The Definitive Ranking Of Hot Dog Toppings

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If your goal was to eat as many hot dogs as possible this summer, you have come to the right place. While we might not collectively like how hot dogs are made, you can't help but admit something magical happens when they're tossed on the grill and, more importantly, outfitted with a medley of toppings. Though the hot dog itself isn't anything special, the toppings and condiments elevate them, make them regionally unique, and, in many cases, spark debate among hot dog lovers. 

What truly is the best hot dog condiment, anyway? A great cop-out is "It depends who you ask." I, a hot dog enthusiast, don't believe that at all. I believe there is a scientific-ish way to determine which hot dog toppings are great and which ones don't belong at a barbecue, hot dog cart, or anywhere franks are sold. I put aside my personal bias to rank popular hot dog condiments based on their flavor balance, compatibility with other toppings, and universal appeal to hot dog lovers young and old. 

Let's make one thing clear: I am by no means a mayo hater. But I am a mayo hater when it's put on hot dogs, simply because it's an incompatible condiment. 

Mayonnaise is already creamy and eggy, and now you want to add insult to injury by slathering it on an already rich, fatty hot dog. Although there is some acidity at play in a good mayo, it's not enough to hide the unmistakable eggy undertones. Instead, look for something that adds contrast to your frank — and doesn't upset the mayo haters among us.

I don't like raw tomatoes, so my dislike of them on a hot dog is somewhat personal. However, once you consider that wet tomatoes on an already greasy hot dog bun are a bad idea, you'll see it's far from a personal gripe. You'd have to properly salt and season the tomatoes ahead of time to remove some of their water, which complicates the process even more.

Another strike against tomatoes is that they are almost never perfectly in season. You have to specifically look for heirloom, late-summer varieties to taste anything more than "floral water." They're not as divisive as mayonnaise, but they're still a decidedly bad hot dog topping.

You might be raising your eyebrows at this one and trying to remember the last time you ate a sport pepper. Frankly, if you aren't from the Chicago area, you may not even know what they are.

Sport peppers have a medium-hot spice level, bright green color, and look stunning on a hot dog. However, they are so difficult to find outside of the Windy City that I wonder whether they are even worth looking for. You may not like sport peppers if you're the kind of person who tosses the pepperoncini served with your salad at a C-list Italian restaurant. I give them props for adding acidity to a hot dog, but I would much rather they be in a relish format so that I could get a better proportion of them in every bite.

I promise, I'm not picking on Chicago-style hot dogs exclusively here; I'm just saying that there may be a better way to enjoy a pickle on a hot dog without having to manhandle a bun-sized pickle. It just happens to be an essential topping for a Chicago-style dog — a case of wrong place, wrong time, if you will. 

Now don't get me wrong; a high-fat hot dog needs acidity, and the bun is just waiting to soak up some of that brine. However, when the spear is the size of the dog, you lose the essence of the sandwich. As I alluded to with sport peppers, there are simply better ways to get your pickle fix than trying to wedge a massive spear inside your already-packed bun.

You may have heard of giardiniera — not on a hot dog, but on another Chicago classic: an Italian beef sandwich. Giardiniera's recipe can vary, though it usually contains pickled cauliflower, carrots, celery, chiles, bell peppers, and really, anything else that grows in the garden. Its versatility and adaptability make it an excellent choice for burgers, though I would argue it shines that much brighter when paired with a fatty hot dog. 

If you need a way to add a whole produce aisle's worth of condiments to your hot dog, giardiniera is the way to do it. However, because the so-called "relish" is not always relish-sized, eating a hot dog topped with it is a hassle. It also has an acquired taste, so not everyone loves it on a hot dog.

I'm putting aside my dislike of raw white onions when I say this: Raw white onions are an awful hot dog topping. I don't care if they're popular and call to you when they're sitting in a plastic food service container with a white plastic spoon poking out.

In theory, the onion's sharpness would easily cut through a rich dog, adding both a crunchy texture and an acidic, almost biting flavor. But the flavor is the issue: Raw white onions are too sharp for a hot dog. There are far more pleasant ways to pair onions and hot dogs without making your eyes water.

I thought we were done with the put-bacon-on-everything trend. And if we're not, can we please be? I mean, it's particularly heinous on hot dogs. Was one source of greasy, meaty, and overly salted flavor not enough? When you start adding bacon to it for the sake of adding bacon, you lose all of those fatty flavor notes that make hot dogs worth eating in the first place. 

My other issue with bacon is that it always needs something to go with it to quell its flavor and balance its saltiness – cheese, caramelized onions, chili, or onions, for example. Your one-topping dog just got more complicated.

I listened to an episode of "Today, Explained" where José Andrés crowned the Seattle dog as America's top dog, and I couldn't agree more. It's a slept-on creation because it uses an unsung, unique hot dog topping: cream cheese.

Imagine you get the same feeling of eating a hot, freshly baked bagel slathered in schmear — but this time, it's with a hot dog instead of a bagel. The cream cheese is so rich and delicious, and paired with the other Seattle dog stalwarts – caramelized onions and jalapeños – you get a bite that is so delicious that it could only be conjured up in a fever dream. 

But just cream cheese and a hot dog? That's just plain weird. Context matters for this condiment, and I couldn't put it at the top of my list since it suffers the same "only-safe-with-others" issue as bacon. Plus, the last thing I want to do on a sweltering summer day after taking a dip in the pool is shove a cream cheese-slathered hot dog into my face. 

For all intents and purposes, when I say "peppers" here, I am excluding sport peppers and the (spoiler alert) jalapeños that make separate appearances on this list. I'm talking about the plain Jane grilled peppers that accompany some hot dog preparations, including the aforementioned Seattle dog (occasionally). 

I feel the same way about peppers on a hot dog as I do peppers on a sizzling fajita skillet: I'm just eating them because they're there. They don't captivate your attention like other, higher-ranked hot dog toppings, nor do they do much for the flavor of the dog. It's kind of like someone had a leftover bell pepper in their fridge and said, "Why not?" before pairing it with caramelized onions. It can bulk out your dog, but it's not a stellar selection.

I don't like coleslaw — hey, at least I clearly acknowledge my bias before I declare this a decidedly mid hot dog topping. Although you will never see me adding a scoop of coleslaw to my plate at a barbecue, I can appreciate what this popular side dish can offer a hot dog. The chopped vegetables, which can vary depending on your recipe, add textural contrast, while the dressing offers richness that cuts through the fattiness of the hot dog. 

That said, this topping ranks in the middle of my list because it's rarely prepared specifically for hot dogs. I don't want my bun to taste like coleslaw water, nor do I want the entire thing to taste like cabbage-flavored mayonnaise. The odds that you get a coleslaw that's made well, completely balanced, and can put the flavor of your dog center stage are slim to none. Skip coleslaw roulette and try one of my other higher-ranked toppings instead.

If you are given the choice between coleslaw and sauerkraut on your hot dog, you'd better pick the latter. As you can probably guess, I like sauerkraut about as much as I like coleslaw, which is not very much. However, in the context of a hot dog, I have to say sauerkraut wins every single time. Its funky fermented flavor is much better than coleslaw's strong mayo overtones, and it's just a fresher condiment all around. I have no problem with it appearing on hot dogs as long as it's used tactfully and in small doses.

However, is it the best hot dog condiment out there? Not really. Depending on the brand you buy, you can bring out more unique flavors, but it still has a very acidic and heavy bite that may not appeal to all palates. I would much rather see it shine on a bratwurst, where its sharp flavor can contrast with the juiciness of the sausage. 

If you haven't been adding kimchi to your hot dog, consider this your sign. It's bright, acidic, and packed with plenty of fermented goodness. Besides offering a noticeable funk, a great store-bought kimchi can also add a subtle warmth, which gives it an edge over both sauerkraut and coleslaw. Kimchi is not common on hot dogs — and for some (especially those with underdeveloped palates), the heat can eclipse the hot dog. I'd highly recommend trying it if you don't mind venturing outside of your mustard-and-relish-only comfort zone.

If you, too, are transported to that scene in "The Bear" when Richie asks Carmy, "What kind of a*****e is going to put ketchup on a hot dog?" to which Carmy replies, "A child, Richie," you wouldn't be the only one. People will stare at you the wrong way if you put ketchup on a hot dog, and I get it in some respects.

It's a bit juvenile, considering there are far better condiments out there that aren't as overtly sweet and, frankly (pun intended), do more for the dog. But there are also far worse condiments to be had (I mean, someone out there, right now, is putting mayonnaise on a hot dog). I won't burn you at the stake if I see you put Heinz ketchup on a hot dog, but trust that someone else out there might.

Okay, we're getting a teensy bit warmer here. If you want to circumvent the stares from family members as you slather your Nathan's Famous in ketchup, try barbecue sauce instead. There are many different types to choose from — some bringing out more ketchup-adjacent notes than others — so it allows you to fly under the radar a bit. You can also go for a South Carolina mustard sauce for a greater sinus-clearing effect, or an Alabama white sauce for a creamier consistency.

However, this isn't the best condiment because it can overwhelm your hot dog if you're not careful. It's not a light and uplifting condiment either, and a fatty hot dog could benefit from just that.

What a fabulous and underutilized hot dog topping! Caramelized onions are a pain to make (at least properly), and are far from the simple squirt of mustard or ketchup you may be used to. Plus, they're only good when they're warm — not cold and slug-like. 

Although the sweetness and tender onion flavor that caramelized onions can offer your hot dog may make them worth it, the fact that they need to be carefully paired with other toppings to avoid masking their flavor is another strike against them.

I will never be a brown mustard fan, but like many of the other condiments on this list, I can at least see their appeal in a hot dog. A little goes a long way, and if you are too heavy-handed with your brown mustard, you risk overwhelming the flavor of the hot dog. In this case, other condiments are more versatile and crowd-pleasing than brown mustard, which earns it a spot in the upper-middle part of the ranking.

Cheese is a topping with utility. Not only does it add texture to a hot dog and a pleasing, melty cheese pull, but it also adds a slightly milky flavor and the essence of whatever cheese you use. 

My main gripe with cheese is that it's added haphazardly to most hot dogs. A little sprinkle of melty cheddar on a chili dog is fine, but if the entire dog is blanketed with cheese, you miss out on all those flavor nuances from the other toppings.

We're getting warmer — literally. Hot dog chili is well-spiced, warming, and designed to be the star of the show on a hot dog. Unlike many of the other toppings on this list, you can use chili as the single topping on your dog and still get a satisfying bite. Plus, there are plenty of varieties to choose from depending on your preference, from bean-free big names like Hormel to plant-based offerings for your veggie dog from Sprague Foods. 

Despite its versatility, chili dogs can be heavy and messy, and they're not something I want to eat when the only thing more oppressive than the summertime heat is the humidity. Chili has its place, but it's not an everyday hot dog topping.

And now we're, yet again, getting warmer. Jalapeños are easily my favorite spicy hot dog topping because they are usually sliced small enough to get some in every bite. Although they have a fair amount of heat, their piquancy is not overwhelming. Plus, you can always buy pickled jalapeño slices from brands like Mt. Olive if you prefer an even more restrained flavor.

I wish jalapeños, on their own, had a bit more acidity to help cut the richness of the dog. They're not a bad hot dog topping, but they need a bit of help from other condiments to really make them shine.

You might be surprised that such a sleeper hot dog topping is at the top of my list. But pickled red onions are seriously hard to dislike. They're oniony and acidic, yet still have a subtle edge of sweetness and pickling spice to carry them through. Plus, who doesn't love a pop of pink on their hot dog? 

Although I love them on a hot dog, their oniony flavor can be divisive. Plus, you can't pair them with as many things, as you don't want to completely distract from their flavor profile.

Relish is, by far, the best way to eat pickles on a hot dog — especially when brands like Heinz sell it in a squeeze bottle. Relish adds crunch, texture, and flavor to a hot dog, making it a fan-favorite topping. In all other instances, I would prefer to eat store-bought pickles (which our taster tried and ranked) straight from the jar, but on a hot dog, relish works much better. Plus, most hot dog relishes are subtly sweet – which is not a flavor profile you get from other condiments on this list. 

However, I'm going to be frank here: There just isn't a condiment that can beat out the top one on this list, simply because of its ability to pair better with other hot dog toppings.

Our top dog (last one, I promise) is, unsurprisingly, yellow mustard. You were waiting for it to appear on this list, and now I am finally dedicating time to this iconic, colorful, and just-bold-enough condiment. Yellow mustard has a sinus-tickling warmth, but it never overpowers the hot dog. Pair that with a zesty acidity, and you have a shoo-in for the top spot.

Unlike other toppings on this list, mustard flies solo or pairs well with others. Slab it on, go for a little squiggle; it's all up to you. A real wiener, if you ask me. 

Hot dog topping preferences vary widely, so I looked beyond my personal preferences when writing this piece and considered how each one compares. Hot dogs are the people's food in that they are designed to be unfussy, so I ranked condiments with universal appeal above those that were more niche. 

Each topping needed to contribute to a well-rounded flavor profile. Some of my top picks offered an expertly crafted medley of sour, sweet, and tangy flavors, which would elevate virtually any hot dog. Most people prefer to load up their hot dogs with toppings, which is why some higher-ranking ones can pair better with several other toppings rather than being the star of the show.