These Smoky Homemade Veggie Dogs are made with marinated tofu. They’re so flavorful and perfect for your next summer BBQ.
Can you believe it’s almost August?! I happen to love August because it’s my birthday month, but it also signals the end of summer. That is, if you don’t live in the desert, where it stays hot until after Thanksgiving 🙂
People get in the last of their summer fun in late July and early August before school starts. Hopefully, this means we all have a few more BBQs and maybe a vacation or two in store.
Vegan Hot Dog Recipe Ingredients
- Tofu – I used one (14-16 ounce) package of extra-firm tofu, pressed to get as much water out as possible.
- Tamari – Soy sauce will also work; I use low-sodium.
- Maple syrup – Be sure to use pure maple syrup instead of artificially flavored pancake syrup.
- Spices – For this recipe, I used smoked paprika, grated garlic, and grated ginger.
- Toasted sesame oil
- Hot dog buns – If you want to make this recipe gluten-free, use gluten-free.
- Sriracha mayo – This is optional. I mixed some vegan mayo with sriracha to taste.
- Slaw – You can use store-bought slaw if you like. I made mine with vegetable oil, rice wine vinegar, maple syrup, salt, chopped purple cabbage, red pepper, carrots, and cilantro.
How To Make These Smoky Tofu Hot Dogs
- Cut the tofu into about 8 strips. You could make the strips as big or as small as you like. Use a fork and poke each side of the tofu a few times to help the marinade penetrate.
- Add the tamari, maple syrup, smoked paprika, sesame oil, garlic, and ginger to a large ziplock bag. Close the bag and use your hands to mix everything well.
- Add the tofu to the bag and lay it flat on a plate or in a baking dish. Make sure the marinade covers all the tofu evenly. I like to flip mine over a few times to make sure it gets everywhere. Marinate the tofu for at least 2 hours, but the longer, the better.
- Once ready to cook, heat a large pan over medium heat and add a small amount of oil. Place tofu in the pan and let cook for about 2 minutes on each side, until browned and crispy. Top with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
- To make the slaw, add the oil, vinegar, maple syrup, and salt to a large bowl and mix until combined. Next, add all the veggies and stir until they’re coated. The slaw can be refrigerated for up to 3-4 days.
Recipe Tips and Thoughts
- This recipe is vegan and can be made gluten-free with gluten-free buns.
- As my husband said, this is a piece of tofu in a bun, not a hot dog, but I’m standing by my recipe name! I’ve marinated the tofu in a bunch of delicious flavors, and they have such a great smoky taste that’s pretty darn close to a hot dog, if you ask me 🙂
- I see a lot of fake meat marinades that contain liquid smoke, but in this recipe, I opted to use something a little more natural because, for some reason, liquid smoke kind of weirds me out!
- I used smoked paprika, which adds a nice smoky flavor and some color to these “hot dogs.”
- As with most things, these dogs taste better the longer you let them soak in the marinade. You can throw them on the grill, but here in Arizona, it was a little too hot to even go outside to use the grill, so I opted for the stovetop, which gave them a nice crust.
- Store them in the fridge in an airtight container for up to four days. I hope you enjoy 🙂
Have a question about this recipe? Ask me in the comments, and I’ll get back to you ASAP.
Looking For More Vegan/Vegetarian Summer Dishes?
Summer Tortellini Salad with Garlic Herb Dressing
Summer Squash and Tomato Pizza
Loaded Summer Vegetable Salad with Black Beans
Crispy Baked Tacos with Summer Vegetables
Summer Avocado Toast with Grilled Corn
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Smoky Homemade Veggie Dogs
Description
A delicious and flavorful veggie hotdog alternative!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 (14-16 ounce) package extra firm tofu, pressed to get as much water out as you can
- 1/2 cup tamari, I use low sodium
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- Hotdog buns
- Sriracha mayo (optional) I just mixed some vegan mayo with sriracha to taste.
Slaw (optional)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil of your choice
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups thinly chopped purple cabbage
- 1 cup thinly sliced red pepper
- 1 cup grated carrots
- 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Cut the tofu into about 8 strips, you could make the strips as big or as small as you like. Use a fork and poke each side of the tofu a few times to help the marinade really get in there.
- To a large ziplock bag add the tamari, maple syrup, smoked paprika, sesame oil, garlic and ginger. Close the bag and use your hands to make sure everything is mixed well.
- Add the tofu to the bag and lay flat on a plate or in a baking dish. Make sure marinade is covering all the tofu evenly. I like to flip mine over a few times to make sure it gets everywhere. Marinate tofu for at least 2 hours, but the longer the better.
- Once ready to cook, heat a large pan over medium heat and add a small amount of oil. Place tofu in the pan and let cook for about 2 minutes on each side, until browned and crispy. Top with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
- To make the slaw, add the oil, vinegar, maple syrup and salt to a large bowl and mix until combined. Next, add all the veggies and stir until they’re all coated. Slaw can be refrigerated for up to 3-4 days.
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