Chili Cheese Dogs bring a carnival to your kitchen with ground beef, spices, and sharp cheddar cheese on top of a classic hot dog. These spicy summer staples are easy to make, and use ingredients you can find easily.
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Why this Chili Cheese Dog Recipe is a Keeper
Chili dogs are a comfort food that you can enjoy at home. Gooey cheese is melted on top of a classic hot dog, covered in warm chili. These hot dogs are loaded with flavor, and are perfect for game day.
- Easy Ingredients: All of the ingredients can be found in your kitchen or local grocery store.
- Party Pleaser: These chili dogs are great for parties, cookouts, and more.
- Adaptable: Add all your favorite toppings, or adjust this easy chili dog recipe to your dietary needs.
If you love a good chili dog and are looking for more chili recipes, try these: Frito Chili Pie, Leftover Brisket Chili, and Bush’s White Chicken Chili.
What is the Difference Between Chili Dogs and Coney Dogs?
Chili dogs and Coney dogs are both hot dogs covered in a meat sauce. However, chili dogs are covered in a thin, spicy chili sauce, while Coney dogs are covered in a thicker meat sauce. Despite the name, Coney Island hot dogs do not come from Coney Island in New York, but rather from Michigan, where they are largely enjoyed.
Ingredients You Need for Chili Cheese Dogs
- Chili Seasoning: Season the hot dogs with our chili seasoning recipe.
- Shredded Cheese: Melt a cup of shredded cheddar cheese over the chili dogs.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
Variations and Substitutions for Homemade Chili Cheese Dogs
- Texas Wieners: Add a meat sauce, white onions, and mustard to make Texas wieners, another game day classic.
- Cheese: Use a different kind of cheese, such as mozzarella, Monterey jack cheese, or pepper jack.
- Beef Chili: Instead of beef, you can use ground turkey for the same great chili taste.
- Seasoning: Season these chili dogs with cheese even more with ground cumin, paprika, and chili powder.
- Ketchup: Make this recipe with ketchup instead of tomato paste.
Flavor Pro Tip
Before adding that delicious chili, take a moment to toast your hot dog buns. You can do this quickly on a grill, under the broiler, or even in a pan with a little butter. This creates a barrier that helps the bun hold up to the chili’s moisture and prevents it from getting soggy.
How to Make Homemade Chili Cheese Dogs
These are the basic steps for making chili cheese dogs. Refer to the full, printable recipe card below for detailed instructions.
1. Cook Beef and Onions
Heat oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and onion; cook until meat is browned. Be sure to break up the meat very finely. Drain off any fat.
2. Simmer
Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onion and ground beef and Add beef, onion and remaining ingredients to a large pot; thicken with more tomato paste if desired. Simmer on low for at least one hour.
3. Cook Hot Dogs
After you make the chili sauce, cook hot dogs according to package directions. Place in a hot dog bun and top with cheese.
Baked Chili Cheese Dogs FAQs
Store leftover chili mixture in an airtight container for 3-4 days, and cover the hot dogs separately in saran wrap. When you want a chili dog, microwave the chili for about a minute, and the hot dog separately for about 30 seconds. Add the chili onto the hot dog in a bun, then add the cheese on top.
Coney dogs are made with Coney sauce, which includes beef heart meat, so this recipe is closer to a chili dog. However, both contain ground beef.
Yes; these hot dogs with chili are spicy, as they contain chili seasoning. You can adjust the spice level to make them more or less spicy with the amount of seasoning you use.
Expert Tips to Make this Chili Cheese Dog Recipe
- Cinnamon: Add a touch of cinnamon for a sweet and spicy flavor.
- Crockpot: Instead of on the stove, you can make the chili topping in the crock pot.
- Onions: For more texture, add some diced onions and mustard.
- Chili Cheese Fries: If you have a lot of chili and have some to spare, you can make chili cheese fries with the leftovers.
- Cooking: Grilled hot dogs make for some great classic chili dogs, but you can also make flavorful chili cheese dogs lots of different ways. Pan fry the hot dogs, or bake in the oven instead.
- Chili Beans: Upgrade these regular chili dogs with some chili beans, which will make a thick chili sauce.
What to Serve with the Best Chili Cheese Dogs
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Chili Cheese Dogs
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Ingredients
- 1 pound Ground Beef
- 1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil
- 1 Onion, diced
- 1 ½ teaspoon Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Oregano
- 2 teaspoons Paprika
- 2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
- ½ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 2 teaspoons Chili Powder
- 10.75 ounces Tomato Soup, 1 can
- 10.75 ounces Water
- 8 ounces Tomato Sauce, 1 can
- 1 cup Cheese, Shredded
- 12 Hot Dogs
- 12 Hot Dog Buns
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and beef and cook until meat is browned. Be sure to break up the meat very finely. Drain off any fat.
- Add beef, onion and remaining ingredients to a large pot. Simmer on low for at least one hour.
- Cook hot dogs according to package directions, place in buns, then add chili and cheese.
Christina’s Notes
- Cinnamon: Add a touch of cinnamon for a sweet and spicy flavor.
- Crockpot: Instead of on the stove, you can make the chili topping in the crock pot.
- Onions: For more texture, add some diced onions and mustard.
- Chili Cheese Fries: If you have a lot of chili and have some to spare, you can make chili cheese fries with the leftovers.
- Cooking: Grilled hot dogs make for some great classic chili dogs, but you can also make flavorful chili cheese dogs lots of different ways. Pan fry the hot dogs, or bake in the oven instead.
- Chili Beans: Upgrade these regular chili dogs with some chili beans, which will make a thick chili sauce.
- Scale the recipe: Simply adjust the serving size in the recipe card and the ingredients will update automatically.
- Make your own All Purpose Seasoning: When a recipe calls for All Purpose Seasoning, you can use my homemade All Purpose Seasoning recipe or substitute salt and pepper to taste.
- Meat doneness: I always use a meat thermometer to test for doneness when cooking meat.
- Use unsalted butter: I use unsalted butter so I can control the salt level in the recipe.
- Preheat the oven: Unless otherwise noted, always preheat your oven before baking.
For more helpful information about this recipe, such as variations, substitutions and other pro-tips, check out the blog post.
This is the ultimate comfort food, with a perfect mix of spicy and cheesy goodness. My go-to for a quick and tasty meal!
This is a really fun twist on two American classics. I love the idea! #client
It’s so yummy too! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Looks great for all ages to enjoy! YUM! #client
It sure is! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
No doubt! This recipe is full of taste to enjoy, especially for kids. Me and my family also like this but beef is too much favorite meal. In the beef cuts especially filet mignon is most liked by all of my family members.
My kids would LOVE these. They gobble this kind of stuff up!