the summer to be stuck with another so-so grilled veggie burger. So, Will and I grilled up a bunch of different ones and did a taste test to rank the best of the best! (I recruited Will for the grilling and for his perspective as a meat-eater.)
As you can see above, the brands we included in this taste test were: Trader Joe’s Hi-Protein burger, Dr. Praeger’s California Veggie burger, Hilary’s World’s Best Veggie Burger, Morningstar Farms Grillers’ Prime burger, Boca’s All American Flame Grilled Veggie burger, Field Roast’s Fieldburger, and the Beyond Meat’s Beyond Burger. Of course, there are others out there but these seemed to be the easiest to find at our local stores. (Give a shout out in the comments below if you have a favorite one that isn’t included!) When looking for a good veggie burger option, I want one that has as close to 21 grams of protein as possible (the equivalent of a 3 oz beef burger). It gets bonus points in my book if it also has some fiber, but it isn’t a requirement as long as the protein is there. I also like a simple ingredient list without processed soy or other additives. Here’s a ranking of our favorites from Best (#1) to Worst (#6) based on flavor.
#1 – Field Roast (Vegan)
- Taste: Hands-down this was both Will and I’s favorite! I thought it had a great well-rounded flavor of garlic, onion, and other spices rather than a fake smoke flavor like some of the others. When cooking, it caramelized nicely on the grill and held its shape well. It also stayed moist and I liked that the patty was thicker than most. The ingredient list includes vital wheat gluten, barley, onion, mushrooms, and spices.
- Nutrition Run-Down: Not only did the Field Roast burger taste great, it also met a lot of the nutrition criteria I look for in a veggie burger. Each patty has 25 grams of protein, 7 grams net carbs, and 3 grams of fiber. All that protein means that these burgers will actually fill you up like a typical beef patty. These are vegan, but do contain gluten. It looks like they are soy free too per the ingredient list, but it isn’t noted on the package.
- Cost: $9.29 per package of 4 = $2.32 per burger
- Where to Find It: I usually have the best luck finding Field Roast products at Whole Foods. (Our little local co-op also carries a lot of their products – yay!) My only complaint about the packaging is that all 4 patties are vacuum sealed together so that they freeze into one large chunk so you have to do a bit of defrosting to be able to carefully pry them apart.
#2 – Beyond Meat Burger (Vegan, Gluten Free, Soy Free)
- Taste: I was totally intimidated to try these for the first time last summer. They look and feel so much like the real thing! Beyond the ick factor of looking so much like real ground beef, these do taste pretty good and are almost a little too close to the real thing as far as flavor and texture. These grill up nicely and have a nice smoky flavor. I can totally see these winning over a meat eater who may be veg-curious.
- Nutrition Run-Down: Each burger has 20 grams of protein, 2 grams net carbs, and 3 grams of fiber. The protein in these burgers comes from pea protein isolate. These are vegan, gluten-free, and soy free.
- Cost: $6.99 per package of 2 = $3.50 per burger – definitely a splurge!
- Where to Find It: I’ve found these in the freezer aisle and the refrigerator aisle with the tofu and other plant-based products so I would check both places. You should be able to find it at Whole Foods and more recently at most major grocers like Kroger, Jewel, and Marianos.
#3 – Morningstar Farms Burger (Vegetarian)
- Taste: Before I really started cooking much as a vegetarian, I used to eat a lot of MorningStar Farms burgers. (The spicy black bean burgers were my fave!) These Grillers Prime burgers had a nice smoky flavor and held up well on the grill while still retaining some moisture. I also liked the texture of these more than some of the others that were lower on the list.
- Nutrition Run-Down: Each burger has 16 grams of protein, 3 grams net carb, and 1 gram of fiber. Unfortunately, these aren’t vegan since they contain egg. They also have gluten and wheat in case you need to avoid these.
- Cost: $4.59 per package of 4 = $1.15 per burger
- Where to Find It: I have had pretty good luck finding these at just about any major grocery store as well as Target.
#4 – Dr. Praeger’s Burger (Vegan)
- Taste: Unlike the other burgers on this list that also try to taste like meat, these Dr. Praeger’s burgers are all about that veggie flavor. I thought it was a really tasty “vegetable forward” (per Will) burger. To me, the strong veggie flavor doesn’t seem to necessarily pair with typical burger condiments so I would probably slice this and put it in a veggie wrap instead.
- Nutrition Run-Down: These only contain 5 grams of protein per burger so you’ll definitely want to eat a side of baked beans or other plant-based protein food with these burgers. They also have 10 net carbs and 4 grams of fiber. FYI -they do contain soy and gluten for those who need to avoid those.
- Cost: $5.99 per package of 4 = $1.50 per burger
- Where to Find It: Most traditional grocery chains should carry these. I found them at Trader Joe’s so you can get them there if you have access to a TJ’s!
#5 – Trader Joe’s Hi-Protein Burger (Vegan)
- Taste: I had high hopes for these burgers, but I was kind of disappointed in them. (I am usually a fan of TJ’s products!) The outside of these gets nice and crispy but the inside is kind of mushy. I think I like my burgers to have some texture to them, but these are rather smooth. The flavor was also pretty mild/bland so they could definitely use lots of toppings. I think I would prefer them chopped up and served as a taco or over a salad.
- Nutrition Run-Down: Each of these burgers has a whopping 26 grams of protein, 8 grams net carbs, and 4 grams of fiber. They are vegan and appear to be soy free and gluten free, however it isn’t certified gluten free.
- Cost: $3.49 per package of 2 = $1.75 per burger
- Where to Find It: Trader Joe’s 😉
#6 – Hilary’s Burger (Vegan, Certified Gluten Free)
- Taste: I’ve seen so many people raving about these burgers on Instagram, I had high hopes for these Hilary’s burgers but neither Will nor I really enjoyed them. I mean, the package says they are the “world’s best veggie burger”! Lol. (It was kind of a toss up between us if these or the Boca burgers would be last.) After grilling these were pretty dry and crunchy. You can definitely tell these are more grain based than any of the other burgers on this list. We both thought it kind of tasted a little like cornbread, which I wouldn’t really want to eat between two buns. I think these would be better served up over some salad greens.
- Nutrition Run-Down: These only have 4 grams of protein so definitely don’t serve these as your main source of protein in a meal. They also have 23 grams net carbs and 4 grams of fiber. They are vegan and certified gluten free.
- Cost: $4.39 per package of 2 = $2.20 per burger
- Where to Find It: I found these at my local co-op but their website locator also has them at Whole Foods and Fresh Thyme Market.
#6 – Boca Burger (Vegetarian)
- Taste: Although Boca and MorningStar Farms have pretty similar products, these Boca burgers just didn’t measure up. They didn’t have much flavor and they had a lot less texture than the MorningStar ones. They also dried out a lot more quickly on the grill than the other burgers on the list.
- Nutrition Run-Down: Really similar to MorningStar with 15 grams of protein per burger, 1 gram net carb, and 4 grams of fiber. Unfortunately, these aren’t vegan since they contain milk. They also have soy, gluten, and wheat in case you need to avoid these.
- Cost: $3.22 per package of 4 = $0.81 per burger
- Where to Find It: You can usually find these at most major grocery store chains.
Let me know what you think! What are your favorite veggie burger brands?
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