Easy Hot Dog Chili Recipe

Sharing is caring!

Perfect for cookouts, here’s an easy and oh-so-tasty homemade hot dog chili recipe that you can also freeze. You’ll never buy canned again!

This homemade easy hot dog chili recipe will make you swear off the canned stuff forever.

It’s great on hot dogs, bratwurst, sausage, cheese dogs and hamburgers. Whenever we fire up the grill for a cookout, I always make a batch of homemade hot dog chili.

And what goes better with a sporting event than a chili-covered hot dog? If you’re gearing up to watch the playoffs or the Super Bowl or planning a March Madness spread, you need to add hot dogs and chili to the menu.

Because you can make this hot dog chili ahead of time and freeze it, it’s also good for tailgating. Just throw it in a sauce pan or a slow cooker to reheat. You can also reheat in the microwave.

When hot dogs are on the menu, you can keep the rest of the fare pretty simple. Just make sure you provide lots of options for hot dog toppings — chili, onions, relish, slaw and kraut.

We usually serve chips or fries, coleslaw, baked beans and potato salad with hot dogs. Salted watermelon or mandarin orange Jell-O salad are refreshing and easy dessert choices that go well with hot dogs.

Hot Dog Chili & Toppings

Once you try this scratch hot dog chili recipe, made with ground beef, onions, ketchup and spices, you’ll never buy canned again.

My husband loves his hot dogs served Carolina style — with chili, slaw and onions.

I love to slather this chili on brats with pickle relish and spicy mustard. It’s also great on hamburgers. Messy, but tasty.

What’s your favorite way to top your hot dogs?

This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience. If you make a purchase based on my referral, I earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you. Read my full disclosure policy here.

Whenever I make hot dog chili, I cook a big batch and freeze the leftovers in individual dinner-sized portions. We freeze the leftover homemade hot dog chili flat in quart-size bags for easy storage and thawing. (If you do a lot of freezer meals, these clever bag holders are a great buy. They make easy work of filling freezer bags without making a mess.)

How to Make Hot Dog Chili

Jump to Recipe

I first shared this hot dog chili recipe Today’s Creative Life. In case you missed it there, here are all the details. Or if you prefer, you can just skip ahead to the recipe.

Hot Dog Chili Ingredients

For this quick and easy hot dog chili recipe, you will need:

• Ground Beef – I like to use lean ground beef for this recipe
• Onion – use a Vidalia onion or another sweet variety for this recipe
• Garlic – you can use finely minced garlic or a garlic press
• Olive Oil – While the ground beef has some fat, you’ll need a bit of olive oil to saute the onions and garlic
• Ketchup – we switched to Heinz Simply tomato ketchup and prefer the taste of it to other brands and varieties
• Mustard – forget the fancy stuff; stick with regular yellow mustard when making hot dog chili
• Worcestershire sauce
• Chili Powder – used for flavoring, not to add spiciness to the hot dog chili
• Salt and Pepper

Hot Dog Chili Recipe

In some parts of America, people refer to chili as hot dog sauce. That’s due to the texture, which is much finer than meat-and-beans style chili, which is great from a bowl on a cold day. This chili is a condiment, like ketchup or mustard, that you spread on top of your hot dogs. So, you don’t want the beef chunky.

The best way to accomplish this is by adding water to the ground beef before you cook it. (I prefer to use lean ground beef.)

It sounds weird, I know, and it’s not the most appetizing image either. But it makes for some mighty fine chili or hot dog chili sauce.

Just add enough water to cover the ground beef. Then break up with a wooden spoon. Or, if you’re really gung ho, dig your hands in and break up the meat by letting it squish through your (clean) fingers.

For a beefier flavor, you can use beef broth instead of water to break up the meat.

I let the ground beef soak while I’m sweating the onions and garlic. Then, I add the beef and water to the pan and let the meat brown slightly before adding the rest of the ingredients, simmering and reducing.

This particular hot dog chili recipe, which you’ll find at the end of this post, uses ketchup, mustard, chili powder and Worcestershire sauce, along with salt and pepper. The combination gives the hot dog chili a tangy flavor.

Hot Dog Chili Recipe Video

You can make this hot dog chili right before heading outside to grill, but it’s best if you allow it to simmer so the flavors can meld. The more it simmers, the thicker and more richly flavored the hot dog chili will become.

When we are hosting a cookout or party, I usually make the chili a day or so ahead of time. Then, I’m able to reheat it on the stovetop or in a slow cooker.

Hot Dog Topping Ideas

I’ve found that everybody has a preferred way of topping a hot dog. Some people even have rules about whether the ketchup should go under the dog or on top.

To make sure that everybody gets to have their hot dog their way, it’s always fun to set up a hot dog toppings bar with everybody’s favorite condiments.

I always add a few unexpected choices, like salsa or crumbled bacon, too.

Popular hot dog toppings and condiments include:

• hot dog chili or sauce
• onions (grilled or raw)
• coleslaw
• grilled peppers
• sauerkraut
• cheese
• pickle relish
• pickles
• salsa
• jalapenos
• ketchup
• mustard
• mayonnaise

What goes with hot dogs and chili?

Hot dogs might be America’s favorite cookout food!

I’ve already mentioned a few things you might want to serve on your hot dogs. But what about sides to go with them?

Potato chips, french fries and onion rings are always a good choice. If you’re feeling fancy, give these fried squash chips or loaded avocado fries a try.

At a cookout, you can’t go wrong with southern-style baked beans, coleslaw and potato salad along with the hot dogs. A fruit salad is another good choice.

Can hot dog chili be frozen?

Yes, I freeze this hot dog chili all the time. I usually put it in a zippered bag and lay it flat in the freezer.

You can also freeze hot dog chili in ice trays for single-serving portions.

When you’re ready to serve, just thaw the chili in the refrigerator. Then remove it from the bag and reheat, either on the stove or in the microwave. You can also reheat it in a slow cooker on low.

You can also use a slow cooker to keep hot dog chili warm for serving.

Pin This! Homemade Hot Dog Chili

If you enjoyed this recipe for homemade hot dog chili, be sure to check out these other cookout favorites:

Fall-Off-The-Bone Ribs

North Carolina Style Barbecue

Mandarin Orange Salad

Honey & Blue Cheese Kettle Potato Chips

Southern Baked Beans Recipe