Alright, I know what you’re thinking. “Carrot hot dogs…. I don’t think so!” Before you scroll on out, just hear me out. Give me 2 minutes to convince you, because I’ve been where you’ve been. Self proclaimed former carrot hot dog doubter turned carrot hot dog lover, right here guys. Like you, I’d seen various carrot hot dog recipes floating around Pinterest for a while, and my immediate and only thought was always, stupid. How on earth could a frickin’ carrot taste anything like an actual hot dog? Similar shape does not an adequate food substitute make. Butttt, and that’s a huge but, since first laying my peepers on a picture of a carrot hot dog, I’ve been intrigued. Like, what’s all the hype about? There’s gotta be something there, right?
Despite not ingesting an actual hot dog in years – not even the soy-based faux meat variety – I was hit hard by the craving for a dog (oh hi, pregnancy) earlier this summer. So I caved and decided to finally give carrot hot dogs a go. If they sucked at least I could say I’d been right all along. Man, I was so wrong. Carrot hot dogs are kinda awesome and after years of dog deprivation, I’ve got hot dogs back in my life. Healthy, plant-based hot dogs. The secret(s) to replacing a meat dog with a carrot? It’s all about the marinade and a long marinade time, we’re talking 24 hours here. Let’s face it, these are carrots. They need all the help they can get.
When I started throwing together my marinade, I basically thought about flavors I’d want in a tasty baked bean or barbecue sauce. (As an added bonus you can totally use this marinade to make delicious vegan baked beans.) Coconut aminos – a milder and less salty (and gluten free) version of soy sauce – make up the base of the marinade. The rest of the ingredients are dead easy, equal amounts of apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, blackstrap molasses (just buy some already), sauce from a can of chipotles in adobo, and fresh garlic. The marinade strikes the perfect balance between salty, sweet and smoky. Just what you’d want in a barbecued dog. The carrots are prepped for the marinade by boiling until super tender (whatever you do, don’t steam them in the microwave like I lazily tried, they basically deflate from the inside out). Allow them to cool, then soak in the marinade for a full day. I know, such a long time, but it’s so necessary. Once the carrots have had time to soak in all that marinade goodness, grill on the stovetop or outdoor barbecue. You can also roast them if you’ve got more time on your hands.
Pile the finished dogs into buns and load ’em up with your fave hot dog accoutrement. Devour. I don’t know how to describe the finished product other than saying they taste like hot dogs. Not exactly like hot dogs, but not exactly not like hot dogs either. Does that make sense? They will definitely satisfy your hot dog craving and more importantly, they don’t taste like carrots. The texture is also pretty spot on too. Even my non-vegan/non-vegetarian husband loves them. He genuinely gets excited when I tell him we’re having carrot hot dogs for dinner. Plant eater win!
Have you had carrot hot dogs before? Love ’em or hate ’em? I want to hear about it in the comments section. And, I know summer is basically over, but check out my Barbecue Ranch Tempeh Burgers if you’re craving more cookout worthy eats.
- ¼ cup coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sauce from a can of chipotles in adobo (or 2 chipotles in adobo)
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- pinch of sea salt & ground black pepper
- 4 extra large carrots, peeled & trimmed to fit a hot dog bun
- 4 hot dog buns
- various hot dog toppings: ketchup, mustard, sauerkraut, relish
- Place carrots in a large pot of water (carrots should be completely covered with water). Bring water to a boil then continue to boil for 10 minutes until carrots are very easily pierced with a fork (they'll probably be softer than you think they should be, but trust me, you don't want them to have any crunch left)
- Remove carrots from pot and allow to cool completely. Whisk together all marinade ingredients and pour into a large, sealable plastic freezer bag. Add carrots to bag, seal, and shake to coat with marinade. Place bag flat on a plate & refrigerate carrots overnight. In the morning, flip bag over to coat opposite side of carrots. Continue to marinate until ready to prepare carrots. *
- To grill carrots, brush a large skillet with olive oil and heat over medium-high. Remove carrots from marinade** and add to skillet. Grill on all sides for 2 to 3 minutes for a total of 8 to 10 minutes. Carrots should be well browned & possibly blackened in spots.
- To roast carrots, preheat your oven to 425 F. Remove carrots from marinade and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Roast for 45 to 50 minutes, until carrots are well browned on all sides.
- Serve carrots warm in buns and garnish with desired toppings.
** Leftover marinade can be used to prepare delicious vegan baked beans. Drain but do not rinse a 15 ounce can of no salt added pinto beans. Combine beans and marinade in a small pot and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and continue to simmer until sauce thickens significantly, about 30 minutes. Serve hot.
Thank you for this recipe . Do you know if this works wothout maple syrup , as since detoxing 10 odd months ago (reasonably serious heroin -non IV – and alcohol , since about 7 months ago , i’m super-sensitive to sugar, It’s been explained several times – you probably understand it – all to do with dopamine release , anti-toxins , the body fighting toxins , god alone knows – can never get my head round it. Anyway , it’s not a diabetic drama , what matters is white death sugar is not an option , and that includes fructose . Agave syrup was going to be the glamorous loophole , but no – so can’t even be bothered experimenting with maple . Never been so slim – no beer , cider , syrup soft drinks etc , so happy days . I will be exploring xylitol soon , just very busy setting up a small business , seasaltislove . Anyway , the other thing was , don’t you find carrots have a better flavour unpeeled ? Thank you again for this site – looking forward to trying out your lush looking recipes . Best wishes . (btw , just been down below , ID-ing etc , and the website is not up yet – 3, 4 wks . You’ll manage till then , no doubt)
Hi Grant, you can just leave the maple syrup out.
Try “Monk fruit” it is a natural sweetner that has no sugar in it.
I was like you and super sceptical of the carrot “hot dog”. But I decided to take a leap and this New Years Eve i made these for me and my hubby. My oh my, these were so good! Soft on the outside with still a firm bite to them in the middle, and a wonderful taste. The marinating sauce was so delicious and I used it up with a can of beans the next day, just as you suggested. What a great way to avoid wasting food!
So glad you took the leap and that you enjoyed the “hot dogs”! Happy New Year, Kara.
Someone sent this recipe to me as a joke, making fun of how weird vegans are. We are weird and even I thought this looked ridiculous and strange. But I decided to try it in hopes of laughing in the face of the person who sent it to me. These were so delicious. Seriously, the most amazing, tasty treat! I made them exactly according to the recipe and ate them on a whole grain bun with mustard and ketchup. So good. I can’t wait to make them for the friend who thought they were funny.
LOL! It’s true, I recently made them for my mom – another non-vegan – and when I asked her what she thought, she said, “tastes like a hot dog,” which is exactly what I was going for. 🙂 It’s amazing the magic a few spices and sauces can have on a vegetable. Thanks for commenting, Beth!
OMG! ha ha, I followed the recipe to a T and they came out amazing. Seriously, these dogs blew my mind!
Thank you, these are my new go to dogs for when I have a craving. Just wished I made 12 instead of just 4.
Cheers,
Patrick
Awesome! So glad you liked the dogs, Patrick!
I just had a carrot dog at a local vegan restaurant, The Happy Hippy. I really enjoyed it but didn’t think I could ever find a recipe. This sounds exactly how they explained they made theirs. Thank you so much.
For an all-things-carrots lover like myself, this was a revelation! I cant wait to try them…but I hope that the carrot taste is not completely lost!
Carrot hot dogs…..at least they are kosher without the price tag! 😁😀 My bunnies and dogs eat fresh carrots every day (healthier than dog biscuits) so I will try your vegan hotdogs, but since I mainly use the baby carrots, should I call them “pigs in blankets”?? Time to make dinner. Have a great weekend, everybun!! 😄😃😊
Can coconut aminos be replaced by tamari?