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This vegan pigs in a blanket recipe is the party snack hack I pull out when catering weddings and birthdays alike. They are stupidly-easy, fast, and will 100% vanish quicker than delivery pizza at a sleepover where someone just busted out a VHS copy of The Secret of NIMH.
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These flakey little snack gremlins come in two flavors of chaos: the mild, basic kid-friendly classic and a spicy Korean version laced with gochujang, kimchi, and sesame. The Korean inspired version is something I have served as hors d'oeuvres at dozens of vegan weddings over the years.
Personally, I think these rock as carrot dogs, and are about a million times more fun to make than ripping open a shrink-wrapped pack of Smart Dogs from the grocery store. But if the sound of carrot hot dogs makes you want to run for the hills, you can absolutely make these with my vegan hot dog recipe, my vegan Italian sausages, or even pre-made dogs from Lightlife, Field Roast, or Impossible. You do you, as the kiddos say these days…
So whether you're cranking these out as a Christmas appetizer, for a kid's birthday rager, a late-night research spiral about the guy who ate an airplane, or just because you feel like eating 3 in a row (tic tac toe), these vegan pigs in a blanket are calling out your name from the crescent roll wormhole of your snack-craving subconscious.
Made a double batch cause we had company coming! I'm talking BIG, burly, meat-lovin' oil field dudes! They LOVED these lil gems!! These guys now all want to come for dinner every time they know I'm testing a recipe! They have been blown away at how Vegan can be delicious!
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🥰Why you'll adore this vegan pigs in a blanket recipe
✊ Vegan AF: Like all of my vegan meat recipes, this has no animal products or cholesterol in sight.
🐰 Kid Approved: The basic version of these carrot doggies tastes smoky, sweet, and savory without being "weird" to picky eaters.
🔥 Easily Made GF: Make them one of your fave gluten-free vegan recipes ever, simply by swapping the crescent rolls out for GF puff pastry.
✅ Tested and Approved Worldwide: Like all of my vegan recipes, these have been tweaked, tested, and perfected with feedback from a team of hundreds of recipe testers.
I'm on my knees staring weirdly into your eyes, asking you in a soothing voice to be my taste-testing partner in crime. Sign up for the recipe testing crew and get early access to new recipes before they're published.
🐽Vegan pigs in a blanket ingredients
Carrots
Trim your carrots into stubby bite-sized pieces and let them soak up all that smoky-sweet marinade. Try to pick carrots that aren't super thick and that have a nice, long middle section of fairly even width, so they cook evenly. Too thin and they shrivel down to nothing, too thick and they won't bake through.
Don't toss any of the trimmed bits. Those can get a second life in roasted carrot lentil soup, maple balsamic roasted carrots with Brussels sprouts, or as harissa roasted carrots.
Gochujang
This Korean chili paste brings salty sweet umami and a slow, mellow heat. It's definitely optional, and should be replaced with tomato paste if you are making the kid-friendly version of the recipe.
Gochujang is also the magic behind my vegan Korean fried chicken and Korean braised tofu. If you can't track it down, swap in sambal oelek which is also yummy in this.
The Soy Sauce
I usually make these with tamari since my wife is gluten free and it saves me from keeping multiple soy sauces around. Regular soy sauce works fine too, and if you're avoiding soy altogether, coconut aminos are totally cool.
Liquid Smoke
Mad folks assume this stuff is artificial, but they are dumb and they smell. Just kidding, they just don't realize it's natural. I am sure they don't smell that bad.
Anyhoo, hickory or mesquite both work, but just don't go overboard unless you want this to taste like your dad's smoking jacket. This stuff is awesome to have in your pantry to bring instant smokiness to stuff like vegan ham, vegan carne asada, carrot-based vegan smoked salmon, and tempeh bacon.
Vegan Kimchi
Finely chopped vegan kimchi or radish kimchi adds funk, heat, and crunch in the Korean version of these piggies. If using store‑bought, always check the ingredients. Many brands contain fish, since that's the traditional way kimchi has always been made up until recently.
Crescent Roll Dough
Flaky, buttery pastry is the literal blanket. I usually grab the refrigerated crescent rolls from Trader Joe's, but Annie's Organic Crescent Rolls and Immaculate Baking Company Crescent Rolls are solid options too. They come pre-portioned 8 to a tube, so keep that in mind if you are multiplying the recipe. Vegan puff pastry is also a great replacement and can be found in most supermarkets.
Gochugaru
These Korean chili flakes add color and gentle heat on top. I also use 'em in my Korean tofu soup, vegan shrimp paste, and vegan breakfast burritos, too. Aleppo pepper flakes (like the ones I use in my cranberry ezme recipe) are a great sub, or you can use a sprinkle of paprika, since it's largely for color here.
Vegan Mayo + Sriracha
Mix these together for an optional dipping sauce that takes the spicy version over the top. I usually whip up my own from my vegan kewpie recipe, but if you're grabbing store-bought, Vegenaise is the one that my heart belongs to forever. I've got a homemade sriracha recipe you can use, or just use your fave bottled one (mine is Ninja Squirrel).
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
🤯Variations
Everything Bagel Vegan Pigs in a Blanket
Brush the dough with a little plant milk and sprinkle everything bagel seasoning before baking for deli vibes. This style is great for a Sunday brunch along with some vegan challah and vegan cream cheese.
Vegan Pizza Party Rolls
Use vegan pepperoni in place of the seasoned carrot, tuck a spoonful of vegan marinara and a sprinkle of vegan parmesan before rolling for mini pizza-pocket energy.
Grab my easy-yo-use app that builds your whole week with real, chef-tested vegan dinners in 30 seconds, customized to your budget, time, and taste, with a shopping list sorted by aisle.
📖 How to make vegan pigs in a blanket
Ready to yeet past the photos? Scroll to the recipe card if patience isn't your strong suit. But if you want the step-by-step with tips, here's the playbook:
Step One
Carrot In Hell:
Trim carrots into 2-inch (5 cm) pieces, choosing sections that are evenly thick. Avoid pieces thinner than ½ inch or thicker than 1 inch for even cooking.
✅ If you aren't letting your rescue pups snack on the trimmings, use them up to make vegan carrot cake, Korean carrot salad, or Moroccan carrot salad.
Step Two
Marinaderunner:
Using the tines of a fork, mix together the gochujang, garlic, tamari, vegetable stock, rice vinegar, maple syrup, liquid smoke, and sesame oil in a bowl until smooth.
Step Three
Boil George:
Place carrots and marinade in a sauté pan. Cover and cook on medium heat for 12 minutes.
Step Four
For Shrivel, My Nivel:
Remove the lid and continue cooking 6-8 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, until the liquid is absorbed and the carrots are lightly golden with slightly wrinkled edges. Transfer to a plate to cool.
✅ The marinade will thicken a lot and look almost like BBQ sauce on the carrots. That's normal and will help give these more flavor and juiciness once baked.
Step Five
Dough Cry For Me Argentina:
Set oven to 375°F (190°C). Unroll crescent roll dough and separate into individual triangles.
Place one carrot near the wide edge of each dough triangle.
Step Six
Carrot Dog the Bounty Hunter:
If making the Korean version, add a small spoonful of gochujang and finely chopped kimchi with the carrot.
Step Seven
Rollin' With My Homies:
Roll the dough around each carrot to enclose it fully. Place seam-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
For a classic version, bake for 12 minutes, or until pastry is puffed and lightly browned.
For the Korean style, brush dough with sesame oil, sprinkle with gochugaru, sesame seeds, and salt. Bake for 12 minutes, or until golden and cooked through.
Step Eight
Condimentos, The Fresh Maker:
If serving plain, leave as-is and serve with ketchup, mustard or some garlic toum. For serving the Korean version, mix vegan mayo and sriracha until smooth.
Step Nine
Dress Up:
After pastries cool slightly, top with a drizzle or spoonful of sriracha mayo, or Korean BBQ sauce. Garnish with microgreens and serve warm.
💡Serving Ideas
If you made the Korean version, rock them out with some Korean BBQ sauce drizzled vegan fried chicken topped with Korean scallion salad, or alongside some Korean cucumber salad.
During the holidays, these make perfect appetizers while everyone is sipping vegan eggnog or sneaking a second slice of vegan gingerbread cake. Serving a basket of them on your holiday dinner table? Drop them into a spread with vegan stuffing, candied yams, and vegan green bean casserole.
👉Top tips
- Cut Evenly: Keep carrots close in size (especially thickness) for consistent cooking and rolling. If they're uneven, some will stay undercooked, and no one wants a half-crunchy, half-mushy piggie.
- Don't Rush Cooling: Hot carrots will melt the dough, make it lose its laminated layers, and make these a pain to roll neatly. Let the carrots cool a bit first for sure.
- Seal the Deal: Pinch dough seams tightly so they don't pop open in the oven. If you're sloppy here (especially if you went too hard with the gochujang and kimchi), your pigs will bust out and look sloppy.
- Customize Heat: For kids, go mild; for spice lovers, go all-in with kimchi and gochugaru. You can even split the batch-half basic AF, half fire-breathing dragon-for supreme snack diplomacy.
🤷♀️ Recipe FAQs
Not always. If the skin is smooth and fresh, a good scrub is fine. Peel craggy-looking carrots for a normal, more hot doggy texture.
Yes. Cook the wrapped piggies at 350°F (175°C) for about 10-12 minutes, checking and perhaps flipping halfway through.
🥶 Refrigerating:
Store cooled pigs in a blanket in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
❄️ Freezing:
Freeze baked rolls on a tray, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 3 months in a labeled and dated bag so you remember what the heck it is and how long it's been hanging around. Move them to the fridge overnight, or let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before reheating.
🔥 Oven Reheating:
Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 8-10 minutes until hot and crisp.
🍁 You'll adore these vegan holiday recipes too:
Learn to make plant-based meat from the seitan master himself, in this super-fun & informative class with Chef Adam Sobel!
Vegan Pigs in a Blanket
Ingredients
For the Carrot Doggies:
- 2 medium thick carrots
- 2 tablespoons gochujang or tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
- 1 cup unsalted vegetable stock or water
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 4 teaspoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
Optional Korean fillings:
- 2 tablespoons gochujang
- ⅓ cup vegan kimchi finely chopped
For the Blankets:
- 16 oz. crescent roll dough
For the Optional Korean Topping:
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoons gochugaru
- 2 teaspoons white sesame seeds
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Optional Garnishes:
- ¼ cup vegan kewpie or vegan mayo
- 2 tablespoons sriracha
- ¼ cup micro greens
Instructions
- Trim the carrots into pieces about 2 inches (5 cm.) long to resemble hot dog sections. Try to mostly use the center parts of the carrots that have even width throughout, and don't use any sections that are thicker than 1 inch, or thinner than ½ inch.
- Mix together the gochujang, garlic, tamari, vegetable stock, rice vinegar, maple syrup, liquid smoke, and sesame oil.
- Place the carrots into a sauté pan with the marinade. Cover the pan and cook over medium heat for 12 minutes. Remove the lid and continue cooking for 6-8 minutes, shaking the pan often so that all sides get cooked until the liquid has evaporated or absorbed. The carrots should be lightly golden all around, with slightly shriveled edges. Transfer to a plate to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Unroll the crescent roll dough and separate it into individual triangles.
- Place 1 carrot piece near the wider edge of each triangle, optionally adding a small spoonful of gochujang and chopped kimchi with the carrot.
- Roll the dough around each carrot to enclose it. Arrange the wrapped pieces on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- If leaving the tops plain, bake for 12 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed and lightly browned.
- For the Korean topping, brush the surface of the wrapped rolls with sesame oil, then sprinkle evenly with gochugaru, sesame seeds, and salt. Bake for 12 minutes, or until golden and cooked through.
- For kids, serve the pigs in a blanket as is, otherwise stir the vegan mayo and sriracha together until smooth.
- Once the baked pastries have cooled slightly, either add a little sriracha mayo on top of each using a spoon, or use a squeeze bottle for a more precise little dollop. Garnish with micro greens before serving.
Notes
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Starr says
Have you tried this with baby carrots? Wondering if they would have the same level of deliciousness?!?
Adam Sobel says
I haven't but I am sure they would work great. I don't mess with those because baby carrots are washed in a diluted chlorine solution to extend shelf life, and some brands use other weird stuff beyond chlorine.
Paula says
These sound wonderful. Do they reheat well? I'm needing an appetizer for 2 different parties (Tuesday and Friday) where I am lone vegan in hostile territory.
Adam Sobel says
They sure do. All you need to reheat them is a few minutes at 400 degrees so they crispy up and come back to life with drying out.
Tee Hansen says
Made a double batch cause we had company coming! I'm talking BIG, burly, meat-lovin' oil field dudes! They LOVED these lil gems!! These guys now all want to come for dinner every time they know I'm testing a recipe! They have been blown away at how Vegan can be delicious!