Vegan Corn Dogs

Vegan corn dogs are bite-sized and easy to make. Kids love this vegan corn dog recipe; great for an appetizer, as a side dish, or as an entree! Baked or new air fryer option!

When I first experienced my first vegan corn dog, it was fried on a stick. Vegan corn dogs contain small pieces of vegan hot dogs fried inside vegan cornbread like a typical corn dog. So, I figured out a way to make a healthier vegan corn dog recipe.

Jump to:

• Corn Dog Ingredients
• Making the Vegan Corndogs
• Vegan Hot Dogs Brands
• Cooking Options
• Recipe FAQs
• Tips
• Suggested Appetizers the Whole Family Loves!
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Reviews

However, the trick is to use an oil-free vegan cornbread recipe as the base and then bake or air fry the vegan corn dogs instead of frying them in a vat of oil.

Another idea to make a healthier corn dog is to use prepared carrot dogs instead of vegan hot dogs. However, if you do not follow a whole-food, plant-based diet, many vegan hot dogs and sausages can be purchased at the store.

Instead of making large corn dogs, I used a mini-muffin pan to make corn dog bites. 

Corn Dog Ingredients

Cornbread Ingredients

• Cornmeal: Cornmeal is a meal (coarse flour) or a cell membrane ground from dried corn.
• Whole Wheat Flour: Whole wheat flour is widely considered healthier. It's a good source of protein, fiber, and various vitamins and minerals.
• Organic Vegan Sugar: sugar plus 2 Tablespoons brown sugar is used in this vega cornbread recipe; however, see the recipe substitutions for an alternative if you don't eat sugar or brown sugar.
• Baking Powder: Baking powder adds carbon dioxide to the equation, providing a more forceful pressure that encourages a dough to spread up and out. 
• Plant Milk: I prefer using oat milk because of its thick texture, and it's also gluten-free.
• All-Natural Apple Sauce: All-natural organic applesauce doesn't have any sugar added. I like to buy individual servings of apple sauce to cook with.
• Pure Maple Syrup: Maple syrup provides sweetness to the recipe.

Cornbread Ingredient Substitutions

• Choose any flour. For gluten-free, vegan corn dogs, choose gluten-free flour of choice.
• Substitute maple syrup with agave or date syrup.
• Try any plant milk; vanilla flavored works as well.
• Try semolina flour if you're allergic to corn or don't want a corn flavor. This is my absolute favorite non-corn-based substitute to use. Or, use ground oats. This will be a perfect substitute for texture if you don't necessarily want the corn flavor. 
• If you're out of baking powder, did you know you can use baking soda? However, remember that baking soda has three times the power of baking powder, so ⅓ teaspoon of baking soda is equivalent to one teaspoon of baking powder.
• Replace the whole wheat flour with graham flour.
• Maple syrup is about as sweet as sugar, so you can replace it using an equal amount of syrup (e.g., for 1 cup of sugar, use 1 cup of maple syrup). Decrease the liquid by 3 to 4 tablespoons per 1-cup substitution.
• When applesauce is used to replace fat or eggs in a recipe, the most straightforward substitution is pureed apples or vegan greek yogurt.

Carrot Dog Ingredients

• Large Carrots: I like using different-colored heirloom carrots that look more like hot dogs.
• Vegetable Broth: I buy organic vegetable broth in bulk at Costco because it's a staple in my kitchen.
• Soy Sauce: Soy Sauce is used as a salty agent to mimic the saltiness of a hot dog. It also is an umami flavor.
• Vegan Worchestershire Sauce: I like Annie's Vegan Worchestershire Sauce
• Liquid Smoke: I use the hickory-flavored liquid smoke; however, there are other flavors if you don't like hickory.
• Rice Vinegar: Rice vinegar is sweet and tangy.
• Maple Syrup: Maple syrup supplies the sweetness to counteract the tanginess of the rice vinegar.
• Onion Powder: Onion powder gives the carrot dogs a robust flavor.
• Garlic Powder: Garlic powder is used as a seasoning instead of fresh garlic, so it combines with the marinade.

Carrot Dogs Ingredient Substitutions

• Choose a store-bought vegan hot dog of choice.
• Use Tamari or liquid aminos for a gluten-free option.
• Substitute soy sauce or Tamari if you don't have vegan Worcestershire sauce.
• Champagne vinegar replaces rice vinegar in recipes.
• Try agave or date syrup as a replacement for maple syrup.

Making the Vegan Corndogs

First, prepare a batch of vegan oil-free cornbread to make vegan corn dogs.

Then, fill each mini-muffin cup ¾ full of cornbread batter. 

The cornbread batter can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated until its time to prepare the vegan corn dog recipe.

The next step is simple; using a cooked carrot dog, cut it into 1-inch pieces.  

Now, place 1 piece of carrot or vegan hot dog into the center of each muffin cup. 

Or, choose a vegan hot dog or sausage of choice, and cut it into 1-inch pieces, but do not cook the vegan store-bought hot dogs beforehand. 

Regardless of the brand, vegan hot dogs are not oil-free or healthy. The only oil-free hot dogs I'm aware of are carrot dogs! 

Vegan Hot Dogs Brands

All vegan hot dogs do not taste the same. In addition, vegan hot dog brands vary dramatically in texture and flavor. So if you aren't impressed by the product you sample, try another brand next time.

• Field Roast Frankfurters
• The Good Frank
• LightLife Tofu Pups & Smart Dogs
• Loma Linda Big Franks
• Moving Mountains
• Tofurky Hot Dogs

Cooking Options

Next, choose the oven or air fryer option.

• To cook in the oven, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and cook for 20 minutes.
• Or, place the mini muffin pan in a preheated air fryer at 380 degrees for 10 minutes.

As a result, the corn dogs pop right out of the muffin tin and are ready to serve.

Since my family loves mustard, I serve mustard for dipping the vegan corndogs, but ketchup is always possible.

Or, if you like a more adult dipping sauce, try mustard dipping sauce or mustard dill sauce.

My kids LOVE these little bite-sized yummy corn dogs.  

Recipe FAQs

Tips

• Marinating the carrot dogs overnight helps them absorb the best flavor.
• Make sure not to boil the carrot dogs too long, as you will cook them a second time in a pan with the marinade.
• Avoid over-stirring the cornbread batter. It needs to be combined but not overmixed.
• Use a spoon rather than an electric mixer on the cornbread recipe.
• Instead of making your own cornbread, make it simple and buy a vegan box brand.
• Store-bought vegan hot dogs do not need to be cooked before making the vegan corn dog recipe. However, if using carrot dogs, the carrot dogs must be cooked first.
• To reheat the corn dogs, Put the corn dogs on a baking sheet in a preheated 400-degree oven for about 10 minutes or until heated through. For the air fryer, preheat the air fryer to 380 degrees. Cook corn dogs for 3-5 minutes or until heated through
• You can safely keep cooked hot dogs in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days; they'll also keep well in the freezer for at least 2 months.

So, the next time you are looking for a kid-friendly dish, try this vegan corndog recipe. Just for the record, my husband ate more than the kids!

Suggested Appetizers the Whole Family Loves!

If you love vegan corn dogs, give a 5-star review and comment below. We would love to hear from you!

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