Beyond Sausage Brat Original: 16g Protein per Link, Labelgrade B- (70/100)
B- 70 / 100 — Beyond's sausage spinoff hits real bratwurst protein numbers (16g per link) with pea + rice + faba bean blend. The sodium is the big trade-off — 500mg per link is typical for sausage but climbs fast across multiple links.
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Beyond Sausage Brat Original delivers 16 g of protein per 76 g link for 190 calories (USDA FDC 2156900) — about 21 g per 100 g, which is genuinely denser than the pork bratwurst it’s built to replace (~14 g per link). It hits that number with a pea + rice + faba bean blend and no soy or wheat. The Labelgrade is B- (70 / 100), and the reason it’s a B- rather than a B is honest and specific: this is a sausage, and the two things that make a sausage taste and behave like a sausage — salt and firm saturated fat — are exactly the two dimensions Labelgrade penalizes. Right product if you want a grill-able meatless brat that actually hits meat-level protein; wrong product if your single priority is low sodium.
Why the B-
| Dimension | Grade | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein density | B+ | 82 / 100 | 16 g per 76 g link = ~21 g per 100 g, edging out a real pork brat (~14 g/link). The faba bean addition rounds out the pea + rice amino profile |
| Ingredient quality | B- | 72 / 100 | 14 ingredients, no soy, no wheat, no artificial colors or flavors — but methylcellulose and a calcium alginate casing mark it as engineered food |
| Saturated fat load | C | 62 / 100 | 5 g per link (~6.6 g/100 g) from refined coconut oil — the same ballpark as the pork brat, not lower |
| Sodium load | F | 32 / 100 | 500 mg per link (~658 mg/100 g) — the single biggest drag on the grade. Two links near 1,000 mg |
| Sugar load | A+ | 100 / 100 | 0 g — exactly what a savory link should read |
| Fiber | C- | 57 / 100 | 3 g per link from apple fiber + pea protein — modest, but more than the ~0 g in real sausage |
The grade is held down by two structural facts, not a formulation mistake. Sodium (F) and saturated fat (C) are the price of being a convincing sausage: the salt does double duty as flavor and as the binder that lets pea protein hold a snappy casing, and the coconut oil is what gives the raw link its meat-like firmness and the cooked link its juiciness. Strip either out and you no longer have a bratwurst — you have a veggie patty. So the B- is less a verdict on Beyond’s execution than on the category ceiling that real pork brats hit too.
The plant-based label hides two real trade-offs
People reach for Beyond expecting it to be the “healthy” choice by default. On this link, two numbers complicate that:
- It is not low in saturated fat. The 5 g per link comes from coconut oil, which is ~90% saturated — so per link, Beyond’s saturated fat matches a pork bratwurst rather than undercutting it. The win is on cholesterol: 0 mg vs ~40 mg in the pork version.
- It is not low in sodium. At 500 mg, one link already spends a fifth of the day’s allowance. “Plant-based” buys you zero cholesterol and added fiber, but it does nothing for the sodium math.
Where Beyond Brat clearly wins over pork is the things that have nothing to do with the macro panel: 0 mg cholesterol, 3 g of fiber where a pork brat has none, and an iron number (4 mg, ~22% DV) that pork bratwurst can’t touch.
Brat vs. the Beyond Burger: same brand, different math
These two get cross-shopped constantly, and the per-100-g picture is counterintuitive. The Brat is the denser protein of the two — 21 g per 100 g vs the Burger’s 18 g — and lighter per gram on calories. But the serving formats flip the practical comparison: a 76 g Brat link carries 500 mg sodium, while a larger 113 g Burger patty carries only 390 mg. So the Burger out-grades the Brat (B 75/100 vs B- 70/100) almost entirely on the strength of its lower sodium per serving. If you want maximum protein per gram with the savoriness of sausage, the Brat. If you want the better-graded everyday option, the Burger. (Formulas differ, too — the Brat folds in faba bean protein the Burger doesn’t use.)
If sodium is the dealbreaker
No plant-based brat solves the sodium problem, because the salt is doing structural work. If a single link’s 500 mg is too much, the fix is to change format, not brand: Beyond’s own Burger patty drops you to 390 mg, and a whole-food swap like plain extra-firm tofu sits near ~10 mg per serving at a similar protein level — at the cost of the grill-and-snap experience the brat is built to deliver. Reach for the Brat when the sausage format is the point (buns, sheet-pan peppers and onions, sliced into pasta); reach elsewhere when the sodium ledger has to come first.
Ingredients
Water, pea protein, refined coconut oil, sunflower oil, natural flavor, then 2% or less of: rice protein, faba bean protein, potato starch, salt, vegetable juice (for color), apple fiber, methylcellulose (the binder), citrus extract (to protect quality), and a calcium alginate casing. (Verbatim from the USDA Branded Foods entry, FDC 2156900.)
Where to buy
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Quick Facts
Per serving · 1 link (76 g)
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Full nutrition facts
| Nutrient | Per Serving (1 link (76 g)) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 190 |
| Protein | 16g |
| Total Fat | 12g |
| Saturated Fat | 5g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Total Carbohydrates | 5g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3g |
| Total Sugars | 0g |
| Added Sugars | 0g |
| Sodium | 500mg |
| Cholesterol | 0mg |
| Calcium | 60mg |
| Iron | 4mg |
| Potassium | 200mg |
Scope: This page applies specifically to Beyond Sausage Brat Original (Plant-Based Links) (14 oz (400 g) — 4-link pack) · UPC 852629004774. Other sizes, flavors, or formulations may differ.
How this fits each diet
Each score is computed from the same USDA nutrition + ingredient data, against the published rules of each diet. They tell you "does this food fit this diet" — not whether the diet is right for you.
contains no listed animal products
contains no listed meat or fish
no wheat, barley, rye, or malt detected in USDA ingredient list
Frequently Asked Questions
How much protein is in a Beyond Sausage Brat link?
16 g per 76 g link (USDA FDC 2156900) — about 21 g per 100 g, which edges out a typical pork bratwurst (~14 g per link). Beyond gets there with a pea + rice + faba bean protein blend rather than meat.
Why is the sodium an 'F' if it's normal for a sausage?
Labelgrade scores the number, not the excuse. At 500 mg per link (~658 mg per 100 g), the brat lands at 32/100 on sodium. The salt isn't optional padding — it carries the savory sausage flavor and helps the pea-protein matrix bind during cooking — but two links still put you near 1,000 mg, roughly 44% of the 2,300 mg daily limit. The category, not the brand, is the ceiling here.
It's plant-based — why does it have 5 g of saturated fat?
The saturated fat comes from refined coconut oil, the second-listed fat after sunflower oil. Coconut oil is what gives the link its firm, meat-like bite when raw and its juicy mouthfeel off the grill — but it's ~90% saturated, so 5 g per link (a 'C', 62/100) is in the same range as the pork brat it's replacing. 'Plant-based' is not a synonym for low saturated fat here.
How does the Brat differ from the Beyond Burger?
Different formulas from the same brand. The Brat adds faba bean protein on top of Beyond's usual pea + rice base, and it's actually more protein-dense per gram (21 g/100 g vs the Burger's 18 g/100 g) at fewer calories (190 per 76 g link vs 231 per 113 g patty). The catch is sodium: 500 mg per link vs 390 mg per Burger patty, which is why the Burger out-grades it (B 75 vs B- 70).
What's actually in it — is it heavily processed?
Fourteen ingredients. Water and pea protein lead; refined coconut oil and sunflower oil supply the fat; the sub-2% list adds rice and faba bean protein, potato starch, salt, vegetable juice for color, apple fiber, methylcellulose (the binder), citrus extract (preservative), and a calcium alginate casing. It's clearly engineered food, but there are no artificial colors or flavors, no soy, and no wheat — and the panel is shorter than the Beyond Burger's 23 items.
Is Beyond Brat keto-friendly?
Yes. 5 g total carbs minus 3 g fiber leaves 2 g net carbs per link, under the ≤5 g keto threshold. By calories the split runs roughly 51% protein / 38% fat / 11% carbs, so it's a high-protein keto fit — just budget for the sodium if you're eating two.
Can I grill it like a real bratwurst?
Yes — that's the whole design. The calcium alginate casing is edible and browns and 'snaps' much like a natural casing. Grill, pan-sear, or oven-cook to 165°F internal, roughly 8–10 minutes on a medium-hot grill — the same handling as a pork brat, no boiling-in-beer required (though it survives that too).