meat alternative
/miːt ɔːlˈtɜːrnətɪv/
CommonA food product designed to replicate the taste or texture of meat without using animal flesh.
Covers a wide range from simple bean patties to heavily engineered products. Sometimes used skeptically by people who question whether highly processed fakes are actually healthier.
Real-world examples3 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | tried a meat alternative burger at the bbq and honestly couldn't tell the difference | The plant-based patty tasted similar enough to real meat to be convincing. | x, 2023 |
| 02 | meat alternatives have come so far. remember when veggie burgers were just sad frozen patties | The quality of plant-based meat products has improved completely over the years. | |
| 03 | the meat alternative section at whole foods is wild now. so many options | The variety of plant-based meat products at the grocery store has grown noticeably. | instagram, 2024 |
Use it when
- Referring to products like Impossible, Beyond, or Quorn.
- Describing plant-based proteins as a category.
- Discussing food industry trends around reducing animal consumption.
Do not use it when
- You specifically mean the Impossible Burger brand.Use “impossible-burger” instead.
- You mean tofu or tempeh used in cooking without trying to mimic meat.
Meat alternative vs plant-based
meat alternative
Meat alternative is specifically about products engineered to replicate meat.
VS
plant-based
Plant-based is a broader term covering any food or diet without animal products.
Origin and context
Product category term that gained mainstream traction in the late 2010s as companies like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods launched consumer products widely available in grocery stores and fast food chains.
- First seen
- late-2010s
- Confidence
- medium
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/meat-alternativeUpdated: 2026-08-28License: CC BY 4.0