Impossible Meat Home Chef Review

Published on August 6, 2020

Last modified on April 1, 2024

We were given a sample for this Impossible Meat Home Chef review and this post contains affiliate links.  If you make a purchase we may be compensated.  All opinions are our own.

Written By Alison Chew     |    Dietitian Verified by Rebecca Housh, MS, RDN

Home Chef: Introducing Impossible Meat

Don’t worry. Impossible is only the initial reaction you’ll experience when comparing this plant-based meat to your standard beef and turkey deli orders. Newly available through both Home Chef’s customizable options on its dishes and in over 1,700 Kroger grocery stores, Impossible Meat products are quickly becoming staples in the kitchen.

In 2019 the market for plant-based foods in the U.S. increased by over $5 billion and alternative meat, in particular, is its fastest-growing segment, increasing by 23% when hitting the same shelves as conventional grocery store meat.

Alright, but how do I know how Impossible Meat really compares to Home Chef’s traditional offerings?

True question. It’s the picky eater in me. It’s also why I decided to eat entirely off of the Impossible Meat menu options this week. Get 18 FREE Meals >>

What We Liked

• Adaptable! It’s one thing to go from a beef to a turkey burger, but a turkey to a veggie burger? A twist on a classic dish, but one worth exploring!
• Looks the part! We eat with our eyes first and if I didn’t order these dishes myself, then I wouldn’t have thought there was any difference between the Impossible Meat and its conventional counterpart.
• Good for you and the planet! Impossible Meat is generated with the help of an oxygen carrier in plants called leghemoglobin. The use of this hemoprotein generates 87% fewer greenhouse gases, requires 95% less land, and uses 75% less water to produce than burgers from cows.

What We Didn’t Like

• Meat is meat! While I couldn’t taste anything inconsistent in the Mushroom and Swiss Impossible Cavatappi recipe, the Hawaiian Impossible Burger was a different story. For me, more ingredients supporting more break up in the meat trumps fewer ingredients around full patties. This is just my taste preference though. I can’t say that you’ll come to the same conclusions. Maybe the Hawaiian Impossible Meat Burger is perfect as is. Maybe it would work better if tweaked in the style of a sloppy joe. It’s up to you!

Impossible Meat Home Chef Review

We tried three meal kits with the upgraded “meat” for this Home Chef review including the Vietnamese Impossible Meatballs, Mushroom and Swiss Impossible Cavatappi, and Hawaiian Impossible Burger. SHOP NOW >>

Vietnamese Impossible Meatballs: Hands down the favorite dish of the three! It was both a new type of food and a new cooking method, but I think the lack of knowledge about the dish helped me to be more open about what I might taste with the Impossible Meat.

The substitute had no problems cooking in what, of the three dishes, had to be the most hands-on handling of the meat requested from the directions. SHOP NOW >>

Mushroom and Swiss Impossible Cavatappi: Second favorite dish! I’m a sucker for a cheesy mushroom dish any day.

With all the ingredients and layers of cooking, the Impossible Meat blended in and supported the dish perfectly. SHOP NOW >>

Hawaiian Impossible Burger: Just because the Vietnamese Impossible Meatballs and the Mushroom and Swiss Impossible Cavatappi were my two favorites doesn’t mean I didn’t like the Impossible Hawaiian Burger.

No negative opinions on pineapple or how any of the other ingredients mixed around the meat; but unlike the first two dishes, this recipe called for a clean split. The heavier the presence of the Impossible Meat, the more noticeable the taste difference. SHOP NOW >>

Impossible Meat Home Chef Review: Tips and Cost

Here are the two details you need to know about ordering Impossible Meat with your next meal kit on the Home Chef site.

• Not all meals offer Impossible! If you’re browsing specifically for this plant-based alternative, look for the Impossible Meat customization logo in the upper right corner of the meal images.
• It’s an upcharge! Substituting Home Chef’s standard meat for the Impossible Meat comes at a cost of $3.99 per serving.

What’s important to know about cooking Impossible Meat? Here’s what Home Chef advises.

• Internal Temperatures: The recommended internal temperatures for turkey and beef in these dishes are 165°F and 160°F respectively. These temperatures are also recommended for Impossible substitutes. No more, no less!
• Cook Times: The Hawaiian Burger and Vietnamese Meatballs when made with either turkey or Impossible suggest a cook time of 10-12 minutes. The Cavatappi when made with beef suggests a cook time of 5-6 minutes. When cooked with Impossible, this is extended to 5-7 minutes.
• SHOP NOW >>

Impossible Meat Home Chef Review:  Bottom Line

Try the Impossible Meat with the Home Chef recipes, and if you don’t like some of them, put your own spin on it!

It’s just as easy to cook with as the regular stuff. What’s better about using it is the creative advantage that comes with cooking something new.

I felt more aware of what I was preparing, especially when it came to finally tasting it all.

It’s how I know that I definitely want to try the Mushroom and Swiss Impossible Cavatappi again just as I know I’m going to attempt a variation on the Hawaiian Impossible Burger with patties that maybe aren’t so big. Cooking is all about trial and error.

There was less of it here than I anticipated from a plant-based meat substitute, but even so, these are only three dishes. Many more to go!

And best of all this “meat” is good for our planet!  SHOP NOW >>

Enjoy!

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Looking for more meal kits?  Check out our Meal Kit Directory >>

This post has been reviewed and approved by our dietitian Rebecca Housh, MS, RDN, LDN for nutritional accuracy.

Rebecca Housh is a registered dietitian based in Chicago, IL. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Human Physiology from Boston University and a Master of Science in Human Nutrition from the University of Illinois in Chicago. Rebecca is passionate about the idea of food as medicine in both preventative and therapeutic care. Her current professional interests lie in food security, food access, and nutrition for chronic disease.