A summertime staple these Chili Cheese Dogs are super delicious, super easy and absolutely fun. They are perfect for both kids and adults alike!
Chili Cheese Dogs, what can I say about them. I have loved them since I was a kid. They are one of those recipes that you either had at a ball game or a drive-in.
We would always make them at home and I have continued that tradition until this day, we just absolutely love them and they are so so easy that you can’t not make them.
I love the combination of the ground beef chili sauce, hot dogs and cheese all mixed together. It is just one of those iconic recipes that you can’t not love.
We like to serve ours with some diced onions, but you can absolutely leave those off if you’d like, they are just a personal preference for us, it gives them an added crunch.
But we don’t always put them on there so like I said totally personal preference when it comes to them, top if you like or not!
All around these Chili Cheese Dogs are a fun recipe, everyone from kids to adults loves them and they are easy so we make these a lot, and all year round, we just can’t get enough.
Some of our other favorite easy recipes we have on our site include Cheeseburger Sliders, Mexican Style Hot Dogs and Parmesan Smashed Potatoes.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- This recipe includes very minimal and readily available ingredients.
- These are baked to melt the cheese and crisp up the bread.
- The chili sauce for these is homemade but you can use canned if you like.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE BELOW):
Ground beef
Chili powder
Ground cumin
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Pepper
Ground ginger
Ground cinnamon
Tomato sauce
Ketchup
Water
Yellow mustard
Soy sauce
Worcestershire sauce
Salt
Hot dogs
Hot dog buns
Cheddar cheese
Onions, optional
HOW TO MAKE CHILI CHEESE DOGS:
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.
WHAT DO I SERVE WITH CHILI CHEESE DOGS?
This is one recipe that we love doing for cookouts and just an easy weeknight meal and there are so many things that you can serve with them, some things we like include:
- Baked Beans
- Macaroni Salad
- Coleslaw
- Macaroni and Cheese
- Potato Chips
Anything that you would serve at a cookout with burgers or hot dogs will really work well with this Chili Cheese Dog Recipe!
WHAT IS THE BEST CHEESE TO USE?
We like to use cheddar cheese for this recipe and I truly believe that freshly grated cheese is best as it melts better. You can use any cheese that you like.
Other good ones are marble jack, Colby jack, or Monterey cheddar. But you can absolutely play around with the flavors and see what you like best.
You can also use a cheese sauce for this, canned or homemade. We sometimes use our Beer Cheese Sauce on here and it is amazing.
HOW TO STORE:
I do not recommend storing the Chili Cheese Dogs themselves as the buns will go soggy but you can make the chili sauce for these ahead of time and place in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
You can also freeze the chili sauce in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 1 month. To defrost let place in refrigerator and let defrost overnight then reheat in a pan or in the microwave.
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- 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 is completely optional.
- Use any cheese that you find appetizing on hot dogs.
If you want a fun and tasty nostalgic and classic meal then you have to make these Chili Cheese Dogs, you will not regret it!
If you like this recipe you might also like:
If you’ve tried these CHILI CHEESE DOGS let me know in the comments how it turned out! You can follow me over on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK to find some more of our mouthwatering recipes!
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.