Vegan fast food nuggets have arrived.
Burger King made a big menu change this month – by making one of its most popular products meat-free in time for the annual Veganuary initiative.
It is the first fast food restaurant to offer the product in the UK.
Read more: Burger King is fundamentally changing the menu as the favorite dish is being made vegan
How do the vegan nuggets compare to the Burger King chicken nuggets? And are the chicken nuggets just as tasty as other fast food restaurants?
I went to my local Burger King to get the answers I needed – by putting both on the taste.
The vegan nuggets
I enjoy a vegan and vegetarian alternative every now and then.
I enjoy Quorn and will always eat the pieces and their nuggets, and I also like a vegetarian sausage.
I also tried vegan alternatives from McDonald’s and KFC – so I was excited to try the latest addition to Burger King’s range.
These gold nuggets are made to taste and look just like their meat originals.
The chain’s menu was developed for vegans, vegetarians, flexitarians and meat reducers alike and includes a six-part, nine-part and 20-part sharer box.
Every order comes with a Vegan Society certified Sweet Chilli Dip to create the ultimate dunk combo.
We went for a six-piece box of the sweet chilli dip, which costs £ 4.29.
They have 243 calories per serving – and contain soy, wheat, celery, gluten, and sulfur dioxide, and can contain mustard and sesame seeds.
There is also 1.2g of salt in the nuggets per serving. And 12.9 g of fat.
The vegan nuggets from Burger King
The first thing we noticed was how pale the vegan alternative was compared to the chicken nuggets. It was definitely a lot lighter in color.
It also looked a lot slimmer – the filling didn’t look as clunky.
But don’t let that put you off, when we tried them we were pleasantly surprised. They tasted really good – not like chicken, but just as tasty.
The meat alternative had a softer texture that obviously isn’t quite as meaty as the other nuggets.
It’s made from soy and vegetable protein – which was surprisingly tasty in my opinion, sometimes I find it a hit and miss.
The batter, I would say, was a bit tougher too – but it didn’t ruin it at all.
And in combination with the sweet chili sauce, I can honestly say that I wouldn’t really tell the difference.
I enjoyed it very much and would try it again.
The chicken nuggets
I’m not going to lie, I’ve never tried Burger King chicken nuggets before.
To be honest, I’ve never seen them appear on the menu.
I’m an avid McDonalds nugget lover – so I was intrigued to try these one by one and compared to the vegan alternative.
Burger King describes them on their website as “bite-sized chicken nuggets coated with crispy tempura”.
They come in a six-part, nine-part and 20-part sharer box, but can also be made into a medium or large meal with a side dish and drink.
Again, for the sake of fairness, we opted for a six-piece box with a dip – sweet chili again (as these are the only dips the Burger King we visited had available).
These cost us € 3.99 – a little cheaper than the vegan alternative. They have 250.5 calories per serving – and contain milk, eggs, wheat, mustard, celery, and gluten, and can contain soy.
There is also 1.5g of salt per serving in the chicken nuggets – a little more than the vegan alternative. And 13.8 g of fat.
Chicken nuggets from Burger King
I tried the vegan alternatives first, whether that was right or wrong, I don’t know. But I was also excited about my first try at a Burger King Nugget.
As already mentioned, the chicken nuggets were darker and also quite chunky compared to the vegan alternative.
At first taste, the dough felt crispier than the vegan alternative – which is reminiscent of the aforementioned tempura dough.
The chicken was juicy – and not with McDonald’s nuggets up there in my opinion. But they were pretty tasty and I wouldn’t try them again next time at Burger King Drive Through.
total
I was pleasantly shocked by how good the new Burger King vegan nuggets were – they really exceeded my expectations which was a surprise.
As I’m neither vegan nor vegetarian myself and have tried popular products in the past, these were a sure winner for me.
And they’re worth a try – vegan or not. They were every bit as good as the Burger King chicken nuggets I thought.
Vegan nuggets from Burger King versus chicken nuggets
They are another alternative – and will set them apart from your regular, overly meaty burger.
Would I choose her again next time I visit? Possibly yes! I’m not intent on having the same item every time so I would add these to my selection as well as the chicken nuggets.
And to be completely honest – combined with your favorite dip, mine this time with sweet chilli, you honestly couldn’t taste the difference.
You have to know
After years of development, Burger King has launched the UK’s first vegan nuggets, which will be available from Wednesday 5th January.
The industry innovations are certified as 100 percent vegan by the Vegan Society and were developed in collaboration with the pioneer The Vegetarian Butcher, which only contains soy and vegetable proteins.
Not just for Veganuary, these golden treats are the latest addition to Burger King UK’s vegan and plant-based menu expansion that caters to diners of all dietary preferences.
Burger King UK describes itself as “a committed pioneer in the vegan and plant-based landscape” after releasing its Plant Based Whopper in January 2020 and the Vegan Royale in April 2021.
Burger King UK’s Vegan Nuggets will be available in restaurants and nationwide from January 5th.
Read more: Aldi is launching the largest vegan range of all time with these new items
Read more: These are the best Birmingham vegan restaurants to try in Veganuary
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