Is a Beyond Burger healthy? | Center for Science in the Public Interest

By Lindsay Moyer, MS, RDN

Updated: November 4, 2024

Marlena Koch - CSPI.

“We are thrilled to share our 4th generation burger, Beyond Burger IV, a mouthwatering meaty burger built from the goodness of plants,” says the package. Here’s what’s changed.

This article comes from Nutrition Action. We don't accept any paid advertising or corporate or government donations. Any products we recommend have been vetted by our staff and are not advertisements by the manufacturers. They’re just healthy foods we think you’d like to know about!

The previous Beyond Burgers got their fat from an oil blend made with enough (unhealthy) coconut oil to hit 5 grams of saturated fat in a 4 oz. patty. That’s a quarter of a day’s max and close to the 7 grams you’d get in a similar-sized McDonald’s Quarter Pounder beef patty.

So it’s about time the plant-based phenom got an oil change. The new Beyond subs avocado oil for the coconut oil blend, which slashes the sat fat to just 2 grams. That’s beyond great!

More pluses: The latest version has less sodium than the old Beyond Burger (310 milligrams, vs. 390), but just as much protein (21 grams) and no more calories (230).

And animal-based beef creates more greenhouse gas emissions, takes more water to produce than any other food, and is a probable human carcinogen. So beef eaters might want to consider looking Beyond.

On the downside, a two-patty pack of Beyond Burgers can cost $5 to $8. Solution: Make less-processed tofu, tempeh, and beans your go-to plant-based proteins most of the time. They’re cheaper and healthier than plant-based meats.

Learn more: How to choose the best plant-based burgers & beyond

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