Quorn Mince vs Beef Mince Comparison: Which one is healthier?

Quorn mince vs beef mince

Quorn mince and beef mince are both good sources of protein but how do they compare in terms of nutritional values? Which one has more protein and which one is healthier? In this article, we investigate these two popular sources of protein and look at different kinds of Quorn and beef mince, to see which option is better.

Quorn mince vs beef mince: Nutritional values

Quorn mince comes in a chilled and frozen form and both forms have almost identical ingredients. The main difference is in the percentage of Mycoprotein: the frozen version contains 88% of Mycoprotein while the chilled version contains 95% of the same ingredient. This, of course, affects the nutritional values which we have included below.

There are also several variations of beef mince, depending on the amount of fat in beef. The standard beef mince contains around 20% fat and the lean version contains 5% fat.

In the table below we compare fat, carbs, protein and calories in different types of Quorn mince and beef mince. The values below are per 100g.


Nutritional values per 100 g
Quorn mince
(chilled)
Quorn mince 
(frozen)
Beef mince 20% fatBeef mince 5% fat
(lean)
Protein14g13g18.4g31.3g
Fat2.0g1.7g19.8g4.7g
– of which saturated0.5g0.5g9.8g2.1g
Carbohydrates4.5g2.3g0g<0.5g
– of which sugars0.6g0.1g0g<0.5g
Fibre5.5g7.5g0g<0.5g
Calories105kcal92kcal252kcal168kcal

Fat in Quorn mince vs beef mince

Quorn mince contains around 2 g of fat per 100 g while standard beef contains around 20 g.

Quorn mince is much lower in fat than beef mince but if you opt for lean beef mince you will consume around 5 g of fat per 100 g. This is still, however, more fat than in Quorn mince.

Quorn mince also contains much less saturated fat than beef mince (0.5 g vs 9.8 g per 100 g in standard beef mince).

Protein in Quorn mince vs beef mince

Frozen Quorn mince contains 13 g of protein while chilled minced Quorn contains 14 g of protein per 100 g.

Beef mince contains more protein per 100 g than Quorn: regular beef mince (20% fat) contains 18.4g of protein and lean beef mince contains 31.3 g of protein per 100 g which is more than double the amount of protein in the same weight of mince Quorn.

If you are looking to increase your protein intake, lean beef mince is a better option than Quorn mince, just make sure you buy organic as it’s healthier.

Carbs in Quorn mince vs beef mince

Beef mince contains zero carbs while frozen Quorn mince contains 2.3 g of carbs per 100g and its chilled version contains 4.5g of carbs.

If you are watching your carb intake, then lean beef mince is the best option for you but if you like to avoid meat then frozen Quorn mince will be more suitable as chilled Quorn mince contains more carbs.

Quorn mince vs beef mince: Calories

Beef mince is much more calorific than Quorn since it contains much more fat.

Quorn mince has 92 kcal or 105 kcal per 100g, depending on whether it’s chilled or frozen. In lean beef mince, on the other hand, you will find around 168 calories per 100 g and in the standard 20% fat beef mince there are 252 calories in the same weight.

How much Quorn mince should you eat to replace beef mince?

If you are looking to consume the same amount of protein from Quorn mince as what you find in beef mince, then you will have to eat around 130g of Quorn mince to replace 100g of 20% beef mince.

If you are replacing lean beef mince with Quorn mince, then you will have to eat more than twice as much Quorn mince as lean beef mince to get the same amount of protein.

Is Quorn mince healthier than beef mince?

Quorn mince is lower in fat and calories compared to beef mince and is therefore considered healthier although it has less protein. However, Quorn is a heavily processed source of protein while beef mince is a more natural form of protein and not as processed.

You should also be aware that Quorn causes digestive issues in some people while beef is normally tolerated well. If you don’t tolerate Quorn well and you are not a vegetarian, then your best option would be to eat organic lean beef mince which is very high in protein and low in fat.

Related content:
Is Quorn Good For Weight Loss?
Is Quorn healthy?