We Tried the Fake Protein Craze: Is Any of It Good?
In a Nutshell
A taste test of plant-based meat alternatives found that most products deliver only 5-8g of usable protein per serving despite high listed values, with wheat gluten dominating lower-quality options. The standouts were Abbott's pea-protein beef (15g high-quality protein at 18¢/g) and especially non-animal beta-lactoglobulin whey protein (20g pure protein at 8.8¢/g), produced via fermentation without animals. Overall, these ultra-processed foods taste convincingly meat-like but are calorie-dense, so they must be tracked carefully to avoid unintended weight gain while still being worthwhile for occasional use or ethical protein boosts.
These notes were generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
The host is in a Target store shopping exclusively for fake proteins, which are plant-based or alternative protein sources that mimic animal proteins like beef and chicken. The goal is to purchase, cook, taste, and evaluate these proteins to determine if they are nutritionally sound, worth the cost, and edible.
Five criteria will be used to assess each product:
- Cost per gram of protein
- Amount of protein per calorie (protein density)
- Protein quality (whether the protein is complete and usable for muscle building or converts to carbohydrates)
- Taste (whether it tastes reasonable)
- Edibility (whether the host would eat it again)
The host notes their taste preferences are unusual, which may affect evaluation of some products.
All food items purchased and ready for preparation. The items are pre-cooked and require only heating. An additional item was ordered online: non-animal whey protein made from milk without animals.
The products display traditional brown and yellow colors. Visual observations include:
- Chicken-like appearance
- Real steak piece appearance
- Tasty burger appearance
- Ordinary sausage patties appearance
- Lunch meat appearance
- Dog food-like appearance in dystopian context
- Beer-like appearance
Brand/Product: Turkey slices (lunch meat)
- Listed protein: 14 grams per serving
- Actual usable protein: approximately 4.5 grams (primarily wheat gluten and tofu)
- Wheat gluten is one of the lowest quality proteins
- Cost: 36.4 cents per gram of protein (very expensive)
- Taste: peppery flavor, not elastic, tastes more like meat than expected
- Verdict: acceptable for trying meat alternatives but not recommended as a protein source
Brand/Product: Morning Star Farms Sweet BBQ Riblet (Rib Cuts)
- Primary ingredients: soy protein concentrate, wheat gluten, soy isolate
- Listed protein: 21 grams per serving
- Actual usable protein: approximately 16 grams per serving
- Protein density: 7.6 grams per 100 calories
- Cost: 23.5 cents per gram of protein
- Taste: exactly like grilled rib meat, slightly softer texture than meat but excellent crispiness and smoky flavor
- Verdict: tastes good, higher quality protein, will eat again, rated 10/10, suitable when not needing high protein density
Brand/Product: Morning Star Farms classic sausages
- Primary ingredients: wheat gluten, egg white, soy concentrate, milk protein
- Listed protein: 8 grams per serving
- Actual usable protein: approximately 5 grams per serving
- Protein density: 7.1 grams per 100 calories
- Cost: 21.1 cents per gram of protein
- Taste: excellent saltiness, chewing texture different from meat in a positive way, more obvious carbohydrate content
- Verdict: not bad, acceptable for breakfast with fake eggs, but not exciting
Brand/Product: Morning Star Farms original sausage discs
- Primary ingredients: wheat gluten, soy concentrate, soy flour, soy isolate
- Listed protein: 10 grams per serving
- Actual usable protein: approximately 5 grams per serving
- Protein density: 7.1 grams per 100 calories
- Cost: 17.6 cents per gram of protein
- Taste: good but tastes like potato pie/latke rather than meat
- Verdict: will eat again but doesn't resemble meat
Brand/Product: Abbott's rich vegetarian "Chick'n"
- Primary ingredients: pea protein, nutritional yeast
- Listed protein: 14 grams per serving
- Actual usable protein: approximately 13 grams of high-quality complete protein
- Cost: 20.8 cents per gram of protein
- Taste: slightly artificial taste, good texture, liquid comes out when bitten, not meat-like texture
- Verdict: content with taste, would eat if no better alternatives available
Brand/Product: Abbott's rich vegetarian "beef"
- Primary ingredient: pea protein
- Listed protein: 18 grams per serving
- Actual usable protein: approximately 15 grams
- Protein density: 11.5 grams per 100 calories
- Cost: 18 cents per gram of protein
- Taste: contains many flavors, not exactly like beef but very good, would work in meat pie
- Texture: great, very close to meat
- Verdict: exceptional product, will eat regularly, saved the day for minced beef alternative
Brand/Product: Impossible Burger
- Primary ingredients: soy protein concentrate, soy protein isolate
- Protein density: 8.3 grams per 100 calories
- Cost: 11.9 cents per gram of protein
- Characteristics: high-fat, high-calorie food with some protein, not primarily a protein food
- Taste: tastes just like real burger, delicious, tastes like grilled meat
- Texture: more like grains or bread if carefully observed, but excellent as burger
- Verdict: pinnacle of food science, will eat again during weight gain phases, impressive product
Brand/Product: Impossible Stick pieces
- Primary ingredient: soy protein
- Protein density: 10.9 grams per 100 calories
- Cost: 12.6 cents per gram of protein
- Taste: not a big fan of steak, doesn't like this much either, very convincing appearance
- Texture: interwoven and tangled fibers create meat-like mouthfeel
- Verdict: impressed by realism, expected to like it more but realizes personal dislike of steak affects evaluation
Brand/Product: Light Life Smart Dog
- Primary ingredients: soy and pea protein (mostly soy)
- Protein density: 12.5 grams per 100 calories
- Cost: 8 cents per gram of protein (one of cheapest options)
- Protein quality: vast majority is high-quality protein for muscle building
- Taste: tastes just like real sausages from beginning to end, very convincing
- Verdict: if put in bread with ketchup, people wouldn't notice difference, convincingly resembles sausage
Brand/Product: My Protein plant-based (non-animal) whey protein
- Composition: 100% beta-lactoglobulin (component of true whey protein)
- Listed protein: 20 grams per serving
- Production method: plant materials fed to genetically modified bacteria that convert it into identical beta-lactoglobulin molecule
- Protein density: 20 grams per 100 calories (almost pure protein food)
- Cost: 8.8 cents per gram of protein
- Characteristics: free of animals and lactose, no cows harmed in production
- Taste: has distinctive whey flavor, better than regular whey protein, dissolves completely in water, no sediment after 30 minutes
- Verdict: the future, will buy a thousand packs, worth paying more for animal welfare concerns
Almost every item tested was very tasty, which presents both advantages and problems. The advantage is that vegetarians can eat delicious meat alternatives without noticing differences. The disadvantage is that these foods are low in protein, high in calories, highly processed, and surprisingly delicious, creating high tendency for overindulgence.
All products can be consumed wisely if macronutrients, protein, and calorie intake are calculated. However, simply eating fake meat with vegetables while claiming to eat only meat and vegetables will likely result in more weight gain than expected.
The best product on the list is the BLG (beta-lactoglobulin) protein that is not derived from animals. This provides high protein content without animal harm, tastes similar to protein supplements, and allows users to become training monsters while maintaining animal welfare values.
Recommendation: try all items on the list while keeping calorie intake under control, considering costs, and adding traditional shakes when needing to increase protein intake significantly.
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