We Tried Beyond's 2 Newest Steak Products: Here's What We Thought

It's a great time to be a plant-based eater. When I started eating vegan in 2018, there were very, very few options on the market. You had the early stages of vegan burgers and some imitation chicken floating around, but nothing like the array of products available now. From plant-based sausages (my personal favorite) to vegan meatballs fit for a proper pasta dinner, there's no shortage of pre-made meal inspirations to choose from. And one product that I've been purchasing and enjoying lately is Beyond Steak. This steak tip-like product can be found in the freezer aisle of major grocers. Saute it in a pan with a little bit of oil, and you have a simple protein swap for skirt steak. I use Beyond Steak for stir-fries when tofu starts looking less and less appealing, but there is a litany of other recipes that could benefit from this convenient protein option, too. 

Prior to this review, I had only sampled the brand's original plant-based seared tips, but I also couldn't resist trying its two newest variations of the product: the chimichurri and Korean barbecue-style steak. I cooked up both of these products and compared them to Beyond's seared tips that I already know and love to see which flavor was my favorite and if the new products were worth buying. 

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

The Beyond brand is no stranger to the plant-based meat scene. It carries an array of products, including plant-based burgers, sausages, meatless ground, and meatballs, that are available in grocery stores across the country. The brand also carries some food service products, so don't be surprised if Beyond products pop up on a restaurant menu near you. 

The Beyond Steak plant-based seared tips are a soy-free meat alternative made with seitan (wheat gluten), fava beans, oil, and spices like garlic powder and onion powder. The regular steak tips are unflavored, but they do have a slightly savory and fatty bite that is eerily similar to regular steak tips. A ¾ cup serving contains 6 grams of fat, 300 milligrams of sodium, and 21 grams of protein. The new flavored varieties offer 20 grams of protein and 1 gram of saturated fat per serving. 

Since these steak tips are made with seitan, they are not suitable for folks who have wheat allergies. And it's easy to tell what they're made up of, as the wheaty flavor of seitan shines through loud and proud. However, what I really enjoy about them (and the reason why I've been buying the tips since they were released in 2022) is that the flavor can be tweaked by marinating the tips or using a sauce. While I personally love adding a thick stir-fry sauce to them or marinating them in Mediterranean herbs for a pita wrap, there are tons of other seasonings that you could also add to personalize them. But now that there are two flavored products entering the market, is there even a need to put in the extra work of seasoning them? That's what I set out to find out.

Beyond Steak is available in grocery stores across the country, so it's more than likely that you will be able to locate it in a spot near you. Whole Foods, Walmart, Target, and more carry it, and I even pick up bulk bags of it from my local BJ's Wholesale Club. The benefit of buying it in a "Costco-sized" portion is that you can get more of it; the stores mostly only carry the 10-ounce bags, but I can get the 28-ounce bags at BJ's to meal prep it for the week. The 10-ounce bags vary in price, but typically range from $6 to close to $10. 

As of the date of publication, the chimichurri and the Korean barbecue-style steak are only available in Sprouts Farmers Markets. The suggested retail price is $8.99. 

The first thing I noticed was that these chimichurri steak pieces were much larger in size than the bags of the original steak that I've purchased in the past. When I opened the bag, I noticed that it had a stronger garlic undertone than I was expecting, but it wasn't entirely reminiscent of a chimichurri-coated steak fresh off the grill. Granted, this flavor is very hard to achieve because it's a frozen product, but I wanted a little more herbal aroma from a product adorning the "chimichurri" label.

There was very little aroma that came off the steak as it cooked, too. When you think of chimichurri sauce, you think of things that are herbal, punchy, and fresh from the garden — which is not what these tips were. In terms of taste, I'll admit that these chimichurri-spiced pieces are more flavorful than the brand's regular steak (which honestly just tastes like under-spiced seitan), but I'm not entirely sold on the whole "chimichurri" deal. I can pick up on some parsley-like flavors, but it's hard to capture the complex herbs that make this sauce so delicious.

What I will say, though, is that these would be excellent to top with chimichurri — or any sauce, for that matter. So, while it may not have been entirely successful at being the product it should have been, its flavor is quite approachable and versatile. It's still something I could see myself eating with tzatziki, hummus, pesto, or even barbecue sauce. So, it was triumphant in at least some regards. 

I've never been to Korean barbecue, but I've eaten enough Asian-inspired barbecue sauces to know what this product is really trying to get at. I was expecting this meat to come out of the package with a saucy coating on it, but it was as dry as the other Beyond Steak products I've sampled. The frozen pieces gave off a sweet aroma that was fruity and floral with undercurrents of pineapple. But, there was no sauciness to suggest that it was trying to mimic Korean barbecue, nor other frozen vegan entrées (like the ones that come with the side of sauce for coating the meat with after it's cooked). Therefore, there was no chance of the meat tasting too sweet or cloying. At first, I thought, "Yeah, this is a success!" But I found that my opinion turned less favorable as I ate more of it. The meaty flavor was still at the forefront, but the barbecue flavor teetered out into nothingness. If you fed it to someone and didn't specify what flavor it was supposed to be getting at, "Korean barbecue" would probably not be their first (or second) guess. 

Moreover, there's not enough flavor here to really make this protein stand out in something like a bao bun. And, if you were using it in a stir-fry, you would want to have more of that sauce in the bag to toss your rice or veggies in to help develop continuity in the dish. Don't get me wrong, it's a tasty addition to the Beyond lineup, but I don't think it's as versatile and as successful as the brand's chimichurri product. 

My primary lens in assessing these products was approachability. I'm used to the flavor of plant-based meats, like Beyond's wheaty-tasting steak, but someone who might not be familiar with its flavor might be turned off by it. That's where I think that these new flavors from Beyond could be particularly useful. Both the chimichurri and the Korean barbecue-seasoned meat have that special flavor that helps distract from the taste of the seitan, which may make them more palatable for omnivores. 

If I were to pick one of these new items over the other, I would definitely go for the chimichurri. Though, I don't think it entirely delivered on its herby promise of "chimichurri" — and I believe it was risky for the brand to assume it could replicate that flavor in this product. The herbs were pleasant enough, and I think the steak would be much more enjoyable for someone new to plant-based eating than the plain steak would be. Meanwhile, the Korean barbecue style hinted that it was sweet, succulent, and delicious, but it still has room for improvement. I don't think it would be a successful protein stand-in when you try to cook Korean barbecue at home. If you paired it with something as innocuous as a radish (let alone a spicy kimchi), its flavor would be completely annihilated. But, it's still not as tasteless as the regular steak — which is a good thing. 

I think both of these products have potential, though they may have fallen short of their flavor promises. Though, it's a step in the right direction, and an honest effort that both plant-based eaters and omnivores can appreciate.