Morningstar Farms corn dogs are fine. They taste like corn dogs. While vegetarian hot dogs in general tend to range from “kinda close, I guess?” to “disgustingly squishy,” pretty much anything is improved by being rolled in batter, fried and drizzled with mustard.
An internet search tells me that brands other than Morningstar Farms make vegetarian corn dogs but I’ve never seen them in any of my grocery stores. So when I want a corn dog, it’s Morningstar Farms.
If I seem unenthusiastic it’s because the bar for corn dogs has been set very very high. That bar is the Pronto Pup, the ones you get at carnivals and state fairs. I know pre-vegetarianism I ate real meat corn dogs that came frozen in a box, but the memories of those corn dogs have faded. All that’s left is the Pronto Pup.
Maybe it’s because the batter is fresh or maybe it’s because the oil has been well-seasoned from hundreds of previously fried dogs or maybe it’s nostalgia. I don’t know but it actually is a banquet on a stick and when confronted with the smell I start to miss meat in a way that doesn’t happen very often. Even deep fried, the fake stuff can’t compare. Still, I end up buying Morningstar Farms corn dogs pretty regularly.
Jason the Omnivore is more generous. He says they might be better than the real meat ones he buys for himself, particularly the batter. He thinks this is one of those things you could present as real meat and fool people, if that’s something you’re inclined to do.
Weirdly, even though they’re almost certainly made of the exact same stuff, I’d give higher marks to the Morningstar Farms Mini Corn Dogs, if they hadn’t discontinued them. Jerks.
J/K Morningstar I love you.
Ingredients
Fake Meat Review 