It isn’t a summer festival or a baseball game without a chili dog! I’ve been craving this summertime favorite for a while now, and decided to just go ahead and make the dang thing vegan — it couldn’t be too hard, right?

Right! 🌭

A hot dog is one of those things that you can’t really tell if it’s vegan because, what are hot dogs even made of anyway? The soy ones are just as good as the mystery meat ones, and at least they are better for the environment and for the animals!

I topped my vegan ‘dogs with some of my quickie chili from when I made chili-topped hash browns (see here), and a little bit of vegan cheese for good measure. It was everything I was craving and more.

Ingredients
4 hot dog buns
4 veggie hot dogs (I used Lightlife Smart Dogs — see great list of options here)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 bell pepper, diced
1 cup frozen Gardein crumbles
1 can red kidney beans, drained
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/3 cup Daiya mozzarella shreds

Instructions
In a large saucepan over medium high heat, add 1 Tbsp olive oil, garlic, and red pepper and let cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add Gardein crumbles and cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add kidney beans and diced tomatoes, along with chili powder, paprika, and red pepper flakes. Stir to incorporate, and let simmer for 8-10 minutes. Meanwhile, cook hot dogs as instructed on packaging. Serve hot dogs in buns and spread cheese shreds over top, and then add the hot chili to melt the cheese.

Makes 4 chili dogs