McPlant

The McPlant is a vegetarian (and in some regions vegan) burger sold by the American multinational fast food chain McDonald's in several European countries.^[4] In 2021, McDonald's partnered with Beyond Meat, a Los Angeles–based producer of plant-based meat substitutes, to create the McPlant platform.^[5][6] It features a plant-based meat alternative burger patty made from plant ingredients such as potatoes, peas and rice.^[7]

The McPlant was launched in the United Kingdom in January 2022, after tests in October 2021.^[8] It is also available in Ireland. In both the United Kingdom and Ireland, the burger is vegan due to the use of vegan sandwich sauce and a vegan cheese alternative.^[9] The McPlant is also sold in a non-vegan variant (with cheese and egg-based mayonnaise) in Austria,^[10] Germany,^[11] and Portugal,^[12] as well as in the Netherlands with cheese and a vegan sandwich sauce.^[13][14] When the McPlant was launched in Germany in February 2023, it replaced the Fresh Vegan TS burger, leading to some criticism from vegan customers.^[15] According to McDonalds, the burgers are prepared on the same grill as meat products and thus are not vegan or vegetarian according to some strict definitions. McDonald's Germany targets flexitarians^[16] and lists all ingredients of the burgers.^[17][18] In Germany an additional McPlant Tomato Chargrill became a permanent menu item after a collaboration with two members of the band Tokio Hotel in 2024.^[19][20] The McPlant was removed from the menu in Austria in July 2025 and in Germany in October 2025, with McDonalds citing "low demand."^[21]

In January 2023, McDonald's launched the Double McPlant with two patties in the United Kingdom and Ireland.^[22][23] In Austria, McDonald's also sells the McPlant Steakhouse, a variant of the burger with steakhouse sauce.^[24] In Germany and France, it also sells McPlant Nuggets made from wheat and pea protein. The full list of ingredients is not disclosed.^[11][25] In Germany, McPlant nuggets are fried in the same fryers as chicken McNuggets and thus might not be vegan or vegetarian either.^[26] McDonalds Germany lists the ingredients, the nuggets are based on wheat and pea protein.^[27]

In several other countries, the McPlant was tested but not introduced in the permanent menu. The first tests occurred in Sweden and Denmark between January and April 2021.^[28][29] In the United States, the product was initially tested in November 2021, with expanded tests in California and Texas from February 2022.^[30][31] The trial run of the McPlant in the United States was discontinued in August 2022,^[32] reportedly due to low sales.^[33] From July until November 2022, the McPlant was served in Victoria, Australia, as a limited run item.^[34][35]

• McVeggie
• McVegan
• The Impossible Whopper, by Burger King