The Burger Supremacy, Vegan Burger Tasting

U.S. Veg Corp has been going all out this year! In addition to their plant-based festivals and monthly Vegan Drinks events, they’ve launched a series of vegan food competitions starting with the Burger Supremacy. I had lots of fun tasting all these amazing vegan burgers, as well as creating the event graphic for them!

Vegans, vegetarians, veg-curious omnivores and food lovers came together at V-Spot’s new East Village location for an evening of plant-based goodness. At my table, there was a couple that traveled over an hour from Jersey for this. The things one will do for yummy burgers…

We started with V-Spot’s California Burger (above, top left). A very solid start to the competition, and it convinced me that I should come back to V-Spot soon. Maybe for comedy night. Next up was the Original World Famous Burger (above, bottom right) from Marty’s Vegan Fast Food. Marty wanted to create a vegan version of McDonald’s, and he nailed it with this burger.

In the top left, we have the one and only tempeh burger in the competition! Barry’s Tempeh did a great job with this meaty patty. Brooklyn Fork & Spoon (top right) served up a tasty mushroom slider with lots of onions, but I found it a bit too greasy. Nu Burger’s (bottom left) delivered a bright pomegranate flavor, while The Organic Grill’s Green Machine Burger (bottom right) had a nice blend of mushrooms and pesto.

Recent culinary school grads, Chef Olivia West and Chef Sophie Slaydon, presented a messy, but delicious pulled mushroom and cabbage slaw slider (top left). Loved the vibrant kick of heat! The Pickle Shack’s burger (top right) was heavy on the pickles, of course. By the time we got to the final burger from the Cake Thieves (bottom), I was stuffed! Their chickpea burger had a sweetness that almost made it a dessert… or maybe I was suffering from palate fatigue?

My favorite? The Pickle Shack’s extra meaty, wheat gluten burger with a heavy dose of pickles. Looked like a true gourmet burger and was definitely the meatiest of the bunch. I’m not sure if this is on their menu as it may have been crafted just for this event.

A big congratulations to Positivitea for winning both the judges’ choice and people’s choice! I had a tough time choosing between this one and the Pickle Shack when it was time to vote. Positivitea’s burger was a bit messy to eat, but there was a great balance of bun and bean black patty. The creamy sauce with a touch of heat brought it all together.

Note: This post is in collaboration with U.S. Veg Corp. I was invited as a guest and member of the U.S. Veg Corp team to this event and received a complimentary meal. This was not in exchange for a positive review and all opinions expressed here are my own.