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These Chili Dogs are everything I love about a backyard cookout, with grilled franks tucked into soft buns, smothered in a quick homemade beef chili, then buried under melty cheddar and baked until gooey. They come together as easily as our smash burgers and disappear just as fast.
No canned chili here, just a fast from-scratch sauce that tastes like the classic coney-style chili dogs you grew up on.
Chili Dogs Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 5 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 30 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 35 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 8 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 508kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Savory, meaty, and cheesy with a warm, classic chili spice
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, on par with our taco joes
Quick Answer
Brown ground beef, toast chili powder, cumin, and warm spices in the fat, then stir in tomato sauce, ketchup, mustard, and Worcestershire and simmer 15 minutes. Grill the hot dogs, set them in buns in a baking dish, top each with the chili and shredded cheddar, and bake at 350 degrees for 5 to 8 minutes until the cheese melts for the best Chili Dogs.
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Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- The chili is homemade but fast. Browned beef plus pantry sauces simmer into a rich coney-style chili in about 20 minutes, no canned stuff needed.
- Toasting the spices adds depth. Letting the chili powder and cumin fry in the beef fat for a few seconds wakes up all that flavor.
- Baking melts the cheese perfectly. A quick trip to the oven turns the shredded cheddar into a gooey, bubbly blanket over every dog.
- It feeds a crowd. Lining the dogs up in one baking dish means you can serve eight at once, hot and cheesy.
- Everyone can customize. Set out onions, jalapenos, and extra cheese so each chili dog is built exactly how each person likes it.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They are the ultimate fun, handheld cookout dinner, right at home next to our BBQ ribs.
- The homemade chili tastes way better than canned and comes together in one skillet.
- Baking them all at once makes these chili dogs perfect for parties, game day, and busy weeknights.
Key Ingredients
Pantry staples and a few hot dogs are all it takes for these chili dogs. Here is what each part brings.
- Ground Beef: The base of the quick homemade chili, browned into fine crumbles so every bite of the sauce is meaty.
- Chili Spices: Chili powder, cumin, garlic, and onion powder, plus a pinch of ginger and cinnamon for that classic coney-style warmth.
- Tomato Sauce and Ketchup: They give the chili its rich, slightly sweet, tangy backbone without any long simmering.
- Hot Dogs and Buns: Use your favorite all-beef franks and soft buns to hold all that saucy, cheesy goodness.
- Sharp Cheddar: Piled on top and baked until melty and gooey, with chopped onion for a little crunch.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
These Chili Dogs are easy to make your own. Here are a few favorite twists.
- Use all-beef, turkey, or plant-based dogs, or swap in bratwurst for a heartier version.
- Add diced jalapenos, a drizzle of hot sauce, or a pinch of cayenne for extra heat.
- Top with diced white onion, pickled jalapenos, mustard, or a handful of corn chips for crunch.
- Turn the chili into a dip or pile it over fries the way we do with our coney island hot dog sauce.
How to Make Chili Dogs
- Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking it into fine crumbles, until cooked through. Drain off the fat.
- Stir in the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, ginger, and cinnamon, and let the spices toast in the fat for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the tomato sauce, ketchup, water, mustard, soy sauce, and Worcestershire. Stir, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, then season with salt to taste and set aside.
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees and grill the hot dogs until cooked through. Nestle each one into a bun and line them up snugly in a baking dish.
- Spoon the chili evenly over each hot dog, then sprinkle the shredded cheddar generously over the tops.
- Bake for 5 to 8 minutes, just until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Top with chopped onions and serve right away.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Drain the fat. Pouring off the grease after browning keeps the chili rich instead of greasy.
- Toast the spices. Frying the seasonings in the beef fat for 30 seconds builds deeper, bolder flavor.
- Do not skip the simmer. Fifteen minutes lets the chili thicken and the flavors meld into that classic taste.
- Shred your own cheese. Freshly grated cheddar melts smoother and gooier than pre-shredded.
- Snug them up. Lining the dogs up tightly in the dish keeps them upright so the toppings stay put.
- Make the chili ahead. The sauce reheats beautifully, so you can prep it a day or two early.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
These Chili Dogs are a meal on their own, but they are even better with a side of fries, chips, or our crispy BBQ ribs sides for a full cookout plate.
Set up a topping bar with onions, jalapenos, mustard, and extra cheddar so everyone can build their own, just like with our Maid-Rite loose meat sandwiches.
Leftover chili keeps for days in the fridge, so spoon it over fries, baked potatoes, or nachos for an easy second meal.
Chili Dogs FAQs
All-beef franks are the classic choice for the richest flavor, but any hot dog works, including turkey or plant-based. For an extra hearty version, use jumbo or bun-length dogs so they hold up to all the chili and cheese.
You can in a pinch, but the quick homemade beef chili here tastes far better and only takes about 20 minutes. If you do use canned, choose a thick, no-bean chili so the dogs do not get soggy.
Make the chili up to two days ahead and refrigerate it, then reheat while you grill the dogs. Assemble and bake just before serving so the buns stay soft and the cheese is freshly melted.
Classic coney-style chili dogs use a smooth, bean-free chili so the sauce clings to the hot dog. If you love beans, stir in a small can of drained chili beans, but expect a chunkier, looser topping.
Store any leftover chili and assembled dogs separately in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat the chili on the stove and warm the dogs in the oven, then add fresh cheese so everything is hot and melty again.
Yes. Grill the dogs, then top them with warm chili and cheese and close the grill lid for a minute or two until the cheese melts. The oven just makes it easy to do a big batch all at once.
Love that homemade chili? Spoon it over fries or pile it high on our coney island hot dog sauce for another cookout favorite.
Chili Cheese Dogs
Ingredients
Chili Sauce:
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- pinch of ground ginger
- pinch of ground cinnamon
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- salt to taste
Chili Cheese Dogs:
- 8 hot dogs
- 8 hot dog buns
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- Finely chopped white onions optional
Instructions
Chili Sauce:
- Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat until cooked through and no longer pink, breaking it up into fine crumbles. Drain the fat.
- Place the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, ginger, and cinnamon in the pan with the beef and mix together. Let the spices “fry” in the fat for 30 seconds so the flavors get aromatic.
- Add the tomato sauce, ketchup, water, yellow mustard, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce, stir to combine.
- Cover and let simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and season with salt if necessary. Set aside.
Chili Cheese Dogs:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grill the hot dogs over medium-high heat until cooked through.
- Place the hot dogs into the hot dog buns and place them in a baking dish that will hold them all.
- Top each hot dog evenly with the chili sauce.
- Sprinkle the cheese over the tops evenly.
- Place into the oven and bake just until the cheese has melted, 5-8 minutes. Serve with chopped onions on top.
Notes
- You can use any kind of hot dogs for these that you like, cheese dogs, natural casing weiners, etc.
- We like to use freshly shredded cheese at it melts better.
- The addition of the onions are completely optional.
- Use any cheese that you find appetizing on hot dogs.
Nutrition
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