In the UK, McDonald’s offers a vegan burger called the McPlant. This meat-free burger is made from pea and rice proteins and is served with a variety of toppings. While trials of the McPlant were not successful in the US, the burger is available in countries such as Germany, Portugal, and the UK. However, it’s important to note that the availability and composition of the McPlant burger differ in different countries. In some countries like the Netherlands, there may be potential contamination with meat due to the burger being described as “for flexitarians.”
I recently sampled both the McPlant and the most comparable non-vegan option, the Quarter Pounder with Cheese, from a McDonald’s in London. Both burgers came with standard toppings such as onion, pickles, ketchup, and mustard. The McPlant also included lettuce, tomato, and vegan sandwich sauce, while the Quarter Pounder with Cheese had two slices of processed cheese. It was notable that the cheese in the Quarter Pounder with Cheese had started to melt while the vegan cheese in