Smoky, rich and umami-filled: the best supermarket veggie burgers

This was an interesting and varied test, spanning classic 1960s-style bean patties to ultra-processed meat analogues. Although the latter have become more convincing, they were marked down for heavy processing and synthetic additives that aim to deceive the palate rather than deliver genuine flavour.

Ultimately, the lesser-processed burgers stood out for incredible value: flavour-packed, textural and with a good bite, their ingredients lists often burst with nutrition. Best overall was the All Plants sweet potato & black bean protein veggie burger (£3.50 for 180g), two firm but tender orange-brown patties packed with chipotle warmth, whole chickpeas that pop, and a dominant lemon-lime note with smoky paprika, coriander and cumin.

The best bargain was Lidl’s Vemondo Plant! Moroccan-style burgers (£1.99 for 250g), a sweet, medium-spiced chickpea patty that holds its shape, forms a good crust and is sweetened with dried apricots.

veggie burgers, supermarket, plant based, sweet potato, black bean, chickpea, all plants, lidl, vemondo, chipotle