Gone are the days when meat-free burgers had more than a passing resemblance to cardboard. Now, innovative chefs across the country are whipping up plant-based patties that are more than just a substitute for traditional hamburgers – in some cases, they're even tastier. From patties packed with vegetables and beans and doused in house-made sauces, to meat substitutes that rival the real thing, we reveal the best plant-based burgers in America.

You'll not find it hard to get great vegan grub in Austin, undoubtedly Texas' hippest city. But this classic plant-based Bac'n Cheezeburger from food cart Arlo's stands out even among such stellar competition. Diners say the burger, which comprises a house-made soy and gluten-free patty and crispy seitan bacon, is "indulgent" and generously sized. Golden tots are the perfect accompaniment.

There's an impressive choice of plant-based burgers at this bright, fast-casual mini chain with locations across the northeast. But the loudest cheers are for the Ziggy Burger – a classic combination of a grilled faux-meat patty, tempeh bacon, and vegan provolone cheese, plus salad and pickles. It's the special sauce that makes it, though: fans say it's got a satisfyingly gentle heat.

Modern Times brewery has several locations across California and Encinitas's Far West Lounge turns out some tempting vegan dishes. King of the menu is the belt-busting Double Burger, which the joint describes as "a slice of burger nirvana". It's a fitting description for this tempting sandwich, which layers up a pair of Beyond Meat patties with smoked mushrooms, coconut cheese, shallot jam, and roasted tomato spread.

The offerings at this plant-based burger joint are 'next level' indeed, so it's no wonder that the concept has spread across the States, from Washington to Texas to New York. Opt for the Blue BBQ Burger, whose organic mushroom and quinoa patty is nourishing as well as delicious. It's finished with tempeh bacon, hickory barbecue sauce, and a creamy, plant-based blue cheese.

A sophisticated vegan restaurant in New York City's Upper West Side, Blossom's menu goes beyond burgers and fries. Still, you can't go wrong with the Blossom Burger, which has shaped up to be one of the Big Apple's best plant-based sandwiches. The dish is praised by diners for its generous size and meaty texture – it's a Beyond Meat patty with elevated toppings including tapioca cheese, soy bacon, caramelized onions, and chipotle aioli, all piled up on a potato bun.

It's not always easy to find great vegan meals in Alabama, but Plant Bae, which originated in the state capital, is angling to change that. Their most-loved burger is based on a dish usually served under the Golden Arches – McDonald's famous Big Mac. The Big Malc sees a pair of Beyond Meat patties, vegan cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and fried onions sandwiched between three bun slices. It's finished with lashings of the sweet and smoky house-made Que Dabra sauce.

Vegan food is easy to come by in the Golden State – and that's especially true of freewheeling San Francisco. Among the best options is bright and laid-back VeganBurg, whose Avocado Beetroot Burger reigns supreme. The wholemeal bun is stuffed with a juicy plant-protein patty, plus layers of beetroot and avocado and a hearty dollop of vegan aioli.

The menu at Memphis's Plant Based Heat guarantees choice paralysis – plant-based wings ('vings'), vegan mac and cheese and barbecue jackfruit all tempt diners. But a few bites of the FYE Junt Burger should cure you of any food envy. It's wonderfully sweet and smoky, with a Beyond Meat patty, Memphis-style barbecue sauce (and Plant Based Heat's own secret-recipe sauce), vegan pepper Jack cheese and plenty of veg.

Fox and Fig is a charming vegan café/restaurant in equally charming Savannah – it serves healthy chia porridge, mac 'n' cheese and, of course, a solid burger. It's based on a hearty pretzel bun, with a Beyond Meat patty, caramelized onions, agave-dijon mustard sauce, and arugula, and is described by diners as "super flavorful". If you're feeling extra peckish, you can fill it up with extra toppings including avocado mash or Voodoo Chips.

The imaginative names of the burgers at Vertical Diner are telling of the innovative dishes themselves. The winner is the Joaquin Phoenix Burger, which combines a filling and delicately spiced red lentil, veg and rice patty with tempeh bacon, house-made dill pickles, and cool ranch dressing. Even meat-eating diners say the burger is ultra satisfying.

Describing itself as "a classic California-style burger joint", Burgerlords began life serving both vegan and non-vegan options. However, it was the plant-based versions that stole the show and, in 2020, the restaurant made the decision to do away with its meaty offerings. Come by for the Burgerlords Cheeseburger: the patty is mixed up from ingredients including dried shiitake mushrooms, eggplant, leeks, and barley, and packs a flavor punch with miso paste and liquid smoke. Their signature '2,000 Island' sauce and American-style vegan cheese are the final flourishes.

Tucson is one of the country's top culinary destinations, having been named a UNESCO City of Gastronomy in 2015, and it's no slouch when it comes to vegan food either. Beaut Burger promises "food you dig", and its flavor-packed burger patties are made with unprocessed plants including veggies and millet. The menu is varied, but classic is best: plump for B1, which is loaded up with ketchup, mustard, lettuce, onions, and pickles.

The unpretentious Wayward Vegan Cafe has all the trappings of your traditional American diner: bottomless coffee, a friendly vibe, and a menu filled with comfort food. The only difference is it's all vegan. The kicking Firehouse Burger is the best thing on the menu – quite a feat among such hot competition. A plant-based chicken patty is tucked into a soft bun with plenty of barbecue and ranch sauce.

PLNT Burger has taken the northeast by storm with its "indulgent, crafted, plant-based burgers" and now has locations in Washington DC, New York, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts. There's not a dud on the menu, but punters particularly love the towering Mushroom BBQ Bacon Burger, with its hearty plant-based patty, caramelized onions, mushroom 'bacon', and crispy onions. Customers praise the "meaty mushroom taste" and the "great smoky bbq flavor".

If you hadn't guessed from the not-so-humble name, this sizeable morsel was once voted the "Best Veggie Burger in America" (at the 2016 Seed Food & Wine Festival). The veg-stuffed patty is made from beets, sweet potatoes, beans and oats, and smothered in their house-made Cheddar-style vegan cheese, whipped up from carrots and potatoes. It's joined on the Love Life Cafe menu by warming soups, burritos, and nourishing bowls filled with veggies.

Come across a restaurant named Avo and you'd rightly be expecting a menu of fresh, veg-packed delights. Happily that's exactly what you'll find at this cute, plant-filled spot in Music City. The menu is seasonal so some items come and go, but the Western Burger is a perennial favorite. A lentil-walnut patty is teamed up with kale slaw, coconut American-style cheese, fried onions, and barbecue sauce, all on a sweet potato bun.

In a state revered for its fried chicken, you might not expect to find one of the USA's best plant-based burgers – but Shahar Cafe delivers exactly that. Diners promise that the joint's classic Vegan Burger (kept simple with vegan cheese and salad) is wonderfully juicy with the flavor profile of real beef. The crispy golden fries win high praise too.

Slutty Vegan is a force to be reckoned with in the Georgia capital. It's gone from a food-truck business to a mini chain with several locations across the city, and queen of the menu is the playfully named Ménage à Trois. Come hungry: the giant burger includes a meaty plant-based patty, plus vegan bacon and shrimp and toppings of vegan cheese, caramelized onions, and the zingy house sauce. It gets a seal of approval from diners, with one enthused customer labeling it "breathtaking".

The folks at Three Carrots are proud of their scratch-made menu, which features a range of tempting burgers and sandwiches, plus bowls and salads. Sink your teeth into the Beet Burger, which diners love for its satisfying texture, as well as its vibrant colour. The patty is made from fresh beets, and is lifted with vegan garlic aioli, miso onions, tomato jam, and mixed greens.

You'll get your five a day with Veggie Galaxy's Kendall Square Burger, whose patty is made from sweet potatoes and black beans, and topped with roasted red pepper puree and arugula. There's also a giant crispy onion ring for ultimate indulgence. It's earned plenty of vegan fans, who see the vegan onion ring as a particularly welcome novelty. Ask for the vegan version, without the roasted garlic aioli.

Trap Vegan's D' Boy Burger is a serious feast. It's a teetering creation that sees a mouthwatering plant-based patty loaded with vegan cheese and the house barbecue sauce. A deep-fried onion ring, pickles and lettuce give extra crunch. Diners rave about it, saying the buttery plant-based brioche bun is "sorcery" and that the whole meal is "indulgent".

Make for up-and-coming Minneapolis and the industrial-chic Stray Dog restaurant, where the Vegan BBQ Burger offers a perfect hit of sweetness and spice. The Triple Crown BBQ sauce is sliced through by cool coleslaw and the burgers come in slider form if you just fancy a snack.

The veg-heavy I Am Magical burger offers a satisfying meal and an ego boost (thanks to the name) all in one. It's on the menu at Kansas City's Café Gratitude, an inviting restaurant with bare-brick walls, bold artworks, friendly staff, and a health-focused ethos. The patty is made from black beans and leveled up with Cheddar-style cheese created with cashews, all topped with salad, onions, and pickles. Diners say the burger is "unputdownable".

The food scene in Albuquerque is burgeoning and the vegan offering has been bolstered by this fun burger mini chain. It serves both meat and vegan options, but the plant-based choice is a hit. The patty is whipped up with black beans and quinoa, plus fragrant cilantro and parsley, and it's bundled into a potato bun with salad and the house chipotle mayo. Some passionate diners insist it's the best vegan burger you'll ever eat.

This cheerful vegan restaurant is a beacon in barbecue-loving Charlotte and the standout option is the Cowboy Burger, which comes highly recommended by diners. It's a tidy feast with a perfectly seasoned patty heaving under the weight of dairy-free cheese, seitan 'bacon' hunks, golden onion rings, ranch dressing, and barbecue sauce. 

The colorful bowls and burgers at the Big Apple's Hartbreakers restaurant are the stuff of Instagram dreams. The mighty Picnic Basket is the jewel of the menu, with a gloriously orange, seitan-based fried-chicken patty, plus seitan bacon, vegan Cheddar-style cheese, hot pink pickled red onions, and signature sauce. Punters wax lyrical about the burger's crispy chicken and its smoky seitan, and also its sheer size. 

There's certainly no shortage of top-notch vegan restaurants in the City of Angels and, when it comes to burgers, this place really delivers. Plant-based diner nomoo doles out sandwiches with soy-free patties, and the fiery Hot Chick'n option comes out on top. It's doused in a Nashville-style hot sauce, which is cooled down with crunchy coleslaw. Diners say it's "to die for".

San Antonio's eclectic food scene is a big draw, and that includes its healthy selection of vegan restaurants. Head to Blissful Burgers and order the Patty Melt: the seasoned Beyond Meat patty shines when paired with plant-based American-style cheese, griddled onions, and the popular, herby house sauce. It's all sandwiched between thick hunks of Texas toast. Fans are sure it'll win over meat-eaters too.

With bright, colorful locations and a plant-based menu that sings, this pair of plant-based restaurants has won the hearts of Floridian vegans. The saucy and fiery Spicy Chick'n sandwich is a crowdpleaser, featuring golden-breaded plant-based chicken, plus the house 'spicy sauce', blue-cheese dressing, salad, and pickles. The crinkle-cut fries are cooked to perfection too.