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11 Healthier Hot Dog Brands Worth Trying

Hotdogs are American classics. Whether you’re at a cookout or a baseball game, the experience isn’t complete without one of those mysterious meat franks. 

Hot dog with jalapeno peppers, tomato, cucumber and lettuce

However, hotdogs do not facilitate a healthy diet. The ingredients are one of the closest guarded secrets in the culinary world. 

Don’t worry; just because you’re trying to live a healthier life doesn’t mean you have to give up your favorite sandwich (if you consider hotdogs a sandwich).

The brands in this article offer healthier hot dog options without sacrificing the classic ballpark taste. 


Lightlife Smart Dogs Plant-Based Hot Dogs

No mystery meat in these healthy franks! Lightlife Smart Dogs are plant-based, meaning they don’t contain any animal by-products. 

Lightlife uses a vast array of spices to mimic the taste of meat hotdogs.

While the franks may not convert avowed carnivores, they certainly scratch the itch for those of us living a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle.

Adorn them with your favorite hot dog condiments, and you’ll swear you’re eating the real thing. 

Soy and yeast provide Lightlife smart dogs with their distinctive texture and meaty taste.

The vegan franks are much healthier than their beef and pork cousins. Lightlife smart dogs contain 60 calories and two grams of fat per frank.


Applegate Farms’ the Great Organic Uncured Beef Hot Dog

Applegate Farms removes the mystery from hotdogs. The company uses all-organic meats in every product, and their franks are no exception.

The Great Uncured Beef Hot Dogs contain only beef and spices. Prepare your tastebuds because these franks carry a kick; the hotdogs are made with organic spices including black pepper, coriander, ginger, mace, and cayenne.

Applegate Farms’ cows are happy before becoming hotdogs. The franks use only 100-percent grass-fed beef, giving the meat a delicious flavor.

The dogs are:

Additionally, the franks have only 100 calories and eight grams of fat. 


Applegate Naturals Stadium Beef & Pork Hot Dog

Why settle for beef or pork when you can have both? Applegate Naturals Stadium Beef & Pork Hot Dogs give their animals a happy life before making them into delicious franks.

The pigs and cows are grass-fed, creating rich, clean-tasting meat.

The franks taste similar to the ballpark dogs you enjoy while cheering on your favorite teams.

Applegate makes their hotdogs from meat, water, and spices, wrapped in lamb casings. 

The franks get their spicy flavor from sea salt, paprika, garlic, onion, celery powder, coriander, ginger, mace, cayenne, and black pepper.

Applegate’s hotdogs contain 110 calories and eight grams of fat, making them a healthier alternative to most of America’s favorite mystery meat. 

Additionally, the franks are:

  • Casein free
  • Dairy-free
  • Gluten-free
  • Sugar-free
  • Whole30 approved

Upton’s Naturals Updog Vegan Hot Dog

Have you got any updog? Upton’s Natural certainly does!

Not only does the company celebrate the favorite joke of dads everywhere, but it also makes one of the best vegans hotdogs on the market. 

Upton’s Natural makes its vegan dogs from seitan and a carefully curated selection of spices. 

Apple cider vinegar lends the franks a tangy bite. Upton’s dogs closely emulate a Chicago-style link. 

These healthier hotdog alternatives are also:

  • CRC Kosher
  • Non-GMO
  • Certified Plant-Based

While the dogs aren’t exactly healthy foods, they do less damage than traditional links. These franks contain 170 calories per serving and seven grams of fat. 

Check out plant-based burgers as well if you’re hosting a vegan BBQ!


365 Everyday Value, Organic, Uncured Grass-Fed Beef Hot Dogs

Whole Foods offers far more than the challenge of navigating challenging store aisles and dodging other shoppers.

The market makes excellent, healthy products, including its 365 Everyday Value, Organic, Uncured, Grass-Fed Beef Hot Dogs. 

The brand makes its franks from all-natural beef and a fascinating melange of organic spices.

This rich mixture of spices provides the dogs with full, hearty flavor. The franks are:

  • Keto-approved
  • Sugar-conscious
  • Dairy-free
  • Paleo-friendly
  • Organic

Not the healthiest option on the list, 365’s dogs do contain 130 calories and ten grams of fat. 


Field Roast Signature Stadium Plant-Based Hot Dogs

Giving up meat doesn’t have to mean giving up the delicious taste of stadium hotdogs.

Field Roast Signature Stadium Plant-Based Hot Dogs use a combination of wheat gluten and proteins to emulate meat’s flavor. 

Field Roast rounds out the meaty flavor profile with a rich array of spices, including:

  • Sea salt
  • Cane sugar
  • Garlic powder
  • Harwood smoked sugar
  • Onion powder
  • Black pepper
  • Nutmeg
  • Cherry powder
  • Paprika

These vegan dogs are environmentally friendly. Field Roast is a carbon-neutral company committed to protecting the planet. The franks are verified non-GMO. 

Field Roast doesn’t need meat to craft a hearty dog. The vegan links contain 110 calories and seven grams of fat, making them a healthier alternative. 


Organic Valley Organic Uncured Grass-Fed Beef Hot Dogs

Organic Valley Organic Uncured Grass-Fed Beef Hot Dogs are delicious, hearty, all-beef hot dogs.

Beneath the mouthful of a name, the franks rely on the superior meat provided by grass-fed cows.

Farmers humanely raise the cows, resulting in healthier, flavorful organic beef.

Organic Valley disposes of all fillers, making its franks entirely from meat and spices. 

The following seasonings provide Organic Valley’s dogs with their impressive taste:

  • Sea salt
  • Organic onion powder
  • Organic celery powder
  • Cultured celery juice powder

The franks are certified organic and verified non-GMO. The dogs are gluten-free, low in sodium, and sugar-free. The franks contain 130 calories and eleven grams of fat. 


Teton Waters Ranch Hot Dogs, Uncured Beef

Teton Waters Ranch Hots Dogs makes its franks from happy cows.

The company grass-feeds its cattle, allowing them to lead a pleasant, stress-free existence. Besides being more humane, this cultivates a better-tasting beef.

Teton Waters removes the mystery from its hotdogs. The brand never includes nitrates, hormones, or antibiotics in its products. 

What Teton does include in its links is 100 percent organic beef and several taste-enhancing spices.

Teton’s superior recipe maintains all of the beloved taste of the ballpark favorites while minimizing their damage to our bodies. Each frank contains 110 calories and nine grams of fat. 


Thousand Hills Uncured Hickory Smoked Grass-Fed Beef Hot Dogs

Thousand Hills is so dedicated to protecting the environment and caring for its animals that eating the brand’s hotdogs is almost a community service.

Thousand Hills makes its uncured hickory smoked grass-fed beef hotdogs from happy cows raised on an all-grass diet.

The franks don’t contain any hormones, antibiotics, or grain products.

Thousand Hills relies on its beef’s quality and the richness of its spice blend to provide the franks with their flavor. The brand uses assorted spices to achieve the perfect hotdog taste.

Each frank contains 120 calories and ten grams of fat.


Hebrew National All Natural Uncured Beef Franks

Hebrew National is one of the most celebrated names in hotdogs.

The company built its brand around crafting delicious and kosher franks. 

Hebrew National All Natural Uncured Beef Franks doesn’t use any nitrates in their dogs. The company includes a flavorful melange of spices.

Hebrew National doesn’t muddy its hotdogs with artificial flavors or ingredients, creating only the highest quality franks. Each dog contains 140 calories and twelve grams of fat. 


Organic Prairie Organic Uncured Beef Hot Dogs

As the name suggests, Organic Prairie makes organic hotdogs.

The company raises its cattle kindly and sustainably, minimizing the environmental impact of a field full of cows.

The 100 percent grass-fed beef creates a delicious base for the American favorite. Organic Prairie doesn’t use pesticides, hormones, or antibiotics on its farms. 

Each frank contains 130 calories and eleven grams of fat, making Organic Prairie dogs a better-for-you alternative, if not a healthy food. 

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Written by Brian Nagele

Brian attended West Virginia University, then started his career in the IT industry before following his passion for marketing and hospitality. He has over 20 years experience in the restaurant and bar industry.

As a former restaurant owner, he knows about running a food business and loves to eat and enjoy cocktails on a regular basis. He constantly travels to new cities tasting and reviewing the most popular spots.

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