The Beyond Meat Product Named 1 Of 2022's Top Inventions By TIME

Plant-based meat alternatives have seen a surge in the last few years. With attention being brought to climate change, animal welfare, and our own health (via Scientific American), companies like Beyond Meat have started to get creative, serving up tasty solutions that can help us be more sustainable while satisfying our carnivorous demands. Though you may already be familiar with Beyond Meat burgers and mince, one of their newest products — Beyond Steak Plant-Based Seared Tips — has just been named one of the top inventions of 2022 by TIME. Here's what you need to know.

Founded in 2009, Beyond Meat has been offering patrons non-GMO, plant-based meats, which source protein from ingredients like peas, mung beans, and fava beans in addition to plant-derived flavorings, colorings, and fats. Their line of products includes plant-based burgers, ground beef, sausages, and meatballs, along with chicken alternatives like tenders, nuggets, and even popcorn bites. However, the launch of Beyond Steak Plant-Based Seared Tips has been one of the most exciting endeavors by the brand.

A stepping stone in the quest to create the ever-elusive fully vegan, whole-cut steak, Beyond Meat's steak tips offer a promising glimpse into unchartered territory. Founder, president, and CEO of Beyond Meat, Ethan Brown told Time, "We finally got to the right product, but it wasn't easy to do."

Creating a meatless steak filet is challenging, to say the least. However, TIME reports that after years of research and development, the food scientists at Beyond Meat have come pretty close, having developed bite-sized steak tips. Boasting a similar fibrous texture and fattiness that's reminiscent of a beef steak, Beyond Steak sends plant-based meat alternatives to new heights.

Made with water, wheat gluten, fava bean protein, canola oil, yeast extract, sunflower lecithin, and natural flavorings and seasonings, Beyond Meat explains that the ingredients undergo a process of heating, cooling, and pressurization in order to achieve a texture similar to beef. Cooked from frozen (either in a skillet or the air fryer) until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit, the vegan seared tips can be swapped out for steak in any recipe from steak Caesar salads all the way to Indian-spiced tacos.

Interestingly, Beyond Steak wasn't the only plant-based product to make TIME's list. Mycelium-based bacon from MyForest Foods and crispy "chicken" cutlets made from mushroom roots by Meati also made the cut, proving that plant-based meats aren't just a trend — they're here to stay and they're only getting better.