Air Fryer Chili Cheese Dogs

These Air Fryer Chili Cheese Dogs are quick to make, easy to assemble, and perfect for feeding a crowd! You’ll dream of ballpark days with these chili dogs.

recipe overview

Everyone has comfort foods — things they grew up eating that still bring back those fond memories, even with just a whiff.

These chili dogs can easily be made vegetarian with a veggie hot dog and vegetarian chili.

This recipe lists some basic ingredients, but feel free to mix it up!

Not everyone is a fan of mustard or raw red onion, but most people love a great chili dog.

Need more air fryer ideas for a cookout without the grill? Try my Air Fryer Hamburgers for a quick, juicy hamburger without all the smoke.

how to make them

1. Start by scoring your hot dogs with a knife or fork and place them in the air fryer basket. Cook for about 5 minutes at 390 degrees F (or 198 degrees C!), flipping hot dogs about halfway through cook time.
2. During the cook time, prep your toppings! I like to use chili, shredded cheese, and diced red onion.
3. Remove hot dogs from the basket and place them into buns.
4. Top the hot dogs with chili.
5. Add your shredded cheese.
6. Add the red onions (or any ingredients you’re adding other than mustard, ketchup, and other sauce options) and move loaded chili dogs into your air fryer basket, and cook for another 2 minutes, or until the cheese has melted. Serve with your favorite party sides and enjoy!

serving ideas

Everyone has their ideal hot dog toppings — I prefer to keep it simple with some chili, cheese, onions, red onions, and a little mustard.

Looking for more crunch? Add some corn chips, potato chips, or maybe a sweet onion instead of a red onion for the same crunch but less bite.

Want to kick this up a notch? Use your own chili! Canned chili is great in a pinch, but homemade is always the best.

Need a new vegetarian chili recipe? This Instant Pot Four-Bean Chili goes GREAT on a chili dog and gives you that same hearty flavor without the meat.

how to air fry frozen hotdogs

Ready for dinner but realized your hot dogs are still frozen? Don’t worry, we’ve got your back!

Luckily most hot dogs are pre-cooked, so it’s all about warming it up instead of cooking it to a safe temperature like chicken or pork.

And since hot dogs are also skinny, they’re perfect for a quick defrost!

If you have the time, a bowl of cold water will thaw your hog dogs in less than an hour for sure, but if you’re on a time crunch, you can defrost them in the air fryer while they cook!

Drop the temperature down to 350 degrees F (or 177 degrees C!) and cook them a little longer, about 8 minutes.

Lowering the cooking temperature helps the hot dogs thaw and then cook instead of burning the outside and leaving the inside frozen and raw.