These days plant-based proteins like ground meats and burgers, sausages or chicken are becoming increasingly popular. And now you can find them everywhere from grocery stores to fast food restaurants. Since these plant proteins are more available to shoppers, they are fast becoming a staple of more people’s diets. The options are abundant—you can find burgers, sausage crumbles, sausage links, and even hot dogs. We have come a long way from Tofu. In the Hamilton Beach Test Kitchen, we wondered how those new proteins taste and how they would cook on some of our indoor grills, so we put them to the test.

The test

In our local supermarkets we found two plant-based protein brands: Beyond Burger and Light Life. To make it fair, we made all proteins into 4-ounce burgers and pitted them against regular ground beef. We weighed the burgers before and after cooking, followed package directions and grilled them on two different Hamilton Beach grills: the Hamilton Beach Indoor Grill and the Hamilton Beach Searing Grill.

The results

We preheated the grills and cooked each burger according to package instructions. When the results were in, both plant-based burger brands cooked well and didn’t stick to the grill during cooking. The ground beef lost the most weight and size while the plant-based burgers had minimal change in size during the cooking process. All burgers achieved beautiful grill marks and were easy to flip. We invited some of our discerning team members to taste the results. They agreed that all the burgers had a seared flavour from the grilling.

Give it a try

How to decide which brand is best is up to personal preference. The colour, texture and flavour varies between brands. And if you check the package ingredients, you’ll find that some are made from soy protein and some from pea protein. The colour in most cases comes from added beet juice. Since we discovered that the plant-based 'meats' can be prepared just like regular beef, try substituting them for hamburger in your favourite recipes. Or, be adventuresome and add plant-based sausage with vegetables on kabobs.

Looking for more fresh vegetarian main dishes?

Try grilling a Portobello and Peppers Sandwich or Margherita Pizza. Bring out your spiralizer and create a delicious Zucchini Corn Pie or Spiralized Potato Egg Nests. Complete your meatless meal with one of our favourite vegetarian side dishes:

1. Rice Cooker Macaroni and Cheese
2. Tortellini Pasta Salad
3. Grilled Salad with Creamy Caesar Dressing
4. Guacamole
5. Farro Risotto with Roasted Vegetables
6. Slow Cooker Baked Beans
7. Classic Macaroni Salad
8. Blue Cheese Cole Slaw
9. Greek Pasta Salad
10. Mexican Corn and Avocado Salad
11. Spicy Summer Pasta
12. Watermelon Tomato Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
13. Air Fryer Buttery Buffalo Cauliflower Bites
14. Creamy Coleslaw
15. Deviled Eggs
16. Grilled Corn and Black Bean Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing
17. Grilled Vegetables with Balsamic Marinade
18. Peach and Pepper Salsa
19. Roasted Cauliflower Soup with Tumeric
20. Gazpacho

Have you tried adding a meatless day to your weekly menu? Share some of your favourite ideas by leaving a comment on our Instagram page @hamliltonbeachCA.