Grilled hot dogs with a little char, piled with warm spicy chili thinned just enough to pour, and finished with a handful of sharp cheddar that starts to melt on contact. No fuss — chili and cheese on a grilled dog, dressed up only if you feel like it.
SpicyKid-FriendlyQuick Meal
Best for: a fast cookout dinner or game day. Makes 8. About as quick as a hot meal gets — grill, warm the chili, assemble.
Chili Cheese Dogs — Recipe
Prep
5 min
Cook
10 min
Total
~15 min
Makes
8 dogs
Equipment
Grill
Small saucepan
Ingredients
8 hot dogs (your favorite brand)
8 hot dog buns
1 (15 oz) can Hormel Spicy Chili, No Beans
2–4 tbsp water
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar
Instructions
Preheat the grill to medium-high. Grill the hot dogs, turning occasionally, until browned and heated through with a little char.
While they grill, pour the chili into a small saucepan. Stir in 2–4 tbsp water to thin it enough to pour easily. Heat over medium-low, stirring, until hot.
Optional: toast the buns on the grill 30–60 seconds for extra flavor and texture.
Place a grilled dog in each bun. Spoon a generous amount of warm chili over the top, then finish with a handful of cheddar.
Serve immediately while the chili's hot and the cheese is starting to melt.
Notes from experience
Hormel Spicy Chili with No Beans is the pick here — the right consistency and just enough heat for pouring over a dog. Thinning it with a splash of water is the small step that matters: it spoons on cleanly and gives much better coverage than straight from the can.
Dress them up (or don't)
Diced onion, jalapeños, or yellow mustard all make great additions if you want more going on — but they're just as good kept simple with chili and cheese. Build to the crowd.
Dietary note
Not gluten-free as written (buns, and check the chili and hot dogs) — swap GF buns and verify the chili and dogs to adapt. Contains dairy (cheese). The Hormel chili contains meat, so it's not vegetarian; a canned vegetarian chili would swap in cleanly.
