Easy Hot Dog Chili Recipe

Do you love chili dogs? If you’re like most people, then yes! This hot dog chili recipe is surprisingly easy to make! It has the perfect balance of savory, heat, and a little sweet. Let me walk you through the process.

What is the Difference Between Hot Dog Chili and Regular Chili?

Hot dog chili is different from traditional chili in that most traditional chilis are soupy in texture and contain beans. It is mostly ground beef in a little bit of thickened sauce and has a touch of sweet to it. It helps balance the savory of the chili and the hot dog itself.

The Ingredients

• Ground beef
• Salt
• Pepper
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
• Chili Powder
• Ground cumin
• Tomato Sauce
• Ketchup

And don’t forget the hot dogs, buns, shredded cheddar cheese, and diced onion.

Ground Beef and Seasonings

To make this hot dog chili recipe, place a pound (16 oz.) of ground beef in a large skillet and cook over medium heat. Season with two teaspoons of salt, two tsp pepper, one tsp garlic powder, and one tsp onion powder. Cook for 10 minutes or until browned. Drain grease by either pouring into a colander or use a few paper towels and absorb grease from the pan.

Ground beef with an 80/20 blend is perfect for this recipe. It has a decent amount of fat, which provides more flavor. With that said, other blends with less fat will work for this recipe too.

Sauce and Simmer

With ground beef cooked and grease drained, add six ounces of tomato sauce and six ounces of ketchup. I like ketchup in this recipe because it adds some sweetness to it. Next, add one teaspoon of chili powder and a half teaspoon of cumin. Stir all of the ingredients in the skillet until well mixed.

Let it simmer for 10 to 15 minutes to let the ingredients cook together, but also for the sauce to thicken. Once done, remove from the heat and serve!

What to Serve with Hot Dog Chili

You might not be surprised to hear this, but serve hot dogs with your hot dog chili. Because that’s what it’s made for! But this recipe is also great for chili cheese burgers and chili cheese fries, too. Try this chili on my Five Guys copycat fries recipe!

Wanna make this chili dog even better? Use Hawaiian rolls for a bun! Simply slice three connected Hawaiian rolls in half, about 3/4 of the way. Butter the insides and place face down on the griddle until toasted to your liking.

How Long Can It Be Stored?

This dish can be stored in a container and chilled in the refrigerator for up to four days. Make extra chili for topping burgers and fries. Or more hot dogs.

Similar Recipes to Try

Crack Burgers

Smoked Tri Tip Sandwich

Steak and Chimichurri Sandwich

Hawaiian Roll Cheeseburger Sliders

Garlic Bacon Burgers

Easy Hot Dog Chili Recipe

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 1 minute

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 26 minutes

Make the best chili dogs with this easy hot dog chili recipe! Can be made in a manner of minutes and elevates your hot dogs to the next level of flavor!

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Ingredients

• 1 lbs. ground beef
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 4 oz. tomato sauce
• 6 oz. ketchup
• 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 6 hot dogs
• 6 hot dog buns
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 Cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions

1. Place ground beef in skillet over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper and cook until browned. Drain grease.
2. Add in tomato sauce, ketchup, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, ground cumin. Let simmer at medium low heat for 10 to 15 minutes.
3. While hot dog chili is simmering, cook hot dogs to your liking.
4. Once chili is done cooking, pour into open hot dog bun. Place hot dog in and top with diced onions and shredded cheese.

Notes

1. Make hot dog chili spicier by adding another teaspoon of chili powder.
2. For chunkier chili, add diced tomatoes.
3. Instead of a traditional hot dog bun, serve on Hawaiian rolls by taking three connected rolls and slicing mostly in half, about 3/4.
4. Try this chili on hamburgers! Also use my homemade french fries recipe to make chili cheese fries!

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1 chili dog
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 400Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 80mgSodium: 663mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 0gSugar: 8gProtein: 20g

Note: Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.