I love that this brand makes sustainable food products with kelp. The burgers taste pretty good, but they definitely are not close to meat if that's what you were hoping for. They taste good in their own way though.
Received a free product from Akua
3.4
- 12Reviews
- 73% would recommend
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4y ago
I tried the Akua Kelp Burgers. They're 100% plant-based, non-GMO, soy-free burgers created from whole foods including planet-saving, ocean-farmed kelp. I was skeptical, but after putting them to the test, they are very good. I think they taste better than a lot of other plant-based burgers and the kelp aspect is very unique. I didn't taste anything that made me think "kelp" by any means which is probably for the better :) I would definitely cook up more of these and I'm curious about Akua's other products as well.
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Overall taste was pretty good. I will say that I did struggle a bit with the cooking process. The burgers have a different consistency than standard burger patties, or even other plant-based burgers. I followed the instructions on the box, but ended up wasting a couple of patties when they started to fall apart or break into pieces in the pan. I appreciate how natural these burgers are, but whatever the binding ingredient holding the burger together is may need to be explored further.
As a kelp fan, I wanted to love this product, especially since I know their kelp burgers are among the first of their kind and a huge hit in the plant-based community. While the kelp jerky comes in interesting varieties, the quantity within each bag is quite small. That, and the texture has proven incredibly dry. Whether the spicy Thai or rosemary variety, I came to find that upon finishing my first two bags, it wasn't something I gravitated to purchase again.
I bought Akua on Instacart on sale, so I paid $3 for 2 burger patties instead of about $4.99 per patty. I don't know if I'd pay more for them than I did, but never saying never! The flavor is awesome and way better than expected. It tastes amazing, I'm not a vegetarian but I enjoy a veggie burger here and there and this had great savory flavor. It played well with traditional burger toppings.
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The patties were falling apart before I even removed them from the freezer bag packaging. They're SO delicate. I expected the frozen patty to at least retain its shape, even frozen for weeks it had the texture of Playdoh. That's how soft and malleable these are. I put these on a bun with lettuce, sprouts, red onion and condiments, and melted cheese on top of the patty and unfortunately it was impossible to eat like a normal burger. The whole thing crumbled and collapsed into itself despite having the buns and toppings to try to trap it together. It was delicious but messy. I was hoping we'd get a little more shape/it'd be easier to prepare. I was also a little surprised that when I opened the box there were only two tiny patties. A single one was definitely filling, so no complaints, but feels like the packaging size is a little misleading there. They don't include cooking instructions on the packaging, you have to scan a QR code. This is fine... but maybe not so inclusive for folks who want to eat less meat but aren't super smart phone savvy. When I did scan the QR code, it sent me to their product page where I was immediately pushed a pop up and they were trying to sell me 24 burgers for $120. Whoa. I didn't love that. I had to scroll a bit to try to find the instructions. I wish they'd just pushed me to a page specifically with instructions, I don't want to be upsold to spend $120 on veggie burgers I haven't even gotten to try yet and are falling apart in my hands as I frantically try to figure out whether I should heat them in the oven or on the stove. TLDR, I feel like there are some weird things about the experience but taste was great and I so love their mission!
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What is Akua?
Akua sells sustainable, plant-based kelp burgers, jerky, and pasta.
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New York, New York
Founded
January 2017Founders
Courtney Boyd Myers
Matthew Lebo