McDonald’s Meat-Free McPlant Burger Has Finally Made its Menu Debut

McDonald's meat-free burger, the McPlant is finally here: The fast-food chain quietly added its plant-based patty to the menu at select locations throughout Sweden and Denmark this January. The spicy plant-based patty is made from pea and rice protein and is served on a bun along with melted cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, mayo, mustard, and ketchup.

McDonald's collaborated with Beyond Meat in order to nail the texture and taste of the real thing. For lucky customers in Sweden and Denmark, the McPlant is set to be tested on the menu until March 15th in Sweden and April 12th in Denmark.

The McPlant is for all the flexitarians out there trying to cut down on their meat intake. You can make the sandwich plant-based by asking for no cheese or mayo but the bun is cooked on the same grill as beef. (Similar to the Impossible Whopper at Burger King).

McDonald's Sweden is focusing on making the menu more plant-forward after conducting a survey that found over a third of Swedes classify as flexitarians. McDonald's Sweden was the first in the world with a completely vegan burger, the McVegan. McDonald's is hopeful that the McPlant's success will be another option for flexitarians. McDonald's has confirmed that the McPlant will be tested worldwide but hasn't specified where in the US it will be tested. Last September, McDonald's tested the P.L.T. made with Beyond Meat in Ontario, Canada, and saw overwhelmingly positive responses.

McDonald's is behind the other fast-food chains such as major competitors Burger King and KFC who feature permanent plant-based options on menus, but the good news that the McPlant will not be the chain's last plant-based option.

Chicken substitutes and breakfast sandwiches are next on deck for the fast-food chain. “In the future, McPlant could extend across a line of plant-based products including burgers, chicken-substitutes, and breakfast sandwiches. And, we expect some markets will test the burger next year. We are excited about the opportunity because we believe we have a proven, delicious-tasting product. When customers are ready for it, we are ready for them," said Ian Borden, President of McDonald's International.

We're hoping that along with the plant-based patty we can get plant-based fries (since right now the menu item contains milk and beef fat), but we'll take all the meat-free options we can get!