Transform ordinary hot dogs into a hearty meal with this classic chili cheese dog recipe. It combines a simple homemade meat-and-bean chili, your preferred hot dog, and soft buns topped with melted cheddar.
Upgrade Your Hot Dogs!
Breathe new life into plain hot dogs by making chili cheese dogs and finishing them with gooey cheddar. Topped with chili and cheese, a hot dog becomes a satisfying, complete meal.
What is a chili dog? A chili dog is a hot dog served in a bun, topped with chili and cheese.
Chili Cheese Dog Recipe Highlights
Simple chili: this recipe uses an easy, straightforward chili—no fuss required.
Your favorite hot dog: choose any hot dog you like.
Serves a crowd: this recipe yields about 6 servings, great for family dinners or leftovers.
What You Need
Along with hot dogs, buns, and cheddar, you’ll need basic ingredients to make a simple homemade chili.
- Ground beef
- Olive oil
- Yellow onion
- Garlic
- Tomato paste
- Tomato sauce
- Kidney beans
- Chili powder
- Worcestershire sauce
- Hot dogs
- Hot dog buns
- Cheddar cheese (shredded)
Chili Options
Use your favorite chili: feel free to substitute any chili recipe you like.
Short on time? canned chili works well in a pinch.
Want more heat? add diced jalapeños or a few tablespoons of green chiles for extra kick.
How to Make Homemade Chili Cheese Dogs
Make the Chili
Heat a large pan over medium-high heat and cook the ground beef until browned, about 5–8 minutes. Remove the beef and set aside.
Sauté the diced onion in olive oil until tender, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and tomato paste; cook for one minute. Return the browned beef to the pan and stir in tomato sauce, water, drained kidney beans, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, and optional oregano. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and keep warm while you prepare the hot dogs.
Cook Hot Dogs
Most hot dogs are pre-cooked; cook them briefly to heat through and add texture. Grill or sauté for about 5–8 minutes, or microwave if you prefer.
Assemble the Dogs
Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Lightly slice open 6 hot dog buns without cutting all the way through and place them cut-side up on a baking sheet. Put one hot dog in each bun, spoon about 2–3 tablespoons of chili over each, then sprinkle 2–3 tablespoons of shredded cheddar on top.
Bake
Bake the assembled chili dogs at 400ºF for 8–10 minutes, or until the cheese is fully melted and the buns are lightly toasted.
Serve
Serve the chili cheese dogs immediately. To avoid soggy buns, store leftover chili separately in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Topping Ideas
Customize your chili dogs with extra toppings:
- Raw or caramelized onions
- Diced jalapeños
- Hot sauce
- Relish
- Additional shredded cheese
Chili Cheese Dog
Ingredients
For the Chili
- ½ pound ground beef (80/20 recommended)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ cup tomato sauce
- 2 cups water
- 15 oz can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano (optional)
For the Hot Dogs
- 6 all-beef hot dogs
- 6 hot dog buns
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Prepared chili (from above)
Instructions
Chili
- Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Brown the ground beef for 5–8 minutes, then remove and set aside.
- In the same pan, add olive oil and diced onion. Cook for about 5 minutes until softened.
- Add garlic and tomato paste and cook for one minute.
- Return the beef to the pan. Stir in tomato sauce, water, beans, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, and oregano.
- Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and keep warm.
Hot Dogs
- Preheat oven to 400ºF.
- Grill or sauté hot dogs until heated through, about 5–8 minutes.
- Open buns slightly and place them cut-side up on a baking sheet.
- Place one hot dog in each bun, top with 2–3 tablespoons of chili, then 2–3 tablespoons of shredded cheddar.
- Bake 8–10 minutes, until cheese is melted and buns are lightly toasted. Serve immediately.
Tip: Store leftover chili in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Avoid assembling and storing completed chili dogs to prevent soggy buns.
Nutrition
Calories: 658 kcal • Carbohydrates: 56 g • Protein: 34 g • Fat: 33 g • Fiber: 12 g • Sugar: 7 g
Nutrition information is an estimate and should be used as a guideline.