The best vegan hot dogs are juicy, savory, and effortlessly yummy. No one wants to bite into a veggie hot dog and convince themselves that it tastes okay. And hey, look, we aren’t setting the expectation that the best veggie hot dogs can fool meat eaters—that’s irrelevant. Contrary to popular belief, the world doesn’t revolve around satisfying the cravings of carnivores! (And we say that as enthusiastic omnivores.)
This isn’t our first vegan hot dog rodeo. Or our second. Over the course of three taste-tests (count ‘em, three), we’ve tracked down all the vegan hot dog we could find, just in time for barbecue season. We were looking for a good, savory flavor that’s reminiscent of the best genuine hot dogs. Texture was important, too—we don’t necessarily expect an authentic natural-casing snap from the best plant based hot dogs, but they shouldn’t be mush either. The way we see it, the best Grill Dads are inclusive Grill Dads, so we’re here to make sure they’re working with the best vegan hot dogs at the grocery store. (Also, as a PSA, this list doesn’t include vegan sausage—we’ve got a whole another article on that!)
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- Yves Veggie Cuisine Veggie Dog
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Yves Veggie Cuisine Veggie Dogs are the best vegan hot dogs if you’re hosting a BBQ for non-meat eaters. These plant based dogs won’t fool anyone into thinking they’re made of real meat, but I don’t think that matters. Plus, some vegans and vegetarians prefer less meaty-seeming fake meat because the real thing grosses them out. Yves veggie dogs have a wonderful savory flavor and are hearty enough to stand up to a lot of toppings. I’m cooking these up Chicago style! —Jordan Myrick
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- Sweet Earth Jumbo Vegan Hot Dogs
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Sweet Earth Jumbo Vegan Hot Dogs are among the best vegan hot dogs when it comes to texture. They have the most snap and the meatiest chew. Unfortunately, they only come four in a pack, so I guess I would file these under “best veggie dogs for a dinner party” rather than “best plant base hot dogs for a big ol’ cookout.” I know that might sound crazy, but these are nice enough to serve at a dinner party! If you’re willing to dish out the dough, add these to your cart. —Jordan Myrick
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- Simple Truth Plant Based Veggie Dogs
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Simple Truth plant based hot dogs are what you think of when you think of a classic veggie dog, but a thousand times better. They’re firm but also a little squishy, and they’re super salty in the best way possible. These made me nostalgic for my childhood, but also happy that I’m an adult that can eat hot dogs whenever I want. I also love that these are super affordable and easy to find since Simple Truth is a private label brand at all the Kroger grocery stores. If you’re similarly nostalgic for early aughts vegetarian food, these are the best vegan hot dogs for you. —Jordan Myrick
Credit: Liv Averett / Ralphs
- Upton’s Natural Updog Vegan Hot Dog
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Don’t be scared by the appearance of these veggie hot dogs. After we cooked these, they looked a little shriveled and dry, but they tasted delicious. These really toe the line between plant based hot dog and vegan sausage, but they proclaim to be hot dogs, so we’re going with it! They’re a little greasy and super meaty. These are hearty dogs that would be wonderful with plant based canned chili and some vegan shredded cheese. They’re already meaty! Why not add a little more meatless meat to one of the best vegan hot dogs? —Jordan Myrick
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- KORVMOJ Veggie Hot Dogs
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I got very lost in an IKEA trying to track these down, and you know what? The chaos was worth it. IKEA veggie dogs are a departure from the other brands on this list—they are well and truly veggie dogs, in texture and rich veggie taste. The dog itself is a mix of diverse vegetables (like kale, lentils, quinoa, onion, and carrot), but they still carry a salty, umami flavor that keeps the overall taste quite savory. If you’re worried these veggie dogs will come off the grill too mushy, don’t be—for something made almost entirely of vegetables, these are super sturdy. You’ll have no problem getting visible grill marks here. IKEA veggie dogs are so delicious and a great meat substitute; but if you’re looking for faux meat, these might not be the best vegan hot dogs for you. —Ariana Losch
Credit: Liv Averett / IKEA
- Field Roast Signature Stadium Dog Plant-Based Hot Dogs
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Field Roast Signature Stadium Plant-Based Dogs are real hot dogs minus the meat. I don’t think a meat eater would know that these are plant based if they were handed one in a warm bun slathered with mustard at a baseball game. In terms of flavor, they are giving full hot dog. These even have a slight snap from the “casing,” which is typically nonexistent in plant based hot dogs. Moving forward, Field Roast will always be my first choice of vegan meat logs. —Jordan Myrick
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
- Field Roast Classic Smoked Plant-Based Frankfurters
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What can we say? Field Roast makes the best vegan hot dogs. And yes, I know, I know—these are called frankfurters, not hot dogs, but hear me out: I tried them side-by-side with the Field Roast stadium dogs (our runner up) and many other brands of vegan hot dogs, and honestly? The only thing separating these “frankfurters” from vegan hot dogs is semantics and marketing. We even liked the flavor of these a little better than the stadium dogs. These have a touch of smoke, but a more balanced savory taste overall. They are, as stated in our original criteria for the best vegan hot dogs, effortlessly yummy! —Ariana Losch
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
Best Jumbo Dog
Best Splurge
Best Budget
Best Meaty
Best Veggie
Runner Up
Best of the Best
Other vegan hot dogs we tried: Lightlife Veggie Smart Dogs Protein Links, Morning Star Farms Meatless Hot Dogs, Loma Linda Big Franks, BeLeaf Vegan Hot Dogs, Moving Mountains
Impossible hot dogs are my top dog, pun intended. They are as close to meat dogs that I’ve tryed.
The best vegan hot dogs are lightlife if you like imitation meat and ikea if you prefer non imitation/lentil veggie dog. The ones in this article are all much inferior.
As a hot dog connoisseur in a previous life before going vegan I can confirm that the stadium dogs are the best i have tried.
How come the regular hot dog ranking isn’t on this site? I thought Rhett and Link did an episode on that a few years back.
As someone who grew up vegetarian (and is now veg), Loma Linda “Big Franks” *in a can* will
Forever be my favorite. Going to a BBQ? Just grab my can of hotdogs! Need a comforting meal? Can of hot dogs, can of baked beans!
We tried these and the texture was a little off for me. How do you normally cook them? I might need to give them another try as a non-pork eater myself!
Oh my gosh… my family used to get these ALL the time when I was younger! The church I grew up in had a food co-op where we would order these, and used to also find them at Kroger’s but I haven’t seen them in years. I have recently returned to being vegetarian as I crave it over meat most of the time. These with vegetarian baked beans was always incredible! I feel that Loma Linda had some of the most innovative meat substitutes, yet not all of them have that “meaty” taste most companies go for these days. My mom would cook them in a skillet on the stove most times, or cut them up and put them into some Bush’s vegetarian bake beans! I must confess that as a kid, I’d sneak in the pantry and open a can and eat them like that or sometimes make a sandwich spread out of them and enjoy like that as well!