Impossible Whopper from Burger King is flame-grilled but can be cooked away from meat to accommodate vegans.

Beef burgers have been getting a bad rap for some time. Because they are said to be bad for your body and the environment, companies have gone in search of a healthier alternative.

Impossible burgers, which came on the scene three years ago, are available in a few restaurants in Central Oregon. They are also available nationwide at Burger King. I decided to try them to see if the plant-based patties taste like burgers or are more like a veggie burger alternative.

Impossible Burgers debuted in 2016 at Momofuku Nishi, an upscale restaurant in New York City. Chef David Chang wanted to serve a burger made from plants, one with a lower carbon footprint than meat. The burger received high ratings from customers, who felt it was a fine alternative to beef.

Impossible Burgers are served at 17,000 restaurants, according to its producer, Impossible Foods. The meat is made from plants that use 96% less land and 87% less water than would be required to raise cattle for the same amount of beef burger patties.

It was the company’s goal to “re-create the entire sensory experience of meat.” That sensory experience includes a meatless burger that “bleeds.” This is accomplished through heme, the molecule that makes meat taste like meat. Heme comes from combining the root nodules of soybean plants with genetically engineered yeast. Although there is an element of GMO food in Impossible Burgers, the company insists that humans have been consuming soy leghemoglobin (heme) for hundreds of thousands of years.

To be clear, in my experience, none of the Impossible Burgers bled for me. It may be that they were all cooked “well done.” Even if they did bleed, they would not be the same as a fat, juicy, medium-cooked burger like those you find at a local pub or hamburger restaurant . However, the meatless patties resemble similar thin, preformed beef patties served at fast food and other restaurants. And they succeed in tasting like a meat burger, not a veggie burger.

The company website lists six locations in Central Oregon with Impossible Burgers. I found that only four still carry the burger — Sunriver Brewing (in Bend and Sunriver), Red Robin and Burger King.

After first offering the Impossible Burger, neither Washington Dining and Cocktails in NorthWest Crossing nor Wild Oregon Foods at the Bend Factory Stores could get a supply, as demand for Burger King’s Impossible Whopper depleted the national supply for several months. The two restaurants opted to continue to serve only their house-made veggie burgers instead.

Like traditional hamburgers, it’s what you pile between the buns, along with the patty, that makes the difference. Because there is no fat, the Impossible Burger isn’t juicy and requires condiments and other goodies.

At the Sunriver Brewing Company’s Galveston Avenue pub, I chose the Impossible Burger on the menu. The restaurant allows diners to substitute an Impossible Burger for any of its burger options. The Impossible Burger was made with fresh lettuce, onion and tomato, and served on a sourdough-like telera roll. It came with herb aioli on the roll. I ordered a side of garlic aioli. I was glad that I did, as the extra sauce made the Impossible Burger taste like a well-done meat hamburger. If you order one, whichever sauce you choose, you might want to request extra.

General Manager Danny Davis explained that the meatless patties need to be cooked flat because the patty tends to crumble when cooked on the grill. This means they don’t get the smoky char-grilled flavor.

Though I couldn’t find the Impossible Burger listed on the massive Red Robin menu, it was available when I requested it in place of a regular hamburger. I went for the Black & Bleu. I also opted for the sesame bun rather than the toasted brioche gourmet bun, which was a mistake as the brioche bun would have held up better to all the ingredients. The garlicky sauce, thick juicy mushrooms and sweet caramelized onions, playing against savory Bleu cheese, fooled my mouth into thinking this was a regular hamburger.

Unlike Red Robin, Burger King did not offer the Impossible as a patty option. You can only get the Impossible Burger on the Impossible Whopper. I’m sure that if you like a traditional Whopper with its tomatoes, lettuce, mayonnaise, ketchup, pickles and onions, the taste difference is minimal, and you’ll like the Impossible Whopper, too. While the paper wrapper claims that it is flame-grilled, mine did not have the smoky flavor.

Still, knowing that I was eating something much healthier and better for the planet, I felt good about eating the plant-based patty compared to the traditional beef.

It’s easy to think that just because you replace the beef with a plant-based patty, you are eating healthy. If you choose to load up the Impossible Burger with mayonnaise, cheese, bacon and such, you’ll likely still end up with a high-calorie meal (especially if you add a shake and fries).