Oscar Mayer Is Jumping on the Plant-Based Wienermobile

It has finally happened. Now vegetarians can not only wish they were an Oscar Mayer Weiner (as we are all wont to do), they can also finally partake in the aforementioned iconic glizzies. In a move that would seriously confuse that machine learning tech from HBO’s Silicon Valley that determined if things were Hot Dog or Not Hot Dog, Kraft Heinz and NotCo are collaborating to create an Oscar Mayer veggie hot dog, aka Plant Based Oscar Mayer NotHotDog, that looks exactly like a hot dog. But does it taste exactly like a hot dog? Well, that’s for us human people to figure out.

What are these Oscar Mayer veggie hot dogs made of? Will these meatless wieners cook up and taste exactly like the meatful ones?

Let’s start with what they are made of, which, per the name of the product, we can already assume is “NotHotDog.” Turns out this assumption is correct, and they appear instead to be made of ingredients such as “bamboo fiber, mushroom, pea protein, and acerola cherry.” Our buddy Oscar is also hitting us with some NotSausages, in both Bratwurst and Italian varieties, to be released around the same time. Lots to look forward to here, if these things are any good. According to Lucho Lopez-May, the CEO of the Kraft Heinz Not Company (via FoodDive) the consumers who tested these new sausages and dogs were significantly more likely to want to purchase them in a store after they had tried them. On the other hand, a reviewer from Mashed who tried the hot dogs didn’t like them very much, noting that they cook up strangely and burst out of the casing and they’re greasy and over spiced. The texture, however, was apparently spot on. Now, I don’t typically mind a bit of grease and extra spices, so I am still itchin’ to try these new Oscar Mayer veggie dogs and veggie sausages as soon as they hit stores. As for when that will be, we aren’t so sure.

The new products will reportedly be presented at Expo West in Anaheim, California, this week, and then later this year (no specific timing as of now), they will head to store shelves and join the ranks of the existing plant-based “NotCollabs,” such as Kraft NotMac&Cheese, NotCheese, and NotMayo. I have to say, I am Not NotExcited.