I was craving some chili dogs and usually make my Copycat A&W Chili Dogs or my Copycat Wienerschnitzel Hot Dog Chili Sauce but this time I decided to try this Copycat Chili Dog Sauce recipe from Dairy Queen.
If you’ve never heard of Dairy Queen before they are a fast food chain founded in the 1940s. They are mostly known for their soft-serve ice cream but also offer hot dogs, burgers, sandwiches, fries and other sides.
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The ingredients needed for this hot dog chili sauce are pretty simple. The only item you might not have handy is the chili sauce.
There are many options when it comes to what kind of chili sauce to use, but I prefer to use Heinz Chili Sauce for this recipe. You don’t want to use a sauce that is too sweet or too spicy or it will affect the overall flavor of the chili
I always recommend using lean ground beef to limit the amount of grease. Make sure you drain the grease from the skillet after adding the rest of the ingredients.
Dairy Queen usually adds a little shredded cheese over the chili when serving their chili cheese dogs but you can leave that ingredient out if you want. But nothing wrong with a little shredded cheddar cheese on your chili dog!
Copycat Rating
Since the goal of a Copycat Recipe is for it to taste exactly like the original, it’s only natural to rate this recipe against the original. This Copycat recipe rates a solid 8 out of 10 in my opinion.
If you love making Copycat recipes from your favorite restaurants, make sure you check out my list of our Top Copycat Recipes.
Gather your Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to make this Copycat Chili Dog Sauce recipe from Dairy Queen. For ingredient amounts please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Lean Ground Beef – try to use the leanest ground beef you can
- Yellow Onion – sweet onion or white onions are good substitutes
- Green Bell Pepper – or you can use any mild green pepper you prefer
- Tomato Juice – I like to use V8 or Campbell’s brands (no affiliation)
- Chili Sauce – I like Heinz brand chili sauce for this recipe
- Chili Powder – adds a warm, smoky, and mildly spicy flavor
- Brown Sugar – you can use light or dark brown sugar
- BBQ Sauce – you can use store-bought or one of my BBQ Sauce Recipes
- Salt & Pepper – a must for most recipes
- Thickening Agent – optional
How to Make Dairy Queen Chili Dog Sauce
- In a large skillet, add the ground beef, diced onions, and green bell pepper and cook until browned. Drain any grease.
- Add the tomato juice, chili sauce, chili powder, brown sugar, and BBQ sauce to the skillet. Salt and Pepper to taste.
- Let the chili simmer until the desired consistency is reached, about 30 minutes. Optionally you can add a little cornmeal, cornstarch or flour to help achieve the desired thickness.
- Spread some chili over your cooked hot dog and optionally top with some shredded cheddar cheese.
Copycat Dairy Queen Chili Dog Sauce
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Ingredients
- 1 lb Lean Ground Beef
- ¼ Cup Yellow Onion, finely chopped
- ¼ Cup Green Bell Pepper, finely chopped
- 1 ¼ Cup Tomato Juice
- ½ Cup Chili Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Chili Powder
- 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
- 1 Tbsp BBQ Sauce
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
Thickening Agent (Optional)
- Yellow Cornmeal
- Cornstarch
- All Purpose Flour
Topping (Optional)
- Cheddar Cheese, shredded
Instructions
- In a large skillet, add the ground beef, diced onions, and green bell pepper and cook until browned. Drain any grease.1 lb Lean Ground Beef, 1/4 Cup Yellow Onion, 1/4 Cup Green Bell Pepper
- Add the tomato juice, chili sauce, chili powder, brown sugar, and BBQ sauce to the skillet. Salt and Pepper to taste.1 1/4 Cup Tomato Juice, 1/2 Cup Chili Sauce, 1 Tbsp Chili Powder, 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar, 1 Tbsp BBQ Sauce, Salt and Pepper
- Let the chili simmer until the desired consistency is reached, about 30 minutes. Optionally you can add a little cornmeal, cornstarch or flour to help achieve the desired thickness.
- Spread some chili over your cooked hot dog and optionally top with some shredded cheddar cheese.
Does Dairy Queen in different states have different states make it differently?? This is NOTHING like the Dairy Queen chili here in Texas. This far too sweet (we absolutely don’t do sweet chili down here) and not enough tomato to it. It doesn’t even remotely look like it either. This one is too dark and chunky, while the DQ chili I grew up with is more red and has very small pieces of meat (that part is hard to do at home really). But, yeah, not Texas Dairy Queen chili. Not even close. 😭
Copycat? This look nothing like DQ Hot dog Chili sauce, nor does it TASTE anything like it. Their chili dog sauce is a fine particulate sauce meaning the ground beef is cooked down to small pieces and the sauce is just way off in flavor.
This copycat chili hotdog sauce is the best I have ever tasted. Very tasty and the best chili for your hotdogs. I have made it two ways, one with cheese and one without. I must admit the one with the cheese is the best.