17 Hot Dog Toppings, Ranked Worst To Best

It's cookout season. For the carnivores among us, that means the hot dogs have arrived. While this sausage sandwich has German origins, few foodstuffs have become more American. The U.S. even boasts a host of regional hot dogs with toppings as diverse as the country itself.

But which toppings are truly meant to grace this meaty masterpiece? Ostensibly, almost anything could be a hot dog topping if it'll fit on the bun, and I've tried nearly all of them. For the sake of brevity, I narrowed this list down to a mere 17 that represent the most common toppings you can pick up at the grocery store.

A great hot dog topping interacts with the meaty, smoky sausage at the center of this sandwich to create something that's more than the sum of its parts. Each of these carefully selected ingredients has merit, but some are more aligned with the mission of making a truly outstanding hot dog than others.

Mayonnaise gets a lot of undeserved hate. When done right, this rich, tangy condiment can make foods sing, but on a hot dog, it just makes a sloppy, fatty mess. Sausage is a naturally high in fat, and adding mayonnaise lends a hot dog an unappetizing heaviness. While a mayo dressed dog can be saved by some spicy mustard and a pickle spear, you're better off skipping the oily condiment entirely, relying instead on toppings that pair better with the sausage's meaty flavor.

If you're hell-bent on a smear of mayo, make it yourself (and avoid these mayonnaise mistakes while you do it). You can adjust the acidity and mix in a bit of extra Dijon mustard for some added zing that can buoy the sausage's heavier, more umami flavors. And if you haven't got the time to whip up a bowl of fresh mayo, opt for French-style mayonnaise as it tends to have an extra zing.

Let me get one thing straight: I love avocados. These buttery, golden-green fruits are among my favorite foods, but guacamole doesn't belong in a hot dog. Avocado flavor is delicate and luscious, and when made into guacamole, it's heightened by the piquant tang of onions, lime juice, and tomatoes (though guacamole recipes vary). Lumped up against a fatty, salty dog, however, robs an ambitious eater of the chance to truly enjoy the flavors of this beloved dip.

A typical hot dog bun is not robust enough to handle guacamole's inherent moisture, and its structure falls apart into a wet mess almost immediately. Even beyond the bun, guacamole's slippery texture means it slides messily off the hot dog meat, adding little in the way of an appetizing visual. Avocado is more palatable as a hot dog topping on its own, but there are better ways to incorporate flavor into your frankfurter.

I know what you're thinking: How can yellow mustard rank this low on the list? The brightly colored condiment is dyed with turmeric, and it's so entwined with hot dog lore that it can be hard for some to imagine a wiener without that requisite squiggle. While it may taste nostalgic because of its ceaseless presence in hot dog culture, I advise you open your mind to the fact that yellow mustard is just not that good.

Unlike its stone ground, spicy, or brown cousins, yellow mustard lacks the depth needed to stand up to the bold flavors in a decent sausage. If you taste the condiment on its own, you'll realize it has little flavor beyond vinegar and an astringent bastardization of ground mustard seed. Once upon a time, when gourmet food was not widely available in the United States, it would've made sense to dress your dog up in this lackluster sauce, but now we have options.

If you're from Seattle, please forgive the mid ranking I've bestowed upon cream cheese as a hot dog topping. This rich, tangy spread is a crucial part of the city's signature hot dog, and while I think it has a time and place as a hot dog topping (outside a bar at 2 a.m.), it doesn't quite sing in its own right. The natural fattiness of the hot dog is mirrored in the fattiness of the cream cheese, and the tangy aspect isn't enough to offset the combination's overwhelming richness.

Paired with the other Seattle dog ingredients, like bacon and jalapeños, cream cheese fares better as a topping. The spread is also too thick for the delicate crumb of your average hot dog bun. If you try to combine it with more traditional condiments like mustard, ketchup, or relish, you'll likely be disappointed by the clash of flavors and smothering fat content.

Of all the "classic" hot dog condiments, sweet relish is perhaps the least beloved. While ketchup and mustard are the it couple at virtually every cookout condiment table, relish is often overlooked, and there's a reason why. A lot of sweet relish is bright green, unnaturally so, like a monster that crawled out of the depths of an algal pond. It's often found on Chicago-style dogs and it's chronically over-sweetened, with a syrupy consistency that portends its often sickly flavor. In such a state, this garish condiment does little more than add a squishy helping of sugar to your dog.

While relish has a dodgy reputation, there are ways to make it your own. You can turn cucumbers into homemade relish, allowing you to adjust the sugar content to your liking. Make it more interesting by adding some jalapeños, crushed red pepper, or a pinch of cayenne.

It's tempting to add something fresh to your hot dog. In some instances, the addition of some crisp produce can help balance out the heavier flavors in a hot dog. In the case of raw tomatoes, however, the hefty liquid content easily turns the bun soggy, and the slices of tomato easily become awkward and cumbersome atop the dog.

Contrary to this logic, some Chicago-style dogs still sport juicy tomato wedges. The light, sweet, mildly acidic flavor of the tomato can balance out the deeper, meatier notes of hot dog meat. So if you're determined to use this fruit on your hot dog, cut slim wedges of a Roma or beefsteak tomato and lay them lengthwise along your dog. For a sweeter punch, use cherry or grape tomatoes. Either way, eat your dog right away so that the tomato's admittedly delicious juices don't have time to soak the bun.

Jammy, sweet, and time consuming, caramelized onions present a complex flavor that's as classy as it is delicious. While these slow cooked alliums can be an apt hot dog accompaniment, without some other, brighter, zestier addition, they can weigh down the already heavy taste and texture of sausage. Caramelized onions thrive with a lot of butter, and although there are few things better than boat loads of the fatty, golden dairy product, it can be a bit much in a dog.

That said, if you can find the right pairing to cut through the heft, the deeper umami flavor of caramelized onions can complement the hot dog's meatiness. Spicy mustard, for example, has enough acidity and kick to counter the heavier flavors, uplifting the sweet, soft flavors of the onions. While it may seem unconventional, a dash of hot sauce also brightens the flavor and adds a bit of zing.

If you're eating a bag of potato chips on the side, you may want to crush them up and sprinkle them right on your dog. This method gives your wiener a satisfying crunch and an extra helping of salty, fried flavor. While tasty and delightfully unconventional, crushed potato chips must be deployed with certain limitations in mind. If you've already splattered your dog with ketchup and mustard, the chips will turn soggy moments after they make contact, so be prepared to eat quickly if you want to enjoy the crunch.

As somebody who eats at a glacial pace, savoring each bite of a meal with a level of care and attention that infuriates my more time-conscious dining partners, I typically regard my chips as a separate entity. If I do find myself in the mood for a starchy, salty crunch atop my dog, I carefully crush one chip at a time between each bite to ensure I maximize the experience.

Crunchy and cold, coleslaw brings a helping of Southern flair to a savory, meaty dog. But there are tiers of coleslaw. The sweet, mayonnaise-heavy version that comes in a tub may be enticing to some, but healthier, tangier, vinegar-forward iterations provide a fresh brightness that contrasts the fattier, more umami notes found in a typical hot dog. 

Since coleslaw and hot dogs are both regular fixtures at summer cookouts, it's a fairly easy combo to engineer on the fly, and you may impress some other attendees with your penchant for culinary creativity. The best types of cabbage to use for coleslaw are red, green, Napa, and savoy. Each one has a slightly different flavor and texture, but they all pair well with a grilled sausage.

Of all the condiments that you can use to dress a sausage, ketchup is perhaps the one that causes the biggest cookout controversy. Some swear by the ubiquitous sauce's sweet acidity and bright, tomato-forward taste while others deem a squirt of ketchup on a hot dog to be an ungodly corruption of a sacred foodstuff. I hereby declare that ketchup on a hot dog is fine. It's neither the most interesting nor the vilest sauce, but in the right context, it can be a net positive on an otherwise plain dog. 

It's also important to remember that not all ketchups were created equal. Some are loaded with sugar, with barely a hint of tomato flavor peeking through, while others boast a gentler, more balanced, sweetness. If you like a touch of heat on your dog, mix a few dashes of hot sauce with your ketchup before topping it. 

Fungi aren't typically the first things you think of when you're topping a hot dog. But think a little harder, and you'll realize that mushrooms have a wonderfully umami flavor profile that pairs well with the meaty snap of a sausage. There are literally thousands of known species of these funky fungi, and each one has its merits, though you should be wary of eating raw wild mushrooms.

With its characteristically large cap and famously meat-adjacent texture, the portobello mushroom is a nice choice if you're looking to double down on the more savory aspect of the hot dog experience. Button and cremini mushrooms have a milder flavor, and they're especially delicious sautéed with butter and an allium like garlic, shallots, or onions. If you want to take your dog one step further, lay a piece of Swiss cheese on top and let it melt over the hot mushrooms.

Hot, vinegary pickled jalapeños are not for those with a shy palate. The intensity of this spicy condiment is not to be underestimated — a hot dog topped with pickled jalapeños is a hot dog transformed. The sharp tang of the pepper cuts through the sausage's salty, savory meat, providing a contrast that turns the cookout snack into a spectacle of bold flavor.

Before you go scooping heaps of jalapeños on your hot dog, remember that these pickled peppers pack a punch. Not every one will deliver the same spice, so be careful when portioning them out. This topping may incite some pushback from hotdog purists who rarely look beyond conventional condiments, but if you're feeling brave, they can raise your hot dog to hot new heights. For a relish-adjacent experience, dice the pickled jalapeños and spread them along the length of your dog.

Few foods can claim the absolute meatiness of a chili dog. Carnivores rejoice at the sight of a beef or pork frank covered by the utterly savory, umami richness of a thick helping of chili piled on top. While many chilis come with beans, it's best to skip the legumes when you're adding this thick stew to a hot dog. A thicker, more homogenous chili will be easier to manage, since you won't have errant beans threatening to fall off your dog. The veggies also feel like filler when the draw of chili is a high concentration of meaty flavor to complement the snap of the hot dog.

Be sure to also choose the right kind of meat — ground turkey is notably lighter and milder than beef or pork, so it won't pack quite the same punch. You can pick up a can if you're short on time, but it's always better to make chili at home using these expert tips if you want a nuanced flavor customized to your tastes.

There's a notion that this much beloved (and sometimes reviled) pork product belongs everywhere. Throw bacon in a cocktail, infuse maple syrup with it, or candy nuts in its flavorful grease. Or, if you're looking for a double dose of animal fat, use it on a hot dog. Flavor-wise, bacon does wonders for a plain hot dog, giving it an extra fatty complexity and, if it's cooked right, a caramelized, umami finish.

The issue with bacon on a hot dog is logistical. It's not easy to produce a well-wrapped bacon hot dog, and it requires patience and expertise that may not grace the cooks at your next barbecue. It's too easy to cook unevenly, burn the bacon, or have the bacon cook while the inside of the sausage remains tepid. I advise cooking bacon separately until crisp, wait for it to cool, and crumble it atop your dog.

If you love strong flavors and don't mind repelling those around you with bad breath, diced raw onions may be the hot dog topping for you. They're crisp, sharp, and intensely pungent, providing a crunchy texture and a sulfurous bite that brings a hot dog alive. Of all the onion options, the white variety is the best raw, with a more palatable flavor than their yellow cousins.

If you like the crunch but you're not ready to dive into the full intensity of freshly diced raw onion, you can make the allium flavor a little less intense by dicing it and soaking it in cold water before using it to top your hot dog. Even in this attenuated state, the onion's bite is a formidable flavor pairing for the salty richness of a hot dog. While you can certainly eat a hot dog topped with only onion, it goes especially well with chili and shredded cheese.

Humans have been eating sauerkraut with sausage for centuries, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that it ranks so highly as a hot dog topping. As the name suggests, sauerkraut is sour, with a vinegary flavor that cuts through the fat in a hot dog. This Germanic dish is made by fermenting cabbage, and sometimes seasonings are added for extra flavor.

The naturally tangy flavor of kraut, as it is affectionately known by its dedicated fans, is often complemented with ingredients like caraway seeds, onions, and bacon drippings. It also comes in various levels of tang, with the more fermented versions delivering a stronger flavor and softer texture. While it pairs well with all kinds of hot dogs, a fattier artisanal frank with a more pronounced meaty flavor stands up especially well to the kraut's strong personality. Consider buying some kielbasa, a Polish pork sausage, for your next cookout and pile on the kraut.

For many hot dog aficionados, this ranking of brown mustard will come as no surprise. This spicy, stalwart condiment (also known as deli mustard) is made by soaking brown mustard seeds in vinegar. The seeds are spicy and a little bitter, and they're ground coarsely, so you get a grainier texture than you would with a standard American yellow mustard. This spread's earthy intensity, buoyed by the acidity of vinegar, makes it the single best candidate for topping your hot dog.

A sausage needs no more than brown mustard to thrive. While it's fun to get fancy with a mishmash of toppings, the combination of a fatty, meaty hot dog is balanced by the vivacious, bright flavor of brown mustard, lifting it up instead of competing with it. There are high and low quality hot dogs available at the grocery store, and if you're planning on dressing your dog with only brown mustard, I suggest you spring on a more gourmet sausage to revel in the divine simplicity of this beloved pairing.

If you're going to invite me to your cookout this summer, bring extra hot dogs. These simple sausage sandwiches are one of my favorite foods, especially during the summer months, and I've been eating them with various toppings since I was old enough to squeeze a ketchup bottle. A life spent experimenting with hot dog toppings set me up with the confidence to crown the king of condiments. 

When compiling this ranking, I took into account the taste and texture of each topping, as well as how well it integrates with the whole experience of a hot dog, bun and all. I also paid attention to how user-friendly each topping is, and all the different ways it can be applied to the wiener in question. I made sure to include a diverse range of toppings from different cultures to represent the wide array of flavor profiles that the mighty hot dog can encompass.