Beyond Meat Beef Crumbles

This product is something of an anomaly in Beyond Meat’s larger line of products. Where the sausage and burger seek to provide a fresh product right there in the meat section of the grocery store – these crumbles are found in the freezer aisle with all the regular veggie and vegan products.

With the recent announcement of the Beyond Meat ground beef, this particular item might seem a little redundant in the future. I have to wonder if this was merely a placeholder while the business worked out the ground beef formulation.

Anyway, if this did vanish, would we miss it? That’s a tough one. Part of me wants to say yes, part of me wants to say no. I certainly love the price (see below) which is more in line with the rest of the vegan product market; traditionally Beyond Meat charges more than actual meat based products which is fairly galling. You can wax lyrical in the comment section below and disagree, but I don’t think the mass market will switch to a meat-free lifestyle until suitable products are LESS than real meat. Otherwise it will always remain a niche industry. I digress.

In terms of taste, what hits you right on opening the bag is the medicinal, almost extreme herbal aroma. I really can’t quite put my finger on the exact smell, but it does dissipate with cooking thankfully.

The taste is not like other Beyond Meat products despite listing pea protein as the main ingredient; it curiously has a taste not unlike wheat gluten, though far less prominent nor as assertive. At any rate, if you’re expecting the same taste as the Beyond Burger and Beyond Sausage, you’re going to be vastly dissapointed. It’s not unpleasant as such, and doesn’t stand out with some aggressive seasoning/saucing. Really this product is more about the mouthfeel.

Texturally it has a very chewy bite, that increasingly diminishes per extra minute of cooking. Using the packages ascribed method of three minutes of frying, I found the product too bitty; as a result I found myself cooking for varying amounts of extra time with differing results. My advice is to cook for 3-4 minutes, and keep tasting every 30-60 seconds till you hit the sweet spot you like.

Beyond Meat Beef Crumbles – what’s in the bag?

Inside the resealable Beyond Beef bag you’ll find 10 ounces of these industrial looking pellets – for want of a better word. As I say, this product is not simply the Beyond Meat burger/sausage mix made into crumbles.

Beyond Meat Beef Crumbles

As you can see from the below dishes, what caught my eye on the packaging was the promise of a quick and easy sloppy Joe sandwich. I’ve been through a few iterations from a fairly sauce drenched affair through basically a spice only, drier fry.

I think I prefer the last and third of these plates, using just a little bit of ketchup and mainly relying on some assertive spices like garlic and chili powder to lend flavor to the crumbles. The crisp bite of the onion rings really helps too in that third plate, to add a little textural contrast.

Beyond Meat Beef Crumbles cooking instructions, ingredients, nutrition

The packaging advises not to microwave and instead to cook for a mere three minutes in a frying pan with oil. I found this repeatedly too little, and as noted, cooking anywhere from 5-8 minutes.

How much are Beyond Meat Beef Crumbles?

As of April 2019 I found these priced at $4.48 at Walmart.

More Beyond products and dishes

• Beyond Chicken Plant-Based Tenders
• Beyond Breakfast Sausage Links review
• Beyond Meatballs – a top quality plant-based option
• Beyond Burger with mushrooms, Swiss and sweet potato fries
• Mushroom and Swiss burger
• Beyond Breakfast Sausage review
• Teriyaki mushroom and egg burger
• Spaghetti with vegan sausage
• Review: Beyond Meat Beyond Beef
• Beyond Meat Beef Crumbles
• Review: The Beyond Sausage – Original
• The Beyond Sausage Hot Italian – updated 2022 review
• The Beyond Burger review – updated for 2020

Stuart Melling

Hi, I’m Stuart, nice to meet you!  I’m the founder, writer and wrangler at Gastronomic SLC – Utah’s biggest and oldest online food magazine; I’m also a former restaurant critic of more than five years, working for the Salt Lake Tribune.  I’ve worked extensively with multiple local publications from Visit Salt Lake to Salt Lake Magazine, not least helped to consult on national TV shows.

I’m a multiple-award winning journalist and have covered the Utah dining scene for the better part of fifteen years.   I’m largely fueled by a critical obsession with rice, alliteration and the use of big words I don’t understand.   I started Shop Smart to catalogue my adventures in the grocery store and kitchen.  Follow along on Instagram too!