This vegan dog is loaded up with basically all of my favorite cookout sides, and a lil’ extra! Trust me when I say this comes together quickly and deliciously, especially since I’m partnering with Upton’s Naturals and using their new Updogs!

If you haven’t heard of Upton’s Naturals before, they started out as a seitan company based in Chicago (where they still are located with a café and factory!). Since they were founded, they have added a slew of new vegan products, like shelf-stable pasta meals, vegan bacon, jackfruit, banana blossoms and now… UPDOGS! Nicole and Dan, the (vegan) cofounders, are amazing people that I’ve followed for quite some time, so I’m STOKED on this partnership, to say the least.

Now, Updogs launched last year, and are made to be similar to kosher, all-beef franks. This means, a snappy skin (thanks algae!), and satiating, savory filling. And they definitely deliver! I’m fairly certain that this is now my favorite store-bought, vegan hot dog (that’s not sausage-style), and it happens to be soy-free. I prepared these on the grill, and they held up really well, plus I made sure to include a pic of what they look like right out of the packaging, prior to cooking.

So, given the product, it’s great for simply enjoying in a bun with a couple of your fave toppings, or in my case, becoming a beautiful canvas for unconventional toppings. A local Vegas vegan hotdog vendor, Phyto’s, has a Cowboy hotdog that vaguely resembles this (that I love), but I took some liberties here.

Substitutions & Tips:

• Updogs by Upton’s Naturals – you can find these in Whole Foods Market nationwide, The Fresh Market, Wegmans, many great vegan markets, and in select Walmarts and Targets. (Pretty accessible, yeah?)
• Buns – I used a standard “white” hotdog bun here since there’s a lot going on, but a wheat or pretzel bun would still be tasty.
• Vegan BBQ sauce – not all BBQ sauce is vegan, so watch out for honey and/or Worcestershire sauce. 
• Baked beans – you can find vegan baked beans almost anywhere, which is what I did here, but I also have a recipe for some BBQ beans if you would rather make those at home (and save the rest for later).
• Red cabbage – I used this for the slaw because I had it on hand, and it’s pretty (lol), but green cabbage will also work.
• Vegan ranch – I used store-bought for this, but vegan ranch is SUPER easy to make at home, and I have a few ranch recipes here on VYA.
• Crispy onions – you can use the kind you’d put on green bean casserole or the red onion crisps from Asian markets.
• Yellow mustard – I list this as optional, but the acidity and bright flavor tie this all together so well, in my opinion!

Even though I’ve given you a recipe below that is DELECTABLE, it still it quite flexible and forgiving, if you have some strong preferences. You can leave off the mustard and top with extra ranch or BBQ sauce, or just ranch, or all three! I’ve tried a few different sauce selections with this, and none were losers. Now, let me know if you try this out because I’m hooked on these dogs! Next up with them? For sure corndogs. Just need to get my fryer out. LOL

If you’re looking for sides to go with your Updogs, try my oil-free macaroni salad, dill-roasted green beans, or sriracha potato salad! Yummmm.