These all-vegan tofu franks aren’t fooling anyone, but who cares? They’re delicious! Made from tofu that’s soaked in a smoky marinade and then baked and grilled, for a frank that’s tender and juicy inside, while crisp and delicious on the outside.
You got me. I’m that person. The one who shows up at your 4th of July barbecue with the homemade tofu hot dogs.
It’s okay though. You really don’t need to invent an allergy to tofu or pretend to like them. You probably will actually like these. They’re pretty darn good. Hear me out.
I do not like veggie hot dogs. In fact, I didn’t even like regular old meat-based hot dogs when I was a kid. These franks are not an attempt at impersonating hot dogs. That would be a really tough thing to do, and probably not all that great an idea. I have yet to see a cookbook or blogger attempt a realistic version of vegan hot dogs, instead usually seeing things like carrots and eggplants stuffed into hot dog buns. That’s just fine by me, because carrots and eggplants are way better than any hot dog I ever ate. I opted to stuff tofu into hot dog buns. Savory, marinated, baked and grilled tofu, to be accurate. As I often do, I chose to play up the good features of meat foods I never really liked. Works every time.
Getting the tofu right was a little complicated. The marinade is key. All those smoky, savory flavors, those are the aspects of hot dogs that I wanted in my tofu franks. Baking is my favorite way to prepare marinated tofu, because it cooks all of those delicious flavors in, but I wasn’t happy with the outer texture when I finished baking these, which is why I went and grilled them up in a bit of oil. This gave the dogs a nice crisp outer shell, which is exactly what I wanted. I made these a couple times, and on one attempt I left my skillet unattended and burned them a bit…and it was awesome. If you like burned food, then burn these on the stove. If you’re grilling, then burn them on the grill, as that would probably be even better. Just brush the outer surfaces of your franks with a bit of oil and you should get that outer crust I was so fond of in my stove top version.
The recipe yields three to six links. If you want big fat franks that barely fit in the bun, go for three, cutting the brick of tofu lengthwise into three identical strips. For smaller franks, cut into four strips, and for little baby franks, go for up to six, keeping in mind that the outer surface is the best part, and the greater your number of franks, the higher your outer surface to inside ratio. My favorite way to eat these was actually do go with six franks and double them up in the buns. Finally, if want round-ish franks, go and shave down the edges of your tofu strips. Totally not necessary, but fun. Throw your tofu shavings into the marinade with everything else and then eat them on a salad, in a sandwich, or by the handful. They’re delicious.
Marinated Tofu Franks
Ingredients
- 1 lb. extra firm tofu drained and pressed at least 30 minutes (the longer, the better)
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tbsp. maple syrup
- 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
-
1
tsp.
liquid smoke
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 tsp. paprika
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
For Serving
- 3-6 hot dog buns
- ketchup
- mustard
- hot sauce
- sauerkraut
Instructions
-
Cut tofu lengthwise into desired number of links. Optionally, shave down the corners of each link using a sharp knife, to get a round shape.
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Stir soy sauce, maple syrup, vinegar, liquid smoke, garlic, paprika, onion powder and pepper together in a shallow dish.
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Place tofu links into marinade and gently toss to coat. Allow to marinate at least 1 hour at room temperature, or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator (again, the longer, the better), tossing periodically to recoat with marinade.
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Preheat oven to 400º. Arrange links on a parchment lined baking sheet. bake 40 minutes, turning about half way through cook time and basting with any excess marinade. Remove from oven.
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Coat a medium skillet with oil and place over medium heat. Once hot, arrange links in skillet in a single layer, working in batches if they don't all fit. Cook about 3 minutes per side if you cut your links square, or just roll them every three minutes or so if they're round, until nicely browned all over.
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Stuff links into buns and top with ketchup, mustard, hot sauce and/or sauerkraut.
Mmmmm, these look delish. And you wouldn’t even have to put them in a bun–I bet they’re just as wonderful straight up! What an easy, prep-ahead supper.
whats the calorie count?
I’m slowly adding calorie info to my recipes but haven’t hit this one yet. Sorry! This is the best resource I know of for checking it yourself: https://www.verywell.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4129594
These look soooo good! I am NOT a fan of packaged grocery store vegan hot dogs. But, these I could get on board with! Must try!
I must admit that veggie dogs on the bbq are a summertime guilty pleasure of mine. I only have them when I’m back in BC visiting my family, so it’s like a once a year for a week or so treat, and I’m not ashamed of it! But I’m loving the looks of these tofu dogs, and that smoky marinade… oh yes!
These look really good! I’m actually making them right now and was wondering, once cooked, how long will they keep in the fridge?
Thanks Linda! I probably wouldn’t keep them around more than a day or two. Hope you enjoy! :)
When it looks this yummy- I don’t know who would care!
This is the coolest idea! I’ve only ever found one vegan brand that I like but if I can make my own even better! I love the marinated tofu idea. I have a press too which I think will help dry out my tofu enough. Giving this one a try! Thanks!!
Just found these, can’t wait to try!
Question: Do you think these would work if prepping a bunch of the marinated tofu and then freezing?
(I’m new to cooking with tofu)
Hi Stephanie! I actually wouldn’t recommend that, as freezing tofu changes the texture. Your best bet would be to just prep the marinade in advance (which you could freeze), then soak the tofu shortly before you’re ready to go. Hope you enjoy!
PS – Frozen tofu is great for other stuff though, as it gets super crumbly, so it makes a nice stand in for ground meat.
What an awesome idea! I would freeze the tofu first though…give the tofu a meatier texture!!! Just my preference!! I plan on making this in a couple of days!!! Thanks for an awesome recipe!!! All I can say is that some people are geniuses!!!!
Thanks Kathy! Let me know how it works with freezing the tofu. I had a few people ask about that but was concerned that it wouldn’t hold the marinade. Enjoy! :)
Alissa…I always freeze my tofu, defrost, rinse, then wrap in a tea cloth and a heavy pot cover goes on to squeeze out the water…I do it for an hour or so. Then I prepare any type of marinade and put in the tofu…I like to marinade for 24 hours. I freeze my tofu to make my tofu bacon but for that I pan fry first then put it in the marinade…keeps the pan from getting too sticky and burnt pieces. The tofu bacon is really delish!!
Thank you! I’ve only ever used frozen tofu in recipes where it gets crumbled. I’ll definitely be giving this a try soon. :)
Yum! I haven’t been able to find a hot dog that is both vegan and gluten free so decided to try this recipe. They were better than any veggie dog I’ve ever tried…even before having to be gluten free! The texture was great and the flavour delicious. Thank you!
PS I had leftovers (after cooking them) so I froze them. Today I thawed them in the microwave then reheated them in a frying pan, briefly. They were great!
Yay!! I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Thanks Jeanne!
Everyone in the family loves these. The kids gobble them up.
Yay!! I’m so happy to hear that!
I have tried to drain the tofu but after that there was no way to make a tofu dog out of it. It totally crumbled tot pieces. Gonna try tot make burgers now but what is your secret?
Are you by chance using silken tofu? That’s the only kind I’ve known to crumble all by itself. Make sure you’re using extra firm – I really like Soyboy and Trader Joe’s brands because they’re so firm.
These are delicious! They are also perfect for a vegetarian on a budget. They are tastier and cheaper than any veggie dogs ysou could buy. Thank you!
Yay!! I’m glad you like them!
Hi! That sounds absolutely delicious! If i wanna cook them on the barbecue, do I still have to cook them in the oven before? If so, can I cook them in the oven today and put them on the barbecue only tomorrow?
Thank you very much! :)
I’d recommend baking them in the oven first and then cooking them on the grill. And they should be fine if you bake them a day in advance!
I made these tofu dogs for the first time July 4th, 2019. My husband and I really like them. Nice to have fun foods for vegetarians/vegans. This is a delicious recipe. My menu for dinner today is picnic foods so I’m making them again. We’ll be indoors though since theyre calling for “feels like” temperatures of 110 degrees in the D.C. Area.
I’m so glad you both enjoyed them! I’m in the Philadelphia area dealing with similar weather and staying indoors too!
I’m going to try this with some extra firm tofu my adult daughter left here. As far as I know, it’s the first tofu that was ever inside our house… I might have missed something in the recipe foreplay but how do you press tofu for 30 minutes?.
I’ll do a post soon with detailed instructions on how to press tofu, but basically what you want to do is weigh it down for a half hour to squeeze some of the water out. Wrap it in a few layers of paper towels, then wrap everything in a dish towel. Place something flat and heavy on top – I like to use a cast iron skillet, but cookbooks work, or a cutting board with canned goods or a bag of flour on top. Let it sit for 30 minutes and then proceed with the recipe. Good luck!