What makes the best vegan hot dogs? Which are the best sausages? How do you cook them? What are the best toppings? All these questions answered here!
🍴 What makes a great hot dog?
Whilst a hot dog is in essence just a sausage in a bun, it can become a flavour sensation when piled with tempting toppings and sauces. A Vegan Hot Dog bar makes an easy and delicious way to cater for a party of guests - they won't be able to tell the difference from a non-vegan frankfurter, and can pile their hot dogs with their choice of garnishes.
Below you will find a taste-test review of vegan hot dog sausages, step-by-step instructions on the best way to cook the sausages for maximum flavour and texture, and a guide to some of my favourite hot dog toppings.
How do you cook yours, and what do you pile on top?
Jump to:
📝 Which are the best vegan hot dog sausages?
There are some excellent vegan hot dog sausages available in supermarkets these days, so very similar to their non-vegan equivalents it is almost impossible to tell the difference!
I subjected my family to a blind taste test of a variety of plant-based frankfurters, and the results of our blind taste-test are below:
Moving Mountains Plant Based Hot Dogs
£4.00 for 4 sausages
Made from sunflower seeds.
⭐️ 9/10 Our taste testers loved the flavour of these, with a firm and bouncy texture. Would fool anyone who didn't know they were vegan!
£2.80 for 4 sausages
Made from pea protein.
⭐️ 8/10 These were highest rated by the kids. A smaller sausage than the others, they don't have a skin, but have a nice flavour and texture. Good value for money as the cheapest we tested.
£3.99 for 4 sausages
Made from seitan.
⭐️ 9/10 The grown-ups loved these, with a really authentic, smoky flavour and quite a firm texture. They have a thin skin which crisps up on a grill or BBQ.
Taifun Organic Tofu Frankfurter
£4.65 for 4 sausages
Made from tofu (soya).
⭐️ 7/10 These are huge! The texture is soft compared to the others we tried, and the flavour is more subtle and quite tofu-like - they are tasty but weren't our favourites, and were the most expensive of those we tried.
Also worth noting are ALDI's Plant Menu Hot Dogs (not too strongly flavoured, kids love them), and the excellent M&S Plant Kitchen Posh Dogs (great texture and flavour), but both are seasonal ranges and sadly not available at the moment.
👩🏽🍳 How to cook your hot dogs
All the sausages we tested gave many options for cooking methods, but which to choose... microwave, boil or pan-fry?
We tested them all, and after much deliberation the verdict was that we liked both the moist texture that comes from poaching and the crispy skin from a hot griddle pan.
So, for the ultimate vegan hot dog experience:
- Bring a large pan of water to the boil, add the sausages then remove from the heat, cover with a lid and leave to poach for 20 minutes.
- Heat a griddle pan (or BBQ) until very hot, then cook the sausages for a minute or two on all sides, turning frequently until crispy all over.
🌭 What are the best hot dog toppings?
What do you like to pile on your hot dog? Are you a plain sausage in a bun with a squirt of ketchup or do you go all-out on the fancy accompaniments? My favourites are:
Onions should be cooked low and slow until they are super-soft and saucy. I like to add some extra flavourings - see my Hot Dog Onions recipe.
Ketchup is surely obligatory! If you want to really spice things up, try my homemade Beetroot & Chilli Ketchup recipe.
Mustard I usually go for a bright and zingy American-style squeezy mustard which is in the cupboard pretty much only for hot dogs. But there is also a place for dijon, or
Vegan cheese is a nice touch - grated Vegan Smoked Applewood is ideal as it adds even more of that smoky hot dog flavour.
Gherkins (or pickles if you're in the USA) add a deliciously sour crunch, which goes so well with smoky flavours.
Jalapeños add the sourness of gherkins but with a chill kick too... my favourites!
Saurkraut has a sour, slightly acidic flavour. It is a bit like coleslaw but way better in hot dogs.
Vegan mayonnaise is great for a creamy hot dog sauce, though if you've opted for both ketchup and mustard you might find it one sauce too many! Use shop-bought or make your own from my 2-minute Egg-Free Mayo recipe.
... what would you add to the list?
🔪 Top Tips & FAQs
If you don't have a griddle pan a hot frying pan will work fine too - the aim is to slightly char the edges to add a crispiness to the skin and add to the smoky flavour.
Make a hot dog bar if you're entertaining, with all the toppings laid out in bowls for guests to pile on their favourites.
The sausages freeze well before cooking, though once cooked they are best eaten immediately. You can keep your freezer stocked with vegan hot dogs and poach them straight from frozen for a tasty treat any time.
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🍽 If you liked that...
.... you might also enjoy these vegan recipes from The Veg Space:
📖 Recipe
Vegan Hot Dogs
Ingredients
- 4 vegan hot dog sausages see reviews above
- 4 hot dog rolls
Optional toppings:
- hot dog onions
- ketchup
- mustard
- vegan cheese grated
- gherkins
- jalapeños
- sauerkraut
- vegan mayonnaise
- coleslaw
Instructions
- Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Add the sausages, cover with a lid and remove from the heat. Leave to poach for 20 minutes.
- Heat a griddle pan or BBQ until very hot, then cook the sausages for just a minute on each side, until the skins are starting to char.
- Split open your soft hot dog buns, pile in your toppings either under or on top of the sausage, and serve immediately.
ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Natalie says
My son experiments with a vegan diet lately. He loves hot dogs and I'm so glad I found your recipe. I'll make him this today. Thanks!
Shelley says
That final trip through the griddle pan to get a little crispness and char makes such a difference! Thanks for the tips - and the info on some brands I haven't tried before and definitely should!
Nic says
Thank you!!! We were having friends over who are vegan and I wanted something my family would enjoy too- shockingly we all loved them and love your advice! Maybe we'll be vegan more often 😉
Beth Sachs says
I'll be looking out for the Moving Mountains hot dogs in the shops! Hotdogs are the kids favourite!
Danielle says
These came out just great! So easy to make and a hit at my house!