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  • Prep-time: / Ready In:
  • Makes 8 carrot dogs

Don’t doubt the deliciousness of carrot dogs until you’ve tasted one. Cooked whole carrots soak up tons of flavor from a smoky marinade. Though these carrot dogs need four hours to marinade, this recipe requires only about 20 minutes of active prep time. 

Give these other healthy vegan recipes a try today!

Ingredients

  • 8 large carrots
  • 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce or tamari
  • 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 2 teaspoons dry mustard
  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon liquid smoke
  • Dash ground cloves
  • 8 whole wheat hot dog buns, toasted if desired
  • ½ of a red onion, finely chopped (¼ cup)
  • 3 tablespoons stone-ground mustard
  • ½ of a medium cucumber, spiralized

Instructions

  1. Peel carrots and trim to 6 inches long. Trim wide end to make a consistent thickness. Place carrots in a large saucepan; add water to cover. Cover pan and bring to boiling; reduce heat to low. Cook carrots 8 to 10 minutes, until just tender. Drain well.
  2. Place carrots in a large resealable plastic bag set in a shallow dish. For marinade, in a bowl combine the next 11 ingredients (through cloves) and ½ cup water. Pour over carrots; seal bag. Chill 4 to 24 hours, turning occasionally. Drain and discard marinade.
  3. Grill carrots, covered, over medium-high 5 to 8 minutes or until grill marks start to appear, turning occasionally. Or place carrots in a foil-lined baking pan and bake at 450°F 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned on edges.
  4. Place grilled carrots in buns. Top with red onion, mustard, and cucumber.

Comments (99)

(4.83 from 46 votes)
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Cheri1 week ago
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I was intrigued by the recipe, so gave it a go this week. Super good flavor and interestingly enough, really do have a ‘hotdog’ taste and feel. Definitely need sides and a protein source to make it a complete meal, but will make them again.

D2 weeks ago
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These worked out great! We had 8 adults over for dinner, and everyone liked the flavor and it was a hit! I made quick pickled red onions, which really went well with it too! Easy and flavorful. I will definitely make these again when I’m craving a hotdog.

Courtney4 weeks ago
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We love these in our house! Top them with Kimchi…..yum!

Julie4 months ago
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Delicious and surprisingly more hotdog-like than I imagined a carrot dog could be! They also have much better texture than soy dogs. Especially when they are cooked a little on the al dente side.

Clancy4 months ago
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I used smoked paprika( 1 tsp) instead of liquid smoke. Still awesome.

Jennifer Suarez3 weeks ago
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This is helpful since I don’t like liquid smoke!!!! Thanks!

Heidi3 weeks ago
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Thanks for the ➕ idea

Cathy5 months ago
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I made these with baby carrots and cooked to almost tender (about 5-6min), then cooled completely. I used them to make “pigs in a blanket” with Immaculate brand crescent roll dough. They went great with honey mustard dipping sauce. A huge hit! Will definitely make again.

Diane6 months ago
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These are AMAZING! Love them in corn tortillas. We make a lentil sloppy joe mix and the FOK Mac n cheese and have some sauerkraut. You just put your favorite topping on and onions and mustard and pickles
Always a great meal!
Thank you for a fantastic recipe

Linda Mesko6 months ago
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I adore hot dogs but gave them up. This recipe captures the essence and taste of an excellent veggie substitute. I have already made them twice with a batch marinating tonight in the fridge! Can’t wait.

Felice9 months ago
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Sept #2 says (through cloves) what does that mean??

Barb Piel9 months ago
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It means add all the ingredient up to and including the cloves.

Dee Dee9 months ago
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This recipe just sounded too interesting not to try. I was pleasantly surprised at how much the carrots tasted like hot dogs. I would definitely make them again.

Rede Batcheller9 months ago
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I am near to drooling. I have the carrots. I have the spices etc. Must make some “hot dog” buns. Glad I found your site.

Valinda10 months ago
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First, let me say that I am a carnivor in a family that is skewing vegetarian/pescatarian and that I rarely leave a comment. However, I was intrigued by the rave reviews for this carrot dogs recipe. I prepared this recipe over the weekend for my family and they loved it! I, myself was pleasantly surprised at the flavor and texture. I will definitely be keeping this recipe to make not only for my family but myself! I already have a request from my sons and grandchildren to make them next time along with a vegetarian chili sauce for chili dogs. Thank you for such an amazing recipe.

Denise McKenzie10 months ago
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I read all the comments and thought people were exaggerating. I was skeptical. We marinated organic rainbow carrots for 5 hours and grilled them. Surprisingly, the carrots were delicious. They tasted similar to the Field Roast Classic Smoked Plant-Based Frankfurter, which we love. I was initially a little put off by the texture of the carrot, but got used to it. I would definitely make these again.

Cyd7 months ago
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Hallelujah I can have hot dogs! I love these. I personally will use smaller carrots next time and I marinated overnight. I don’t have a grill but cooked in the oven and they were great.

Brenda10 months ago
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I don’t have maple syrup. could I substitute molasses?

Pat10 months ago
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Can I reuse the marinade I made for the Carrot Hot Dogs for more carrot Hot Dogs later. Can I store it in the freezer or fridge?

Forks Over Knives10 months ago
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Hi Pat! You could store the leftover marinade in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to a week to make more Carrot Dogs, but we don’t recommend freezing it. Hope you enjoy the recipe!

Lara Lueder10 months ago
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Could this recipe be made with baby carrots?

Rebecca10 months ago
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amazing! I am completely shocked it tasted spot on!

Tawney10 months ago
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I made these for the first time three years ago. LOVE THEM!! I look forward to making them every summer!

Nicole11 months ago
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After reading all of the great reviews, I had to try these. They are actually really really good and I will definitely make them again. If you try them alone, they do have a bit of the carrot taste still (which I don’t mind), but dipped in a little homemade ketchup and v mayo, they really feel/taste like a hot dog! Next time I’m going to get some gf hotdog buns and sauté onions like another reviewer suggested. We also always have sauerkraut on hand so will try that as well. Thanks for a fantastic hot dog alternative! These will be a regular for me (whether or not my family eats them). 🙂

David11 months ago
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I am trying to watch sodium intake (hypertension) and wondering if anyone had eliminated the soy sauce in the recipe, or substituted it with a better alternative?

Lisa1 week ago
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Trader Joe’s has an awesome organic BBQ Coconut Amino’s that will also provide the smokey flavor

Mimi11 months ago
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Coconut aminos are a great alternative to soy sauce!

Jessie11 months ago
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Well, I was sold on the reviews, so I thought I’d add my five stars to the mix. I was SHOCKED at how much these tasted like hotdogs. I was actually a little put off by the smell of the marinade, because it was so much like hotdog that it took me a minute to reconcile with the fact that it wasn’t real. There was definitely a carrot taste that I didn’t see anyone else address, which is fine unless you’re serving them to someone who is completely anti-vegan. (As some of my family is.) My kids all loved them, and when we’re talking hotdogs, I’m taking their opinion over anyone’s. But yeah, SO MUCH LIKE a hotdog. Someone else mentioned they froze the marinade and used it again, and I’m really sad I didn’t do that. Next time, for sure. Make these!!

Heidi11 months ago
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So very delicious! I love to saute onions and add sauerkraut. Then top with mustard. OMG so good!!!

Tawney10 months ago
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Freezing the marinade! GREAT idea!!

Vicki11 months ago
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Great flavor and texture! The flavor is spot on. Love these!

Lora12 months ago
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I cried. This is the taste that I have missed over the last 10 years and FOK you’ve done it! My house smelled like hot dogs. They are amazing!! The smell, taste, texture all topped with spicy brown mustard made my dreams come true. FIVE STARS.

Roy1 year ago
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Excelllent. Love this. Interestingly I made bbq carrots in the 80’s once when I found mysefe sans hotdogs. They were good. These are better. Big thanx!

Connie1 year ago
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I was very skeptical of this recipe. I do not like cooked carrots. I made it exactly as said. They were very good. I really enjoyed them and will make them again. Thanks to all reviews that said they were good.

Henrietta Aline Wolf1 year ago
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Could Forks over Knives please include the calories in their recipes. Thanks.

Suzie11 months ago
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If you are WFPB, no oils, there is no need to worry about that unless sugar or salt are an issue.

MaryEllen11 months ago
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There are a couple great free apps for calculating nutritional information. It’s good to learn how to do this yourself.

Arthur Haule1 year ago
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I was thinking the same thing. It would be interesting to do a side by side comparison with all the nutritional numbers on name brands like Hebrew National or Nathan’s.

Susanne1 year ago
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These are great! Even though I no longer have a grill, they were tasty just fried in a skillet. I really missed hot dogs and never liked any of the vegan ones I tried. They make a super quick lunch as leftovers too. So thrilled to have this recipe!

Kelly1 year ago
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These carrot dogs are amazing ! My husband & I both love them, even our 11 year old grandson prefers them over hot dogs. I make them a lot & they last in the fridge easily 10 days. I have even put the brine in a bag & freeze it & reused, I just add more liquid smoke 2nd time around, A real winner

Bethany1 year ago
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These are freakishly good! It even felt like I was biting into a hot dog. I didn’t do the cucumber. I don’t have a spiralizer, and I don’t like cucumber. I just put onions and stone ground mustard on it. So good!

ATCBO1 year ago
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I could not believe my eyes when I saw the carrot inside the bun… I will give it a try : )

K Nix1 year ago
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Can anyone tell me the health risks of liquid smoke please.

Tina Brown11 months ago
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FYI, I believe liquid smoke does contain MSG.

James Felder1 year ago
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Dr. Greger at NutritionFacts.org answer this. All of the carcinogens in smoke itself are fat soluble, so food with fat that is directly exposed to smoke absorb those carcinogens. So definitely one doesn’t want to eat any smoked meats including fish. But liquid smoke seasoning use a water extraction process that captures only the water soluble part of the smoke and very little of the carcinogens. Here is a link to the full video. https://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-liquid-smoke-flavoring-carcinogenic/

jackie1 year ago
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This recipe is great! It really lives up to all the rave reviews.

Joy Klawiter1 year ago
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This was a decent alternative to hot dogs. Way less salt content-so way better for me! Can’t wait to get the stone ground mustard in the house. I only had Dijon when I made these. Yum.

Mary1 year ago
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I am allergic to liquid smoke and smoke paprika, is there anything else I can use to make these taste great.

Bee10 months ago
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I would agree. If you have a specific allergy don’t rate the recipe low bc you can’t eat it move on and look for a different recipe.

Barbara11 months ago
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You might want to check what type of wood is used to obtain the smoke flavor, the specific wood may be what you’re allergic to. What you may also look into doing is maybe smoking it yourself.

Abe11 months ago
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This comment is very unfair. You are asking questions about the recipe and haven’t made it, yet rate it one star?

Sharon1 year ago
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I have to say these are almost weirdly EXACTLY like the real thing! I was shocked! This makes me think that when at least some people crave “meat,” what they actually are craving is a certain mix of spices and textures. I know that for a long time before I became PB I would just love the smell of meat, and that initial flavor of seasoning, and then yuck! What do I do with this flavorless stuff in my mouth?!

Mary Darnieder1 year ago
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My mind was blown away by these. Thank you!!!! I will be making these all the time. I figured I could use baby carrots for mini bbq dogs.

Dan1 year ago
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These smelled and tasted just like real hotdogs amazing.

Lisa1 year ago
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These were fantastic and my picky teenager gobbled down two!

Amanda1 year ago
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Can’t wait to try these! Anybody have any gluten-free (sprouted?) organic bun options/ideas?

Diane5 months ago
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We aren’t fans of hot dog buns so we use corn tortillas. Delicious

Lisa1 year ago
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Ezekiel sells those. I find them in freezer aisle at my grocers.

lisa1 year ago
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I have an air fryer oven and I would like to know how I can cook the carrots in it?

James Felder1 year ago
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The only issue that I can see would be that blowing hot air rapidly over the dogs like an airfryer does would dry them out too much on the outside. One option is to make one extra carrot and cook just the one extra in the airfryer as a test and the rest in the regular oven.

Brenda Lowe1 year ago
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I have these often and I love them! I put one on a bun, add mustard, relish, and onion. Yummo! There’s no reason to ever go back to meat dogs.

Lori1 year ago
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Agreed!!

Ann Marie Acacio1 year ago
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I had a carrot dog at a vegan neighbor’s picnic and was pleasantly surprised how realistic they tasted to a hot dog, which I haven’t had in over 40 yrs of being a vegetarian. Unfortunately, that night I have the same indigestion I would have if I had eaten a hot dog. I’ll be making the carrots without the spices that don’t agree with me and, hopefully, that will do the trick. Has anyone else had this experience?

Kathy1 year ago
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Ann Marie Acacio, It’s probably the liquid smoke. I used to get bad heartburn from that.

Vickie1 year ago
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I can hardly wait to try these! Such a brilliant idea!!

Phyllis1 year ago
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It’s the liquid smoke. I can’t have it. I get a massive headache

Linda1 year ago
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Every time I make these people are happily surprised-and love them.
I have marinated them longer than 24 hours and they are still delicious. They go well with the FOK recipe for baked beans (I leave off the cornbread.)

Suzanne Wright1 year ago
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Sounds delicious, but why not skip the plastic bag? There is no need to use plastic for this, they’ll marinate just fine without. I use reusable bowls covers when I want to seal something and it works perfectly.
Let’s all think about reducing our use on single use plastic items.

Heather1 year ago
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The one thing my husband missed the most, after switching to a plant-based, whole-food diet, was hot dogs. He loves these carrot dogs with a bit of mustard and some sauerkraut. For me, carrot dogs are not only tasty, but they do not upset my stomach like regular hot dogs did.

Donna1 year ago
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I just didn’t believe that carrots could taste anything like a hot dog. But for sure, when I bit into it, I was biting into a hot dog. I never have to eat a hot dog again. Even my picky daughter thought these were fantastic. I will be making these for all my BBQ’s this summer. Thanks.

Kari1 year ago
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Question- Could these be made ahead thru Step 2 and frozen, then thawed and grilled? Or fully cooked and then frozen? Any thoughts on which way would be best?

Pixiegirl1 year ago
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Based on the reviews it got i wanted to give them a try. After all how can a carrot taste like a hot dog. I brought them to a friends house to go with the homemade sauerkraut they make. I thought if nothing else we would have a good laugh. Well one bite and I was amazed at how they tasted. My friend who was skeptical was amazed and said this recipe was a keeper. It definitely it is.

Lynn Rooks2 years ago
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These carrot dogs are absolutely amazing. I used my own baked bread with these.

kokoro nagomu2 years ago
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don’t boil them in water, just add the spices to the water you’re going to boil them in…. when they’re cool freeze leftover carrot dogs in sandwich bags with a tablespoon of cooking broth… use the left over spiced cooking broth to cook beans from scratch…. put an inch or two of dry beans (anything but kidney beans, kidney beans need to be boiled for a while so no slow cooker) use beans like pinto, black beans, small lima, navy, cranberry beans, etc. into a slow cooker crock and cover with 3 inches of water above the beans and soak overnight. drain soaked beans, pour carrot dog broth and water to cover beans about two inches over, cook on high for a few hours… add cumin seeds, mustard seed, rosemary and/or whatever seasonings you like (allspice, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg etc). you can even add chopped onion and peppers… and then continue cooking on low until soft enough to squish them between your fingers. …. while cooking you might need to add boiling water to keep liquid level just above the beans.

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Nancy Macklin, RDN

Nancy Macklin has a bachelor of science in dietetics from Iowa State University and a Master of Science in health services administration from the University of Saint Francis. Macklin worked as a hospital-based clinical dietitian, providing counseling for diabetes, heart disease, and weight loss and as a food service director in health care dining sites. She now serves as a test kitchen dietitian, developing 500+ recipes per year. She is a member of the Academy for Nutrition and Dietetics and International Association of Culinary Professionals. Find her on LinkedIn.

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