It’s a little known fact that before I married my gorgeous, carnivore husband, I ate an animal-product free, plant-based diet. I’ve seen all kinds of ‘veggie’ burgers cross my plate over the years, and the fact is, while some of them were acceptable, others were bland, mushy, or just plain gross.

While I’ve grown used to consuming meat, I still favor plant-based foods. Meat substitutes are often filled with gluten, dairy, or other additives that I’m allergic to. And sometimes the labtech!Food scares me; so I’ve gotten used to avoiding ‘veggie burgers’ in general.

Until now.

Just recently, I traveled back home for a friend’s funeral. Arriving at my sisters’ home late at night, and very hungry, I was greeted by a delicious smell.

“What are you cooking?” I asked.

“Qrunch burgers. They’re safe for you.”

What followed was nothing less than a party in my mouth.

Here’s my review of the product:

Qrunch bills themselves as a safe, allergy friendly, veggie burger alternative. With several flavors to choose from, the base of the product is simple.

From Qrunch: “We combine quinoa, millet, organic vegetables and coconut oil to create something completely new to the veggie burger scene. That mixture remains the basis for all our other burgers, and QRUNCH Original remains our best seller.”

Size:
There are Four (4) of the 3.2oz burgers in each container. Each burger measures about 3 to 4 inches across.

Price:
At the stores in South Florida, prices ranged from $4.99 per box to $6.99. This works out to about $1.25 to $1.75 per patty. I calculate that as a ‘real life’ 2 patty serving price of $2.50 to $3.50 per meal.

Nutrition/Calories:

A serving, according to the box, was 1 patty. In my experience, this might be fine for a child, but it was absolutely not enough for a hungry girl who enjoys her food (and who was REALLY enjoying the burger). It’s fair to say most eaters will polish off at least 2 patties as part of a filling meal entree, so I have included both the original and adjusted nutrition.

Total for a single patty of the original

• Calories about 190
• Fat 11g
• Carbohydrates 20g

Protein 4g.

For a ‘normalized’ portion

• Calories about 380
• Fat 22g
• Carbohydrates 40g
• Protein 8g.

Texture and Flavor:

The best I can describe the flavor of these patties is if you would imagine for a moment that ‘chicken patties from school’ had internet babies with falafel and/or hash brown patties. The taste was savory, with plenty of garlic undertone and a lot of umami going on. The texture was very crunchy on the outside and quite tender, with a bit of mealiness, inside (we fried them in a skillet in a touch of oil).

Even my meat-favoring husband would like these patties. They would do easily as a ‘chicken sandwich’ or a breakfast starch for just about anyone, not just the hard core veggie crowd.

Allergens:
Top Eight: None were listed. They are also free of MSG and animal products

Contains: alliums (garlic)

Available Online?

No. Reasons listed: frozen is too expensive to ship.

The company seems to be expanding in a large number of stores nationwide, and they offer a sales sheet to bring into your local store.

COMPARISON

For comparison I used MorningStar Chik Patties, my pre allergy favorites – which contain gluten!!!! – The price was roughly comparable at most places – $4.99 for Qrunch vs $4.50 for MorningStar. Of course the Qrunch are MUCh safer for food allergies, MUCH less scary in the nutrition/ingredients department, and (in my opinion) worlds more delicious.

TASTE OR TOSS
If you are adventurous, or adhere to a plant based diet and need convenience foods, this one is a TASTE!
naomi

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