Following the success of the meatless Greggs sausage roll, KFC is the latest food franchise to embrace the vegan trend.
The fast-food chain – which was founded in 1952 – has launched a vegan version of its crispy, battered chicken fillet burger for the first time.
Featuring a Quorn fillet coated with the Original Recipe mix, made of 11 herbs and spices, and creamy vegan mayo, the Imposter Burger is on trial for four weeks.
Restaurants in London, Bristol, and the Midlands will offer the meatless treat, with a national roll-out following if the burger – which has been dubbed ‘game-changing’ by animal activist group PETA – proves popular enough.
But with KFC famed for meaty delicacies, can it really tempt the carnivores away from their favourites?
Five MailOnline reporters put the Imposter Burger to the test and find out.
Featuring a bespoke Quorn fillet, topped with the firm’s iconic Original Recipe (made of 11 herbs and spices), and creamy vegan mayo, the Imposter Burger (pictured) is on trial for four weeks
Ellie: 8/10
I’m a vegetarian and have been for many years.
I’m a big fan of the Burger King veggie burger, and the McDonald’s one is okay – but both are ‘vegetable’ burgers, whereas the KFC vegan burger mimics meat burgers.
It’s surprisingly good. The texture is chewy but not rubbery and the slight kick helps lift it from being a bland burger.
I’d give it an 8/10 because I’m used to veggie burgers having more flavour – perhaps a sweet chilli sauce or something would give it a bit more ‘oomph’.
After trying the new burger, Ellie said: ‘It’s surprisingly good. The texture is chewy but not rubbery and the slight kick helps lift it from being a bland burger’
Jack: 8/10
It looks like chicken, it tastes like chicken, but remarkably it isn’t chicken.
The burger has all the hallmarks of a standard KFC burger with that unique blend of 11 herbs and spices, and even the vegan mayo tastes like the real thing.
It may lack a bit of the crunch you would normally get from the chicken, but apart from that it’s hard to fault it.
If I was told it was chicken I would believe it, but I don’t know whether that says more about my palate than the burger.
An enthusiastic Jack (pictured) said: ‘The burger has all the hallmarks of a KFC burger with that unique blend of 11 herbs and spices’
Bhvishya 7/10
I was pleasantly surprised with the new KFC vegan burger and it definitely tasted a lot better than expected.
While it didn’t quite match the Zinger burger I usually go for, I think it’s a great alternative for a vegan who fancies indulging in a little takeaway.
The burger was surprisingly soft and had just the right amount of mayonnaise to add a nice texture.
Bhvishya (pictured) said she was ‘pleasantly surprised with the new KFC vegan burger’
All in all, not bad at all!
Tim: 6/10
I very rarely eat substitutes like this – it’s usually either meat or something different altogether for me – so I had very little idea of what this would taste like.
Certainly nothing like chicken, was the answer. It was closer to being a beef burger.
But I quite enjoyed it anyway: it was softer than I’d imagined, nicely seasoned and the mayo meant it wasn’t dry.
Unlikely to buy, but would eat again if offered.
Dianne: 9/10
After four-and-a-half years of vegetarianism, I’m somewhat of a fake-meats connoisseur, trying absolutely everything to satisfy my craving for meat (without the negative environmental impact) – and this burger didn’t disappoint.
The patty was moist on the inside and perfectly spiced, meaning any complaints about how plain and boring Quorn can be fall flat.
Having said that, a vegetarian burger is never going to be able to perfectly replicate the texture of meat so carnivores may be disappointed.
Tim (pictured left) admitted he rarely eats meat substitutes but would eat it again if offered, while Dianne (pictured right) gave the burger a whopping nine out of ten
Regardless, it makes a pleasant change from god-awful bean burgers most fast-food chains seem to offer.
I for one am hoping KFC move on to vegetarian chicken nuggets next!
The verdict: /50
The burger proved to largely be a success with our testers.
Most were pleasantly surprised by the taste – suggesting it was similar to KFC’s meaty treats.
Yet some would have liked the burger to be a little crunchier.