How to defrost Beyond Burgers in the microwave

Whether you’re an all-time plant-based eater or just opting for a meatless meal, if you have Beyond burgers in your freezer, they make a delicious and quick meal for any hungry human.

Cooking a Beyond burger isn’t much different from cooking a conventional beef burger, but you have to thaw them before you can cook them well.

How do you thaw Beyond Burgers in the microwave?  Although it’s best to thaw Beyond Burgers overnight in the fridge, you can use the microwave to thaw frozen burgers in 30-second intervals to prevent them from getting too hot.

Follow our easy steps to perfectly defrost Beyond Burgers and enjoy one of the best plant-based burgers in the comfort of your own kitchen, even faster than fast food.

The best way to defrost Beyond burgers

The manufacturer suggests that the best way to properly thaw Beyond Burgers is to remove them from the freezer the night before you intend to cook them, allowing them to thaw slowly in your fridge.

The main reason is that these burgers don’t have as much fat as you’d find in a conventional animal-based burger.

Once defrosted, they only take 2 minutes to cook per side, much less than it usually takes to cook a beef burger.

You’ll notice that these patties have a marbled appearance, much like real beef. Instead of animal fat, Beyond Burgers use coconut oil and cocoa butter to add fat, juiciness and flavor, but they don’t cook the same as true marbled meat.

What if you just grabbed a box of burgers from the freezer section of your supermarket on the way home from work and you have to feed a hungry family in a few hours, let alone tomorrow?

Is there a faster way to defrost these vegan burgers?

Defrosting Beyond Burgers in the Microwave

It is very likely that you have used the microwave to defrost various frozen foods in the past. For many things, you can just use the normal settings until you get the result you want, but this won’t work well for burgers.

On normal microwave settings, Beyond Burgers will begin to cook on the outside before the inside has thawed.

To prevent this from happening, you’ll need to find your microwave’s defrost settings. This will temper the heat to 70% of its normal power. You also have to heat it up slowly and carefully, in 30-second intervals.

If the burger sits too long in the microwave, even on the defrost setting, it will become mushy as fats seep out or cook unevenly.

For best results, follow these suggestions:

1. Use the defrost setting.
2. Heat burgers in 30-second bursts.
3. Have a toothpick handy. As soon as you can get through the burger, poke 5-6 holes all over the burger so that the heat waves penetrate the burger more evenly
4. If the exterior starts to brown, stop heating it.
5. If it’s still slightly frozen, simply cook it in the pan at a slightly lower temperature for a little longer on each side to compensate.

If you follow these steps and keep a close eye on your burger, it will probably work for you, but the best way to thaw your Beyond burgers is to leave them in an airtight container or their original packaging in your fridge overnight.

How to cook Beyond burgers from the freezer

If you don’t want to risk your burger being mushy or undercooked, but want to eat it before tomorrow, you can cook your veggie meat from the freezer.

If you choose this option, it is absolutely necessary that you cook it on medium or low heat.

If you try to rush the cooking process over high heat, you’ll end up with a dark burger, maybe even burnt on the outside and still pink on the inside, which is no way to eat a burger, regardless of its composition.

You will also need to cook each burger for 1-2 minutes longer on each side than the instructions suggest. This will allow heat to penetrate even into the frozen center.

If you like your burger a little crispier on the outside, once you’re sure the center is hot, you can increase the heat and finish cooking this way.

Can Beyond Burgers be refrozen?

All Beyond Meat burgers are frozen. However, some supermarkets allow them to be thawed when sold in the meat or deli section of the store.

If you buy thawed burgers, or if you thaw your burgers and don’t use them all, it’s best to refrigerate them and use them within 2-3 days.

Do not refreeze Beyond Burgers once thawed.

If you have purchased frozen Beyond Meat burgers, you can store them in the freezer until you are ready to cook them.