We Tried the White Castle Impossible Slider. Here's Our Review.
The Impossible Burger's rise in popularity is a lifesaver for both vegetarians and those who are just trying to cut back on their meat intake and eat more plant-based foods. Now, there are a number of options beyond grilled cheese and French fries when you're on road trips or just in a pinch. One of the newest additions to the plant-based fast-food lineup is the White Castle Impossible Slider. I went out and tried it for myself.
Burger King's Impossible Whopper, for reference, has been getting such good reviews that most people can't distinguish between the plant-based version and the original Whopper. Overall, I've had mixed experiences with Impossible Burgers. Not all are great, but when done right they are a nice substitute.
When I heard White Castle had an Impossible Slider, I had high hopes. I enlisted the help of a friend to compare the quality and taste of the Impossible Slider to the regular slider. I ordered Impossible Sliders with and without cheddar cheese and a regular slider with cheddar cheese. The Impossible Sliders were not sitting under a heater, like the other sliders, so I was able to watch them make it fresh.
What is the Impossible Slider like?
The Impossible Slider comes with or without smoked cheddar cheese and the fast-food joint's standard pickles and grilled onions. The plant-based sliders looked good, but they had a different appearance than the original versions. The Impossible Slider is also two to three times thicker than the meat version. The smell between the two was also different, but the biggest difference was the bite.
How does the White Castle Impossible Slider taste?
I started with the Impossible Slider with cheese: The bun, pickles, grilled onions, and cheddar all had a pleasant taste. The patty was a different story. The texture was off: It was firm, but not chewy. I took several bites just to figure out what flavors I was tasting; it was hamburger-esque, but not a good replacement. The flavor was definitely underwhelming.
The plain Impossible Slider is considered vegan; however, it is prepared in the same area as meat products. Without cheese, this was even less appetizing. The pickle and onions still helped give the slider some flavor, but the cheddar cheese really helped masked the inadequacy of the Impossible patty taste. This slider may have been acceptable when there were no other Impossible Burger options elsewhere, but if you know how good an Impossible Whopper can be, you likely won't be satisfied.
Final verdict
White Castle did not create the Impossible Slider to mimic the taste of its original slider, but the difference in tastiness was surprising. My friend and taste taster who eats meat also compared the original and the Impossible Slider. She said that while she would eat the original slider on occasion, the Impossible Slider is nothing she would ever try again. She also said the original had a tangy sauce, which wasn't on the Impossible Sliders we tried. But it may have helped them along.
Overall, I am certain I will never have the desire to eat a White Castle Impossible Slider again, unless they pull a Domino's and completely change the recipe. The only thing I regret not getting at White Castle was a Barq's Root Beer to rinse the taste of the Impossible Slider from my mouth.
