Impossible Foods is Launching Vegan Filet Mignon, Founder Reveals

Vegan cuisine is beginning to carve out a place in upscale dining, but customers still yearn for signature meat and dairy-centric dishes that plant-based cuisine has yet to widely replicate. One prime example is steak. But now, Impossible Foods intends to debut a plant-based meat fit for fine dining menus everywhere with a new filet mignon. During the MIT Technology Review's ClimateTech event, Impossible Founder Patrick Brown discussed the company's prototype filet mignon.

Impossible's product selection features an impressive array of plant-based meat including pork, burgers, chicken tenders, and more. However, the vegan meat brand has yet to deliver whole-cut meat alternatives. Now, Impossible intends to continue development on vegan steak until it meets the demands of consumers, both vegan and meat eaters. Brown noted that before the company commercializes its steak alternative, it must compete with existing beef products. He encourages consumers to "stay tuned" because "it's definitely coming."

Before the ClimateTech conference, Brown teased the Impossible steak at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in 2019. He made the announcement when Impossible debuted the 3.0 version of the Impossible Burger recipe.

“The next categorically new product that we launch will most certainly be a beef steak,“ Brown said at the conference in 2019. “[Steak] has huge symbolic value. If we can make just an awesomely delicious world-class steak … that will be very disruptive, not just to the beef industry, but to other sectors of the meat industry.”

This month, Americans in the Midwest get a chance to try vegan steak with Beyond Meat's new Beyond Steak Plant-Based Seared Tips. For the initial release, shoppers in the Midwestern United States can find the Beyond Steak at Jewel Osco locations for $7.99 per 10-ounce package. Soon, Americans nationwide could get a taste of plant-based steak.

“Our commitment to rapid and relentless innovation means we’re always working to bring the world’s best plant-based meat products to market to increase accessibility to delicious, nutritious, and sustainable plant-based proteins,” a Beyond Meat spokesperson told VegNews. “We’re excited to share more details soon about our sliced steak product and believe consumers are going to be very impressed with the product’s great taste and versatility."

This announcement closely follows Beyond and Taco Bell's most recent crossover: The Beyond Carne Asada Steak. This October, Taco Bell rolled out the meatless option at locations around Dayton, Ohio. The trial will run until supplies run out.

Although Beyond and Impossible have led the meat alternatives market for years, these two companies are not the only ones producing vegan whole cuts. This August, Redefine Meat revealed that its 3-D printed vegan flank steaks will roll out at several popular restaurants including Mr. Whites, German Gymnasium, Chotto Matte, and Gillray’s Steakhouse and Bar. Also, the Israeli-based food tech company revealed a partnership with the hotel chain Selina, eventually intended to expand the plant-based steak presence internationally.

The vegan steak craze has also caught the attention of major celebrities. Grammy Award-winning Lizzo got a taste of vegan steak as well. The singer helped Juicy Marbles' meatless filet mignon go viral on TikTok. Even Gordon Ramsay caved and shared a vegan (eggplant) steak on his TikTok.

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Fast-food restaurants have finally got the memo that their customer base isn’t just coming through for a burger, fried chicken, or a beef taco. Many now have plant-based foods and are coming up with creative, delicious ways to get more greens on the menu. Here are the 6 best fast-food chains with plant-based options on the menu.

Turns out there’s a lot more to rely on than a salad if you’re eating plant-based. Burger King has the Impossible Whopper featuring a meatless patty as well as a few secretly vegan options such as the French Toast Sticks and Hashbrowns.

Known for its mini square-shaped sliders, this hamburger chain jumped on the plant-based bandwagon at some participating locations. You can find an Impossible Slider on some White Castle menus.

This was the first national Mexican fast-food chain to offer Beyond Meat at the company’s 580 restaurants across the country. Del Taco has the Beyond Avocado Taco on the menu along with the Epic Beyond Original Mex Burrito and Avocado Veggie Bowl.

Another brand synonymous with beef burgers, Carl’s Jr. offers several plant-based options for veggie and plant lover such as Beyond Famous Star Burger and Guacamole Thickburger.

This fast-food restaurant may have been one of the first you frequented while transitioning to plant-based eating. That’s because Taco Bell has eight million vegetarian combinations and sells 350 million vegetarian items a year through menu substitutions or ordering off their vegetarian menu. In fact, they were the first quick-service restaurant to offer American Vegetarian Association (AVA) certified food options.

From the time it started offering breakfast sandwiches in 2006, the coffee conglomerate became a competitor in the fast-food space. You can get your favorite hot and cold beverages made with almond, coconut or oat milk but there are also plant-based food options available such as the Baja Black Bean Veggie Wrap, bagel with vegan cream cheese and Impossible Breakfast Sandwich.