These easy and delicious carrot dogs are pure vegan magic! It’s our favorite vegan hot dog recipe, a long-time reader favorite, remarkably simple to make, and the marinade uses common pantry staples. They’re perfect for a summer cookout and make a fun lunch for both kids and adults alike! Both the flavor and texture of these plant-based hot dogs are so mind-blowing; you’ll be shocked you’re eating a carrot!
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Turning CARROTS into HOT DOGS?! Oh, yes we did!
The carrot dog recipe is one of those ridiculous myths you think will NEVER work.
I mean, how do you make a carrot taste like a hot dog?! We wondered that too…until we took the leap and tried our hand at this elusive carrot dog craze.
We’ve been in love ever since.
And please, please know I am not some health freak on a mission telling you to waste your time preparing some sub-par vegetable substitute that’s only going to slightly kind of mayyybe resemble the regular hot dogs you once loved.
If you’ve spent any length of time with us here at Plant Power Couple, you know that is so not how we operate.
No, my friends. This vegan carrot dog recipe is the real deal.
But if this is your first time making or even hearing of carrot dogs, you might have to exercise some trust with us on this.
*puts hand out for you to hold it*
Why I Love Carrot Dogs
I promise your skepticism will vanish with that first bite. At least, it did with mine, and I’m someone who was a pretty big fan of hot dogs in my omnivorous days.
In fact, it was a big tradition for my dad and me to attend Dollar Dog Night at Phillies games during this time of year, so (even though this sounds kind of silly when I put it in words), hot dogs are one of those foods with which I have a really strong emotional connection.
We all have them, right? The weird but delicious tuna casserole your mom made every week, that chicken noodle soup you still crave every time it rains….
That’s what hot dogs were to me, and that’s why I was super serious about finding a more ethical version that would still allow me to enjoy those classic ballpark flavors I loved and the fond memories that come with them.
It just so happens that I found this perfect vegan hot dog in a carrot dog recipe. Weird, but true, and oh so very good.
Ingredients for Vegan Carrot Dogs
You’ll find the full recipe with ingredient amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. In this section, we’ll go through some key ingredients notes to make sure you achieve the best results!
For the marinade ingredients, you’ll need:
- Soy sauce
- Rice vinegar
- Apple cider vinegar
- Liquid smoke – This gives us that smoky flavor!
- Garlic – minced
- Spice Cabinet: black pepper, onion powder, smoked paprika
For the carrot dogs, you’ll need:
- Large carrots – Peeled and cut to the length of your hot dog buns. You’ll also want to use your peeler to shape the raw carrots into that real hot dog shape. This is a major game-changer! You want to choose carrots on the thinner side, but ultimately, you want to choose carrots of equal size, so they cook evenly – super important!
- Hot dog buns – Check ingredients to ensure vegan friendliness. Many brands are “accidentally” vegan
Substitutions and Variations
This recipe is fairly standard, and we recommend making substitutions only if absolutely necessary. Here are our best tips for substitutions / additions!
If you’d like a little sweetness to balance out the flavors, feel free to add a touch of maple syrup.
For the onion powder: You can swap garlic powder for onion powder or use half and half. A touch of mustard powder can be nice too!
For the liquid smoke: A smoky BBQ sauce or steak sauce could also work.
For the vinegars: You can swap white vinegar or white wine vinegar for the rice vinegar easily. I would try to keep the ACV though!
For the smoked paprika: You can use regular paprika, but if you do, I wouldn’t skip the liquid smoke!
For the soy sauce: Feel free to use coconut aminos, liquid aminos, low-sodium soy sauce, or tamari for the soy sauce.
How to Make Carrot Dogs
So, now that I’ve gotten all sentimental (and hopefully convinced you a bit 😉), let’s talk about how you’re going to make this carrot dog recipe:
First, you’ll peel and shape your carrots.
We like to use our hot dog buns as a guide here.
Cut them down to bun size, peel them, and use your peeler to”carve” your ends into a rounded shape.
This is totally optional but HIGHLY recommended, as it does make these carrot dogs look even more creepily (or rather, awesomely) like a classic ballpark dog.
Next, you’ll boil ’em at a rolling boil.
The boiling time will depend on the thickness of your carrots, but it should be somewhere between 10-15 minutes.
When you can put a fork in them with the tiniest bit of resistance (but before they start falling apart), you’re good to go! This is the part that CAN take a few tries to get the hang of. It certainly did for us.
So, if you’ve had some unsuccessful tries with carrot dogs in the past, a great troubleshooting step is to play with the cooking time.
From here on out, it’s pretty easy.
You’ll mix up your marinade, pour it over the carrots, and let them sit in the fridge for 24 hours. This means you’ll need to plan a little in advance.
Marinating time is another crucial element to nailing this carrot dog recipe. 24 hours is usually where we find the flavor sweet spot, but they can go up to two days. Just be forewarned, the hot dog flavor will get stronger with time.
There’s another troubleshooting tip though: If the carrots have too strong (or weak) a flavor for your taste, play with that marinating time!
Time to cook the carrot dogs!
When it’s time to cook the carrot dogs, you’ll brown them up in a saute or cast iron pan with a few Tablespoons of the leftover marinade.
The cast iron pan is IDEAL for this because it helps get those perfect slightly charred sides with a little caramelization from the marinade. Heaven.
Another option is to use a grill pan which is fantastic for achieving those classic grill marks on the cooked carrots.
How to Serve a Carrot Hotdog
Finally, throw ’em in some buns and top them with alllll your favorite toppings. Go crazy here. One of the things we love about this carrot dog recipe is how fun it is to top them.
Providing a variety of fun toppings can be a great idea for families or gatherings too. Everyone can have fun making it their own!
Carrot Hot Dog Toppings:
- Chili or Coney Sauce
- Cheese sauce
- Mac and cheese
- Sauerkraut
- Coconut bacon or crumbled rice paper bacon
- Pickled jalapeno or pickle relish!
- Diced onions
- Ketchup, mustard, the works!
More Summer Cookout Recipes:
So, the only question left to ask yourself is: When are you going to make this epic vegan carrot dog recipe, and with what fun delicious-ness are you going to top them?!
Whatever it is and whenever you try it, let us know! Rate the recipe and leave a comment below or tag us in all your carrot dog creations on Instagram.
We LOVE it when you do that! If you’re not already following along, we’re @theplantpowercouple with the “the”.
We cannot wait to hear what you think!
Brittany Roche
Yield: 4 carrot dogs
These easy and delicious carrot dogs are pure vegan magic! They’re a long-time reader favorite, remarkably simple to make, and the marinade uses common pantry staples. Both the flavor and texture are so mind-blowing; you’ll be shocked you’re eating a carrot!
24 hr, 20 Prep Time:
20 minCook Time:
24 hr, 40 Total Time:
Save Recipe4.9 based on 7 review(s)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp liquid smoke
- 3 – 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 4 large carrots
- 4 hot dog buns (check ingredients to ensure vegan friendliness)
Instructions
- First, shape and boil your carrots: Bring a medium pot of water to a rolling boil. Peel the carrots and cut the ends off, so they are able to fit into the bun. We also like to use our peeler to round off the ends of the carrots, making them look more like hot dogs. Add them to the pot and boil for about 10 -15 minutes. The time will vary depending on the thickness of your carrots. When you can easily stick a fork in them (but before they're falling apart), they're ready. Remove carefully with tongs.
- While the carrots boil, make the marinade: In a shallow dish, whisk together all the ingredients. When ready, add your boiled carrots, cover, and set in the fridge to marinate for 24 hours.
- Finally, make and serve: Pull your dogs out of the fridge and heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add a Tbsp of refined coconut oil and allow it to melt (sub veg broth for oil-free). Add your carrots carefully along with 3 Tbsp of the marinade and sauté them for about 5 – 10 minutes, rolling them around often. You want the outsides to get a little charred, so it really looks like a hot dog. Serve your carrot dogs in buns immediately with ALL the toppings!
- Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. We suggest reheating them in a saute pan, covered, with a Tbsp or two of the marinade.
Notes
If you dig this recipe, you'll probably love our Carrot Dogs in a Blanket recipe. Check it out; they're perfect for parties!
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