Snoop Dogg is Launching a Hot Dog. The Question Is, Will It Be Vegan?

Six years ago, Snoop Dogg hosted an episode of "Howz It Mizzade" on Jimmy Kimmel Live that gave a look into traditional American hot dogs. Visibly disgusted while watching, the legendary rapper declared, "I ain’t never eating a mother f****** hot dog! If that’s how they make hot dogs, I don’t want one. I’m good.”

But now, Snoop Dogg’s team has filed for an intent-to-use patent application with the United States Patent and Trademark office for “Snoop Doggs” – a potential “hot dogs and other sausages” brand.

Snoop's history with hot dogs has led many to speculate that the new brand will be plant-based. Currently, almost nothing is known about Snoop Dogg’s most recent venture, but his numerous vegan investments and previous revulsion to animal-based hot dogs have some believing that Snoop Doggs will avoid animal-derived ingredients in favor of plant-based alternatives.

The rapper and entrepreneur operates several other business ventures in multiple categories. The new Snoop Doggs will join the rappers cannabis company Leafs by Snoop and liquor brand Indoggo Gin. If the Snoop Doggs products end up being a vegan company, it will become the rapper’s first self-opened plant-based company, but it is far from Snoop Dogg’s first foray into the plant-based scene.

Snoop Dogg’s Vegan Ventures

For years, Snoop Dogg has been extremely vocal about his interest in plant-based foods. The rapper has explored investment opportunities and even introduced plant-based foods to his family. He explained to Forbes in 2020 why he wanted to transition to a more plant-based diet. The 50-year-old rapper decided to change his diet with the hopes of improving his overall health.

“With such a busy schedule, I needed to make sure that I’m taking care of myself both mentally and physically,” Snoop Dogg said to Forbes. “I needed to change up my diet a bit to help me give me all the nutrients I need to continue to be at the top of my game. Some of my immediate family are vegan and vegetarian so they helped me figure out the best plan with me.”

Snoop Dogg’s plant-based interest extends far beyond family meals or his own plate. The celebrity was an early investor of Beyond Meat and has consistently praised the company’s plant-based proteins for being delicious and nearly indecipherable from its animal-based counterparts. When he introduced his family to plant-based meat, he snuck Beyond Meat into their food and claimed that none of them expected anything different at all.

The cultural icon helped usher in Dunkin’ Donuts’ Beyond Sausage Sandwich, but more recently, he actually served up Beyond Meat hot dogs himself. Alongside NFL star Derwin James, Snoop Dogg helped serve more than 600 plant-based burgers and hot dogs during the NFL football kickoffs. The musician’s food truck featured a gold-wrapped Snoop Beyond Tailgate Dogg, giving fans more reason to think a vegan Snoop Dogg hot dog isn’t farfetched.

Snoop Dogg also invested in Outstanding Foods almost immediately following his hot dog segment on Jimmy Kimmel Live. He promoted the vegan snack brand, showcasing the pigless pork rind-inspired “munchies” as a perfect snack. Snoop Dogg launched a website solely dedicated to selling the company’s vegan pork rinds. The music legend donated 10 percent of all the sales to his non-profit Snoop Special Star, which funds inner-city athletic and cheerleading programs.

Vegan Hot Dogs Are Becoming More Popular

If Snoop Doggs launches with a plant-based product, the legendary rapper would enter a rapidly growing vegan hot dog market. Recently, the world's largest hot dog chain Wienerschnitzel just added a plant-based hot dog to its national menus, bringing a plant-based twist to an American classic. Right now, Americans eat nearly 20 billion hot dogs per year and companies nationwide have started developing options that will include plant-based diners.

More consumers than ever before share Snoop Dogg's reaction to the animal-based hot dog industry. The plant-based pork market is expected to grow at a 25 percent CAGR between now and 2030, showing unprecedented interest in the protein category. While it is not confirmed that Snoop Dog's new hot dog brand will be vegan, all signs indicate that consumers can anticipate specialty plant-based hot dogs from the legendary musician.