Ranking the best hot dogs for any kind of host or guest

Illustration by Nicole Miles

Good morning, sunbathers and beach crawlers (and you shadelovers too)!

This summer has been packed with moments that truly demonstrated the far reaches of food-driven cultural phenomenons — from musicians vying for song of the summer status and chocolate muffin obsessions to crab feasts on Maryland boardwalks and coconut-centric political commentary, there has been no shortage of media moments to laud emergent trends ahead of the tonally heavier election season that awaits us. That’s why the editors at Eater thought it would be the perfect time to celebrate the intersection of unwavering classics and our American hunger for our next new dining obsession. What better avenue to do so than to celebrate the wide world of vegan and vegetarian hot dogs?

Once the subject of deserved disdain, the genre has rapidly become a powerhouse punching well above its weight, while providing a snap with each juicy bite that rivals its pork-filled predecessors. Whether you’re grilling in the park or crashing a beachside kickback, these hot dogs, which freelance writer and former Eater Philly editor Dayna Evans so graciously ranked for your reading and dining pleasure, even if you’re still in need of a little convincing that there’s more to these dogs than hype.

Whatever your relationship with hot dogs is, I hope you take this last gasp of summer to celebrate Labor Day, indulge in a banal pop culture trend or two, and proudly stain your shirt with the condiments of your choosing. There’s more to life than burning yourself chasing the next big thing when it’s already in-hand, or on the grill. Why not choose to live deliciously? — Jesse Sparks, Eater.com senior editor

There are a few ways to figure out where you stand on the vegetarian hot dog spectrum: Do you prefer a simulacrum of a hot dog and its smoky, meaty flavor? Or are you looking for something totally original in its taste? Is the semblance of health important to you or do you prefer to feel like everyone feels after eating a hot dog (like you need to lie down)? How do you top your dog and does that factor into how you assess the flavor? And, likely most important of all, how does it perform on the grill — does it blister, does it burn, does it fall apart?

In mid-April of 2022, I gathered an esteemed group of friends — vegans, vegetarians, and meat-eaters, even one professional chef — to assess 10 brands and varieties of vegetarian hot dogs for these exact qualities. The hot dog taste test (incidentally, also the name of an amazing illustrated book by BoJack Horseman’s Lisa Hanawalt) was judged on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the worst and 10 being the best. Hot dog raters were then asked to provide tasting notes and a yes or no answer to whether they felt the vegetarian hot dog was similar enough to a real hot dog, in case that was something that mattered to them.

Then, two years later, I went back and took a look at the vegetarian hot dog landscape: What had changed? Were there new brands that I was unaware of? Did other people have different feelings about the vegetarian hot dog rankings? In two years, not a lot had changed — somewhat surprisingly, given all the recent attention paid to vegetarian diets. The same brands were still kicking, though there was also the notable recent addition of the Oscar Mayer NotHotDog, a vegan alternative with a satisfyingly snappy casing.

While not much has changed, it made sense to retest a few of the best with my friends’ kids. Remarkably, their rankings, before getting a hold of Oscar Mayer’s vegan version, aligned with those that we’d already established. The eight-year-old had a preference for Beyond Meat’s more breakfast-style sausage, while the four-year-old was excited by the Lightlife and Field Roast dogs. Neither enjoyed the Tofurky dog’s flavor or texture.

If you’re looking to add vegetarian hot dogs to your cookout repertoire, here is some updated guidance on where to start. — Dayna Evans, freelance writer

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Illustration by Lille Allen

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