McDonald’s Australia has launched it’s first-ever nationwide plant based burger, but vegetarians aren’t jumping for joy because it’s not strictly vegetarian-friendly.

Although the burger patty is completely meat-free, the cooking method isn’t.

The new McVeggie burger is made of a vegetable patty, cheese, lettuce, mayonnaise and pickles.

But as the McDonald’s menu states: “While the vegetable patty is vegetarian, it is fried using the same equipment as the tempura coated McChicken patty, so may not be suitable for all vegetarians.”

Camera Icon Taste testers Natalie Lazarevski and Theo Zafiropoulos gave the veggie burger a thumbs up. Credit: News Corp, David Caird

McDonald’s trialled the much-anticipated burger in South Australia in 2019, but it didn’t have enough demand until now.

“We know there’s an appetite for alternatives to traditional meat proteins and Australians are looking for more plant-based options in their diet,” chief marketing officer Jenni Dill said.

“As a business constantly focused on responding to what Australians want, we’re excited to now be serving up the McVeggie Burger to our customers across the country.”

Camera Icon The new McVeggie burger is made of a vegetable patty, cheese, lettuce, mayonnaise and pickles. Credit: News Corp

However, McDonald’s has come late to the plant-based trend with Hungry Jack’s launching vegetarian and vegan burgers in the last two years.

Their Rebel Whopper is a copy of the classic but with a vegetarian patty, while another popular option on their menu is the Vegan Cheeseburger.

Other fast food outlets, including Domino’s and Oporto, have also joined the movement

The McDonald’s McVeggie burger will be a permanent part of the menu and is available after 10.30am.