Startup creates plant based eggs that scramble like the real thing
Taste testing eggs that don't come from a farm! They're made from plants and now the restaurant chain Veggie Grill is using them in a breakfast burrito.
A startup called JUST has been working on a new type of plant-based egg for several years now - and they think they have it.
The eggs are so convincing, the restaurant chain Veggie Grill is now using them in a product called the All Day Breakfast Burrito.
The product, called JUST Egg, look and cook like real eggs. But the liquid scramble solution was created thanks to science.
"Everyone that I’ve served this to it’s been a WOW moment across the board," explained JUST Chef Ben Roche.
JUST Egg is made from a mung bean. It took several years of development with a team of scientists working alongside robots to make it happen.
"We found a way to extract the really unique protein from a mung bean and keep some of the raw functionality that protein has in order for it to scramble in a pan like an egg," said Roche.
It’s come a long way from the prototype I tasted a few years back in a Tech Report TV segment in 2013.
The restaurant chain Veggie Grill is now using the eggs in a new item called the All Day Breakfast Burrito.
"We really wanted to have a breakfast burrito that tastes like what people think a breakfast burrito tastes like," Veggie Grill CEO Steve Heeley told me.
Heeley says most of Veggie Grill’s customers aren’t vegan or vegetarian - they just want to eat better.
"It’s great for us because the more people that like the plant based foods we serve the broader our audience," said Heeley.
The burrito contains the plant-based scrambled egg, along with some soy chorizo, beans, vegan cheese, spicy potatoes.
I enlisted the help of my sister, Taryn, to help me taste test the eggs. She's a health coach, trainer and resident vegetarian.
She was super impressed with the taste and texture of the eggs, describing them as "really good."
At first bite, I couldn't tell they were substitute eggs.
I asked Taryn if she thinks the JUST Egg product will go mainstream and she said yes.
"It tastes just like and you don’t have any cholesterol and you have all the health benefits of this, with the protein too," said Taryn.
It's pretty impressive what JUST accomplished. When the eggs were inside the burrito, it was tough to tell the difference. It was only when I tried the egg on my own I could tell it wasn't real.
As for nutrition, JUST Egg has about the same protein content as an egg with none of the saturated fat or cholesterol.
The All Day Breakfast Burrito is available at Veggie Grill now. You can read my full review of the All Day Breakfast Burrito here. JUST Egg will also be available in selected supermarkets soon.