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Made with store-bought crescent rolls and marinated baby carrots, these vegan pigs in a blanket are a fun take on a childhood favorite! This recipe comes together quickly, and the carrots are poached in a flavor-loaded broth with liquid smoke and soy sauce. These have been a hit in our family with the vegans and meat-eaters alike!
save this recipe!If you’ve been around here a bit, you probably saw my viral carrot hot dogs that Good Morning America shared across the internet. The video brought lots of love and lots of questions…which I understand, but one bite and readers were smitten by the taste!
Little did I know that my parents had used that recipe to make vegan pigs in a blanket for a party. And lo and behold, guests didn’t even realize they were carrots! I’ll let you be the judge of that, though – be sure to let me know in the comments if they taste more like carrots or hot dogs!
the best little piggies (because they’re not piggies)
- They honestly taste SO good and I’m not saying that because I’m a vegetarian. I’m saying it because a party of unknowing guests said so.
- This childhood staple is an easy recipe to throw together, and everyone loves it!
- These can be air-fried if you don’t want to heat up the oven – which is ideal for those warm summer months!
Reader rating
“We served these at a cookout. Nobody had any idea they weren’t meat hotdogs. The key is to boil them long enough to match the texture and mouthfeel of hotdogs. The liquid smoke and smoked paprika make them taste like dogs. Clever idea. Thanks.” —Walter
grab these ingredients
Making carrots taste like hot dogs requires a little smoke and mirrors. Ok, it’s actually just a little food science. Here’s what you need for the magic! Jump to the recipe card for the quantities.
- The Poaching Liquid: To generate smokiness in the carrots, they are poached in a liquid of vegetable broth, apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, mustard, smoked paprika, and liquid smoke.
- Carrots: Baby carrots are the perfect size to mimic mini sausages in these little vegan pigs in blankets. You could cut big carrots to be smaller.
- Crescent Rolls: To keep it classic, these are wrapped in a blanket of Pillsbury crescent rolls and then brushed with butter and flaky sea salt. Standard biscuit dough that’s been rolled flat and cut to size will work too.
sarah’s go-to dipping sauce
Ok, you have to try this appetizer with my favorite sauce (and no, it’s not ketchup)! All you do to make this mayo mustard is combine 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise and 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard! Of course, you can also serve them with BBQ sauce, sriracha mayo, or burger sauce.
How to make Pigs in a Blanket
Here’s a quick overview. Jump to the recipe card for the full instructions.
- Boil the carrots in the vegetable broth mixture until tender.
- Roll the carrots in the crescent rolls that have been cut in half into smaller triangles.
- Brush them with melted butter, top with salt, and bake until golden brown.
or you can air fry them
If you want to air fry these, cook them at 375 degrees for 5-10 minutes in the air fryer, or until golden brown. They cook quickly, so keep an eye on them!
FAVORITE SHEET PAN
This large nonstick sheet pan is one of my everyday favorites!
Why This Recipe Works
If you’re wondering, “ok, how can someone not know these are carrots and not hot dogs?”…well, here’s how:
- Smoke, smoke, and more smoke give the carrots the same depth of flavor as a hot dog!
- Cooking the carrots in a flavorful broth first softens them to help with the texture. This ensures the vegan pigs in a blanket taste like the meat version.
- Crescent rolls act as the mirror to the smoke and mirrors of this recipe. Classic pigs in a blanket use them, so in order to keep up the illusion, these needed the same staple ingredient.
more recipes to trick your meat-eating friends
Almond Crusted Baked Tofu Nuggets
40 minutes
Chickpea “Chicken” Salad
15 minutes
Grillable Tofu Burger Patties
1 hour 30 minutes
Easy Vegan Lobster Rolls
15 minutes
Vegan Pigs In A Blanket (With Baby Carrots!)
Ingredients
- 2 cups vegetable broth, 473 mL
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar, 120 mL
- ¼ cup soy sauce, 60 mL
- ¼ cup mustard
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp liquid smoke
- 32 baby carrots
- 2 8-count tubes crescent rolls, vegan or traditional
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, vegan, 28 g
- 1 tsp flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Boil: Add 2 cups vegetable broth, ½ cup apple cider vinegar, ¼ cup soy sauce, ¼ cup mustard, 2 tsp smoked paprika, and 1 tsp liquid smoke to a medium pot and whisk to combine. Add 32 baby carrots and bring to a simmer over medium/high. Cover and cook until carrots are fork-tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Strain carrots from broth (broth can be saved and used again).
- Roll: Unroll your 2 8-count tubes crescent rolls. Cut each triangle into 2 long pieces, to make 32 separate triangles. Place a carrot onto the wide end of each triangle, then roll.Preheat oven to 375°F (or 350°F for nonstick cookie sheet).
- Bake: Arrange vegan pigs in blankets on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush each with melted butter then sprinkle with salt. Bake for 9 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
We served these at a cookout. Nobody had any idea they weren’t meat hotdogs. The key is to boil them long enough to match the texture and mouthfeel of hotdogs. The liquid smoke and smoked paprika make them taste like dogs. Clever idea. Thanks
Success!! So happy to hear they were a hit! 😀
What brand of liquid smoke do you recommend?
I typically use Colgin brand of liquid smoke 🙂
Can’t wait to make these. Can I freeze some of the carrots after boiling in the broth mixture to use for another time ?
I haven’t tried freezing these so I can’t say for sure, but I think the texture would get a little funky.
Very fun and delicious!
Yay, so glad it was a hit!