Trader Joe’s Meatless Corn Dogs

March 31, 2008 | Reviewer: Abi

Trader Joe’s Meatless Corn Dogs Price: $2.59
Serving: 1 corn dog, 2.5oz.
Calories: 160
Fat: 5%, 3.5g
Cholesterol: 0%, 0mg
Sodium: 23%, 560mg
Protein: 9g
Carbs: 7%, 22g
Fiber: 4%, 1g
Sugar: 4g
Weight Watchers Points: 3 Points

Trader Joe says: Low Fat, 4 grams of Soy Protein per Serving

Abi says: Yes, I’m still on the eternal quest for the perfect corn dog. I want something that reminds me of a carnival, complete with funnel cakes, rickety ferris wheels and goldfish that meet unfortunate deaths via ping-pong ball games.

Trader Joe’s meatless version comes nowhere near the actuality of a corn dog. I find this confusing because the meat in corn dogs is so far away from actual animal muscle that I’m surprised it can’t be replicated with vegetable products. I suspect that my Morningstar Sausage-related hypothesis of the need for connective tissue comes into play here as well.

The first problem with these corn dogs is the lack of snap. I know, that sounds disgusting. It is disgusting. And there’s no way to describe ’snap’ better than the resistance a hot dog has to being eaten. Yes, I judge food based on how much it doesn’t want to be consumed. The second problem with these corn dogs is the batter. Even after being baked in a real oven the interior of the cornbread breading was wet rather than fluffy. Considering that I base a large portion of my food judgments on texture it wasn’t surprising that I only took a couple of bites of the corn dog.

The box of three leftover corn dogs then sat in my freezer for a month before I decided to toss them in favor or newer, more exciting frozen items.

I don’t buy fake meats for my own amusement. I buy them because I think there’s a chance they’ll make plausible substitutes for real, less-healthy meats. I buy them hoping that I can lower the amount of fossil fuels used to create my meals (and yet I run this website). And I buy them with the hope that someday cloned, cultured meat will exist and I won’t have to make these choices anymore.

Further information on meat:

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to hungry people in San Francisco via the SF Food Bank. Click here to find the Food Bank nearest you.

comments

19 Responses to “Trader Joe’s Meatless Corn Dogs”

Crow on April 3rd, 2008

We already have cloned, cultured meat. Certain special interests keep badgering the Federal government to spend more pork on their meat.
Maywither Dragon on April 3rd, 2008

that’s a shame. corn dogs look really yummy
Jordan on April 4th, 2008

This review is not helpful. After reading it, I have no idea what these taste like. That’s kind of important when you’re writing a food review. All I know is that they don’t “snap”.

At the bottom is “further information in meat” (a bit broad, don’t you think?), followed by three random links. What does a web page about cultured meat, which is not even commercially available, have to do with a review of a meatless hot dog?

All you did was waste my time.
anastasia on April 5th, 2008

@Jordan: Wow, you’re on a website that reviews microwaveable meals. Now might be the moment to relax a little.
laurafries.com on April 8th, 2008

Ah, this must be the jordan i dated in high school, who was a hater then too.

I’ve eaten these waaay too many times to be proud of, and I can say at their best (when you’re a little tipsy and on your way to a UFC fight night), they taste hot.

Not ‘like’ anything. Just steamy, too soggy meat product, with tasteless corn wrapper.
MB44 on June 30th, 2008

Try Morningstar farms meatless corn dogs, they are delish.
Leigh on July 7th, 2008

I love your site. I appreciate your positive attitude and desire to be more consious about environmental concerns. However, when talking about your carbon footprint or other current “eco-hip” philosophies I advise you to investigate how environmentally friendly fake meat products are. The process that creates many fake meat products from soy extracts is extremely fuel cosuming and typically outweighs the environmental cost of animal product consumation. I ate a lot of frozen veggie-burgers before I read the journal studies that explored the effects of soy processing on the environment.
Marshmallow Goat on July 22nd, 2008

@Leigh: do you studies include the energy required to produce food for meat-animals?
Regarding Trader Joe’s brand meatless products: they once had some really, really good meatballs (albeit with a slight soy aftertaste that many may find unpleasant)… I’ve never had this specific kind, but I recall that Trader Joe’s meat analogue products have flavors and textures that vary widely with cooking method and time. You might want to try cooking them a different way; they could turn out signigicantly better.
I’m not a vegetarian, but I find that I frequently prefer vegetarian subsitutes to animal flesh, particularly in forms of meat that don’t actually have all that much meat in them… in other words, I find hot dogs made from animal flesh really gross, but soy hot dogs rather delicious. One of my parents is a vegetarian, though, so I suspect having been raised on meat analogues I may have acquired a taste for them.
tt on August 16th, 2008

i bought these yesterday their barely okay! it doesn’t even taste similar to a real corndog…there will never be any substitute for meat IMO, i wanted to give it a chance, but i will be sticking to my chicken and beef.
MelissaColeBlogs.com on August 23rd, 2008

I really like these! But maybe it’s because I don’t expect the most from faux meat products. And if it tasted too much like real meat, which I have a psychological aversion to, I would probably vomited.

I eat these everyday, but I’ll give the Morningstar corn dogs a try.
Amya on September 19th, 2008

I really like these and so does my meat loving boyfriend. When cooked in the oven cornbread covering cooks to a great sweet/crisp/grainy blanket of goodness. I prefer them to regular corn dogs. I pair them with french fries and baked beans. These are always in my freezer.
Angelica Eckhoff on November 14th, 2008

People have their own opinions on taste preferences. I like spaghetti, you like penne. Whatever. Not everyone is going to like what you like.

I am a vegetarian and this is one of my favorite meatless products. It’s soooooo yummy!!

So don’t take some readers review on it….. try it for yourself.

It’s got protein in it and is less in calories and fat than your normal “carnival” corn dog.

And you are saving a pig by eating it!! =]

Enjoy!!!!
sam on November 24th, 2008

only 1 star!!?? I think these are the best!

Toasting them in the broiler or toaster over however is absolutely essential. If you just microwave them – no good. Trust me, it makes all the difference. I much prefer these to the morningstar corn dogs.
Jimmy on December 24th, 2008

I think some people are being a little unfair. Trader Joe’s has excellent quality food for good value (I don’t work for them). I’m a meat eater who enjoys being healthy and have tried their meatless corn dogs. First of all, you CANNOT microwave any battered food, period. It will come out wet and soggy regardless of how well it was made. Secondly, I have had many, many meat hot dogs and many, many veggie substitutes (including Morning Star) and believe me, I could not tell the difference here. They were delicious right out of the oven, well cooked and crispy with Dijon mustard. I highly recommend them if you are a vegetarian or even if you are not, like me.
Jenny on January 8th, 2009

As a vegetarian, I really enjoyed these corn dogs. I understand that real corn dogs probably taste better, but for people like me who want a meat-less variety, these are a great alternative. Meatless stuff usually doesn’t taste exactly like its meat counterpart, so sometimes you have to accept the differences to enjoy the product and the benefits of eating meatless.

I buy these because I used to love hot dogs when I ate meat, but the vegetarian hot dogs I’ve tried are super gross. Corn dogs, with batter around the fake meat, are much better. These corn dogs are good, but my favorite is the Morningstar mini-corndogs.
Anna on February 2nd, 2009

My score: 3.8

I disagree. I like these. I think they’re pretty good. They don’t taste like those super greasy fatballs of what they shoveled off the slaughterhouse floor and rolled in deep-fried batter to make REAL corndogs at the county fair. It’s not even fair to compare them. It’s like comparing a Big Mac to a salad. For something that is actually a pretty healthy vegetarian meal, I think these are quite good. Low-cal, low-fat… Especially good with mustard.

Ofcourse they’re not as good as Trader Joe’s tortellini with pesto. That is damn good frozen meal (a 5!)
jay on March 24th, 2009

Recently these were made with carmine (crushed bugs used for coloring) – make sure that you purchase ones without (I have been assured by trader joe’s that they no longer use carmine in this product) if you are vegetarian/vegan.
MissCottin on October 17th, 2009

I so wanna try these. You cant stop me! Bwahahahahahahahahaha.
Bwahahahhahahahaahahha.
Sam on November 2nd, 2009

Anna, it’s not at all like comparing a Big Mac to a salad…because a salad is not supposed to emulate a Big Mac.

The obvious comparison is a burger to a veggie burger…no, it doesn’t taste the same, but these are probably as good as a health conscious person is gonna get to a corn dog (be that person vegetarian or not), and I don’t think they’re so bad.