BUDS Southern Style Burgers and Beef Burgers Review
BUDS is back, friends, and this time you’ll find them in the frozen aisle at Coles supermarkets. After the short-lived run of the BUDs arancini and nuggets back in 2022, the newly relaunched BUDS (now under Smart Foods) have dropped two plant-based burgers: the BUDS southern-style burger and a juicy BUDS beef-style burger.
What’s New With BUDS?
If you’ve ever eaten at a non-vegan café or pub with a vegan option, chances are you’ve already had a BUDS burger without even realising. BUDS have been working hard behind the scenes in the foodservice space for a few years now, but now they’re back for home cooks like us.
Both burgers are soy-based and come frozen. Two patties per pack for $7.50 at Coles Supermarkets.
First Impressions
I air-fried both patties for about 12–15 minutes and was hit straight away with some seriously good smells. The BUDS Southern Style chicken burger came out ultra crispy, while the ‘beef’ patty looked impressively juicy.
BUDS Southern Style Burger:
This one’s a game changer. That crumb coating is top-tier – herby, crispy, golden. It holds together beautifully and has the stringy, chewy texture you expect from a good chicken style burger. A lot of vegan chicken patties go mushy after a few bites, but not this one.
Texture: Chewy and firm
Flavour: Well-seasoned, herby, not overly salty
Overall: One of the best chicken-style burgers on the market – hands down!
BUDS Beef Style Burger:
Now this one’s interesting. Slightly reformulated from their previous release, this BUDS ‘beef’ burger includes cocoa powder for colour and depth. It’s got a great sear out of the air fryer, pulls apart nicely, and has a juicy bite (though not quite Beyond Burger level imo).
- Texture: Chewy and hearty
- Flavour: Smoky, beefy, subtle spice
- Overall: A solid contender in the vegan beef burger space – miles ahead of many others.
Nutrition & Ingredients
Both burgers use soy protein but without that overpowering soy flavour. There’s no strong aftertaste and they’re both balanced really well. It’s also worth noting that both burgers are fortified with iron and B12 - sometimes difficult to obtain on a vegan diet. Bonus: You can stash these in the freezer for an easy dinner whenever a burger craving hits.
Final Thoughts: Are They Worth It?
The BUDS southern style burger is easily the best vegan chicken burger I’ve had. It’s crispy, flavour-packed, and perfect texture. The BUDS beef burger, while also another winner, is slightly behind Beyond in juiciness. For $7.50 though, these vegan burgers are a must-try. You can find these new BUDS vegan burgers at Coles Supermarkets in the frozen section for 2 patties in each.
Watch the full taste test video here —>