If you’re checking impossible burger protein against beef, start by matching serving sizes. Many plant-based patties provide a similar amount of protein to beef, but sodium, saturated fat, fibre, iron and vitamin B12 can differ substantially. No single label tells you which choice is best for everyone—or what its long-term health effects will be.
Compare The Same Amount Before Comparing Nutrients
A patty’s listed serving may weigh more or less than the beef portion you have in mind. One nutrition table in a 2025 dietary guidance paper lists an Impossible Burger patty at 113 g (about 4 oz) and 19 g of protein. Its comparator—ground beef that is 80% lean and 20% fat—is listed per 100 g (about 3.5 oz) and provides 17.5 g of protein. Those figures look close, but the portions are not equal, so they are not a direct, like-for-like comparison.
For a fair check, compare values per 100 g, or calculate the nutrition for the amount you actually eat. Also check whether a package’s serving size means one patty or something smaller. If a product’s recipe or local packaging differs, use the label on the pack in front of you rather than assuming an online figure applies everywhere.
What Impossible Burger Protein Tells You—and What It Doesn’t
Protein is one area where many newer plant-based burgers are designed to resemble beef. They often use concentrated plant proteins, such as soy, pea or wheat. But the amount varies: the 2025 guidance paper reports that beef-style plant patties commonly contain around 15–20 g of protein per 100 g. Older-style or smaller veggie burgers can be different, so check the product rather than relying on the word “burger.”
Protein quantity is only one part of the comparison. A 2021 laboratory study by Stephan van Vliet and colleagues compared 18 samples of a plant-based burger with 18 samples of grass-fed ground beef. The patties were matched for serving size (113 g) and fat (14 g). The researchers measured 190 metabolites—compounds not usually shown on a nutrition panel—and found many differences between the foods. They concluded that the two were not nutritionally interchangeable, but their analysis could not determine which was healthier to eat.
Check Sodium, Saturated Fat And Fibre Separately
Sodium is a common trade-off to watch. In the same 2025 guidance table, the Impossible patty lists 370 mg of sodium per 113 g, while the beef comparator lists 55 mg per 100 g. These portions differ, but the example shows why checking sodium matters: a plant-based label is not automatically low in salt. In the UK and EU, labels commonly declare salt rather than sodium; don’t compare the two numbers as if they were the same nutrient.
Saturated fat varies too. Some plant-based patties have less than a beef patty, while others may have a similar or higher amount, depending on the recipe. Fibre is a clearer potential difference: beef contains none, while many plant patties provide some. In the table’s examples, the Impossible patty has 5 g of fibre per 113 g and the beef has none. That is a product comparison, not a guarantee that every plant-based burger is high in fibre.
A supermarket study by Cristina Filip and colleagues examined plant-based and meat products sold in Romania, Germany and Ireland. It found lower saturated fat and more fibre in the plant-based products overall, but also lower protein and salt levels that varied by category. Romanian products had less favourable profiles than those from Germany and Ireland. Because the researchers compared products from three European markets, the results don’t establish what every brand or product in the US, UK, Australia or elsewhere contains.
Iron And B12 Depend On The Recipe
Beef naturally supplies iron and vitamin B12. Plant patties may contain added iron or B12, but fortification differs by product. The 2025 table lists 4.2 mg of iron for its 113 g Impossible patty, and the accompanying product information lists 3.01 micrograms of B12. Those figures describe that particular label snapshot—not all plant-based patties. Check the ingredient list and nutrition panel to see whether the product is fortified and how much it provides. A number for total iron also doesn’t tell you how much your body absorbs.
A Label Comparison Isn’t A Long-Term Health Verdict
Nutrition panels help you compare the nutrients they list. They cannot capture every compound in a food, and they don’t show what happens to health over years of eating one product instead of another. The lab study measured food chemistry, not people’s health; the supermarket study compared product labels, not long-term outcomes. Their results can help explain differences between patties, but they don’t prove that a particular burger will improve or harm your health.
For your next shop, compare the same patty weight and focus on the nutrients that matter to your choice: protein, sodium or salt, saturated fat, fibre, iron and B12. Then consider the whole meal and how often the product fits into your usual eating pattern. If you need to manage a nutrient for a medical reason, ask a clinician or dietitian for advice tailored to you.