The best vegan hot dogs are juicy, savory, and meaty (while not being meaty, of course). There is no person on the Sporked staff who’s better suited to leading a vegan hot dog taste test than me. I grew up on them. My parents are pescatarians and we’ve been sucking down vegan hot dogs since before fake meat got good. I’ve seen them evolve from disappointing tofu tubes to convincing hot dog substitutes, and now I’m ready to share my knowledge with you.
Over the course of two taste tests, I sunk my teeth into every plant based hot dog I could get my hands on to find the most meaty, delicious, hot dog-y veggie hot dogs you can buy at the grocery store. And to be clear, this list only includes the best vegan hot dogs. If you’re looking for the best vegan sausage, look no further!
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- Yves Veggie Cuisine Veggie Dog
Yves Veggie Cuisine Veggie Dogs are the best vegan hot dogs for a group of non-meat eaters. They certainly 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 meat-y seeming fake meat because the real thing grosses them out. These have a wonderful savory flavor and are hearty enough to stand up to a lot of toppings. I’m cooking these up Chicago-style!
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- Sweet Earth Jumbo Vegan Hot Dogs
Sweet Earth Jumbo Vegan Hot Dogs reign supreme 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 define these as more of a dinner party vegan hot dog than a family BBQ vegan hot dog. 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.
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- Simple Truth Plant Based Veggie Dogs
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.
Credit: Liv Averett / Ralphs
- Upton’s Natural Updog Vegan Hot Dog
Don’t be scared by the look of these veggie hot dogs. After being cooked, they appeared a little dry on the outside. They were, however, 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 a really good vegan hot dog?
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- Field Roast Signature Stadium Plant-Based Dogs
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, these will always be my first choice of vegan meat logs and, even after our second taste test, they remain the best vegan hot dogs you can buy.
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
Best Jumbo Dog
Best Splurge
Best Budget
Best Meaty
Best Overall
The Best Vegan Sausage, Just in Time for Summer Grilling Season
The best vegan sausage is meaty, juicy, and, most importantly, convincing.
Other Products We Tried:
Morningstar Farms, Field Roast
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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!
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 a hot dog connoisseur in a previous life before going vegan I can confirm that the stadium dogs are the best i have tried.
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.