Carrot Dogs

I love carrots, but I wasn’t too sure about carrot dogs. Our first experience with carrot dogs, we made baby carrots in a blanket. They were really tasty, but they were a one-off. We didn’t think about them again until we enjoyed some during our adventure to Eden Cafe and Bakeshop.

*DISCLAIMER: THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS. THIS MEANS I MAY EARN A COMMISSION, AT NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE TO YOU, SHOULD YOU CHOSE TO MAKE A PURCHASE USING MY LINK. I ONLY LINK TO PRODUCTS I LOVE AND KNOW YOU WILL LOVE TOO.

We discussed making them again, but never seemed to get around to it. Until now. We played around with the marinade to make it simple and delicious without a lot of ingredients. In our recipe, we didn’t use any sweetener as we feel the toppings (ketchup, relish, etc.) often have their own sweetness. A few simple and smoky ingredients really give the marinade that picnic flavor and then the addition of the spicy mustard kicked it up and seemed to help the marinade thicken and coat the steamed carrots.

Picking Your Carrots for Carrot Dogs

When picking your carrots for carrot dogs, you want them to be roughly 1 1/2 inches and long enough to fit in your hot dog bun. You can always trim off the end to make it fit if your carrot is too long.

Steaming & Marinating your Carrot Dogs

We steamed the carrots to avoid them getting too “waterlogged” and mushy. We want them to be fork tender and slightly firm to really mimic the hotdog texture (no one wants a mushy, soggy carrot dog). Grab our steamer basket here! Once they were tender, we immediately coated them in the marinade and stored them covered in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. They were good after about 6 hours, and best after 12.

*You can grill them, and then reheat them so they aren’t sitting in the marinade for more than 24 hours.

Carrot Dogs

Smoky and perfectly textured, these flavorful root vegetables mimic a hot dog in the best way.

Ingredients

6 carrots, roughy 1 1/2 in diameter, peeled and cut to bun (you can round off edges if you like)
1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce
1 teaspoon worchestshire sauce
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 tablespoon spicy mustard
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Instructions

Steam carrots for 15- 20 minutes over water until fork tender (duration dependant on carrot thickness.
Mix other ingredients in a small bowl. Pour over steamed carrots and coat evenly
Marinate for 6-24 hours
Cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes per side (you don't want carrots to get mushy).
Serve with your favorite hot dog toppings on your favorite buns, wraps, pitas, etc.

Notes

**We've also cut these up and served them with BBQ beans (they were excellent). We like to use a whole grain bread, bun, etc to serve. If you can't find a whole grain bun, you can use a whole wheat pita or wrap. Enjoy!

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size: 1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g

Watch the Recipe Video

Picnic Favorites

We hope you like this carrot dog recipe. Stay tuned to VegInspired.com for more picnic favorites. You can also check out some existing recipes on our site for your vegan and whole food plant based picnic recipes. All of the recipes below would pair nicely with carrot dogs. Happy Summer!