6 Best Ground Beef Brands, According To Reviews

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Ground beef is endlessly versatile. With a little bit of time, heat, and the occasional extra ingredient, use it to make everything from juicy burgers and top-tier meatballs to flavorful kebabs and crowd-pleasing meatloaf (not to mention all of the ways ground beef leftovers can be repurposed). While it might be all too tempting to think about grinding your own burger meat, many of us reach for store-bought options for ease and convenience. That said, not all ground beef brands are created equal, and we set out to find which ones are the best.

Truth be told, ground beef can vary considerably based on where and how it was fed, raised, and processed — and these differences can contribute to disparate textures, flavors, and richness levels. When shopping for ground beef at your local grocery store or farmers market, choosing between such a wide range of brands, each promising top-tier meat (but only a select few actually delivering it), can be a challenge. 

Luckily, customers have long been sharing their opinions on the best ground beef brands on the market. And, as a national and local food reporter and avid home cook, I have a few opinions of my own. Keep reading for a guide to six of the best ground beef brands, according to reviews.  

For more than 60 years, Pat LaFrieda, which sources its meat from small farms across the country, has been regarded as the gold standard for beef products. Its ground beef (or "Chopped Beef," as the brand calls it) is no exception.

When it comes to Pat LaFrieda's ground beef offerings, it is hard not to feel overwhelmed by your choices. Across options such as classic 80/20, dry-aged blends, and pre-formed hamburger patties made with brisket and short rib, the juiciness and intensely savory flavor of this premium product make it a favorite of both customers and big-name restaurants alike.

"I was skeptical because of the price but ... I'm a believer now," reads one customer review of the Pat LaFrieda Original Chopped Beef Blend (80/20) on the brand's online storefront. "I made burgers like always and didn't tell anybody I was trying different meat. Everybody asked what I did different when I made them ... The burgers were out of this world."

Not every popular ground beef brand on this list is sold at a premium price. In fact, Simply Nature is sold at Aldi, and Aldi shoppers agree that buying the store's grass-fed ground beef is worth it every time.

Boasting organic and 100% grass-fed ground beef, Simply Nature is consistently praised for having an excellent value for its high quality. Although reviews warn that it tends to run leaner than other products like it (a pro or con, depending on your preferences), they acknowledge that the flavor is hard to beat. In fact, some shoppers say that Simply Nature's ground beef is the only kind that they will buy. The meat also comes in family-sized multi-packs, making it a convenient choice for meal prepping and freezing (just don't put your beef in the freezer until you do this time-saving trick).

"This 93/7 ground beef is excellent," reads one Reddit review about the Simply Nature Organic Grass-Fed 93/07 Ground Beef. "After making some killer tacos with it I do plan to purchase one of these family packs and freeze it."

It's no secret that Costco is a haven for good-value, high-quality ingredients sold in wholesale quantities, often under the Kirkland Signature label — and the brand's raw meats are no exception. Positive reviews abound for its fresh ground beef, as well as the Kirkland frozen beef patties Costco fans keep buying over higher-quality meat.

Kirkland Signature ground beef is regularly praised for its low price per pound, especially considering that it tends to be on the leaner side. Because it is less fatty than some of its competitors, many recommend it as an addition for meat-based stews and sauces, like a simple weeknight Bolognese or a spicy slow cooker beef chili. However, plenty of others love Kirkland's ground beef as the main event in a burger.

"My 21 year old carnivore says the Costco ground beef is better than the same type (90/10) at our bougiest grocery chain that sells ground hamburger for $10/lb," reads one Reddit review about the Kirkland Signature Ground Beef, 90% Lean. If that isn't a ringing endorsement, we do not know what is.

We have arrived at my personal ground beef holy grail: Pre Brands, which specializes in grass-fed, pasture-raised ground beef that, even despite its leanness, is perfectly tender and jam-packed with umami flavor. Don't get me wrong — I love a funky, dry-aged Pat LaFrieda patty, especially on one of the absolute best cheeseburgers in America. But the ground beef at Pre Brands is far more accessible for a weeknight dinner (and, trust me, it shines on a classic smash burger with all the fixings). 

I'm not alone in my love of Pre Brands, which sources its meat exclusively from Australia, New Zealand, and select United States farms, with the goal of prioritizing "animal welfare, environmental sustainability, and meat quality," according to the brand's website. Many reviews also discuss the ground beef's tenderness and deep flavor, with many referring to it as the best they have ever tried.

"This Pre grass fed and finished ground beef is excellent! I highly recommend it," reads a customer review on Jay C Food Stores for the Pre Brands Grass-Fed, Pasture-Raised Ground Beef, 95% Lean/5% Fat. "It is tender and has a very good taste. And it's lean. I will never go back to buying what I was buying before."

According to reviews, tenderness is the name of the game with Thomas Farms' ground beef. It also doesn't hurt that it's made entirely from Australian beef that is grass-fed, pasture-raised, Halal-certified, and all-natural. Its mouthfeel, along with its great quality for the price, has earned it a spot on this list.

While grass-fed beef can turn some shoppers away with its funkier flavor, customers say that Thomas Farms is notably milder than its competitors, without that sometimes-overwhelming aftertaste. This neutral flavor, reviews add, also makes the meat an apt canvas for seasoning.  The ground beef's clean taste is an especially impressive feat, given the fact that some customers say that it's particularly lean.

"This has the most amazing quality meat of any I've tried. Very similar to family farm meat in the area," reads one review of the Thomas Farms Organic Grass Fed Ground Beef, 85% Lean 15% Fat on Instacart. "This farm is next to best."

If my local grocery store is out of Pre Brands, Verde Farms is the next package I will reach for. This mostly comes down to preference, but Verde's ground beef has a far milder flavor than Pre's (and I usually prefer as much savoriness as possible). That said, Verde Farms, which sources its meat from Australia and Uruguay, is also exceptionally tender, making it perfect for a variety of dishes — from baked crispy beef tacos to loaded ground beef gyros.

Reviewers agree with me, and give this brand points for its juiciness, tenderness, and authentic beefy taste. It also gets extra marks from customers for not tasting fattier or leaner than the lean-to-fat ratio on its package.

"This beef reminds me of the quality and flavor I experienced as a child when all the beef we had was raised on grass," reads a review of the Verde Farms Organic, Grass-Fed Ground Beef, 85% Lean/15% Fat on Amazon. "You get what you pay for. This beef is worth it."

This list of the best ground beef brands draws from reviews on social media platforms, as well as on digital storefronts for grocery stores and the brands that the meat comes from. To ensure that reviews were relevant and up-to-date, only those from the past year were considered for the article. The list also draws from my personal experience as a local and national food reporter, as well as a home cook who frequently mixes it up with ground beef brands from different purveyors.

In order to determine if a brand was among the best, each one must have an overwhelming consensus of positive reviews about its products. The "best" ground beef brands all boast reviews that praise the meat's flavor, texture, or value — and, preferably, all three.