Hot Dog Onions (pantry recipe!)

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Sweet, smoky, tangy, and just a little bit saucy, my Hot Dog Onions recipe is sure to take your franks to a whole new flavor dimension. You only need 10 minutes and a handful of pantry staples to prepare this onion sauce and make your dogs 100% New Yorker-approved!

About this hot dog onions recipe

Give your foot-longs the New York treatment with these tasty, melt-in-your-mouth pushcart onions. This copycat recipe for Sabrett onions is simple to follow and will make your dogs taste better than you ever thought possible! 

More than just caramelized onions or plain Jane sautéed onions, these NY Hot Dog Onions are a step above the rest. Sweetly caramelized onions meet tangy apple cider vinegar, peppy hot sauce, umami tomato paste, and a smattering of herbs and spices for the best dang hot dog sauce you’ve ever tried.

Why this onion sauce for hot dogs works!

Best of all, this delicious copycat recipe:

• Takes just 10 minutes of prep time. Just slice, sauté, add some flavor, and then let your stovetop do the rest.
• Allergen-friendly. It’s gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free, and vegan, so you can rest assured that it’s perfectly acceptable for most diets.
• Budget-friendly. Even with grocery prices skyrocketing lately, onions and hot dogs are still pretty darn affordable. Plus, making these frankfurters at home is MUCH cheaper than a plane ticket to NYC, amirite?
• Make ahead of time for meal prep. Store these beauties in the fridge for up to 5 days, or pop them in the freezer for up to 3 months. You + Dinner = Winning.

What are hot dog onions?

While there are countless delicious toppings for hot dogs — sauerkraut, dill pickle relish, pickled peppers, celery salt, or chili & cheese, to name a few — hot dog onions (or onion sauce, really) is a regional specialty of New York. If you’ve ever visited the city, you might have noticed their true affinity for hot dog carts. It feels like there’s one on every corner!

The first time I tried one of these magnificent wieners, I was immediately drawn to a red, delicious-smelling topping I was unfamiliar with. When I asked the vendor what they were, he looked at me like I was an alien and told me that it was onion sauce for hot dogs. Duh. 

I knew I liked onions, and hot dogs were a given, but FRIENDS. These were the best onions for hot dogs I had ever tried. Sweet, tangy, smoky, spicy, and jammy all at the same time, I could literally have eaten them with a spoonful. (Now that I know how to make them at home, I do! Shhh. Don’t tell.) Seriously. Give them a try. You won’t be sad that you did. 

Ingredients to make the best onions for hot dogs

As promised, the best onions for hot dogs come together with just a few pantry staples. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Neutral Oil – Canola, corn, vegetable, grapeseed, avocado, or peanut oil will all do the trick!
• Yellow Onions – You can use white and yellow onions interchangeably in this recipe. When shopping, choose onions that are firm like baseballs, don’t have soft spots, and have taut outer skin. They should feel heavy for their size and shouldn’t have any small green sprouts coming out of their top. 
• Garlic – Fresh cloves will give the best flavor, but feel free to swap in ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder for each clove.
• Paprika – I used a 50/50 mix of sweet paprika and smoked paprika.
• Chili Powder – Feel free to adjust to your heat preference.
  • Substitution: If you’re a fiery kind of person, try swapping in cayenne powder.
• Ground Cinnamon – Just a pinch adds a warmth you didn’t know you wanted.
• Tomato Paste – For deeply concentrated, borderline umami flavor.
  • Pro Tip: Get the kind in a tube! It lasts for several weeks, so you don’t have to worry about wasting anything. 
• Brown Sugar – Either light or dark will work just fine!
  • Substitution: You can also swap in maple syrup, agave nectar, or date syrup if needed. 
• Broth – You can use water or unsalted beef or chicken broth, depending upon your preference or what you have on hand. The broth will add a richer flavor. However, I’ve made these onions both ways (water, beef broth, and a combination of both) and it’s not a dealbreaker to use water!
• Hot Sauce – I believe Frank’s Red Hot is probably the most traditional, but feel free to swap in your own vinegar-based favorite here. Cholula, Crystal, Tabasco, you name it.
• Apple Cider Vinegar – For a twangy, zingy, mouth-puckering pop.
• Substitution: Feel free to swap in white wine vinegar, rice vinegar, or red wine vinegar if needed.

Hot dog onion variations

These Sabrett-style onions for hot dogs are pretty perfect just the way they are. That said, you do have a few options to customize them to your liking:

• Make them mild. The recipe as written is spicy and smoky. For mild onions, use all sweet paprika and reduce the amount of chili powder and/or hot sauce. 
• Make them as rings. To cut into rings, peel the outer layer of the onions back to the root end; however, do not remove it. Leaving this attached helps give a little handle to hold the onion while you cut. Use a sharp knife to slice across the onion into a ¼-inch thickness.
• Or Half-Moons. Cut the onion in half, tip to root, making sure each half retains half the root to hold the layers of the onion together. Peel and remove the outer skin layer. Cut the halved onion across into ¼-inch half-moon shapes.
• Chop them. The quickest and easiest option, which also happens to be the easiest to eat, is to roughly chop your onion in a medium to large dice.

How to make onions for hot dogs

This easy recipe for hot dog onions comes together in just about 35 minutes. Here’s how it’s done:

1. Sauté onions: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and barely golden in color, about 8-10 minutes.
2. Add aromatics: Add the garlic cloves, paprika, chili powder, salt and pepper to the pan. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3. Add tomato and sugar: Add the tomato paste and sugar to the pan. Cook, stirring constantly until the tomato paste is caramelized, about 2 minutes.
4. Add broth and hot sauce: Add the broth (or water) and hot sauce to the pan. Stir, scraping up any brown bits off the bottom of the pan (that’s flavor!).
5. Cook: Bring the onions to a rapid simmer and immediately reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very tender and the liquid is almost evaporated, about 20 minutes.
6. Add vinegar: Stir the vinegar into the onions and continue to cook, stirring frequently, for 5 additional minutes, or until the onions are meltingly tender and the red onion sauce is thick. Taste and adjust for seasoning, adding more salt, pepper, sugar, vinegar, or hot sauce as you see fit.
7. Serve or store: Serve pushcart onion sauce over your favorite hot dogs, burgers, wraps and more! Or allow the hot dog onions to cool completely to room temperature before storing in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

FAQ: frequently asked questions

How can I keep from crying when I cut my onions?

That question is nearly as old as time, and I’m happy to report I’ve found the best fix. Pop your onions in the freezer for about 15-30 minutes prior to cutting them! Don’t take my word for it. It’s science!

How do you cut onions for hot dogs?

Personally, I prefer chopped onions because they are quicker to cook and easier to eat when they’re piled high on the dog as I like them to be. That said, it’s a personal preference. J Kenji Lopez-Alt would argue that cutting them into vertical slices is the best, but pushcart vendors seem to serve them as rings or half-moons. You do you! 

What do New Yorkers put on hot dogs?

As far as I can tell, there are only three acceptable hot dog toppings in New York: spicy brown mustard, sauerkraut, and/or this delectable tomato-y onion sauce.

Serving onion sauce

Once you make this tangy-smoky-sweet condiment, I have a feeling you’re going to want to put this onion sauce on everything. As far as I’m concerned, these hot dog onions aren’t just for hot dogs! Try adding them to:

• Burgers: Use it on any variety of burger: from hamburger or cheeseburger to chicken burger and black bean burger!
• Brats: Hotdogs aren’t the only thing you can upgrade. These smoky, tangy onions go beautifully with brats too!
• Sandwiches: Top your grilled chicken or pulled pork sandwich with a dollop of onions for extra flavor!
• Wraps: Give your brown bag lunch a tasty makeover by adding onions to your favorite wraps and such.
• Grilled Meats: I love to spoon some onions over meats, chicken and pork straight from the grill. These saucy onions are especially great with cheaper cuts of steak, like sirloin.

Storing hot dog onions

• Once cooked, feel free to put these hot dog onions right on your dog or hamburger. 
• Once cooled to room temperature, place them in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
• To freeze, consider placing them in ice cube trays so you can pop out just what you need right when you need it. They’ll last for up to 3 months when frozen.
• To reheat, allow to defrost, then microwave or sauté in a skillet, adding a splash of water as needed to loosen. 

Tangy, smoky, sweet and impossible to beat, these truly are the best onions for your hot dogs!

Craving MORE? Follow all the deliciousness on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram!

More recipes for hot dog toppings!

• AMAZING Coleslaw (the reviews don’t lie)
• Chipotle Corn Salsa (Chipotle restaurant copycat!)
• Vegetarian Chili (three types of beans)
• No Bean Chili (all beef and no beans)
• Quick Pickled Onion

How to make the best onions for hot dogs (and more!)👇

Hot Dog Onions recipe

5 from 1 vote

Author: Cheyanne Holzworth

Total Time: 45 minutes mins

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 35 minutes mins

Servings: 12 servings

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Tangy, smoky & sweet, you need just 10 minutes + pantry staples for this Hot Dog Onions recipe! Make your dogs 100% New Yorker-approved with this onion sauce! Or use it in omelets, on burgers, sandwiches, wraps, steak and more!

Equipment

• Measuring Cups + Spoons
• large skillet
• Kitchen Utility Spoon

Ingredients 

• 2 TBS Neutral Oil - such as Canola or Vegetable
• 1 ½ Pounds White or Yellow Onions – peeled & sliced into ¼-inch rings or half-moons; OR chopped (SEE NOTES)
• 2 cloves Garlic – minced
• 2 tsp Paprika (I use an even split of sweet and smoked)
• ½ tsp Chili Powder – or more to taste
• 1/16 tsp Ground Cinnamon
• Kosher Salt & Ground Black Pepper - to taste
• 2 heaping TBS Tomato Paste
• 1 tsp Light Brown Sugar – packed, or more to taste
• ¾ Cup Unsalted Broth or Water (SEE NOTES)
• 2 tsp Hot Pepper Sauce (such as Frank’s Red Hot)
• 1 ½ TBS Apple Cider Vinegar – or more to taste

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Sauté onions: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and barely golden in color, about 8-10 minutes. (Note: Reduce the heat as needed to prevent the onions from browning.)
  
• Add aromatics: Add the garlic, paprika, chili powder, 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper to the skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  
• Add tomato and sugar: Add the tomato paste and sugar to the pan. Cook, stirring constantly until the tomato paste is caramelized, about 2 minutes.
  
• Add broth and hot sauce: Add the broth (or water) and hot sauce to the pan. Stir, scraping up any brown bits off the bottom of the pan.
  
• Cook: Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the onions to a rapid simmer. Immediately reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very tender and the liquid is almost evaporated, about 20 minutes. (Note: If the heat under your pan is too hot and the liquid evaporates too quickly, simply add more broth or water to the pan as needed.)
  
• Add vinegar: Stir the vinegar into the onions and continue to cook, stirring frequently, for 5 additional minutes, or until the onions are meltingly tender and the sauce is thick, Taste and adjust for seasoning, adding more salt, pepper, sugar, vinegar, or hot sauce as desired.
  
• Serve or Store: Serve over your favorite hot dogs, burgers, wraps and more! Or allow the hot dog onions to cool completely to room temperature before storing in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
  

Notes

• Onions: You can use white and yellow onions interchangeably in this recipe. For rings and half-moons, I recommend cutting your onions to be about ¼-inch-thick. Any thinner and they fall apart; any thicker and they aren’t as pleasantly palatable.
  • Rings: To cut into rings, peel the outer layer of the onions back to the root end; however, do not remove it. Leaving this attached helps give a little handle to hold the onion while you cut. Use a sharp knife to slice across the onion into a ¼-inch thickness.
  • Half-Moons: Cut the onion in half, tip to root, making sure each half retains half the root to hold the layers of the onion together. Peel and remove the outer skin layer. Cut the halved onion across into ¼-inch half-moon shapes.
  • Chop: The quickest and easiest option, which also happens to be the easiest to eat, is to roughly chop your onion in a medium to large dice.
    Selecting Onions: When shopping, choose onions that are firm like baseballs, don’t have soft spots, and have a taut outer skin. They should feel heavy for their size and shouldn’t have any small green sprouts coming out of their top.
• Liquid: You can use water or unsalted beef or chicken broth, depending upon your preference or what you have on hand. The broth will add a richer flavor. However, I’ve made these onions both ways (water, beef broth and a combination of both) and it’s not a dealbreaker to use water!

Recipe yield: enough for 10-12 hot dogs

Nutritional information is an approximation based upon 12 servings. Exact information will depend upon the brands of ingredients and precise measurements used.

Nutrition

Calories: 27kcal    Carbohydrates: 6g    Protein: 1g    Fat: 0.1g    Saturated Fat: 0.04g    Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.05g    Monounsaturated Fat: 0.02g    Sodium: 24mg    Potassium: 99mg    Fiber: 1g    Sugar: 3g    Vitamin A: 202IU    Vitamin C: 5mg    Calcium: 16mg    Iron: 0.2mg

Course: Condiment, Side Dish, Topping

Cuisine: American, New York

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