Burger King Impossible Burger 2026 – Price and Calories
A meat-loving regular filmed for one of Burger King’s own promotional videos took one bite, insisted "this is a cow," and got visibly rattled when told otherwise. That reaction is basically the entire marketing pitch behind the Impossible Whopper in one clip, and it’s part of why this plant-based burger became the biggest story in fast food the year it launched. Years later, it’s still on the menu, though the veggie option that came before it quietly disappeared not long after.
This guide covers the Burger King Impossible Burger in full: what happened to the old veggie burger it replaced, what’s actually in the Impossible Whopper, current pricing and calories, and how it holds up against Beyond Meat competitors at other chains.
See Impossible Whopper Prices →
Whatever Happened to Burger King’s Veggie Burger?
Before the Impossible Whopper existed, Burger King’s plant-based option was a MorningStar Farms veggie patty, supplied by Kellogg. That version stuck around for years as a quiet, secondary option, never getting much marketing attention compared to the beef menu. Once the Impossible Whopper launched nationally in 2019 and started boosting sales, Burger King dropped the MorningStar patty entirely that same year, fully replacing its old veggie burger with the new plant-based option instead of running both side by side.
If you’re specifically looking for the original Burger King veggie burger from before 2019, it’s gone. The Impossible Whopper is what replaced it, and it’s been the only plant-based Whopper option since.
How the Impossible Whopper Launched
The Impossible Whopper started as a test run at 58 restaurants around St. Louis on April 1, 2019, timed close enough to April Fools’ Day that more than one outlet initially assumed it was a prank. It wasn’t. The test performed well enough that Burger King committed to a full national rollout by the end of that year, making it the first coast-to-coast fast food chain to serve Impossible Foods’ plant-based patty, ahead of competitors that had only run regional or limited tests up to that point.
The original suggested price was $5.59, undercutting several other chains selling similar plant-based burgers at the time. Burger King also ran an "Impossible Taste Test" promotion through DoorDash shortly after the in-store launch, letting customers order both the Impossible Whopper and the regular beef version side by side for $7 to compare directly.
What’s in the Impossible Whopper?
The Impossible Whopper uses the same build as a regular Whopper, just swapping the beef patty for Impossible Foods’ plant-based version. It features a flame-grilled plant-based patty topped with tomatoes, onions, lettuce, mayonnaise, ketchup, and pickles on a toasted sesame seed bun. The patty itself is made from soy protein, coconut oil, and heme derived from plants, which is what gives it a meat-like color and flavor rather than tasting like a typical veggie burger.
Because it’s grilled on the same equipment as beef patties, the Impossible Whopper isn’t strictly vegan or free from cross-contact, even though the patty itself contains no animal products.
Burger King Impossible Whopper: Calories and Nutrition
| Nutrient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | 630 – 690 |
| Protein | 25 – 28g |
| Total Fat | 34 – 40g |
| Sodium | 1,080 – 1,240mg |
Calorie figures vary slightly depending on the source and any recipe updates over the years, generally landing close to the beef Whopper’s 670 calories rather than significantly lower. The main nutritional difference isn’t a big calorie cut, it’s the protein source itself and the absence of cholesterol, since the plant-based patty carries none.
Burger King Impossible Whopper Price
Current pricing has climbed from the original $5.59 launch price along with general menu inflation.
Impossible Whopper (à la carte)
Impossible Whopper Meal (combo)
| Item | Price Range |
|---|---|
| Impossible Whopper (à la carte) | $8.49 – $10.29 |
| Impossible Whopper Meal (combo) | $11.99 – $13.99 |
Burger King has also run frequent promotional pricing on the Impossible Whopper through Royal Perks, including buy-one-get-one-free deals that have appeared multiple times throughout the year and Crowns redemption offers letting members trade loyalty points for a free sandwich at a discounted point value.
Beyond the Whopper: Other Impossible Items at Burger King
The Impossible Whopper wasn’t the only plant-based item Burger King introduced. In 2020, the chain launched the Impossible Croissan’wich nationwide, becoming the first national restaurant chain to put a plant-based patty into a breakfast sandwich. Built with a toasted croissant, eggs, melted cheese, and a seasoned plant-based sausage-style patty, it launched at a suggested price of $3.99, though availability has narrowed since as a limited-time offering at participating locations rather than a permanent fixture everywhere.
Impossible Whopper vs. Beyond Meat Burgers
The most direct competitor comparison is Beyond Meat, which supplies plant-based patties to chains like Carl’s Jr. and A&W rather than Burger King. Both Impossible and Beyond patties aim for a similar meat-like texture and flavor, though they use different core ingredients, Impossible relies on soy protein and heme, while Beyond builds its patties around pea protein. Taste comparisons between the two brands tend to come down to personal preference more than a clear technical winner, though Impossible has generally been positioned as achieving a closer beef-like taste in blind taste tests, which lines up with the reactions Burger King captured in its own marketing.
My Honest Take on the Impossible Whopper
What stands out most going through the actual history here is how quickly Burger King committed once the early test results came in, a 58-restaurant trial turning into a full national rollout within the same year is a fast turnaround for a chain this size. The calorie numbers surprised me a little too, since I’d assumed a plant-based patty would automatically mean a meaningfully lighter sandwich, and it really doesn’t compared to the beef version. If you’re ordering it specifically to eat lighter, it’s not going to deliver that on its own, the appeal here is more about protein source and avoiding animal products than cutting calories.
Final Thoughts
The Burger King Impossible Burger has held a permanent spot on the menu since its 2019 launch, fully replacing the chain’s old MorningStar veggie burger in the process. The Impossible Whopper delivers a close match to the beef version in build and calorie count, with the real difference coming down to the plant-based patty itself rather than a lighter eating experience. Keeping an eye on Royal Perks for BOGO deals is worth doing if this is a regular order, since Burger King has run that promotion consistently enough to plan around.