You'll never miss a "mystery meat" hot dog ever again after making this easy Gluten-Free Vegan Healthy Carrot "Hot Dogs" recipe made with only 5 clean, real food ingredients that everyone will love and is ready for your favorite toppings!
Ok, I know these Gluten-Free Vegan Healthy Carrot "Hot Dogs" sound (and may look) sketchy, but you have to give them a try - at least once!
They are super easy to make and need only 5 ingredients and, of course, the topping options are endless like my Clean Eating Vegan Chimichurri Sauce, Lectin-Free Vegan Lemon Dill Avocado Dressing or Creamy Vegan Cilantro and Lime Tahini Dressing.
Every time I make them, I play around with the boil/broil times and the best combination I've come up with (for my preferences) is to boil the carrots for 20 minutes, season them, then broil for about 10 minutes. You may want to go between 10-20 minutes on the broiling time, but they are soft enough for me at 10 minutes.
I used to buy the Field Roast Vegan Hot Dogs and they were very good for a vegan hot dog replacement, but they contain wheat gluten and are not gluten-free.
Hopefully, everyone already knows what's in traditional hot dogs and if you don't, it's not good:
S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) Kroger Hot Dog Ingredients:
Ingredients: Mechanically Separated Chicken, Pork, Water, Corn Syrup, Modified Food Starch, Contains 2% or Less of Salt, Flavoring, Potassium Lactate, Sodium Lactate, Sodium Phosphates, Dextrose, Sodium Diacetate, Beef, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Sodium Erythorbate, Sugar, Sodium Nitrate, Sorbitol, Extract of Paprika
Vegan aside, you lost me at "mechanically separated chicken".
The rest of the ingredients are meat from 3 different animals (chicken, pork and beef), GMO's (corn syrup, soy protein) and several different preservatives.
And, even store-bought vegan "hot dogs" are not much better, as they are made with GMO soy ingredients:
S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) Wegmans Veggie Hot Dog Ingredients:
Ingredients: Water, Soy Protein Isolate, Soybean Oil, Evaporated Cane Syrup, Pea Protein Isolate, Tapioca Starch, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Bakers Yeast Extract, Carrageenan, Dried Garlic, Natural Flavor (from Plant Sources), Natural Smoke Flavor, Xanthan Gum, Fermented Rice Flour, Guar Gum, Oleoresin Paprika (Color).
And this last example is even sadder. It is NOT vegan (egg whites, nonfat milk) and NOT gluten-free (wheat gluten) and it contains not only GMO ingredients (soy, corn) but several preservatives and 3 different food colorings!
S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) Morningstar Farms Veggie Dog Ingredients:
Ingredients: Water, Wheat Gluten, Corn Syrup Solids, Contains Two Percent or Less of Methylcellulose, Dextrose, Salt, Egg Whites, Natural Flavors, Brown Sugar (Sugar, Molasses), Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (Corn Protein, Soy Protein), Hydrolyzed Corn Protein, Soy Protein Isolate, Carrageenan, Mustard Flour, Onion Powder, Maltodextrin, Spices, Xanthan Gum, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Autolyzed Yeast, Paprika, Garlic Powder, Soybeans, Disodium Guanylate, Disodium Inosinate, Hydrolyzed Torula and Brewers Yeast, Wheat, Gum Arabic, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (Corn Gluten, Soy Protein, Wheat Gluten), Soybean Oil, Thiamin Hydrochloride, Paprika Extract for Color, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Lactic Acid, Nonfat Milk, Red 40, Sunflower Oil, Citric Acid, Blue 1.
If you're vegan and gluten-free and want a clean "hot dog", you're pretty much out of luck in the hot dog department.
Until now!
Are These Healthy Carrot "Hot Dogs" Really Vegan and Gluten-Free?
Yes! And Yes!
They are 100% vegan and 100% gluten-free.
This healthy recipe is vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, lectin-free (without a bun), soy-free, nut-free and paleo-friendly.
If you chose to buy store-bought veggie dogs, just make sure you read the labels because not all "veggie" dogs are vegan and/or gluten-free, as shown in the two examples above.
What About A Gluten-Free Vegan Hot Dog Bun?
So the problem of a gluten-free vegan "hot dog" is now solved by using seasoned carrots, but what about the buns?
I haven't attempted yet to make my Homemade Vegan "Hamburger" Buns gluten-free yet, so the only other alternative I could find were these gluten-free hot dog buns.
I have to be honest though, they are not the best buns in the world.
They are not soft and fluffy and the first time I opened the pack of 4, I only used 2 of the buns and stored the remaining 2 in an air-tight container.
A few days later, they were molded...really bad. So if you use these, they may taste better and soften a little if they are warmed up and I would use all 4 of them at one time so they don't go bad because they aren't exactly cheap either.
And I know this is a sad situation, but I've even used these gluten-free vegan wraps in lieu of a hot dog bun and I was happy just the same.
This is a good option if you need to keep these lectin-free and don't mind not having a traditional "bun" to go with your "hot dog".
What Ingredients Are Needed To Make Healthy Vegan Carrot "Hot Dogs"?
Here's a list of the basic ingredients needed to make this recipe:
5 Fast Facts About Carrots:*
- improves eyesight
- helps to prevent heart disease
- rich in antioxidants
- helps flush toxins from the body
- 1 cup contains 407.6% RDA of vitamin A
5 Fast Facts About Paprika:*
- anti-inflammatory
- boosts blood circulation
- one teaspoon contains 20% DV of vitamin A
- anti-bacterial
- aids digestion
5 Fast Facts About Himalayan Pink Salt:*
- contains 84 minerals
- unrefined, unprocessed, raw
- promotes stable pH balance in cells
- controls water levels in the body
- aids digestion and facilitates better nutrient absorption
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Want More Healthy Vegan Dinner Recipes?
Check out these:
- Vegan Roasted Artichoke Salad with Sesame Seed Vinaigrette
- Lectin-Free Vegan Basil and Artichoke Shirataki Fettuccine Pasta
- Clean Eating Vegan Greek Salad
Did you make my Gluten-Free Vegan Healthy Carrot "Hot Dog" Recipe?
I'd love to hear about it! Please give it a rating and leave a comment below...it would make my day! 🙂
Gluten-Free Vegan Carrot "Hot Dog"
You'll never miss a "mystery meat" hot dog ever again after making this easy Gluten-Free Vegan Healthy Carrot "Hot Dogs" recipe made with only 5 clean, real food ingredients that everyone will love and is ready for your favorite toppings! { Vegan | Gluten-Free | Dairy-Free | Nut-Free | Soy-Free | Lectin-Free | Paleo-Friendly | Medical Medium }
Ingredients
For the carrots
- 4 organic carrots (large and thick)
For the seasoning
- 1 teaspoon organic smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon organic garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon organic ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Set aside.
Prepare the carrots:
- Cut the ends off the carrots and cut them down to fit the size of your hot dog buns. Grate the outside skin off the carrots so they are smooth.
- Fill a cooking pot with filtered/purified water and bring to a boil.
- Place the carrots in the cooking pot and boil for 20 minutes.
- Drain and immediately add the seasonings in the next step.
Prepare the seasoning:
- You'll want to add the seasoning immediately after removing the carrots from the boiling water, so they are still wet and the seasonings will stick to the carrots.
- Option 1: If your seasoning containers have the top that you can sprinkle out the seasonings, it's best to sprinkle each seasoning over the carrots in the amount to your preference. Just hold the carrot and rotate it around as you sprinkle making sure it's covered all the way around.
- Option 2: If your seasoning containers do not have the top that you can sprinkle out the seasonings, add all the seasonings into a bowl large enough to fit the carrots, then gently toss each carrot in the seasonings until it's covered all the way around.
Finish cooking the carrots:
- Place the seasoned carrots on the prepared cookie sheet and bake at 425 minutes for 10-20 minutes, or until they are soft enough to your preference.
- Remove the carrots from the oven and serve with gluten-free hot dog buns with your favorite toppings like organic ketchup, organic mustard, red onions, etc.
- Store any leftover carrots in an air-tight BPA-free container in the refrigerator.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 17Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 122mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 0g
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice.
Hi, I'm Karielyn! I'm the published cookbook author of CLEAN DESSERTS and content creator of The Healthy Family and Home™ website since 2012. I specialize in creating easy, healthy plant-based and Medical Medium® compliant recipes that are gluten-free + vegan and made with clean, real food ingredients that you can feel good about eating.
Candice says
Can these carrot dogs be frozen?
Karielyn says
Hi there Candice! I've never tried to freeze them, but I'm thinking since regular carrots can be frozen, it should be ok? If I were to freeze them, I would warm them up in the oven before eating them instead of re-boiling them, so all the seasonings would stay intact.
Thanks for the question and if you try it out, please come back and let us know how it goes 🙂