Seven years ago today—August 24, 2019—I published my first review of Burger King’s then-brand-new Impossible Whopper.

In 2019, seeing a plant-based burger prominently advertised by one of the world’s largest burger chains felt genuinely exciting, groundbreaking, and remarkable. Plant-based people felt seen!

It’s now 2026, and plant-based meat on mainstream menus doesn’t seem nearly as shocking or newsworthy.

But the Impossible Whopper is still going strong!

Burger King has made a few changes, though.

Earlier this year, Burger King updated all their Whoppers with a new premium bun and an improved mayonnaise. They also began serving the sandwiches in a box instead of loosely wrapped in flimsy paper. (The stated purpose of the new bun and box is to prevent the sandwich from being crushed and flattened when piled into a takeout bag.)

Also of note, Burger King’s wonderfully useful nutrition calculator—the one that once let me add and remove ingredients and watch the nutritional information change—is apparently no more.

Fortunately, I save receipts.

Or, in this case, screenshots.

The 2019 Impossible Whopper

In 2019, I ordered my Impossible Whopper without mayonnaise, which was (and still is) necessary to make the standard Impossible Whopper vegan.

According to Burger King’s own calculator at the time, that gave me:

470 calories | 16 g fat | 8 g saturated fat | 0 mg cholesterol | 940 mg sodium | 58 g carbs | 4 g fiber | 12 g sugar | 25 g protein

So how does today’s Impossible Whopper compare?

The Numbers Get Interesting

	2019 Impossible, no mayo	2026 Impossible, as served	2026 Impossible, no mayo
Calories	470	670	512
Fat	16 g	35 g	TBD
Saturated fat	8 g	9 g	TBD
Trans fat	0 g	0 g	TBD
Cholesterol	0 mg	10 mg	0 mg
Sodium	940 mg	1,490 mg	TBD
Carbs	58 g	64 g	TBD
Fiber	4 g	8 g	8 g
Sugar	12 g	14 g	TBD
Protein	25 g	32 g	32 g

A current third-party nutrition database (Nutrition & Ingredients) lists the standard Impossible Whopper (with mayo) at 670 calories, 35 g fat, 9 g saturated fat, 10 mg cholesterol, 1,490 mg sodium, 64 g carbohydrates, 8 g fiber and 32 g protein.

Burger King’s ordering system tells you that removing mayo knocks off 158 calories, giving us 512 calories for the no-mayo sandwich. Unfortunately, it no longer gives you the beautiful ingredient-by-ingredient nutritional recalculation that the old calculator did.

Burger King, I would like my calculator back.

HOLY SODIUM, BATMAN

The current Impossible Whopper contains 1,490 mg of sodium.

That is a LOT.

My 2019 Impossible Whopper without mayo contained only 940 mg.

That’s not quite an apples-to-apples comparison, because my 2019 number is for a no-mayo Impossible Whopper, while the 2026 figure includes mayonnaise. Until I can find reliable nutritional information for Burger King’s new mayo, I can’t tell you exactly how much sodium disappears when you omit it.

But something has clearly changed.

And here’s where the regular Whopper becomes useful.

It’s Not Just The Impossible Whopper

Burger King’s own 2019 calculator listed the regular Whopper—with mayonnaise—at:

660 calories and 980 mg sodium.

Today Burger King’s ordering system lists the standard Whopper at 710 calories and 1,250 mg sodium.

That’s 270 mg more sodium, an increase of almost 28%.

So we can’t simply blame the Impossible patty.

The 230-calorie Impossible patty itself contains about 370 mg sodium, according to Impossible Foods. MyNetDiary lists the new Whopper bun at around 330 mg sodium, although I haven’t been able to independently verify that figure through Burger King.

So we know two things:

(1) Burger King says the bun and mayo both changed in 2026; and

(2) Something in these Whoppers has gotten substantially saltier.

(Could it be the four paper-thin pickle slices driving up the sodium? The pickles have retained counsel and declined to comment for this story.)

Some Things Don’t Change – It’s Still Not Health Food

Seven Years Ago, I Wrote:

Whole Food Plant-Based Health Purists – “A homemade bean burger would be much healthier!”  Right, it’s not health food and we know it’s not health food. IT IS A FAST FOOD OPTION FROM BURGER KING! We all know making home cooked bean burgers would be healthier, but the point is – this is a new, welcome, animal-free option for many of us when we are on the road or need food fast.

I still stand by that.

A few years ago I was in the hospital. I spent weeks there (OK, almost two months, or 48 days, or 1,152 hours … but who’s counting?) When I was finally released, two friends showed up to drive me home. I joyfully hit the highway with them and literally screamed with delight when I saw an upcoming exit advertising Burger King.

I ordered an Impossible Whopper (minus mayo), large fries, and a large Coke—and absolutely scarfed it down.

I don’t think I had ever been so hungry in my entire life. And dang, did all that salt and grease taste good!

Would a homemade bean burger have been healthier?

Of course.

Was I going to go home after weeks in the hospital, soak some beans, chop vegetables and lovingly construct myself a nutritionally balanced homemade veggie burger?

HAHAHAHAHAHA.

I needed food. I needed it immediately. My friends were driving me home. There was a Burger King.

THAT IS THE POINT OF FAST FOOD.

And because the Impossible Whopper existed, there was something there I could eat.

Let’s be clear: nobody should be eating a Whopper (Impossible or otherwise) because they think it’s health food.

But nutritional comparisons are still interesting.

Compared with the current beef Whopper, the Impossible version has less total and saturated fat and dramatically less cholesterol, while providing considerably more fiber. Protein is remarkably similar.

The glaring downside is sodium: the current Impossible Whopper has even more than the already-salty beef Whopper.

So the answer to “Is the Impossible Whopper healthier?” remains the same annoying answer nutrition questions so often have:

It depends what you’re looking at.

And If You’re Vegan

As in 2019, the Impossible Whopper still needs to be ordered without mayonnaise, which contains egg.

And Burger King employees are known to be a bit – erm – enthusiastic about mayonnaise.

If you go through the drive-thru, unwrap that sucker before you leave. Lift that single leaf of lettuce and look under it if you need to. Because otherwise you may get home to discover that your carefully ordered vegan Impossible Whopper has been enthusiastically baptized in mayo.

(Please note that the Impossible patty is prepared on shared equipment if you are concerned about cross-contact.)

Seven years later, I’m still glad the Impossible Whopper exists. It’s not health food, it never claimed to be health food, and apparently these days it comes with enough sodium to make those four pickle slices seek legal representation. But when I’m hungry, on the road, and need something fast? I’m still very happy there’s something at Burger King I can eat.

Sources & Nutrition Information

• Burger King: Current menu/order customization information; 2026 Whopper changes
• Burger King Nutrition Calculator (2019): Archived screenshots reproduced above
• Impossible Foods: Current Impossible Beef nutrition information
• Nutrition & Ingredients: 2026 Impossible Whopper nutrition information
• MyNetDiary: Whopper bun nutrition information; not independently verified through Burger King