Burger King tests Whopper made with Impossible Burger

Atlanta vegetarians can get an Impossible Burger at nearly a dozen locations, but they have to get out of their cars to do so.

That might change soon.

Burger King is testing a vegetarian Whopper made with the “veggie burger that bleeds,” as the Impossible patty is often called.

The plant-based vegan patty — made of water, plant proteins, coconut oil and heme, a natural molecule that gives burgers their distinctive taste and is found in plants — is designed to look and taste like a traditional red meat burger, The AJC reported in 2017. California-based Impossible Foods has gotten more than $250 million in financial backing from Bill Gates, venture fund Temasek and several other businesses.

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"We wanted to make sure we had something that lived up to the expectations of the Whopper," Burger King's North America president, Christopher Finazzo, told Reuters. "We've done sort of a blind taste test with our franchisees, with people in the office, with my partners on the executive team, and virtually nobody can tell the difference."

Impossible Foods’ CFO, David Lee, announced the joint venture on Twitter.

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Impossible Foods tailored a patty specifically for the Whopper, chief executive Pat Brown told Reuters.

Burger King is the first national fast-food chain to offer the Impossible Burger, but currently sells it only in 59 St. Louis locations.

The Impossible Whopper will cost about a dollar more than a beef Whopper, CNBC reported, adding that Finazzo said research found that customers don't mind paying more and like the plant-based burger for its health benefits.