If frozen corn dogs aren’t currently on your grocery list, they should be. Because the best frozen corn dogs are really dang good. They’re a little taste of a carnival that you can have any time—even in the morning if you’re stocking up on the best breakfast corn dogs. Corn dogs are sweet and salty and filled with meat (chicken or beef, usually). And you can even get frozen mini corn dogs now, so no more excuses about how corn dogs are too big to count as a snack.
Over the course of three taste tests, we tried more than a dozen different frozen corn dog brands. We tasted classic corn dogs, frozen mini corn dogs, and even frozen veggie corn dogs. We wanted batter that was flavorful, not tough, and not too sweet—sweet corn flavor is great, but these shouldn’t taste saccharine. For our recent on-camera taste test, we prepped the dogs in the microwave, but facts are facts: They’re way better in the oven or air fryer.. We also tried these all naked—that is to say, without any condiments. We were wearing clothes the whole time, we promise. But if you’re looking for the best mustard or the best ketchup for dipping, we’ve got you covered.
Here are the best frozen corn dogs, frozen mini corn dogs, frozen veggie corn dogs, and frozen breakfast corn dogs you can buy.
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- Impossible Corn Dogs
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Hot tip: You should definitely cook these veggie corn dogs in the oven or air fryer. They’re decent out of the microwave, but they really blew us away out of the oven. Impossible makes a lot of great veggie products, and these are pretty new to their lineup. The hot dog itself is salty and firm, and the coating is crisp and oily. I thought they’d for sure beat out MorningStar, but then I tasted them side by side and the classic beat out the newcomer in the battle to become the best veggie corn dog. MorningStar still nails it! —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- MorningStar Veggie Corn Dogs
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Okay, I’ve been eating MorningStar corn dogs since the early aughts. They’ve always been great—squishy, a little sweet, a little salty—but I swear they taste even better than they used to. Did MorningStar improve the recipe to keep pace with brands like Impossible? Maybe! The cornmeal batter seems roughly the same, but I swear the hot dog is more authentically seasoned than it used to be. Keep up the good work, MorningStar. You make the best veggie corn dogs! —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Merc / Walmart
- Great Value Mini Corn Dogs
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These frozen mini corn dogs are made with chicken instead of beef (like a lot of the frozen corn dogs on this list). The mini dogs are savory and tender, but the real star is the batter, which crisps up nicely if you pop them in the toaster oven, oven, or air fryer, and really tastes like corn. If you’re wondering how mini they actually are, I’d say they’re between one and two bites, depending on mouth size. (I needed two bites.) Serve these up as party snacks instead of pigs in blankets with the dip of your choosing. Personally, I’d opt for a grainy mustard or a spicy Bitchin’ Sauce. —Justine Sterling
Credit: Merc / Walmart
- Jimmy Dean’s Pancakes and Sausage on a Stick
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Although this doesn’t say “corn dog” on it, this meets all the criteria: It’s a battered stick of mystery meat on a stick. It is a frozen breakfast corn dog. It’s like a McGriddle in convenient tube form. It’s greasy and peppery, and if I was hungover, I would absolutely smash two of these back to back. I don’t think you should eat these for breakfast too often if you want to live a long, healthy life, but there’s something so delicious about eating a pancake and sausage together that I might try it the next time I go to a diner. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Great Value Classic Corn Dogs
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This frozen corn dog was the juiciest corn dog by a mile. I can only imagine what goes on in a factory that makes corn dogs that cost less than $4 for a box of six, but if you close your eyes and just barrel through that thought, I’m sure you’ll find yourself pleasantly surprised. True to the corn dog aesthetic, it’s rather difficult to suss out what animal this even came from. It’s chicken—but the flavor is primarily salty and mildly meaty. Like many Great Value products from Walmart, these are the best corn dogs if you’re looking for a bargain. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Merc / Amazon
- Breakfast Best Pancakes & Sausage On-A-Stick
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Sometimes, Aldi really knocks it out of the park and when they do, customers reap all the benefits. These Aldi brand frozen breakfast corn dogs are nearly half the price of Jimmy Dean’s and you get almost as many in a box. And they are so, so good—though they aren’t as sweet as Jimmy Dean’s, so if you’re looking for the real McGriddle experience, spring for those. The coating on these frozen breakfast corn dogs is closer to actual corn dog batter than pancake batter. It gets nice and crispy in the toaster oven and there’s just a hint of maple flavor. The sausage inside is super savory and just greasy enough. You absolutely should not start your day with one of these but also, yes, you definitely should. Just go back to bed afterwards; your day won’t get any better. —Justine Sterling
Credit: Merc / Aldi
- Applegate Naturals Uncured Beef Corn Dogs
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Applegate uses high-quality beef hot dogs inside their frozen corn dogs, but the dogs aren’t the best part of the experience. That honor goes to the batter. It features a wonderful blend of spices, including garlic, onion, nutmeg oil, celery powder, and paprika. And it’s not the pillowy fluff that encases other corn dogs—it has a cornmeal texture, like a hushpuppy. It’s sweet in a subtle way and really complements an all-beef hot dog. Applegate is a green-facing, organic brand with a focus on animal welfare, although I’m not sure how to really substantiate most of their claims (they’re also owned by Hormel). But based on flavor, Applegate makes some of the best corn dogs. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- State Fair 100% Beef Corn Dogs
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When we did our on-camera corn dog taste test, YouTube commenters were positively AGHAST that we didn’t try State Fair. I promised we’d correct the omission and we did! And, yes, State Fair corn dogs are good! The batter is pillowy and leans sweet (it’s made with honey as the packaging advertises), and the beef hot dog is very juicy. Like most corn dogs, these were way better out of the oven than the microwave, although I appreciate that you can simply nuke them for a minute in the plastic baggie they come in if you’re in a hurry. They did have a slight aftertaste I didn’t love, something like chlorinated water, but these are the best corn dogs if you want the juicy, salty flavor of an all-beef frank. —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- Foster Farms Honey Crunchy Corn Dogs
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Foster Farms corn dogs kind of blew me away. They’re proof that frozen corn dogs don’t have to be made with all-beef franks to be super flavorful. This chicken-based corn dog is juicy, sweet, and meaty with a delightfully soft, puffy texture. The honey gives the dog a candied flavor, and the corn-forward taste of the batter is buttery yet vegetal, almost like grits. I microwaved this frozen corn dog, and the singular texture of a soft hot dog and the soft cornmeal batter makes this such a heavenly experience. My colleague, Justine Sterling, cooked one in the toaster oven and found that the coating gets super crispy while the dog stays juicy. However you like your corn dogs—soft or crispy—Foster Farms makes the best corn dogs for your money. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Merc / Instacart
Best Veggie Corn Dogs (Runner-Up)
Best Veggie Corn Dogs
Best Mini Corn Dogs
Best Breakfast Corn Dog
Best Budget Corn Dog
Best Budget Breakfast Corn Dog
Best Batter
Best Beef Corn Dogs
Best of the Best
Other frozen corn dogs we tried: Field Roast Mini Corn Dogs, Bar S Classic Corn Dogs, State Fair 100% Beef Corn Dogs, Bar S Beef Corn Dogs, State Fair Classic Corn Dogs, Foster Farms Mini Corn Dogs Honey Crunchy, Bremmer Corn Dogs
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