The Only 10 Plant-Based Burgers Worth Buying

Here's a joke for you.

Q: What's the difference between a plant-based burger and a veggie burger?

A: Marketing.

"Plant-based" burgers and other faux-teins have received tons of attention during the last few years, but if you actually look at the ingredients lists of offerings from headline-collecting companies like Impossible Foods or Beyond Meat, you'll see that you're basically eating soy or pea protein. ("Soy burger" or "pea burger" just doesn't have the same ring to it, does it?)

That's not to say that soy protein or pea protein is bad for you, but dietitians agree that they're not magical for you either. The serious truth is somewhere right down the middle: Eating more fruits and vegetables in your diet will improve your health, prevent you from incurring a host of deadly diseases, and help prevent dietary boredom.

And if you want to add more vegetables to your diet, plant-based burgers (or veggie burgers [or whatever the hell you want to call them]), are a way to do that. Burgers are, after all, awesome.

One thing that the "plant-based" marketing movement has brought about is a higher standard of flavor for veggie burgers in general. Those sad frozen pucks of the past have been replaced with thicker, tastier patties that actual have the power to satisfy.

The comprehensive list that follows lists the 10 best go-to options for plant-based burgers that are worth buying.

No joke.