Hot dogs tend to be one of those foods that invoke fond memories of childhood and summertime cookouts. They can be comfort food and a really delicious fast and quick option for lunch or dinner and, of course, a great go-to for any barbecue. The problem with hot dogs is that they’re super processed, made from animals and inherently cruel.
They’re so unhealthy in fact, that The World Health Organization classified them as carcinogens. Hot dogs are considered processed meat and eating one a day was found to increase the risk of colorectal cancer by a whopping 18 percent!
So while hotdogs may hold a special place in many people’s hearts and stomachs, they are not a wise choice to consume if you value your health, the Earth, or the animals that become hot dogs. Thankfully, vegan hot dogs are free of animals and their by-products and are made from plants, making them a fantastic choice for those who want to enjoy hot dogs without the cancer risk and cruelty.
We’ve compiled a list of the best vegan hot dogs, from store-bought to recipes, there’s a hot dog here for everyone. They all have slightly different tastes and textures and some are a bit more processed than others, so it’s best to read through the list completely before adding them to your grocery list to see what may be the best choice for you.
The Best Vegan Hot Dog Brands
Brand: Tofurky Jumbo Hot Dogs
- Meatless Hot Dogs
Primary Ingredients: These vegan hot dogs are made primarily from water, vital wheat gluten, pea protein, canola oil, tofu as well as spices, flavorings and binders.
Why We Love it: Tofurky has long been a leader in creating delicious and amazingly similar tasting meat alternatives, and these jumbo dogs are no exception. They taste like a traditional hot dog and additionally are a great protein option, containing 17 grams per dog! We also love that they’re non-GMO and relatively easy to find at most health food stores and big chains that have alternative meat sections.
Brand: Field Roast Frankfurters
- Old world-style vegetarian frankfurters
- Naturally made from grains and vegetables
- Grill on the barbeque, saute in the pan, steam in the oven or microwave
Primary Ingredients: These vegan hot dogs are made primarily from water, vital wheat gluten, safflower oil, palm fruit oil and a variety of flavors, spices and whole wheat flour.
Why We Love it: Field Roast makes some of the best vegan meat alternatives available if you want a product that’s authentic tasting but a little less processed. We love these grain based frankfurters as they’re incredibly delicious, filling and nutritious!
Each vegan frankfurter contains 21 grams of protein and 15% of your RDA of iron, making them a great healthy option that isn’t just processed and tasty but serves a purpose.
Brand: Yeah Dawg Hot Dogs
Image by Kaboompics .com via Pexels
Primary Ingredients: These vegan hot dogs are made primarily from vegetables such as potatoes, beets, sweet potatoes, and carrots as well as sunflower seeds, gluten free flour blend, spices, herbs and salt.
Why We Love it: These are the least processed vegan hot dogs we’ve found and we love that they are both soy and gluten free. This company has made a hot dog primarily from hot whole foods based ingredients and it actually tastes and smells just like a hot dog!
We love how delicious these are and while they’re a little pricey, they’re an excellent option for those who prefer not to eat processed foods but would love a good vegan hot dog. The only bummer is that they’re a bit harder to find in stores, so if you can’t find these in your local health food store you may have to order them online.
Brand: LightLife Smart Dogs
- PLANT-BASED VEGAN DOGS: Classic hot dog flavor made with plant-based ingredients
- CERTIFIED VEGAN: Delicious hot dog taste and texture without the guilt
- GOOD SOURCE OF PROTEIN: 7g of protein per serving
Primary Ingredients: These vegan hot dogs are made primarily from water, soy protein isolate, soybean oil, evaporated cane syrup, pea protein isolate, tapioca starch, flavorings, spices, and binders.
Why We Love it: These hot dogs taste great and we love that they’re a great lower calorie option with only 50 calories per hot dog. The lower calorie content is great if you just want a bit of hot dog but don’t want to eat a ton of processed meat alternative OR if you want to eat quite a few hot dogs without feeling overstuffed.
They’ve also got 7 grams of protein per hot dog, making them a great option if you want your hot dog to offer a little something more. We love that they’re non-GMOand are relatively easy to find at most large grocery stores that offer natural and vegan foods.
Brand: Yves Veggie Dogs
Primary Ingredients: These vegan hot dogs are made primarily from water, soy protein, wheat gluten, canola oil, spices, sugar, flavorings binders,, and vitamins.
Why We Love it: These hot dogs are quite tasty and another great lower calorie option so they’re great if you accidentally eat a few at a barbecue because that just happens sometimes.
We love that they’re high in protein at 10 grams per hot dog as well as counting 20 percent of your RDA of iron and a fair amount of zinc, making them a great healthy option that’s very affordable. These hot dogs can be fairly easy to find at most grocery stores that offer natural and vegan options.
The Best Vegan Hot Dog Recipes
Recipe: Lentil Carrot Veggie Hot Dogs
Where to Find it: Veggie Desserts
Why We Love it: We love this hot dog recipe as it uses mainly whole foods and spices to make delicious and incredibly healthy vegan hot dogs. The lentils offer a hearty dose of protein, fiber and minerals while the carrots offer a dose of Vitamin A. These are really quite easy to make and quite delicious.
Recipe: Carrot Hot Dogs
Where to Find it: One Green Planet
Why We Love it: Carrot hot dogs have been an “it” item for a long time and this recipe makes it easy to see how. This recipe couldn’t be healthier or easier to make. It simply uses carrots that have been marinated and cooked to make a delicious hot dog replacement.
They’re incredibly flavorful and have a great hearty texture that works well in a bun loaded with all the condiments. This recipe is naturally gluten-free and can be made soy free by using coconut aminos in place of liquid aminos or soy sauce. Best of all, these can easily be grilled and won’t fall apart!
Recipe: Homemade Veggie Dogs
Where to Find it: Fat Free Vegan Kitchen
Why We Love it: This recipe is really unique and uses a combination of pinto beans, vital wheat gluten and oatmeal as a base for a delicious and healthy vegan hot dog. We love the variety of whole foods mixed with the wheat gluten and spices to make a flavorful and texturally amazing hot dog that is great plain or served with condiments.
Recipe: Vegan Hot Dogs with Homemade Seitan Sausages
Where to Find it: Elephantastic Vegan
Why We Love it: These seitan sausages are the perfect hot dog stand-ins and we love the combination of chickpeas, vital wheat gluten and spices to make a flavorful and protein-rich hot dog. Tweaking these spices can make it taste more or less hot dog like depending on what you prefer. We highly recommend serving these with your favorite toppings for a delicious vegan hot dog experience.
Don’t Forget the Toppings! The Best Vegan Topped Hot Dog Recipes
Image by Luis Quintero via Pexels
Recipe: Nacho Average Hot Dogs
Where to Find it: Eat Figs Not Pigs
Why We Love it: This recipe is really over the top in every way possible, and we mean that in a good way. It’s a hot dog and it’s nachos, two gourmet vegan comfort foods combined into one glorious and tasty meal. It takes a little bit of prep work, but if you’re a fan of nachos and hot dogs, just do it, we promise it’s weirdly worth it.
Recipe: Mexican Hot Dogs
Where to Find it: Cheap and Cheerful Cooking
Why We Love it: This recipe is really, really delicious and quite simple. It loads up your favorite vegan hot dogs with a variety of vegetables, herbs and spices for a Mexican tasting dog without any extra processed foods, or much effort for that matter. This is a great alternative to eat when you’re over the traditional toppings like relish, ketchup or mustard.
Image by Daniel Reche via Pexels
Recipe: Vegan Chili Dogs
Where to Find it: Cadry’s Kitchen
Why We Love it: This is a great vegan take on a classic combination for hot dogs. This recipe comes together easily and is so delicious using chili and vegan shredded cheese as well as the unexpected addition of pickle planks for a delicious zing. This recipe is absolutely delicious and easy, so it’s a must try for all the hot dog lovers.
Recipe: Easy Vegan Baked Hot Dogs
Where to Find it: Namely Marley
Why We Love it: This recipe is similar to vegan chili dogs, but deliciously different enough in flavor and texture. As the creator points out, it’s pretty much a hot dog casserole, which is intriguing enough to try. We love that it’s flavorful, full of textures, fatty and oh so savory. It’s the ultimate in hot dog comfort food recipes and perfect for anyone who considers themselves a true hot dog lover.
Featured image by mali maeder via Pexels.
Last update on 2023-05-25 at 07:54 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API