Nathan's Famous launching plant-based hot dog

Nathan's Famous teamed up with Meatless Farm for an alternative to its beef ballpark franks

Nathan’s Famous is going meatless. 

The iconic hot dog purveyor, known for its ballpark beef frank, announced Monday it's launching a plant-based hot dog. 

The New York-based restaurant and food company is partnering with Meatless Farm, a British company that makes vegan and plant-based meats using pea protein. The chain is the latest lean into plant-based food offerings as more restaurants and fast food chains add meat alternatives to menus. 

Nathan's Famous is launching a plant-based hot dog made from pea protein. 

The ingredients featured will include pea protein said to be low in saturated fat and low in sodium and made with Nathan's "secret spice recipe." 

The chain will sell the plant-based hot dogs online via Nathan’s retail portal on Shopify with kits that include six plant-based hot dogs per case, six buns and a bottle of Nathan’s Famous deli mustard for $44.99. The kits will be shipped nationwide, the company said in a press release. Consumers in the tri-state area and Florida will be able to try the new plant-based hot dog beginning in May at restaurants and the chain says it plans to expand to more locations in months to come. 

NATHAN'S FAMOUS ADDING MEATLESS IMPOSSIBLE BURGER TO MENUS 

"As plant-based menu items continue to grow in popularity, we are excited to launch the first-ever gourmet, plant-based hot dog, a product created not just for our flexitarian, vegetarian, and vegan customers, but all who enjoy a healthier diet," James Walker, Senior Vice President of Restaurants at Nathan’s said in a statement, adding: "We’ve spent a great deal of time perfecting this hot dog and making sure that those who know and love Nathan’s one-of-a-kind flavor, as well as those that might not have tried a Nathan’s hot dog due to diet, can now enjoy an option that fits their lifestyle." 

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Nathan’s Famous in February said it was adding plant-based burger patties from Impossible Foods to its menu. The chain rolled out a burger with two quarter-pounds of the Impossible patties with American cheese, onion rings, tomatoes and barbecue sauce on an everything-bagel seasoned bun. 

The chain joins a number of restaurants, such as Burger King, Dunkin', Taco Bell and Pizza Hut to roll out alternative meat offerings from the likes of Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat. 

Nathan's Famous Coney Island, meanwhile, announced last week it would sell its hot dogs for 5-cents – what they cost when the institution first opened in 1916 – each in honor of its post-pandemic reopening.