Quick Meals

Chili Cheese Dogs: Messy. Cheesy. Perfect.

2 min

Toast the cut sides of the buns until they're golden and a little stiff before anything wet touches them. That dry barrier is the difference between a sandwich you can pick up and a soggy collapse halfway to your mouth. I heat the chili until it's actually bubbling, then ladle it over the dog while it's hot enough to start melting the cheddar on contact. Shred your own cheese for this if you can, since the pre-bagged stuff has anti-caking starch that keeps it from going properly gooey.

By Nora Calloway

A little backstory

Chili dogs spread out of working-class diners and Coney Island stands across the American Midwest and South in the early twentieth century, often credited to Greek and Macedonian immigrant cooks who put their own spiced meat sauce on a hot dog. The "Coney" name is the fun wrinkle here, since most of the famous Coney dogs come from Michigan and not Coney Island at all. The story goes that immigrant founders named their spots after the New York landmark they'd passed through, and the label stuck.

Some foods are meant to be messy. Chili cheese dogs are the king of messy.

Grilled hot dog. Smoky, beefy chili. A mountain of shredded cheddar. Diced onion. That’s it. 20 minutes. Eat with your hands. Lick your fingers. Zero regrets.

Serves 4.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1 1

Heat the Chili

In a small pot, heat chili over medium heat until bubbly.

If making quick homemade: brown ground beef, drain, add tomato sauce, chili powder, and cumin. Simmer 5 minutes.

2 2

Cook the Hot Dogs

Grill, pan-fry, or boil hot dogs until heated through.

Steam or toast buns lightly.

3 3

Assemble

Place hot dog in bun. Squeeze mustard if using.

Ladle chili generously over the dog.

Pile on cheddar cheese. Top with onion and jalapeños.

4 4

Serve

Serve immediately with a fork (and napkins. so many napkins).

Summary

Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 10-15 minutes | Total Time: 15-20 minutes

Yield: 4 chili cheese dogs

Difficulty: Easy

Storage Notes

Best Fresh:

Assemble and eat immediately. Nobody wants a soggy chili cheese dog.

Leftover Chili:

Store chili in fridge for 4 days or freeze for 3 months. Reheat and make fresh dogs.

Pro Tip:

Toast the buns. A little crunch prevents soggy bottom syndrome.

The Ingredients

Everything you need.

Prep

5 minutes

Cook

10-15 minutes

Total

15-20 minutes

Yield

4 chili cheese dogs

Ingredients

4 hot dogs (beef recommended)
4 hot dog buns
1 (15 oz) can chili (no beans or with beans—your call)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
¼ cup diced white onion (optional)
Yellow mustard (optional)
Pickled jalapeños (optional)

Quick Homemade Chili (Optional):

½ lb ground beef
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 tbsp chili powder
½ tsp cumin

Instructions

1
Heat the Chili. Heat the Chili. In a small pot, heat chili over medium heat until bubbly. If making quick homemade: brown ground beef, drain, add tomato sauce, chili powder, and cumin. Simmer 5 minutes. 2 2
2
Cook the Hot Dogs. Cook the Hot Dogs. Grill, pan-fry, or boil hot dogs until heated through. Steam or toast buns lightly. 3 3
3
Assemble. Assemble. Place hot dog in bun. Squeeze mustard if using. Ladle chili generously over the dog. Pile on cheddar cheese. Top with onion and jalapeños. 4 4
4
Serve. Serve. Serve immediately with a fork (and napkins. so many napkins)
5
Best Fresh:. Best Fresh:. Assemble and eat immediately. Nobody wants a soggy chili cheese dog
6
Leftover Chili:. Leftover Chili:. Store chili in fridge for 4 days or freeze for 3 months. Reheat and make fresh dogs
7
Pro Tip:. Pro Tip:. Toast the buns. A little crunch prevents soggy bottom syndrome

Swaps & Substitutions

Canned chili → make the quick homemade version: brown 1/2 lb ground beef, drain, stir in an 8 oz can of tomato sauce, 1 tbsp chili powder, and 1/2 tsp cumin, then simmer 5 minutes.
Beef hot dogs → chicken, turkey, or a good plant-based dog all work; just cook them through, since they won't render fat the same way.
Cheddar → Monterey Jack or a Colby-Jack blend melt just as smoothly; pre-shredded works but melts stiffer because of the starch coating.
Dairy-free → use a meltable plant-based shred and check that your canned chili has no added cheese or butter.
Gluten-free → swap in GF buns and confirm the canned chili is GF, since some brands thicken with wheat flour.
White onion → red onion or thinly sliced scallion give the same sharp bite with a little less harshness raw.

Questions & Answers

Can I make these ahead for a party?

Make the chili ahead and keep it warm, but assemble each dog to order. Built chili dogs sit for two minutes and the bun gives out.

Why did my bun fall apart?

Either you skipped toasting or the chili was too thin. Toast the cut sides until firm, and simmer a watery chili down a couple of minutes so it mounds on the dog instead of running off.

Should I use chili with beans or without?

Either is fine. No-bean chili clings to the dog more neatly, while bean chili is heartier but more likely to roll off, so pile it on a little more carefully.

How do I keep the cheese from clumping instead of melting?

Shred it yourself and add it right onto the hot chili so the heat does the melting. If it's still stiff, a few seconds under the broiler or in the microwave loosens it up.

What's the best way to cook the hot dogs?

Grilling or pan-frying gives you a browned, slightly snappy skin that holds up under all that chili. Boiling works and is faster, but you lose the char.

Chili Cheese Dogs: Messy. Cheesy. Perfect.