How To Make Chicago Style Hot Dogs At Home - Easy!

Make an authentic Chicago Style Hot Dog at home with an all-beef frankfurter, poppyseed bun and all the classic toppings. This easy recipe includes all of the classic Chicago Hot Dog trimmings of mustard, onion, tomato, pickle, relish, peppers and celery salt.

About This Chicago Style Hot Dogs

Chicago Style Hot Dogs are delicious American hot dogs made with an all beef frankfurter and served on a poppyseed bun with yellow mustard, white onion, tomato, sport peppers, dill pickle spears, pickle relish and a sprinkle of celery salt.

It is often described as "dragged through the garden" with all of the salad toppings. It's one of the most famous foods of Chicago and a must try when you visit.

I ate several Chicago Hot Dogs when I visited and even went to the famous Weiners Circle. I also tried it at Portillo's and at the Shake Shack that was at the hotel I was staying at (Chicago Athletic Association).

Why This Recipe Works and Why You'll Love It

This is simple as simple gets. It's 3-5 minutes of simmering the frankfurts in water to warm them through and then just topping with salad. They're even easier than Sonoran hot dogs! These are great for a bbq, picnic or cook out. These are Mr NQN's favourite ever hot dogs!
The toppings give Chicago hot dogs a distinct flavour that is savoury, zingy and pickled. There's absolutely no ketchup or tomato sauce on these (that's a rule there!), which is probably why this is one of those sandwiches that inspires such strong opinions.
I'll show you the best order to put everything on the Chicago dog.
I'll also show you what they serve with them.
I will show you how to keep the frankfurters warm if bringing them to the beach or a picnic. Or how to keep them warm if making them at home for a party!
If you can't get a hold of poppyseed hot dog buns (almost impossible to find unless you make them yourself or do a special order), don't worry I've got a really simple trick to make DIY Chicago hot dog buns quickly!

Video How To Make Chicago Style Hot Dogs

Video: Chicago Style Hot Dog recipe

Ingredients For Chicago Style Hot Dogs

Frankfurts - In Chicago they use 100% beef kosher frankfurters by Vienna Beef company. These are not available here but go for any smoked beef frankfurter. I find the red skinned frankfurters aren't quite as good for Chicago Dogs as the ones in a clear casing but that's just personal taste.

Hot dog buns - Soft hot dog buns without sesame seeds on top.

Poppy seeds - To make the hot dog buns authentically Chicago style.

Egg white - You won't need much egg white, just enough to stick the poppy seeds to the bun.

Onion - White or brown onion, diced.

Pickle spears - We don't get a lot of long pickles in Australia but I bought some at an American import store. You can also use a dill pickle cut in half.

Pickle relish - Dill pickle relish can be found in the condiment section of the supermarket. They usually use a neon relish in Chicago (you can add a drop of green food colouring if you want).

Tomato slices - Fresh, ripe tomato.

Yellow mustard - American yellow mustard.

Pickled peppers - Sport peppers are hard to find in Australia so use curly pickled peppers or guindillas.

Celery salt - Just a light dash!

Tips For Making Chicago Style Hot Dogs

Chicago Style Hot Dog Recipe

An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott

Recipe Overview

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 5 minutes

Serves: 2

Ingredients Needed

For Hot Dog

2 Chicago style all beef frankfurts
2 Hot dog buns
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
A little egg white

For Topping

Yellow mustard
2 tablespoons chopped white onion
2 pickle spears
1-2 tablespoons pickle relish
3 tomato slices, cut in half moons
4 sport peppers or curly pickled peppers
Celery salt to sprinkle

Step-By-Step Instructions

Step 1 PREP - Start by prepping and cutting all of the toppings and place a pot of water on to boil.

Step 2 COOK - Gently simmer the frankfurts for around 5 minutes until warmed through. Meanwhile slice into the buns sideways to fit the frankfurts (don't cut all the way across). Brush the outside of the buns with a little egg white and sprinkle with poppy seeds. Microwave the buns for 20 seconds to soften.

Step 3 ASSEMBLE - For each hot dog, place a cooked frankfurter inside the bun and brush or drizzle with the mustard. Add 1 tablespoon of chopped onion, 1 pickle spear, 1/2-1 tablespoon pickle relish, 3 half moons of tomato and 2 pickled peppers on top. Sprinkle tomatoes lightly with celery salt and serve.

Personal Note

These Chicago Hot Dogs are actually Mr NQN's favourite which I was a bit surprised about because he likes sweeter things over savoury. Sometimes you can guess your spouse's taste but sometimes they can surprise you.

He also surprised me recently. We were staying at a hotel and had ordered eggs. Our routine at a breakfast buffet is that I will get everything because I want to take photos of everything and I like to plate things up nicely so Mr NQN sits at the table and orders the drinks. During this time, a waitress came over holding an omelette. She asked Mr NQN if it was ours.

Mr NQN looked at the omelette and asked what was on it. She explained that it was a herb omelette. "No that's not hers," he said definitely. "If it doesn't have chilli on it, it's not hers," he said.

I had no idea that of all the things he had noticed over the years, it was my omelette order. We are always joking about our ransom question and answer but it turns out it could have been my omelette order of chorizo, onion, cheese and chilli!

So tell me Dear Reader, do you have a standard omelette order? Have you ever tried a Chicago hot dog?

How To Make Chicago Style Hot Dogs At Home - Easy! was written by Lorraine Elliott and published on Monday, September 21, 2026 in American, Beef Recipes, Picnic Recipes, Sandwiches, Easy Snacks and Delicious Recipes.