This recipe for Homemade Hot Dog Chili Sauce from Amy will make any Summer event better! Ground beef, onion, garlic, ketchup and all the seasonings make this the best no bean hot dog chili sauce recipe a family favorite! Set up a simple hot dog bar with all the toppings for a fun and easy party. My Crockpot BBQ Meatballs or my Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes are also crowd pleasers!
Hi, I’m Amy from Atta Girl Says, where I share crafts, recipes, decorating projects and other ideas to make your home brighter and your heart lighter. One of our family’s favorite ways to celebrate summer is by grilling out on our beautiful new patio, and today I’m sharing my recipe for homemade hot dog chili. I hope you enjoy it!
Homemade Hot Dog Chili Recipe
Once you try this chili sauce recipe, you’ll never buy canned chili again.
My husband loves his hot dogs served Carolina style — with chili, slaw and onions.
I love to slather this chili sauce on homemade brats with pickle relish and spicy mustard. It’s also great on hamburgers.
Can you Freeze Hot Dog Chili Sauce?
Yes, you can! Whenever I make this hot dog chili recipe, I cook a big batch and freeze the leftovers in individual dinner-sized portions. We freeze the leftover homemade hot dog chili sauce flat in quart-size bags for easy storage and thawing.
How to Make Hot Dog Sauce
In some parts of America, people refer to chili as hot dog sauce. That’s due to the texture, which is much finer than the meat-and-beans style chili, which is great from a bowl on a cold day. This chili sauce is a condiment, like ketchup or mustard, that you spread on top of your hot dogs. So, you don’t want the beef chunky your hot dog sauce. This is also why most hot dog chili sauce recipes will not have beans.
The best way to accomplish this is by adding water to the ground beef before you cook it.
It sounds weird, I know, and it’s not the most appetizing image either. But it makes for some mighty fine chili. (Double entendre intended!)
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.
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.
The Best Homemade Hot Dog Chili Sauce Recipe!
Can You Make Hot Dog Chili Sauce in the Crockpot?
Yes, you can easily make this recipe in your slow cooker. My friend Melissa has a great recipe for Crockpot Hot Dog Chili Sauce that you will love!
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.
If you enjoyed this recipe for homemade hot dog chili sauce, be sure to check out my recipes for fall-off-the-bone ribs, North Carolina style barbecue and jalapeno-infused bourbon limeade.
Supper Recipes
Gather up the family and let's have supper!
Fall Off the Bone Ribs Recipe
Find out the secret for these mouthwatering BBQ ribs.
Lisa says
Hi Kim! Do you drain the hamburger before adding the remaining ingredients? Thanks!
Kim says
Hi Lisa, you do not drain the hamburger. The water will boil down and evaporate.
Rhonda says
Made this last year. A big hit. I actually froze the chili and used the last of it the other day. Making more today. Some of the best chili sauce we have ever had!
Kim says
Oh I’m so glad! Thanks for the comment!
Izzy says
I can’t wait to try out such a rich sauce with some pasta. It’s easy to make and spicy just the way I like it! Thank you for sharing!
Suzy says
We love putting chili on our hot dogs! This was so tasty! Loved it!
Kim says
It’s our favorite!
Sara Welch says
This is my kind of comfort food! Gave this a try for dinner last night and it did not disappoint; the whole family loved it!
Beti | easyweeknightrecipes says
This hot dog chili sauce will be a huge hit with my family! I am so excited to try it! 🙂
Kim says
I think they’re going to love it!
katerina @ diethood.com says
Oh my, this hot dog chili sauce is incredible! My family would LOVE it! YUM!
Kim says
It’s so good! A family fav here.
Beth says
My husband is going to love this recipe! I can’t wait to make this! It looks so delicious and yummy!
Kim says
It’s a keeper!
Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert says
This Homemade Hot Dog Chili Sauce looks absolutely delicious! Yummy!
Kim says
We love it for the 4th of July!
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious says
I love the water technique to get it the size you want.
Kim says
Isn’t it different? Seems so gross, but it really works well.
Chelsea says
This chili sauce is delicious!! We’re obsessed! Thanks for sharing!
Kim says
Thank you! Yes, it’s a keeper for sure!
Sara Welch says
What a great way to put some kick in the standard boring hot dog I usually feed my kids! This will be a hit for dinner tonight, indeed!
Kim says
Thank you! It’s fantastic when serving a crowd!
Ashley F says
My kids are going to LOVE this, especially because there are no beans in it!
Kim says
Yes! NO beans! Enjoy!
Rachael Yerkes says
best ever! can’t wait to make this all summer long
Kim says
It’s really good for the 4th of July!
Shirley Joyner says
Love to cruise your site..great recipes and ideas
Kim says
Thank you Shirley. I love getting comments like yours!
I think you were just a little wink from my late mother. Her name was Shirley Jones, very similar to yours. 🙂
Julie Blanner says
Looks so yum for the 4th of July fun!
ColleenB.~Texas says
I’m love’n this and found this recipe just in time for a big birthday bash that will coming up.
Looks Fantastic. I never did care for the store bought hot dog chili.
Thank You
Kim says
We just made it this week. It looked SO good, I had to! And it was delicious. I ended up only having 1 cup of ketchup in the house, so I substituted the rest with chili sauce. It was GOOD! I can see using this just as a sloppy joe recipe too! It’s a keeper for sure!