Best-Ever Hot Dog Sauce (Vendor Approved!) – under 10 ingredients

Homemade Hot Dog Chili Sauce is always so delicious and the perfect way to top chili dogs! This zesty hot dog sauce combines ground beef, tomato sauce, and seasonings into the perfect sauce. This recipe is quick to prepare and is ready in about 15-minutes.

But this hot dog chili recipe isn’t just for a hot dog condiment, it’s great for topping brats, burgers, quesadillas, chicken, and french fries, too! This recipe is also hot dog vendor-approved!

Grilled Chili Cheese dogs are a favorite from childhood. They are nostalgic and bring back so many fond memories of spending one-on-one time with family.

The chili dog sauce the vendors make is always so delicious but you just can’t get that same flavor from any Chili Sauce style topping you purchase pre-packaged. 

What is Hot Dog Chili Sauce?

This Hot Dog Sauce Recipe is a staple at hot dog stands, street vendors, diners, drive-in’s and homes all around the United States. The sauce in Texas is typically a spicier version of what you might find in the Coney Island region. Once you try it, you’ll never buy a canned hot dog sauce again!

Unlike a traditional ground beef chili recipe, this hot dog chili recipe is made without beans. Freshly ground beef, tomato sauce, and a few spices and seasoning are all you need for this amazing sauce.

What People are Saying about this Recipe!

This recipe is also hot dog vendor approved! Let’s look at what real people are saying about this hot dog chili recipe:

I use this recipe for my hot dog cart in Canada. My clients all love it. Thanks for sharing it. – Dan

I live in nova Scotia Canada I have a small food truck and I made this chili sauce best sauce hands down and all my customers love it. Thanks for the recipe. – Kirk

What Meat is best for Hot Dog Sauce (Chili Dog Sauce)

To make the chili sauce, choose ground beef that is 80 percent lean and 20 percent fat. To make more healthful chili sauce — choose ground beef that is 93 percent lean and 7 percent fat. Since the fat is drained off after cooking, it’s not as important to the dish as far as flavor and juiciness is concerned so you can definitely use lean ground beef without a flavor loss to the recipe.

What Ingredients are in Homemade Hot Dog Sauce?

This easy sauce starts with ingredients probably already in your pantry!

• Ground beef – I use 93% lean.
• Onion – I use finely chopped Vidalia, but white or yellow onions also work well here. The stronger the onion, the more flavor it adds to the sauce. Vidalias tend to be more sweet.
• Salt & Ground Black Pepper – Season to taste.
• Worcestershire Sauce – This gives a nice depth of flavor. Worcestershire is an ummami flavor and gives beef a greater depth of flavor.
• Garlic – freshly minced garlic is best and the most flavorful.
• Chili powder – I use dark red chili powder.
• Ground Cumin – more or less to taste.
• Tomato Sauce – use the best can of sauce you can afford in your budget. I use San Marzano tomatoes. This brand has great flavor and no added sugar.

How To make Homemade chili Dogs

1. Place the ground beef and onion in a large skillet. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. As the meat browns, crumble the beef into small pieces until the beef is no longer pink and onion is soft and translucent. If necessary, drain any excess oil.
3. Next, add the Worcestershire sauce, garlic, chili powder, cumin, tomato sauce, and water.
4. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to low.
5. Simmer until chili sauce reaches desired consistency about 15 minutes.

Chili Dog Toppings

• Vegetables: diced white onions, diced fresh or sundried tomatoes, jalapenos, or pepperoncini, pickles, hot or mild giardiniera.
• Cheese: shredded cheddar cheese, Colby-Jack, blue cheese, or spicy jalapeno or habanero are all great!
• Other Condiments: sweet or dill pickle relish, mustard pickles, hot chow chow relish, hot sauce, mustard, or ketchup.
• Other: coleslaw, sauerkraut, sliced olives, crumbled bacon.

How Long Do Chili Leftovers Last?

This Hot dog chili sauce won’t last long once you give it a try! If you do happen to have some leftovers, it will keep for about 4 days in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator or can be frozen in a zip-top bag for up to 3 months!

What to serve with Chili Dogs?

Barbecue side dishes vary widely. We typically serve chili dogs with a side of coleslaw or baked beans, but potato salad and homemade air fryer French fries are also quite popular.

Best Ever Chili Sauce

Ronda Eagle | Kitchen Dreaming

^{Homemade Hot Dog Chili Sauce is always so delicious and the perfect way to top chili dogs! This zesty hot dog sauce combines ground beef, tomato sauce, and seasonings into the perfect sauce. This recipe is quick to prepare and is ready in about 15-minutes. But this hot dog chili recipe isn't just for a hot dog condiment, it's great for topping brats, burgers, quesadillas, chicken, and french fries, too! This recipe is also vendor approved!}

5 from 5 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

Course Dinner, lunch

Cuisine American

Servings 18 servings

Calories 42 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 lb. Ground beef, extra lean
• 1/2 cup Onion , finely chopped
• Salt and pepper , to taste
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cloves Garlic , minced into a paste
• 1 tbsp. Chili Powder
• 1/4 tsp. Ground Cumin
• 1 cup Tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup Water

Instructions

 

• Place the ground beef and onion in a large skillet. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• As the meat browns, crumble the beef into small pieces until the beef is no longer pink and onion is soft and translucent. If necessary, drain any excess oil.
• Next, add the Worcestershire sauce, garlic, chili powder, cumin, tomato sauce and water.
• Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to low.
• Simmer until chili sauce reaches desired consistency.

Notes

1. Spice yours up with the addition of jalapeno pepper, hot chili powder or favorite hot sauce to meet your needs.
2. Nutrition is calculated based on the recipe as written. Additions, omissions, or substitutions will change the calculated values shown. The addition, omission, or substitution of ingredients will alter the nutritional information shown. Nutrition percentages are based on a 2000-calorie diet. The FDA recommends 80 micrograms of vitamin K.

Nutrition

Calories: 42kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 5gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 104mgPotassium: 156mgFiber: 0gSugar: 0gVitamin A: 300IUVitamin C: 1.4mgCalcium: 9mgIron: 0.9mg

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!