It seems like only yesterday when I first heard rumblings that mad scientists were attempting to create “meat-less” meats, and here I am, getting it at Dunkin’.
That’s right, Dunkin’ has jumped into the plant-based protein fray with the new Beyond Sausage Sandwich.
According to the official press release, this sausage from Beyond Meat is “made with 100% plant-based proteins and a mix of spices crafted especially for Dunkin.” So far, I’ve only tried plant-based burgers, so I was pretty pumped to see what breakfast had to offer.
Well, right out of the gate, the Beyond sausage patty looked pretty gross, evoking memories of the “hamburgers” I used to get in my school lunches.
It smelled familiar, but it took me a few bites before I nailed the scent down.
The aforementioned press release mentioned the following are used to construct the patty, “peas, mung beans, rice and sunflower to provide the protein and coconut oil to ensure juiciness.” Now you know how the “sausage” is made. Who doesn’t love a good mung bean?!
Along with the sausage, the sandwich had that typical plasticky egg, a piece of cheese, and a super floppy English muffin that has a flavor like an Egg McMuffin. When I bit in, nothing tasted amiss.
The “meat” itself was pretty chewy, but the texture wasn’t that far off from what I expected from prior Dunkin’ breakfast sausage. I snipped a piece off to try solo, and it tasted like slightly over spiced, low-grade meat, but that’s honestly how I’d describe all Dunkin’s meats.
Now getting back to the smell, because it finally dawned on me what the meat seasoning smelled and tasted a bit like – stuffing.
What’s the main spice in stuffing? I could easily Google it, but I’d rather ramble on until it pops in my brain. I remember when I reviewed the Lay’s Biscuits and Gravy chips, the main takeaway was that it tasted like Stove Top. This sandwich brought back memories of those which brought back memories of that!
Is it sage? I think it’s sage and some onion powder. That’s the best I can do, with Dunkin’ being all Colonel Sanders secretive on its spices. For all I know, it could also have parsley, rosemary, and thyme, and the recipe could have been concocted while listening to Simon and Garfunkel.
If I had any sage advice, it would be to ease up a bit on the spices.
Beyond that, they succeeded. For what this is, it’s pretty remarkable, most definitely edible, and enjoyable. I’m not a big cheese on breakfast sandwich’ guy, but that slice helped here. The generic egg and the slightly weird protein would have made for a worse sandwich without it.
In the breakfast pantheon, it’s middle of the road at best. I’m not sure I’ll be a repeat customer. While I appreciate the nutritional improvements, it doesn’t taste quite as good as real meat to a heathen such as myself. For a vegetarian, though? This is an excellent option.
Purchased Price: $4.49
Size: N/A
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 470 calories, 24 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 910 milligrams of sodium, 38 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 3 grams of sugar, and 24 grams of protein.
It’s weird to me to feature a meatless product that includes egg. I know, I know, there are non-vegan vegetarians who fall in that overlap. But it’d be easier to find an audience for a product on either side.
I think this is the first time (complaints of over-salted aside) I’ve seen someone say that a food has been TOO seasoned. That’s interesting.