Make a meal out of your hot dogs and make this delicious chili cheese dog recipe! They’re made with a simple homemade meat and bean chili, your favorite hot dog, and a bun.
Upgrade Your Hot Dogs!
Boring hot dogs no more! It’s time to give your hot dogs a major upgrade and make chili dogs topped with ooey gooey cheddar cheese.
By topping your hot dog with chili and cheese, it really makes it a full meal, which we’re all about!
What is a chili dog? A chili dog is a hot dog on a bun topped with chili and cheese.
chili cheese dog recipe highlights
Simple chili: no need to get crazy with your chili! This chili cheese dog recipe uses a super simple chili recipe.
Your favorite hot dog: you can use any kind of hot dog for this recipe.
Serves a crowd: whether you’re making chili cheese dogs for the family or just want leftovers, this recipe serves 6.
What You Need
In addition to hot dogs, buns, and cheese, you need all the ingredients for a homemade simple 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
Chili Options
Want to use a different chili recipe? Go for it! Make this chili dog recipe you own and use your favorite chili recipe.
Can I used canned chili? If you’re in a run or don’t have time to make homemade chili, feel free to use canned chili.
Want a spicier chili? Simply add a few tablespoons of either green chiles (more mild) or diced jalapeños.
How to Make Homemade Chili Cheese Dogs
Make Chili
First things first, we need to prepare the chili. Add ground beef to a large pan and cook over medium/high heat until browned. Remove from the pan.
Next, add olive oil and onions and sauté. Add the ground beef back in along with the rest of the chili ingredients and bring to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 15 minutes.
Cook Hot Dogs
While the chili is simmering. Cook your hot dogs. Most hot dogs come fully cooked, so this is really just to heat them up and give them texture.
We prefer to either grill or sauté our hot dogs for around 5-8 minutes, but you can also microwave them if you prefer.
Top Hot Dogs
Slice 6 hot dog buns, making sure not to cut them all the way through. Then place one hot dog in each bun.
Top each hot dog with around 3 tablespoons of chili followed by 2-3 tablespoons of shredded cheddar cheese.
Bake
Bake chili dogs at 400ºF for 8-10 minutes or until the cheese is fully melted.
Serve
Serve chili cheese dogs immediately and top with any other toppings your heart desires.
Topping Ideas
Want to doctor up your dogs even more! Here are some ideas on more toppings!
- onions
- diced jalapeños
- hot sauce
- relish
- caramelized onions
Chili Cheese Dog
Ingredients
For the Chili
- ½ pound ground beef we used 80/20
- 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 cup 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 I used Nathan’s Brand
- 6 hot dog buns
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- Chili from above
Instructions
Chili
- Heat a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the beef is browned, remove it from the pan.
- Add the olive oil and diced onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until the onion is tender.
- Next, add the garlic and tomato paste and cook for one minute.
- Add the ground beef back to the pan along with the tomato sauce, water, beans, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, and oregano.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce it to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the chili from the heat and set it aside while you prepare the hot dogs.
Hot Dogs
- Preheat your oven to 400F.
- Grill or saute the hot dogs until they are warmed through– about 5-8 minutes over medium-high heat.
- Open the hot dog buns slightly (make sure not to rip them completely in half) and place them cut-side up on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 8 minutes, or just until they’re lightly toasted on top.
- Add one hot dog to each bun and top each hot dog with 2-3 tablespoons of chili, depending on how much you like!
- Top the chili with 2-3 tablespoons of cheddar cheese and place the hot dogs in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
- Serve immediately. I don’t recommend storing the assembled hot dogs as the chili can make the buns soggy. Store any leftover chili in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
