9 Frozen Corn Dog Brands Ranked Worst To Best

Ah, corn dogs — one of the great joys of life. While there's nothing like that hot dog on a stick, coated in sweet cornbread and deep-fried at the fair, we can also get a frozen version to bake at home. They're convenient, portable, and there are plenty of brands to choose from. They also come in different sizes (corn dog nuggets, anyone?) and variations of meat or lack thereof (looking at you, Impossible Corn Dogs). But which of them comes out on top?

A "bad corn dog" may sound impossible (or it did to me, anyway), but there are, in fact, a few stinkers. Lucky for us, though, most of them taste pretty great. It's time for us to find out, together, which corn dogs rule them all — so let's do this. All of the corn dogs on this list were cooked the same way for consistency (in the oven), and sampled one right after the other. Without further ado, here are nine corn dog brands ranked worst to best.

Target's Market Pantry brand can offer some affordable and quality food items. However, Market Pantry Corn Dogs are not one of these products ... at all. Apologies for my rudeness, but these are horrendous. As dramatic as it sounds, they might just be the worst corn dogs I have ever eaten in my entire life. On the first bite, the bread tastes like an undercooked pancake, even though it's fully cooked. The cornmeal has a cheap, stale taste to it as well — like something served at a child's arcade in the '90s. There's really not much flavor at all, either in the bread or the actual hot dog. 

Speaking of the hot dog, it might be worse than the bread. Out of the bun, it's literally gray in color, as well as very rubbery and impossible to break or pull apart. I was unaware that a corn dog could taste so bad and actually shouted, "Whoa!" with every bite I took (only a few). It was shocking, and adding mustard didn't even help. And they're made of chicken, which is my usual corn dog preference. Stay away from these corn dogs — they are definitely a product to avoid buying at Target.

Made with chicken and pork, Bar-S Classic Corn Dogs aren't terrible, I will give them that. Unfortunately, there's not much to really love about these. They are surprisingly small, compared to the other corn dogs on this list. There's not a lot of cornbread coating the hot dog, but what is there tastes slightly watery. It seems like this corn dog is unfinished or wasn't dipped in enough batter. 

The hot dog is also very small, in addition to being sort of flavorless — it just tastes like salt water. Dipping it in mustard helps, but only because at least that gives it some flavor. Visually, the hot dog itself is typical-looking in color. There may not be much flavor-wise with these, but they do taste better than our previous entry. I wouldn't recommend these small corn dogs, but eating one isn't a nightmare. 

Here we go — now the corn dogs are starting to taste better. Walmart's Great Value products can be really wonderful and inexpensive, and its corn dogs are passable. Great Value Classic Corn Dogs taste like the most generic corn dogs, which isn't necessarily bad — it just leaves something to be desired. The hot dog inside is big and has a juicy enough flavor. The cornbread is crispy on the outside but a little too moist on the inside for my liking, and much too sweet. I don't hate this corn dog, but it gets less satisfying as I continue to eat it. 

Although this corn dog is better than the previous ones, the profile of the hot dog, I realize as I chew, clashes a little with the bread. Yes, the dog is flavorful, but there's a vinegary aspect to it that isn't complemented by the sweetness of the cornbread. It's like they don't quite fit together. Actually, this sweetness is what sort of makes these corn dogs taste like hush puppies. I could see myself enjoying this corn dog as a little kid at a birthday party who has yet to taste better options.

If you're gluten-free, Applegate Naturals Gluten-Free Uncured Beef Corn Dogs are perfectly acceptable corn dogs for your life and consumption. Overall, they are less greasy than the other brands, and the cornbread is dry with a good, light crisp. However, it also has a sort of gritty, grainy taste to it, and if you're a gluten eater, you may not be a fan of this. It's a bit distracting and overpowers the 100% beef hot dog inside, which, honestly, isn't hard to do (it's sort of flavorless). 

The hot dog, on its own, tastes like beef without any seasoning. Dipped in mustard, it's a little better, but, again, that's only because of the mustard giving it more flavor. All in all, these corn dogs might scratch the itch for gluten-free folks, but taste -wise, Applegate Naturals lands somewhat in the middle of the list.

Here comes our plant-based corn dog for all the vegans out there, or non-vegans like me who just enjoy the taste of them. Honestly, for not being an actual corn dog, MorningStar Farms Corn Dogs are pretty convincing. They're bursting with hot dog-like flavor despite not being made of meat (something that plenty of the previous corn dogs were definitely not doing), and don't taste artificial at all.

The cornbread has a nice crunch and is crispy on the outside and slightly soft and moist on the inside. It's just sweet enough and complements the plant-based hot dog well. Speaking of the hot dog, it's flavorful and tastes like a real one — no complaints here. This is a solid corn dog experience, for vegans and non-vegans. Good job MorningStar Farms, you have perfected the plant-based corn dog experience (and have done it better than some of the corn dogs with actual meat, too).

State Fair 100% Beef Corn Dogs are bulbous. Each one is individually wrapped and looks just like what you would expect an actual corn dog from a state fair to look like. The bread is flavorful, golden brown, and there is a ton of it — and it's extremely dense, much more so than any of the others.

For as much bread as there is on this guy, the hot dog inside isn't messing around either — it's also huge. There's nearly a whole ballpark frank in this big cornbread bun, and it's giving full flavor, like a hot dog at a baseball game. This is definitely the most substantial corn dog of the bunch — it's a whole meal on its own. And while it tastes great and is true to its name, it ranks just below the top three because it's so dense. For me, it's a little too much corn dog packed onto one stick. It's definitely the heavyweight champion of corn dogs, though.

Perhaps the most surprising revelation of this ranking is the placement of this brand of corn dogs. I expected something very generic, but it appears that I have vastly underestimated Kroger. Because while Kroger Corn Dogs are unassuming at first glance, upon taking one bite, you forget that you're eating a cheap frozen corn dog from a grocery store. Kroger has some products to avoid, but not these corn dogs — they are one of the brand's shining stars.

The hot dog itself is made of chicken, and it's super tasty and full of flavor. The cornbread is crispy and flaky and has a tremendous crunch. It tastes like freshly fried, homemade cornbread. Overall, the serving is very big, but that's mostly the breading — admittedly, the hot dog gets a little lost in all that dough. However, it's so tasty that this doesn't matter much. This is a fantastic tasting product at an affordable price. It's a solid top-three corn dog, but there are two that surpass it.

Wienerschnitzel is the place to go for a fast-food hot dog, and as it turns out, their grocery store corn dogs are just as good as the ones they serve in the restaurant. I was hoping this was true — my mom used to take me to Wienerschnitzel as a kid, and I remember it fondly. But even if your mom didn't do that, taking a bite of one of Wienerschnitzel Original Corn Dogs is like going back in time and tasting something so delicious for the first time as a kid. These corn dogs are heaven on a stick. 

There's a solid cornbread-to-hot-dog ratio, and the bread is very crispy on the outside and doughy and moist (in a good way) on the inside. The hot dog is a bit smaller than some others on this list, but it has a great flavor that really punches you in the face (in a good way). Overall, the cornbread and the actual hot dog complement each other and, together, create a pleasantly greasy treat that tastes like something you would get on a boardwalk or at a local fair.

And now, it's time to meet the top corn dog, the best of the best: Foster Farms Corn Dogs. This tastes like a stable corn dog you could eat regularly. There's a lightness to both the breading and the hot dog (probably because it's made of chicken) that is extremely pleasant. It's also noticeably less greasy than many of the others, but that doesn't take away any of the flavor; it's just a little bit drier. 

The cornbread is crispy and, although there's a lot of it, it's not overly breaded. It's sweet, but not too sweet, as the best corn dog batter should be. The hot dog is delicious — they really got the chicken-based hot dog recipe right here, as it's salty but not overly so, and packed with flavor. It doesn't actually taste like chicken, though — you're still eating what tastes like a hot dog. The overall pleasantness of this corn dog is what makes it come out on top and be able to beat Wienerschnitzel.  If I could place tiny crowns on each of the corn dogs in this box, I would do so, but I think I will just eat them for lunch every day instead. Yum.

These nine brands were all the corn dog brands in stock at stores near me, so my choices for comparison were based on availability. The corn dogs were ranked based on overall taste and experience, and all of them were prepared the same way in the oven. I tasted each brand on its own and then with mustard, for continuity.