These vegan hot dogs have a better flavor than packaged frankfurters and a lot less fat and calories. Soy-free, low in sodium, and free of added sugar.
Af few weeks ago, my family had a craving for hot dogs, and having heard so much about Field Roast Frankfurters*, I decided to give them a try.
When I found them in the store and took a look at the package, it took a few minutes to get over my sticker shock, not at the price but at the nutritional stats. Each hot dog clocked in at 180 calories and 8 grams of fat. The ingredients list included “expeller pressed safflower oil” and “organic expeller pressed palm fruit oil,” ingredients I normally try to avoid.
Still, I had promised my family gourmet hot dogs and I figured I could practice self-discipline and eat just one, so I bought them and brought them home. Huge mistake! Not because they were bad but because they were so freaking good that my vow to eat only one vanished after one bite, and the only thing saving me from complete gluttony was the fact that there were only 6 frankfurters in the package.
I’d like to say that I’ll never buy them again, but Field Roast dogs basically ruined my family for other packaged hot dogs. More like a sausage than other veggie dogs, they had a great flavor as well as texture.
Fortunately, we don’t eat hot dogs or other packaged food often, so it’s not that big of a temptation, but I have to say that I’ve been practically haunted by the memory of them ever since we had them. And then I realized that I didn’t have to give in to temptation or give up on hot dogs–I could make them myself.
So I decided to make my own hot dogs for our 4th of July cookout. I started with my Italian Sausage recipe and added onion and seasonings such as coriander and mace to make them more “frankfurtery.” And instead of all the oil in those packaged dogs, I used pinto beans, with flax and rolled oats to absorb moisture and keep them tender.
They were a huge hit with my family. My daughter, who has grown cautious with my cooking experiments, said she forgot that they were homemade until she was halfway through her first dog and then marveled several times at how good they were. And I had a hard time keeping my husband from eating them all before I could take photos.
They definitely lived up to my memory of the Field Roast version, even with about 40% fewer calories and 83% less fat. They’re soy-free (if you use coconut aminos), low in sodium, and added sugar-free.
I wish I could say they were gluten-free for my gluten-free readers, but as someone who has no trouble with gluten, I like to indulge now and then. If you’re up for experimenting, you could probably take my Beany Breakfast Sausages, change the seasoning, and shape them to fit a gluten-free hot dog bun.
Homemade Veggie Dogs
Ingredients
- 1/2 medium onion coarsely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3/4 cup cooked pinto beans well-drained
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons coconut aminos or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon white or black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
- 1/4 teaspoon mace
- 1/8 teaspoon hickory smoked salt optional but good
- 1 cup vital wheat gluten
- 1/3 cup oatmeal rolled or quick oats, uncooked
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
Instructions
- Put the onion and garlic into a food processor and pulse to chop finely. Heat a small non-stick skillet. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is softened, about 3 minutes. Transfer onion mixture back to food processor.
- Add the pinto beans, water, coconut aminos or soy sauce, tomato paste, and all seasonings to the food processor. Blend until it’s a thin paste.
- Combine remaining ingredients (gluten, oatmeal, yeast, and flax) in a large mixing bowl. Add the contents of the food processor and stir until combined. If it seems that there’s not enough moisture, add another tablespoon or two of water. Knead in the bowl for about two minutes until a heavy gluten “dough” is formed.
- Cut off 8 pieces of aluminum foil or parchment paper, each about 6 inches long. Divide the gluten into 8 equal pieces. Place a piece of foil or parchment on the counter. Roll a piece of gluten between the palms of your hands until it’s about the size and shape of a hot dog. Place it on the foil/paper and roll up. Roll the tube back and forth, pressing lightly with your hands, to give it an even shape, and then twist the ends closed. Repeat with the remaining gluten to form 8 veggie hot dogs.
- Set up a steamer in a pot and add enough water to come just below the bottom of the steamer. Begin heating the water. Place all the veggie dogs in the steamer, cover, and steam for 45 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before unwrapping. Store the veggie dogs in a covered container in the refrigerator. Warm gently in a frying pan or microwave or on a grill before serving.
Notes
Nutritional info is approximate.
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Happy eating!
*I have no affiliation with Field Roast or its Frankfurters.
bluejolene
February 23, 2019 at 4:23 pmcan these be baked like the veggeroni?
magg
April 9, 2019 at 9:35 amwhat can i substitute the vital wheat gluten for? 🙂 these look so delishes 🙂
Susan Voisin
April 9, 2019 at 10:11 amThe gluten is the main ingredient, and there’s no good substitute. You might want to try carrot dogs or google for a gluten-free veggie dog recipe.
Janet Hanley
June 19, 2019 at 5:15 pmWhat about really good bread crumbs?
Susan Voisin
June 19, 2019 at 6:52 pmI can’t see how that would work. Think of gluten as kind of like chewing gum—stretchy and sticky and dense. of course, it doesn’t taste like gum, but that’s the kind of effect it has. Bread crumbs wouldn’t stick together.
Carlie
December 18, 2020 at 8:14 pmWhat about xanthan gum?
Sandy
May 18, 2020 at 11:24 amI tried same quantity psyllium husk powder and it came out well. This is the gluten free substitute .
Jen
May 22, 2020 at 6:11 pmHi Sandy, did they come out chewy enough with a pure psyllium substitute? Do you think adding a bit of Xanthan might improve it further?
Deborah
June 2, 2019 at 8:08 amCould these be browned/heated in an air fryer, after they have been steamed? What time/temp would you suggest.
Susan Voisin
June 2, 2019 at 8:23 amI haven’t tried it, but I’m sure it could be done. I’d put them into a preheated air fryer (375F) and check them every couple of minutes so they don’t burn or dry out too much. I wouldn’t try to get the super-brown because there’s no fat in there to keep them juicy.
Deborah
June 6, 2019 at 5:54 pmThank you, I plan to try these soon!
Connie Woodward
June 10, 2019 at 4:26 pmCan these be frozen?
Susan Voisin
June 10, 2019 at 4:36 pmYes, they freeze well.
Matt Coss
December 3, 2019 at 4:19 amHow long can they be frozen for?
Susan Voisin
December 3, 2019 at 8:45 amI’m not sure what the time limit is On frozen foods, but they should last for quite a while.
Amy
June 22, 2020 at 8:50 pmIs the ground flax necessary or can I omit it? Thanks!
Susan Voisin
June 22, 2020 at 9:13 pmIt will probably not make a big difference, maybe just a slight difference in texture.
Catherine Blair
June 26, 2019 at 8:36 pmI made these last year and they were so yum I knew I had found my hot dog recipe. I didn’t have. any coriander and forgot to add the oatmeal but still, I was very impressed. I am doubling the recipe for the 4th of July to have with my homemade sourkrout
Renee
July 2, 2019 at 5:53 pmHow long would I stem these in an Instant Pot?
They sound delicious and I can’t wait to try them for the 4th of July.
Susan Voisin
July 2, 2019 at 6:11 pmI haven’t made them in the IP, but this is what I would do: If you’re going to steam them under pressure, I would do 25 minutes with natural release. If you’re steaming with the vent open, just do 45 minutes.
Mariah
July 15, 2019 at 7:38 pmThese are so delicious! I hope by oatmeal, you meant oat flour because that’s what I used.
Tim Bexten
October 6, 2019 at 4:49 pmAmazing !! This is hands down the best recipes for vegan sausage !!
Kate
October 27, 2019 at 2:28 pmCould I use a different bean? I have romano, kidney, navy and red beans in the house.
Susan Voisin
October 27, 2019 at 2:48 pmYes, any of those should be fine.
Viva
November 10, 2019 at 5:38 pmHave you tried other beans in this recipe? I have Romano and also Red Chili beans here now.
Susan Voisin
November 10, 2019 at 5:42 pmYes, other beans work just fine.
Robyn
November 22, 2019 at 10:44 pmOkay I’ve been vegan 10 years and vegetarian 20 years, and in all my seitan adventures I’ve never found a recipe like this. Its perfect. The texture is amazing. Thankyou so much!
Sharon
November 27, 2019 at 3:55 pmWould brown lentils work for this?
Susan Voisin
November 27, 2019 at 4:05 pmYes, as long as they’re cooked. They should work.
kiki
December 12, 2019 at 3:51 pmdo you think these could be baked?
Susan Voisin
December 12, 2019 at 4:54 pmProbably, if you keep them wrapped in foil, but they may come out dryer.
Cindy Kular
April 30, 2020 at 11:12 pmHow do I exactly steam these hot dogs? Do they remain above water in a steamer? Or, below water with the lid closed?
Susan Voisin
May 1, 2020 at 10:32 amThe hot dogs should be over the water, not in it. I’ll try to make the instructions more clear.
JM
May 15, 2020 at 1:46 pmThe only thing I forgot is the celery salt And we replaced hickory salt with smoked hickory flavor. They smell and taste like gluten. I followed your recipe so carefully, I it took me an hour and a half to finish. Everyone was disappointed. I bought the Field Roast chipotle dogs and they are absurdly good And very addicting. These are nothing like them. Why so much gluten? I smelled it strongly while cooking and was worried about the flavor and was right. 🙁 We even browned them in a fry pan to help with the flavor. I want to like them, any other tips?
Marco Karaki
June 29, 2020 at 1:41 pmOmgosh. Coming from someone who has had bad seitan recipes before, seeing this recipe, I thought this looked interesting, but I didn’t expect it to be this good!
Other recipes I have followed still carry a heavy seitan taste, but this one tastes so good, I could eat it without condiments! I didnt have oats or paprika at the moment, but replacing the paprika with more black pepper seemed to do the trick.
Rhonda Batiuk
July 3, 2020 at 12:37 pmHi… I am new to vegan cooking am wondering how you cook your pinto beans or are they precooked? Are they canned?
Susan Voisin
July 3, 2020 at 12:50 pmI used canned fir this recipe. I do have a recipe to cook your own pinto beans: https://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2006/09/taco-salad.html You can leave out some of the spices to make a plain version.
Ronda
May 11, 2021 at 1:32 pmYour webpage isn’t working very well. I think it is the vrbo ads. Won’t scroll, jumps around all over the place. Very annoying, no way to notify
Danny
June 20, 2021 at 9:25 pmThese sound great and I’m going to give them a try. If I stuffed the mixture vegan sausage casings, could the hot dogs be steamed as-is or would I still want to wrap in foil?
Susan Voisin
June 21, 2021 at 10:46 amI think you wouldn’t need the foil if you used casings.
Kim Baker
July 8, 2021 at 12:06 pmThese or carrot dogs? Maybe both! lol. Carrot dogs are maybe lower calorie( for my sis who is going to the beach with me) but I love these!
T.K.
August 31, 2021 at 5:19 pmI wonder how these would be wrapped in rice paper or tofu skins for that hot dog “snap.” Hmm.
Deb
July 26, 2022 at 9:21 amWould you freeze before steaming or after? Thx.
Susan Voisin
July 26, 2022 at 4:52 pmI would freeze after cooking so they’re ready to reheat and eat.
Marcia
August 17, 2022 at 8:22 pmI have never eaten a veggie dog that I have liked… until now! My omni partner liked it as well. Great mouth feel and texture. The only suggestion she made was that it could have more garlic and salt. I didn’t have the smoke salt. I’m going to try it again with Frank’s Red Hot seasoning powder! Thank you for a great recipe!!!
Ruth RiveraRuthRuth
August 25, 2022 at 2:31 pmEven my omni husband loved these. Thanks for a terrific recipe, Susan!
GiveMeALoan
October 14, 2022 at 3:00 amIt’s just incredibly delicious! Once had tasted this delicious taste, I can no longer forget it and liked it even more than a regular hot dog. Thank you so much for sharing this delicacy with us.
Eva McIntyre
January 9, 2023 at 5:27 pmI so wanted to love these but something went wrong. They came out really tough and inedible. I followed the recipe really closely, so I don’t know what went wrong. I’m in the U.K. & wonder whether the wheat gluten was different from that in the U.S? I noticed a high level of elasticity as I was kneading the dough. Perhaps my rolling technique affected them? Or the steaming time (I timed it exactly) was too long? I had to put them all in the bin. Help, please?
Nick c
June 7, 2023 at 5:38 pmIf tough, you mixed it too long. Just knead for 1 minute.
Nick C
June 7, 2023 at 5:37 pmI’ve made close to 75 seitan recipes over the past five years. This include five different vegan hot dog recipes. This is by a long shot the best I’ve made. Stunning. I added 1 T of Mushroom Seasoning (bag available in any Asian store) and 1tsp of liquid smoke. Wow. Just amazing. Thank you so very much for this recipe.