30 Side Dishes Your Hot Dogs Have Been BEGGING For
Hot diggity dog these sides are good!
We're definitely no strangers to creating new ways to enjoy grilled vegetables and dreaming up inventive burger recipes, but the simplicity of hot dogs holds a special place in our hearts (though we’ve also been known to go wild with them too; here’s looking at you, jalapeño popper dogs). That said, whether you’re a ketchup-only purist or you go crazy with the toppings, a hot dog alone does not make a full meal. You could just grab a bag of chips... OR check out this list of hot dog side dishesfor more ideas.
We’ve got the classics, like homemade french fries or sweet potato fries, but since you’re likely cooking outdoors for a picnic or backyard BBQ, there’s lots of room to get even more creative with your sides. Everyone loves a salad (whether it be leafy, potato, or pasta-based), so we’ve included our standard macaroni salad, a jalapeño popper potato salad, and our watermelon feta salad. Need to feed a crowd? Try our homemade mac and cheese or our baked beans. We promise, they’re worth turning your oven on for.
One of our favorite things about hot dogs over burgers has gotta be the buns. Hear us out: The more things you try to pile onto a burger, the messier it gets, right? But with a hot dog, everything can be way better contained in those soft, pillowy buns, meaning the sky's the limit for toppings. So when it comes to side dishes, we thought about what could be served both alongside hotdogs and on top of them. Try topping them with our avocado salsa, grilled pineapple salsa, or coleslaw, or go classic, with a beef chili. Chili dogs, FTW!
Want more warm weather ideas? Check out our summer BBQ sides and salads too.
Green Bean Salad
Fresh garden green beans are one of summer’s most perfect gifts, so if your family cookout doesn’t feature a big bowl of this salad beside the platter of hot dogs, you’re seriously missing out.
Get the Green Bean Salad recipe.
Hot German Potato Salad
American potato salad comes in many shapes and sizes, but most feature a mayonnaise base with a mix of crunchy chopped veggies and fresh herbs. Unlike the chilled, creamy picnic staple we're familiar with, German potato salad is served warm with a bacon vinaigrette.
Get the Hot German Potato Salad recipe.
Queso Mac & Cheese
This one-pot recipe starts by cooking macaroni, then uses the same pot and pasta water to create a very creamy queso sauce that coats every curly noodle. For an extra kick, finish it off with a crunchy salsa crumble. Serve this side dish alongside hot dog tacos for a twist that'll have everyone asking for seconds!
Get the Queso Mac & Cheese recipe.
Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
Elote (Mexican street corn) and pasta salad are two classic cookout sides for very good reason. Elote offers a charred flavor, while pasta salad is the easy, reliable side dish that everyone thanks you for. We love both of these summer sides so much that we decided to combine them for the ultimate potluck dish.
Cowboy Beans
Baked beans are a backyard BBQ staple, but cowboy beans take this simple side to the next level. Hearty, creamy beans are cooked with bacon, ground beef, aromatics, and pickled jalapeños for the ultimate summer side dish.
Get the Cowboy Beans recipe.
Blueberry Peach Feta Salad
Blueberries, peaches, cucumbers, AND feta? You’ll be amazed by how well this combination comes together in salad form (and how well it goes with savory hot dogs!).
Get the Blueberry Peach Feta Salad recipe.
Classic Macaroni Salad
Macaroni salad is one of our favorite things to pair with hot dogs, pulled pork, or ribs, which is why it's such a disappointment when it's too dry or soggy. Not to fear—this recipe guarantees perfection every time.
Get the Classic Macaroni Salad recipe.
Mexican Corn Salad
reason. It’s one of those dishes that’s far greater than the sum of its parts: Sweet corn is tossed with crunchy, spicy aromatics and smothered in a creamy, smoky, lime-spiked sauce that is unreasonably good (especially alongside hot dogs).
Get the Mexican Corn Salad recipe.
Jalapeño Popper Potato Salad
While we can't get enough of a classic potato salad, we also love to get creative with this staple side dish. For this recipe, we decided to take the flavors of one of our favorite apps—jalapeño poppers—and add them to this classic potato side. With crispy bacon, hot jalapeños, shredded cheddar cheese, and a simple dressing, this potato salad adds a kick of heat to the classic that we can't get enough of.
Get the Jalapeño Popper Potato Salad recipe.
Cheesy Asparagus Foil Packs
Our cheesy baked asparagus is one of our most popular recipes (and for very good reason). It's so well-loved, that we knew we had to make a grilled version. This summer side uses one of our favorite summer hacks—foil packs—to make serving asparagus easier than ever.
Get the Cheesy Asparagus Foil Packs recipe.
Beef Chili
Chili dogs, anyone? This beef chili is a CLASSIC, but if you want alternatives, try topping your hot dogs with sloppy Joes, vegetarian chili, Crockpot white chicken chili... get creative!
Get the Beef Chili recipe.
Black Bean & Corn Salad
Think of this as a medley of the most exciting parts of a vegetarian burrito bowl, unadulterated by rice, and hyped up by a little honey-lime action. Pair it alongside or on top of your hot dogs.
Get the Black Bean & Corn Salad recipe.
Fiesta Corn Salad
When corn is in season, it’s a crime to not eat as much of it as possible. If you’ve got the grill fired up for hot dogs, burgers, steaks, or chicken, then it’s the perfect time for this corn salad.
Get the Fiesta Corn Salad recipe.
Classic Coleslaw
A classic, staple side dish to rely on, coleslaw is a MUST when it comes to summer BBQs, potlucks, and picnics. Everyone needs a go-to recipe, and we happen to think that ours is the one you should reach for.
Get the Classic Coleslaw recipe.
Cheddar Bacon Ranch Corn
While we love the smoky, charred flavor the grill gives corn all on its own, sometimes we’re looking to do something a little extra. We’ve dreamed up countless toppings for grilled corn on the cob, but this cheddar, bacon, and ranch combination just might be our favorite.
Get the Cheddar Bacon Ranch Corn recipe.
Panzanella Salad
Summer, to us, is a huge bowl of panzanella in the center of the table: generous bronzed croutons tossed with chunks of juicy tomato, shallots, and torn basil in a bright vinaigrette. It might technically be called a salad, but you’ll probably find yourself snacking on this panzanella for breakfast, dinner… and dessert.
Get the Panzanella Salad recipe.
Grilled Potatoes
These potatoes are the perfect summer side. Take it from us, though, and don't skip step 1. It's pretty much impossible to get potatoes tender and cooked through on the grill alone; parboiling the potatoes guarantees creamy centers and crisp, charred outsides.
Get the Grilled Potatoes recipe.
Baked Beans
Baked beans are sweet, tangy, savory, and the best part, surprisingly easy to make. Not to mention, they’re a one-pot wonder! Put them on your hot dogs, pair them alongside your cornbread, or enjoy them all on their own.
Get the Baked Beans recipe.
Grilled Pineapple Salsa
If you've never grilled pineapple before, you're missing out! Use it to make this salsa that pairs great on top of smoky hot dogs, or turn it into skewers, like in our chipotle tofu and pineapple skewers or pineapple salmon skewers.
Get the Grilled Pineapple Salsa recipe.
Avocado Salsa
Creamy, just-ripe avocados are tossed with chopped tomatoes, jalapeño, red onion, sweet corn, and tons of chopped fresh cilantro to create this refreshing hybrid dip and topping that your tortilla chips and hot dogs will thank you for.
Get the Avocado Salsa recipe.
