MorningStar Farms Veggie Cheeze Burgers: 24g Protein, Labelgrade B (75/100)
B 75 / 100 — Heavy-hitting 24g protein per patty from a soy + wheat-gluten base, zero cholesterol, no added sugar, and moderate saturated fat. The ceiling is the ingredient panel — a built cheese analog plus processing aids — and sodium that's reasonable per patty but not low.
🛒 Buy on Amazon →The short answer
MorningStar Farms Veggie Cheeze Burgers deliver 24 g of protein per 113 g patty at 270 calories (USDA FDC 2754066) — about 21 g of protein per 100 g, a genuinely heavy protein load for a meatless burger, and enough on a single patty to clear the FDA “high in protein” claim by itself. The Labelgrade is B (75 / 100). The strengths are real and stacked: a full 24 g of protein, zero cholesterol, no added sugar, and a vegan cheddar-style “cheeze” baked into the center so it eats like a cheeseburger straight off the griddle. What pulls the grade down is the ingredient panel — a soy-and-gluten base wrapped around a constructed cheese analog and a handful of texturizers — plus 16 g of total fat and sodium that’s reasonable per patty but not low. This is a vegan burger built for protein and a cheeseburger-like mouthfeel, not for a short label. Best-fit use: a high-protein meatless main for someone who wants the cheeseburger format without animal products.
Why the B
| Dimension | Grade | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein density | B+ | 82 / 100 | 24 g per patty (~21 g per 100 g) — strong for the category; soy isolate, soy concentrate, and wheat gluten carry it, not the cheeze |
| Ingredient quality | C | 61 / 100 | ~30 ingredients. The soy/gluten base is fine on its own, but the built “cheeze” stacks modified starch, glycerin, xanthan gum and annatto color, and the patty adds methylcellulose and maltodextrin — solidly ultra-processed |
| Saturated fat | B+ | 80 / 100 | 3.5 g per patty (~3.1 g per 100 g) — moderate, traceable to the coconut oil in the cheese analog; roughly half a beef-and-cheese patty |
| Sodium | C | 62 / 100 | 420 mg per patty — moderate, not low. Both the cheeze (it carries salt and sodium citrate) and the seasoning contribute |
| Sugar | A+ | 99 / 100 | ~1 g sugar, none added — from the onion/carrot concentrate, not syrup |
| Fiber | C- | 55 / 100 | 4 g per patty — modest but real, and more than the zero you get from beef |
| Overall | B | 75 / 100 | The macros are the draw — 24 g protein, no cholesterol, no added sugar, real fiber. The long ingredient list and the moderate sodium are the price you pay for the cheese-analog experience |
The grade is an honest split-decision. There is no weak macro line on this panel — even the lowest scores (sodium and fiber) sit at “C-range moderate,” not “bad.” The single ceiling is ingredient quality at 61: this patty hits its protein and its cheeseburger flavor by building both, and the build shows up as a roughly 30-item label.
The cheeze is the whole design
Most veggie burgers ask you to add a cheese slice. This one bakes a “cheddar style vegan cheeze” into the patty, and that single decision explains most of what’s interesting and most of what costs it on the panel. The cheeze is its own mini-formula — water, modified food starch, coconut oil, tapioca starch, tricalcium phosphate, pea protein, sodium citrate, xanthan gum, annatto color — and it drives three numbers at once:
- The saturated fat (3.5 g) comes mainly from the coconut oil that gives the cheeze its melt.
- The calcium (210 mg, ~16% DV) comes from the tricalcium phosphate it’s fortified with — a meatless patty has no business hitting that number from soy and gluten alone.
- A chunk of the sodium (420 mg) rides in on the cheeze’s own salt and sodium citrate, on top of the patty’s seasoning.
It’s a genuinely clever piece of food engineering — it delivers a one-pan cheeseburger with no dairy and no cholesterol. It’s also the reason the ingredient line reads long: you’re looking at a burger formula plus a cheese formula stacked together.
Protein you can actually count on
The 24 g figure is the real headline, and it’s worth being precise about why it’s high. The lift comes from soy protein isolate and soy protein concentrate sitting near the top of the panel, with wheat gluten adding the chew. That combination is what puts this above the meat-mimic burgers on protein-per-patty — it leads on protein while skipping the raw-beef theatrics. One patty’s 24 g equals roughly 77 g of cooked chicken breast (about 2.7 oz) or 4 large eggs’ worth of protein, but with zero cholesterol and ~4 g of fiber that neither chicken nor eggs provide. The trade you accept for that vegan, high-protein bite is 16 g of total fat and a label nothing like “chicken breast.”
Versus its own sibling — and the meat-mimics
The cleanest verified contrast is inside MorningStar’s own freezer case. The Original breakfast sausage patty (USDA FDC 2682481) is also soy-and-gluten built, but it tells a different story:
| Veggie Cheeze Burger (this) | Original Sausage Patty (sibling) | |
|---|---|---|
| Serving | 1 patty (113 g) | 1 patty (38 g) |
| Protein | 24 g | ~9 g |
| Saturated fat | 3.5 g | ~0.4 g |
| Sodium | 420 mg (~372 mg/100 g) | 254 mg (~668 mg/100 g) |
| Vegan? | Yes | No — egg whites, whey, lactose |
Three real takeaways from that side-by-side: the burger packs far more protein per patty, it carries more saturated fat (the cheeze’s coconut oil — the sausage has almost none), and despite a bigger absolute sodium number it’s actually less salty per 100 g than the sausage. Critically, the burger is vegan and the sausage is not — a distinction shoppers routinely get wrong because both wear the MorningStar label.
Against the meat-mimic crowd, the honest framing is approximate: Beyond and Impossible patties land near 19-20 g protein per 113 g and rely on coconut/canola fat to mimic beef, which generally pushes their saturated fat at or above this burger’s 3.5 g (Impossible noticeably so). So on protein-per-patty and saturated fat, this burger holds up well; what it gives up to the newer mimics is shelf appeal and, to some palates, the “tastes like beef” illusion — this is unapologetically a veggie burger with cheese, not a beef impersonator.
Ingredients
Water, vegetable oil (corn, canola and/or sunflower), wheat gluten, cheddar style vegan cheeze (water, modified food starch, coconut oil, tapioca starch, natural flavor, tricalcium phosphate, canola oil, glycerin, salt, sodium citrate, pea protein, cultured dextrose for freshness, xanthan gum, sunflower lecithin, annatto color), soy protein isolate, soy protein concentrate, and 2% or less of: methylcellulose, maltodextrin, cooked onion and carrot juice concentrate, cornstarch, yeast extract, salt, natural flavor, spices, onion powder, garlic powder.
Read top-down: water and oil for the body, wheat gluten and the two soy proteins for the 24 g of protein, the cheeze sub-formula for the cheddar layer, and the closing 2% list (methylcellulose, maltodextrin, starch, yeast extract, aromatics) doing the binding, browning, and seasoning. Contains wheat and soy. (Verbatim from USDA Branded Foods, FDC 2754066.)
Where to buy
Affiliate links — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The Labelgrade score is independent of affiliate relationships. More.
🔬 Compare this product side-by-side with any other →
Quick Facts
Per serving · 1 burger (113 g)
00028989102676See how this fits your day — protein calculator · macro calculator
Full nutrition facts
| Nutrient | Per Serving (1 burger (113 g)) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 270 |
| Protein | 24g |
| Total Fat | 16g |
| Saturated Fat | 3.5g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Total Carbohydrates | 11g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3.96g |
| Total Sugars | 0.994g |
| Added Sugars | 0g |
| Sodium | 420mg |
| Cholesterol | 0mg |
| Calcium | 210mg |
| Iron | 2.7mg |
| Potassium | 231mg |
Scope: This page applies specifically to MorningStar Farms Veggie Cheeze Burgers (16 oz (454 g) — 4-burger bag) · UPC 00028989102676. 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
contains a gluten-bearing ingredient
Frequently Asked Questions
How much protein is in a MorningStar Farms Veggie Cheeze Burger?
24 g of protein per 113 g patty (USDA FDC 2754066) — about 21 g per 100 g. That's a heavy protein hit for a veggie burger, built from soy protein isolate, soy protein concentrate, and wheat gluten. One patty alone clears the FDA 'high in protein' threshold (48% of the 50 g Daily Value), before you add a bun.
Is it vegan?
Yes. Despite the cheddar look, the center is a 'cheddar style vegan cheeze' built from coconut oil, starches, and pea protein — no dairy. The USDA panel lists no egg or milk, and cholesterol is 0 mg. Note the contrast with MorningStar's classic breakfast sausage patty, which is only vegetarian (it contains egg whites, whey, and lactose). It does contain wheat and soy, so it's vegan but not gluten-free or soy-free.
Where do the 16 g of fat and the calcium come from?
Mostly the cheeze. The patty's fat is split between the base vegetable oil (corn/canola/sunflower) and the coconut oil inside the cheese analog — and that coconut oil is also the main source of the 3.5 g saturated fat. The cheeze is fortified with tricalcium phosphate, which is why a meatless patty delivers 210 mg calcium (about 16% DV) — more than you'd get from the soy and gluten alone.
How does it compare to a beef cheeseburger?
A quarter-pound beef patty with a cheese slice runs roughly 22-26 g protein, 7-12 g saturated fat, and 80-100 mg cholesterol. This MorningStar burger matches the protein with roughly half the saturated fat and zero cholesterol — the classic plant-burger trade. The catch is a ~30-item ingredient list versus beef-and-cheese, and sodium that lands in the same ballpark.
How does it differ from the meat-mimic burgers like Beyond and Impossible?
Different engineering. Beyond and Impossible are built to bleed and brown like ground beef and lean on coconut/canola fat to do it, which pushes their saturated fat up (Impossible especially). This patty isn't a beef mimic — it's a soy-and-gluten veggie burger with a cheese layer baked in, so it carries a touch less saturated fat than those two and actually edges them on protein per patty, but it doesn't pretend to be a raw beef patty.
Does it have added sugar?
No. The USDA entry lists 0 g added sugar; the ~1 g of total sugars traces to whole-food ingredients like the cooked onion and carrot juice concentrate. There's no cane sugar or syrup in the panel.
How much sodium per burger?
420 mg per patty — about 18% of the 2,300 mg daily limit. That's moderate for a savory plant patty with a built-in salted cheese layer, and it's notably gentler per 100 g than MorningStar's breakfast sausage patty. It's not a low-sodium food; add a bun, a slice of real cheese, or condiments and the meal total climbs fast.
When was this data last verified?
2026-05-28, against USDA FoodData Central FDC 2754066. MorningStar reformulates periodically, so confirm allergens (wheat, soy) and macros against the actual bag.