I originally reviewed this for Tasting Table, but it was such a long walk from speaking with Beyond about a taste test and getting into an office to do so that I did my taxes, and realized that I, in fact, had tossed a hundred bucks at Beyond stock a few years ago (at present, worth about $6) on Public, a trading platform I don’t think I’ve touched since. I mentioned this in the article for full disclosure, but unfortunately it understandably goes against Tasting Table policies and we had to kill my take on it. That said, I did enjoy the tasting, do think the latest Beyond Burger is yet another step forward, and have zero fear that any praise I print will goose my six bucks worth of stock among the hundred people who will read the review here on my own site. So unless one of you is Lucifer Q. Satannicus, president of Blackrock, inclined to spuriously invest a billion dollars I present it now without ethical qualms.
Beyond Meat IV Tasting
Even in 2024, most articles about plant-based meats — and I’ve read a lot of them in the quest for ethical satiety — bloviates how closely these now-familiar products resemble animal proteins. And fair play, because for way too long, vegetarian patty options where either bland, heavily processed soy, or a combination of grains and legumes that offered absolutely none of the pure protein rush of biting into a burger. (I do not care if your lentil burger is high in protein, it is still a solid bite of carbs between two carbs, and I would rather have it without the bun.)
But now we’re four iterations into the Beyond Burger — the plant meat equivalent of when the Iron Man suit finally got really cool — and it’s fair to say that you’re either on board with the tide change or you’re not. At this point, Beyond Meat is competing with itself (and Impossible) more than beef. It’s got nothing to prove vis-à-vis its ability to satiate; it’s now a question of whether Beyond is upgrading itself or backsliding.
That was the question at the front of my mind when I took a trip into Manhattan to sample the latest recipe for plant protein patties. Beyond has experience to fall back on, so I expected great things. However, I’ve also seen them trade what worked for negligible upgrades before. Would its Mark IV be the former or the latter? Take a mental bite out of the new Beyond Meat with me and find out.
Beyond IV Ingredients and nutritional information
The biggest selling point for healthy eaters is that these burgers replaced coconut and canola oils with avocado oil, reduce fat in a typical serving to just 14 grams (Previous editions had 22 and 18 grams, and the Stack Burger had 10 grams with a thinner patty). Of this number, only two grams now are saturated fat, with eight grams of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat. Even just two grams is 10% of your daily recommended intake, so this is quite an improvement down from five.
When I tried the Beyond Stack Burger, Beyond founder and CEO Ethan Brown addressed the criticism that Beyond Meat’s high in sodium. He noted it was an uneven comparison of sodium levels between ready-to-cook Beyond Burgers and a grocery’s beef patty; the reason is that ground beef is sold unsalted (and if making burgers, should only be salted immediately prior to cooking for better texture). Compared to the salt typically added to a beef burger at home, he said, Beyond looks better than the nutrition labels at point of sale. Even so, Beyond IV lowers the sodium by 20%. That actually gives you, the consumer, a nice opportunity to salt to taste at dinnertime, and bring forth more flavor from its lower fat content.
The protein has risen negligibly by a single gram, now offering 21 grams of protein derived from peas, brown rice, lentils, and faba (or fava) beans. Beets and pomegranate provide natural coloring.
Where to buy the Beyond IV Meat and how much it costs
Beyond IV is going to be available wherever Beyond Meat is presently sold, which is most grocery stores, and particularly those with a focus on health and sustainability, such as Whole Foods. The company says Beyond IV is available nationwide, at ubiquitous grocery chains like Kroger, Albertsons, and Publix, as well as all-in-one Big Box department stores like Walmart. Basically: anywhere you’ve bought earlier editions of Beyond Meat, you should find the new one in its snazzy gold package.
Whether or not your organic market or co-op picks it up is another question, as is how much pushback it gets at the store if you live in ranch country, but generally speaking, you should be able to find it most everywhere, or even request your store order it if it doesn’t carry it.
A two-pack of the new Beyond IV patties (traditionally a quarter pound each) is expected to sell for the manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $6.99, while an unshaped pound of the protein carries a MSRP of $9.99.
How do you cook the Beyond IV Burger?
While you could certainly experiment with different recipes and methods (sous vide circulation, anyone?) the Beyond IV is as straightforward as its predecessors, developing a satisfying crust from a simple pan fry. Dr. Bauer tells us there’s no need to oil the pan behind a light mist, if even that, as the avocado oils inside the grind will do a fine job of preventing it from sticking, while developing a crust.
If you’re using stainless steel, you might want to go the mist route, but cast-iron and carbon-steel pan users will likely do just fine as-is. This is in keeping with the previous Beyond Meat, although we noticed this version threw off much less oil in the pan than it did when it still used coconut oil.
My meal was graced by the most expert hands on earth preparing them: Chef Diana Stavaridis, aka Beyond’s in-house “Chef D.” She says that the meat truly changes to a great, beefy chew at 165 degrees Fahrenheit, and that the house experts can always tell by texture when it’s only cooked to 155 or 160. So if you’re a sous vide circulating fan of the minimum effective dose, don’t expect a direct port to that 130-degree, medium rare perfection. This plant meat likes it hot.
How the new Beyond IV Burger tastes
The biggest change that veteran diners will notice is the texture, and this is to the burger’s credit. While it’s always impressed on the strength of its deeply satisfying chew, the new Beyond IV has a slightly shaggier texture more akin to—sorry, I tried not to do this—ground beef.
Flavor-wise, it hasn’t moved far from the consistently yummy taste of Beyond Meat, though perhaps a little milder owing to its reduced fat, or even the different structure of the avocado oil vs. coconut oil, which is waxier at room temperatures.
About that avocado oil: while the smell remains delicious, it’s not quite so idiosyncratic a scent as when previous editions crisped in the pan. This might be a good thing. All in all, Beyond IV carves out a lower profile itself, blending into what we think of as a great burger, and I’m reminded of what I said the first night I ever tried this product: it’s strength is not in pretending to be beef so much as its ability to not shout that it’s a plant burger.
Chef D. also served up a tostada that exemplified this, although I do think here a stronger flavor profile would have complemented the lovely black bean and sweet potato dominating it. Better performing were the Japanese-style meatballs, where the pleasantly chewy Beyond IV beautifully replicated the springiness of a well-salted meatball.
How does the Beyond IV compare to the original Beyond Burger (and other editions)?
I’ve been generally impressed with most Beyond products (though not chicken), having first schnarfed as many samples as a Beyond rep would serve me during an after-work tasting. Back then, I was an editor at a food and drink site, at the height of my carnivore days, and a short stroll from three of New York’s best burgers, so I was not hurting for a great burger.
Despite being a fast fan, I could admit there was room for improvement. The old Beyond Burgers threw off a lot of oil, and needed to be shaped and cooked as cold as possible before they lost composition; doing so left a thick wax on one’s hands — to be fair, the coconut oil is comparable to beef fat in this regard, but its integration was different and omnipresent.
I thought the next edition was a bit of a step backward regarding texture, and only compounded the oil concern, but the Beyond Stack a nice step forward on that front. I think Beyond IV arrives at about the same level of satisfaction as that one, albeit healthier, and is therefore the better buy. This patty keeps Beyond on the track to improvement, and it must be said, more greatly resembles beef despite my not intending to look for that quality. For what it’s worth, I grunted in satisfaction taking my first bite of Beyond IV.
Is the new Beyond IV Burger worth buying?
If you were a fan of what came before, Beyond IV isn’t a radical departure, only a better version. Your arteries might notice the change more than your tongue does. That might sound like praising with faint damnation, but let’s spin it this way: Beyond has held onto what works and touched up the texture to its benefit despite impressive nutritional improvements. That’s quite a hat trick, and one that has seen this burger recognized by the American Heart Association, the American Diabetes Association, and the Clean Label Project.
Credit goes in part to Dr. Joy Bauer, nutrition expert on The Today Show, whose expertise Brown solicited. She says that Beyond was fully on board with all her suggestions on ways to improve but preserve this product, paring the ingredient list down, while deriving natural fiber from the lentils and rice.
Held at the same price point as other versions, Beyond IV represents an improvement in quality for your buck, and most importantly of all, remains delicious.
Methodology
I’ve experimented with Beyond Meat through its many versions over the years, testing different cooking methods, and also making other ground-meat recipes like shepherd’s pie (great!) and burek (tricky!) with this stuff. I’m an unabashed fan of how hard it hits that desire for chewy, salty proteins, but also perfectly willing to be critical of it, because I’m rooting for it to become the best it can be. Let’s be honest; nothing lands quite like a juicy beef burger, but if you offer me a plant-based alternative that gets 90% there and can match the pound-for-pound ground price, I’m going to be eating burgers twice a week instead of every few months.
It’s been a long-running competition for me between Beyond and Impossible, which is impressive to me less because it “bleeds” beet juice and more because it’s a textural winner in a superior crispiness. However, Beyond typically wins out overall because it doesn’t drop a vegetal, almost chlorophyll, aftertaste on the tongue. In fact, I found my first taste of Beyond impressive enough to immediately text friends and pouncet the first time I saw it in the supermarket. I even—disclosure incoming—bought $100 worth of immediately forgotten stock in BYND, but trust me that goosing the 30 bucks or so that holding presently represents is not worth my telling you any lies. Moreover, Beyond’s willingness to evolve has led me to take note for both its successes (Stack Burger!) and failures (that unbreaded Beyond Chicken, argh).