I have seen these Qrunch quinoa burgers in my store lately and became intrigued to try them for a product review. Qrunch has more than one flavor of these patties, but my store only had the spicy Italian in stock, so that is the one I settled on…

The patties come precooked, but must be warmed from frozen either in an oven or skillet on the stove top. I chose to warm mine in a skillet with a bit of olive oil for about three and a half minutes on both sides per the warming instructions. Qrunch does not recommend placing them in the microwave, maybe I will nuke one later just to see how it comes out.

Once I had warmed my pattie, I decided to eat it on an Ole Extreme Wellness spinach tortilla. I had no preconceived expectations for my first bite, but thought maybe the flavor might actually have a spicy Italian flavor as advertised.

It didn’t.

The patty had a texture that was somewhat grainy which came as no surprise to me, after all, it is made from millet and quinoa. I found the texture kind of odd and dry, but not unappealing in the least. For me, it was just different from other foods I am used to. I sometimes like different, so this was not a bad selling point for me.

Now, back to the flavor…

The flavor did not taste anything remotely like any Italian foods I have ever consumed. It tasted like grain to me, with a very slight bit of spice. I believe that if you are stuck on having an Italian flavor, you are going to hate these patties. But, if you are not stuck on that and enjoy nutty grain flavors, you might just like these plenty well.

I rather enjoyed the different flavor and texture of these patties despite the fact there was not a trace of spicy Italian I could detect in them. I liked the first one enough that I cooked a second one. The first two ingredients are millet and quinoa, and I think these earthy flavors compliment each other nicely.  Qrunch claims fennel adds a distinctive, rich flavor reminiscent of many popular Italian dishes in their advertisement. However, I could not taste fennel, nor any of the 14 other ingredients listed. Yet, I still like these patties as a little something different for a change. I think one aspect that appeals to me is that despite being advertised as a burger, they do not try to copy the flavor of a beef burger as many of the other vege-burger brands do. I also love the fact they contain quinoa, which contains a full profile of amino acids, as a main ingredient. Many other vegan products do not contain a full profile of amino acids which are essential to our good health.

At a price of $7.79 for a box of four patties, some might find this to be expensive. But, this is nowhere near as expensive as a value meal from your local fast food joint now days, is it?

For our vegan friends, these patties should fulfill your desires!

As you can see from the ingredients list and nutritional info, these burgers are nutritionally sound, but I wish they had a higher protein content. But, this is not a deal killer for me. At four grams of fiber per patty, this is a good amount. In western society, most people do not consume enough fiber, which results in many bowel issues with an emphasis on diverticulosis and colon cancer. For the health and environment conscious individuals, you might want to give Qrunch products a try!