NEW YORK — White Castle is offering the Impossible Slider, a scaled-down version of the plant-based Impossible Burger, at restaurants in New York, New Jersey and Chicago. The Impossible Slider is served with smoked cheddar cheese, pickles, onions and served on White Castle’s signature bun.

 “Innovation has been core to everything we’ve done at White Castle since our founding in 1921,” said Lisa Ingram, chief executive officer of White Castle. “The fact that we are the first fast-food chain to offer the Impossible Burger to our loyal customers epitomizes our history of being on the ‘bleeding edge’ of a rapidly evolving industry.”

The Impossible Burger, which was developed in 2011 by Impossible Foods, is formulated to look and taste like conventional ground beef but is made from plant ingredients. A molecule called “heme” gives the burger its beef-like attributes, according to the company.

“White Castle’s model has been often imitated but never duplicated — an impressive feat in the hypercompetitive fast-food sector,” said Patrick Brown, M.D., Impossible Foods’ founder and c.e.o. “We look forward to working closely with White Castle and together learning how to popularize plant-based meat with mainstream burger lovers.”

Redwood City, Calif.-based Impossible Foods produces the Impossible Burger and other products at the company’s 68,000-square-foot production plant in Oakland, Calif. The Impossible Burger is appearing on mainstream restaurant menus across the country as well as at restaurants in New York, San Francisco, Houston and Las Vegas. The company also is pursuing non-commercial food service sales targeting universities, company dining halls and other institutions.