Boca Vs MorningStar Farms: Which Sells The Best Frozen Vegetarian Burgers?

I've been a plant-based eater for all of my adult life. And, since I was a vegan for six years — and am now a vegetarian — I can say that I have eaten more veggie burgers than I would like to admit. It's a go-to when I go out to restaurants, as more spots are trying to open up their selections to include veg-friendly options. And veggie burgers are a fantastic quick meal to keep in your freezer for when you don't really want to try a new vegan recipe, as all you need to do is reheat them in a skillet, air fryer, or in the microwave. 

Like many other plant-based eaters out there, I had to try a ton of different veggie burger brands to find which ones would work for me. To save you the process of choosing between two of the most popular brands, Boca and MorningStar Farms, I prepared two patties from each brand in a skillet (though you could use a microwave, air fryer, or grill to prepare them, too). I assessed each burger's overall taste and texture to decide which of them was the best and which brand made the superior burger patty. 

MorningStar Farms is a brand that most plant-based eaters are likely familiar with, as it proliferates the frozen plant-based foods section at most grocery stores. The company, which is owned by Kellanova, churns out an impressive array of different plant-based burger options, including black bean burgers, steak-house style burgers, and chik'n patties. Though, the brand also carries a ton of non-burger plant-based food alternatives, too, including breakfast sausage patties, corndogs, and meal starters. In short, there's not much that this brand doesn't offer. 

For this review, I sampled two of its products. The first was the Grillers Original, which contains 16 grams of protein for every 140-calorie patty. It contains dairy (whey) and egg ingredients, so it is a vegetarian patty rather than a vegan patty. The base of the burger is made of wheat gluten (also known as seitan), which gives it a texture similar to the beef ones you'd find at a restaurant or fast food chain like McDonald's. I also sampled a more vegetable-forward option from the brand: the Garden Veggie burgers. There are 10 grams of protein for every 100-gram vegan patty, along with whole vegetables like mushrooms, carrots, water chestnuts, and more. 

Boca takes up comparably less space in the freezer aisle at the grocery store, but it does still have a sizable selection of plant-based products for customers to choose from. This brand, owned by Kraft-Heinz, offers everything from nuggets to burgers. Its plant-based burger selection specifically is more limited than MorningStar Farms, as it only carries a few products. I sampled Boca's All American veggie burgers and the Original Vegan veggie burgers for this review. 

The former contains 14 grams of protein for each 110-calorie patty. Unlike any of the other burgers I sampled here — and honestly, any vegetarian burger I've ever eaten — there is cheese baked right into the burger itself. To up the ante, Boca also adds cheese powder to its ingredients. Meanwhile, the original veggie burgers have slightly more protein-per-patty than the MorningStar Farms patties, as they contain 14 grams of protein and are 80 calories each. Like the MorningStar Farms patties, the base of these are made with soy protein and wheat gluten, which means that they are suitable for vegans and those with dairy and egg allergies. 

The Boca All American veggie burgers are supposed to imitate more of a classic beef burger than a veggie patty. And I do think that these patties have a little more "beefy" flavor than the brand's veggie patty. The burger was noticeably darker in color and had a slightly charred aroma compared to the other Boca patty I sampled. It was less like a "beef burger cooking on a grill" though, and more like a "something's burning but I can't find out what exactly it is" flavor. It was surely salty, though, and it was a little bit off-putting as the salty flavor really overrode every other element in the burger. I suspect part of this issue is the saltiness from the cheese powder or the cheese itself, which is baked into the burger. The aftertaste the burger left in my mouth was a little quease-inducing, too, as I could taste the salt for hours after I ate it. I also noticed that the garlic and onion flavor in this burger was muddled, which makes it seem even more poorly seasoned.

The other big issue with this burger here is texture. Like Boca's veggie burger, this one tasted like I was biting into a thick, spongy material. Without reading the label, I guessed it was made with something bean or rice-based, as the texture was very mealy rather than juicy and fibrous. Although I cooked this sample, along with every burger that I sampled for this review, in a pan, I highly doubt that cooking it on a grill would do anything to help it out. If anything, it would just make that fake charred essence more pronounced. 

The MorningStar Farms Grillers original were the first burgers that I sampled out of the four. I noticed immediately that this burger had the most appealing oily sheen to it; it kind of resembled a breakfast sausage patty. This made the patty really stand out from all the other options in this ranking. I mean, they are faux burgers, but I would expect a little more greasiness.

The aroma of this patty — which didn't really waft up off the burger and into the air (I had to take a big whiff of it to get any smell) — was pleasant, yet not beef-like. Although this patty was thinner than some of the other selections on this list, I think it was effective in its mouthfeel. The oiliness came through, just like a proper burger should. However, I immediately was met with mealiness, almost like this burger was made with pulverized beans rather than a soy-based substitute. It has that same fibrousness to it, which, on its own, isn't unpleasant, but I'd rather not have it in a veggie burger. 

I was also missing a meat-like flavor with this one. While it was greasy and stick-to-your-ribs like a burger should be, it just wasn't as filling as a "normal burger" — or even something from Impossible or Beyond Meat. Moreover, the beef notes were missing in particular; MorningStar Farms could have called this a sausage patty and gotten away with it. 

Overall, if this burger was served to me at a barbecue as my only option, I would eat it. But I don't think I would go out of my way to purchase a pack from the store.

The Boca veggie burgers are supposed to imitate a vegetable-based patty rather than act as an exact replica of a meat-based burger. But, it was difficult to see that these Boca patties were, in fact, "veggie burgers" as there were no actual vegetables inside of it. I could have easily mistaken it for the beef analog because I couldn't pinpoint any peppers, carrots, or greens.

When I flipped the patty into the pan and let it cook, I noticed that there were some fat deposits that started to form on the edges of the pan, which gave me some hope that this burger would be just as juicy on the inside as the MorningStar Farms Grillers original were on the outside. However, the sad reality of these burgers was that they came out tasting and looking like a thickly padded carpet. When I squeezed them, I couldn't see any sort of juice pouring out onto the plate. These burgers were dense and foreboding, which is not what I was looking for from a veggie burger. 

In short, this burger tastes like a school cafeteria mystery meat hamburger. There is a very pronounced chewiness to the meat, and an aftertaste that I couldn't put my taste buds on. It was slightly coppery, like I licked a rusty metal spoon. Overall, I think that this burger has a better saltiness than MorningStar Farms, and perhaps an even better saltiness than most of the beef burgers I've had (which, granted, was ages ago). I could tell that I was eating a patty that was made with some sort of beans, rice, or grains in it — although none of these elements were visually peppered throughout the patty. All I got was a gray, sad, and wholly unappetizing attempt at a burger.

When I see "garden burger" or "veggie burger" on a menu, I'm expecting to see a patty that has some vegetables inside of it. I don't want to see a "mystery meat" patty. Luckily, this burger came through on the promise of "real vegetables." As soon as I unpackaged it, I could see pieces of red, green, and orange dotting the dark tan-colored patty. The patty itself has a unique flavor that's very approachable and easy to eat. I could pick up on a rice-forward flavor, but unlike every other burger that I sampled for this review, I don't get any follow-up notes of beans. The texture itself is like the Dr. Praeger's burgers I've had in the past, as there are some turkey-like undertones. However, I think this is far from a meat-analog patty. Rather, there are complex, vegetable-forward flavors present. Getting a pop of a piece of pepper skin every so often was quite pleasant, too, as it made eating this burger less monotonous. 

I think that there could have been a little more by the way of spice here, but the saltiness in this burger is adequate enough for it to get by. Moreover, I also appreciate that the oil doesn't soak back into the patty and makes it spongy, as was the case with Boca's patties. Rather, it has enough oiliness to just coat your lips without becoming oppressive. Overall, this was a light burger that I think anyone who enjoys eating veggie burgers can appreciate. Even if you aren't a vegetarian, I think you would appreciate eating a sandwich or a wrap made with this patty from time to time. 

There was one very obvious winner in this race: the MorningStar Farms Garden Veggie burger. In most cases, I prefer a plant-based "beef" patty over this more veggie-forward variety, but this was one instance where I could really taste the veggies inside of this burger, which made eating it quite pleasant. While no one will be confusing it with a beef patty any time soon, it does bring its own unique flavor profile to the scene, which I can appreciate. Meanwhile, its partner, the Grillers original, also proved to be a solid choice — though MorningStar Farms needs to work on moving from the generic "plant-based meat" territory to something a little more beef-forward. 

The Boca burgers were a giant step back from MorningStar Farms. Both of the patties were dry and dense and gave off the impression that they were made from pulverized beans rather than anything flavorful and worth eating. I think they're unsatisfactory enough where if you ate one and was told it was a veggie burger, you may swear off eating veggie burgers for the rest of your life. I don't think this brand is a great representation of what all veggie burgers can look and taste like, as there are so many other brands that make far better-tasting and textured products. MorningStar Farms or bust!