- Starbucks released a new plant-based breakfast sandwich as part of its summer menu.
- The Impossible Breakfast Sandwich includes Impossible sausage, cage-free eggs, and cheddar cheese on ciabatta bread.
- Dietitians take a closer look at the Impossible Breakfast Sandwich’s nutrition facts, and offer the healthiest way to enjoy it.
On Tuesday, Starbucks released a brand-new breakfast sandwich, but get this: It’s plant-based! The Impossible Breakfast Sandwich is now available at Starbucks locations across the U.S. as part of the coffee chain’s summer menu.
In a press release, Starbucks said it unveiled the plant-based sandwich in an effort to meet the growing demand for plant-based options with their food and beverage offerings, which have recently included dairy-free items, like their coconut and oat milk lattes and Golden Ginger Drink.
Impossible Foods creates plant-based sausage and beef substitutes known for their delicious, meat-like taste—but are they healthy? We asked dietitians for their thoughts.
What is the Starbucks Impossible Breakfast Sandwich made of?
Naturally, the new item contains an Impossible plant-based sausage patty, a cage-free fried egg, and aged cheddar cheese on artisanal ciabatta bread. The Impossible sausage is made of soy protein, oil, garlic and onion powders, and some fillers.
Unfortunately, this breakfast sandwich is not considered vegan. “You can choose to order it without cheese or without eggs, but even if you leave off the cheese and eggs, there are eggs in the bun, which means it is not vegan,” says Amy Gorin, M.S., R.D.N., owner of Amy Gorin Nutrition in New York.
Starbucks Impossible Breakfast Sandwich nutrition
Here’s what you can expect in terms of nutrition for the Impossible Breakfast Sandwich, which comes in a serving size of 150 grams:
- Calories: 430
- Fat: 23 g
- Saturated fat: 8 g
- Carbohydrates: 36 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 22 g
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 830 mg
Is the Starbucks Impossible Breakfast Sandwich healthy?
It does have some benefits going for it: For a plant-based option, Gorin says the Impossible Breakfast Sandwich is an excellent source of protein, offering 22 grams. “This isn’t an amount of protein that I often see in vegetarian menu items. You also get a good amount of fiber in the breakfast, 11% of the daily value,” she says.
That said, “you’re also getting 40% of the daily value for saturated fat and 36% of the daily value for sodium,” she says. (To cut down on the fat, Gorin suggests skipping the cheese.)
For those reasons, she recommends enjoying this sandwich in moderation. “I love that this is a plant-based option, but I do like to see a sandwich that contains vegetables like lettuce, tomato, and onion,” she says. “What you could do is pair the sandwich with a side of blueberries, which Starbucks sells, to get some produce into your meal.”
It’s also important to take your entire diet into consideration when considering this as breakfast, says Keri Gans, M.S., R.D.N, a nutrition consultant in New York City and author of The Small Change Diet. “If you’re consuming a lot of saturated fat and sodium in other foods you eat, then I would suggest limiting to once a week,” she says.
When deciding between the Impossible Breakfast Sandwich and Starbucks’ traditional Sausage, Cheddar, & Egg Sandwich, Gans notes that they’re actually pretty similar in the nutrition department—and both contain more saturated fat and sodium than she’d typically recommend. That said, the Impossible sandwich does have a bit more fiber, which is a perk, she adds.
Nutrition aside, both dietitians applaud Starbucks for expanding their menu to include another meat-free option. “If you’re vegetarian and looking for a healthier meal at Starbucks, I’d still recommend ordering the Spinach, Feta & Cage-Free Egg White Wrap or oatmeal with nuts and fruit,” Gorin says “But this new menu item is certainly a step in the right direction!”
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