Burger King Is Once Again Pissing Off Vegans by Putting Bacon on Impossible Whoppers

The whole point of vegan protein substitutes is that they’re meant to allow plant-based eaters to have an eating experience that’s as close as possible to eating meat, without actually eating meat. Right? …Right? That’s the guiding principle that we’ve been following for the last couple of years, anyway, and the one that Impossible, which we think makes some of the best vegan meat out there, seems to follow too. And it follows it well when it comes to beef. Its plant-based burgers are tip-top, and are almost indistinguishable from the real thing. 

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So why, why, why would Burger King and Impossible decide to combine the plant-based producer’s meat substitute with…actual meat? We’re still not quite sure. But it’s happened. Burger King’s just announced its Impossible Maple Bourbon BBQ Whopper with (real) Bacon, part of its new Maple Bacon menu, which is one of its flagship offers this year. As VegNews pointed out, people aren’t happy. 

This Isn’t the First Time…

Burger King’s decision to pair fake meat with the real thing might seem wild, but it’s not the first time it’s done it. Back in 2022, it dropped its Impossible Southwest Bacon Whopper, which paired real bacon with Impossible patties, and subsequently caused everyone to do a double-take. Cut to a couple of years later, and it’s made the same move here, even though there are plenty of good plant-based bacon products out there. 

As you might expect from this very rogue move from BK, its customers are just a little bit disappointed that this burger isn’t fully vegetarian-friendly. “If you made this with plant based bacon, I’d be all for it,” said a comment on the Instagram post that Burger King did to announce the burger – a comment that got hundreds of likes. Another person commented with the infamous Gordon Ramsay “idiot sandwich” gif. Which, we have to say, made us lol.

So… Why Has Burger King Done This? 

Yeah, confusing, right? It is worth pointing out that there are dietary preferences of all types and formulations, and Burger King appeared to allude to that fact in a statement made to VegNews. “With varying consumer preferences, including flexitarian diets, we designed this [limited time offer] to give guests who enjoy the Impossible patty another way to experience our Whopper flavor innovations,” stated a spokesperson. “The Maple Bourbon BBQ build was crafted to deliver the bold, craveable taste our guests expect, including the option of bacon as part of that flavor profile.”

Okay, that makes sense. And it’s also worth pointing out that vegetarians and people who prefer plant-based meat can just order an Impossible Whopper. But look, in the year of our lord 2026, surely Burger King could have figured out that people who are ordering Impossible burgers generally also want every other meaty element to not be actual meat, couldn’t it? Sadly, for now, it’s just not playing ball.