This one’s for the vegans! KFC’s vegan burger is returning to all UK stores to celebrate Veganuary.
This meat-free alternative to the restaurant’s signature chicken fillet burger will be available from January 4 until February 28. It’s available for takeaway and drive-thru, too.
It was in June 2019 when KFC first announced the launching of its vegan burger, which it initially called “The Imposter”. It went on to sell out within four days in chains across the UK. Stores were selling one burger approximately every minute before running out of stock, according to Independent.
In fact, the sales of the Imposter were 500 percent higher than its classic chicken burger.
Ira Dubinsky, innovation director at KFC UK and Ireland, said during the 2019 launch, “The Colonel was about welcoming everyone to his table – now vegans, flexitarians and our fried chicken fans can all enjoy the taste of our Original Recipe together.”
“We’ve worked hard to perfect the flavour and make a Vegan Burger the Colonel would be proud of. It’s the flavour of KFC, just with zero chicken.”
The KFC vegan burger is now called the Original Recipe Vegan Burger. The recipe uses quorn instead of chicken breast filled for the burger. Quorn is a known meat substitute product originating in the UK and sold primarily in Europe. It is then coated in the Colonel’s Original Recipe herbs and spices and served with vegan mayonnaise, fresh lettuce and a soft-glazed bun.
Last October the sell-out KFC vegan burger won the Peta (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) award for Best Vegan Chicken Burger during its annual Vegan Food Awards.
Last year, organizers behind the annual Veganuary saw an increase in the interest for veganism – probably due to the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic and how it has proven to us all how important our health is.
In August, a survey commissioned by Veganuary found that a third of people in the UK were eating more vegan food.