Homemade vegan hot dogs

Have I talked about the weather enough yet this spring? Every time I post a summery recipe I seem to talk about the sunshine (sorry for being so predictable, but the sun comes out so rarely in this country that it’s always worthy of comment), and hot dogs always seem like a summery meal to me. I guess it’s because you might cook them on the BBQ, so even though these homemade vegan hot dogs are baked in the oven, they still feel like the sort of thing you’d eat on a sunny day.

(side note: I’m trying to get through this whole post without resorting to cheap innuendo. Really trying.)

My go-to combination for homemade vegetarian sausages is breadcrumbs+egg – it holds them together really well, then you can add whatever flavourful bits you fancy. I’ve used this combo loads of times, to make veggie sausages with beans and smoked cheese; with artichokes and green olives; with sun-dried tomatoes and pine nuts; and with mushrooms and brie. But this time I wanted to make vegan hot dogs, so obviously no eggs allowed! Instead, I used kidney beans and a few oats to help bind everything together (so they’re actually gluten-free too, as long as you use gf oats!).

I also added sun-dried tomatoes and marinated artichokes, which add a gorgeous flavour, as well as giving a slightly pink colour like real hot dogs. Just blitz all the ingredients together in a food processor, form the mixture into sausage shapes, and bake.

Vegan hot dogs before and after cooking

I wasn’t sure how well these vegan hot dogs would work without the egg, but they were great! No issues with binding at all. My hot dog buns were weirdly long so I just made 4 pretty huge sausages to fill them (must…not…make…an…innuendo…), but you could easily stretch the mixture to make 6 hot dogs if they’re a little smaller. They’re really filling – one each was plenty! The sausages do spread ever so slightly during cooking, so don’t make them overly thick to begin with.

Then it’s just time to stick your sausages in a bun, and get topping! Obviously to keep these hot dogs vegan, you’ll need to use vegan toppings too – I used ketchup and avocado, but other great options are mustard, sauerkraut (or any other kind of slaw), relish, chopped onion, vegan cheese… whatever you fancy.

Perfect vegan hot dogs!

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5 from 4 votes

Vegan hot dogs

Easy vegan hot dogs - just blitz everything up in a food processor and bake! Perfect with fresh avocado and ketchup.

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 30 mins

Total Time: 40 mins

Servings: 4 hot dogs

Ingredients

• 120 g (~ 3/4 cup) marinated artichoke hearts, drained (~ 12 pieces)
• 100 g (~ 3/4 cup) sun-dried tomatoes (~ 12 pieces) - I used oil-packed
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 400 g tin kidney beans, drained (240g, or ~ 1 1/4 cups, when drained)
• 50 g (~ 1/3 cup) rolled oats
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Spray oil

Instructions

• If using artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drain them on a few sheets of kitchen paper for a minute or two first to remove any excess oil.
• Add the first 6 ingredients (artichokes through paprika) to a food processor, along with a good pinch of salt and pepper, and blitz until well combined (it's okay if there are a few small lumps).
• Spray a baking tray with oil. Use clean hands to form the mixture into 4-6 long sausage shapes (they will expand slightly as they cook, so make them a tiny bit thinner than you would like), and place them on the baking tray. Spray the sausages with oil, and bake at 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F) for around 30 minutes, or until firm and golden brown.

Notes

You can easily stretch this recipe out to 6 vegan hot dogs if you prefer, just make them a little smaller.

Course: Main meal

Cuisine: American

Author: Becca Heyes

Note: Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on exactly what ingredients you choose. Information above is for 1 hot dog (sausage only), when you make a batch of 4.

One of my favourite fun ways to spruce up hot dogs: pizza hot dogs! You can always use vegan cheese if needed.