I just add what I like, and I do it until my spirit tells me to stop.
Tabitha Brown’s Chili Carrot Dogs Recipe
This flexible plant-based alternative lets vegans in on a summer staple
•
Updated Jan 24, 2025
Matt Armendariz/Cooking from the Spirit
There are the veggie dogs you can buy at the grocery store, and there are Tabitha Brown’s chili carrot dogs from her cookbook, Cooking from the Spirit. They’re entirely vegan, and if you ask me, they’re a lot tastier than the store-bought kind.
“Hot dogs are wrapped up in so many memories for me,” Brown writes. “So, when I went vegan, I knew I had to find my new loaded hot dog, and I was telling myself that I gotta get this right, because I need it. But I was trying not to eat so much processed food, so the store-bought hot dogs weren’t an option. Then people started asking me over and over if I’d seen online where you could turn a carrot into a hot dog. And it was one of only a handful of recipes that I ever got online, and of course I didn’t follow the recipe exactly, honey. I made it my own. The natural next step was adding my pecan chili.”
You’ll notice her version doesn’t include measurements—but don’t let that deter you. As she explains in her cookbook, it’s because she doesn’t use measurements when she cooks: “I just add what I like, and I do it until my spirit tells me to stop.” You should feel empowered to do that too. (It’s a more foolproof method than you’d think.)
PureWow food editor Taryn Pire tried the recipe at home and found it less fussy than expected. “I love how minimal the prep is,” she says. “All you need to do is peel the carrots, chop some onions and the rest is just combining store-bought ingredients, cooking on the stovetop and assembling. The chili smells like savory pecan pie, and the finished handhelds are surprisingly hearty—and that’s coming from a meat-eater.”
From Cooking from the Spirit by Tabitha Brown. Copyright © 2022 by Tabitha Brown. Reprinted by permission of William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
Ingredients
Carrot Dogs
About 1 cup coconut aminos, liquid aminos or soy sauce
Raw agave syrup
A.1. Sauce
Ketchup
Garlic powder
Liquid smoke
Peeled whole carrots
Chili
About 1 pound pecans
Grapeseed oil
Yellow mustard
Raw agave syrup
Ketchup
Chili powder
Salt-free, multi-spice seasoning
Garlic powder
Coleslaw
Shredded cabbage
Vegan mayonnaise
Vegan honey mustard salad dressing
Garlic powder
Ground black pepper
For Serving
Hot dog buns
Chopped white onion
Condiments, like ketchup, yellow mustard and relish
Directions
1. Make the Carrot Dogs: In a large Dutch oven or pot (with a tight-fitting lid) wide enough to hold the carrots lengthwise, combine about 2 cups water and the coconut aminos. Add a few spoonfuls each of agave, A.1. and ketchup, some garlic powder and a few drops of liquid smoke. Stir to combine, then bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
2. Add the carrots to the boiling liquid. There should be just enough liquid to cover them; add a bit of water, if necessary. Boil gently until the carrots have softened slightly and the liquid is slightly reduced, 10 to 15 minutes. (Add more water if necessary to keep the carrots covered.) Cover the pot and simmer until the carrots are tender but still offer a little resistance when poked with a skewer or sharp knife, about 10 minutes more. Use tongs to transfer the carrots to a platter, then pat them dry. Don’t clean the pot yet—you’re going to need that pot and the liquid in it for the chili, so just set it aside.
3. In a seasoned (or lightly oiled) cast iron grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat, brown the carrots on both sides. Transfer them to a platter to keep warm.
4. Make the Chili: Add 1 to 2 cups water to the liquid left in the pot and bring it to a boil, scraping the bottom and sides of the pot to loosen up any stuck bits. Stir in the pecans and add more water if necessary so the nuts are covered with liquid. Boil gently, uncovered, until the pecans are softened, 13 to 15 minutes. (Add more water if necessary to keep the pecans covered.)
5. Make the Coleslaw: Meanwhile, put the cabbage in a large bowl and add a bit of mayonnaise, honey mustard dressing, garlic powder and pepper. Stir it up and you’ve got yourself a quick coleslaw. Taste to see what more seasonings it might need. Set it in the refrigerator until serving.
6. Drain the pecans and put them in the bowl of a food processor. Process on high until finely chopped. (The pecans should look like ground beef or turkey, but of course, they’re not.)
7. Heat some grapeseed oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the ground pecans, mustard, agave, ketchup, chili powder, seasoning and garlic powder. Stir it up to combine. Cook, stirring, until heated through, about 4 minutes.
8. Build the Chili Dogs: Put a carrot dog in each bun. Top each with some coleslaw, chili, chopped onions (if you want some), ketchup, mustard and relish.
Nutrition Facts
Powered By
Note: The information shown is Edamam's estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice.
