The McPlant is a

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...

(and in some regions

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and the consumption of animal source foods, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. A person who practices veganism is known as a ve ...

) burger sold by the fast-food chain

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...

in several European countries. In 2021, McDonald's partnered with

Beyond Meat Beyond Meat, Inc. is a producer of plant-based meat substitutes founded in 2009 by Ethan Brown. The company's initial products were launched in the United States in 2012. The company went public in 2019, becoming the first plant-based meat ana ...

, a Los Angeles–based producer of plant-based

meat substitute A meat alternative or meat substitute (also called plant-based meat, mock meat, or alternative protein), is a food product made from vegetarian or vegan ingredients, eaten as a replacement for meat. Meat alternatives typically approximate qual ...

s, to create the McPlant platform. It features a plant-based

meat alternative A meat alternative or meat substitute (also called plant-based meat, mock meat, or alternative protein), is a food product made from Vegetarianism, vegetarian or Veganism, vegan ingredients, eaten as a replacement for meat. Meat alternatives t ...

burger patty made from plant ingredients such as potatoes, peas and rice. The McPlant was launched in the United Kingdom in January 2022, after tests in October 2021. It is also available in Ireland. In both the United Kingdom and Ireland, the burger is vegan due to the use of vegan sandwich sauce and a

vegan cheese Vegan cheese is a category of non-dairy, plant-based cheese alternative. Vegan cheeses range from soft fresh cheeses to aged and cultured hard grateable cheeses like plant-based Parmesan. The defining characteristic of vegan cheese is the excl ...

alternative. The McPlant is also sold in a non-vegan variant (with cheese and egg-based

mayonnaise Mayonnaise (), colloquially referred to as "mayo" (), is a thick, creamy sauce with a rich and tangy taste that is commonly used on sandwiches, hamburgers, Salad#Bound salads, bound salads, and French fries. It also forms the base for various o ...

) in Austria, Germany, and Portugal, as well as in the Netherlands with cheese and a vegan sandwich sauce. When the McPlant was launched in Germany in February 2023, it replaced the Fresh Vegan TS burger, leading to some criticism from vegan customers. According to McDonalds, the burgers are prepared on the same grill as meat products and thus are not vegan or vegetarian. McDonald's Germany targets flexitarians and lists all ingredients of the burgers. In Germany an additional McPlant Tomato Chargrill became a permanent menu item after a collaboration with two members of the band

Tokio Hotel Tokio Hotel is a German music band formed in 2001 by singer Bill Kaulitz, guitarist Tom Kaulitz, bassist Georg Listing, and drummer Gustav Schäfer. Starting from the foundation, the band's music genres were pop rock and alternative rock; sin ...

in 2024. In January 2023, McDonald's launched the Double McPlant with two patties in the United Kingdom and Ireland. In Austria, McDonald's also sells the McPlant Steakhouse, a variant of the burger with steakhouse sauce. In Germany and France, it also sells McPlant Nuggets made from wheat and pea protein. The full list of ingredients is not disclosed. In Germany, McPlant nuggets are fried in the same fryers as chicken McNuggets and thus might not be vegan or vegetarian either. McDonalds Germany lists the ingredients, the nuggets are based on wheat and pea protein. In several other countries, the McPlant was tested but not introduced in the permanent menu. The first tests occurred in Sweden and Denmark between January and April 2021. In the United States, the product was initially tested in November 2021, with expanded tests in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

and

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

from February 2022. The trial run of the McPlant in the United States was discontinued in August 2022, reportedly due to low sales. From July until November 2022, the McPlant was served in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

, Australia, as a limited run item.

References

{{McDonald's, state=collapsed McDonald's foods Products and services discontinued in 2022 Meat substitutes

See also

References