How to Make Easy Crock Pot Hot Dogs for a Crowd

How to cook easy Crock Pot hot dogs with the best flavor. Great make-ahead recipe that you can use to set up the ultimate hot dog bar with all of your favorite toppings to serve at your next summer potluck or backyard BBQ!

It's no secret that my entire family loves hot dogs and hamburgers. I'm a sucker for a good Chicago hot dog, and the guys ask for homemade bacon cheeseburgers every week! Maybe it's a midwestern thing…

this recipe

You can fit a lot of hot dogs in a slow cooker; throw them in at the beginning of the day, and the slow cooker will keep them warm 'til dinner. Let everybody help themselves and fix them up just the way they like them. This has got to be the easiest way to make hot dogs that I know!

Why You'll Love Slow Cooker Hot Dogs

• Crock Pot hot dogs are so quick and easy to make. It's the ultimate set-it-and-forget-it recipe using simple, budget-friendly ingredients.
• You can fit a ton of hot dogs in a Crock Pot, so this is the best hot dogs recipe to feed a large crowd. Fix up a fun hot dog bar to serve at your next Super Bowl party, 4th of July party, summer potluck, backyard BBQ, graduation party or even family reunions.
• Hot dogs cooked in the Crock Pot are the juiciest, most tender and best hot dogs you'll ever eat with such minimal effort. Better yet, they're so full of flavor because they haven't been boiled to death!
• Most slow cookers have a “keep warm” function, which keeps the hot dogs warm until you're ready to eat. It's the ultimate make-ahead recipe.
• You can serve them up with all your favorite condiments and toppings!

Ingredients Notes & Substitutions

This simple recipe uses fairly common ingredients, depending on what all you use for toppings. You probably already have everything on hand…

• Hot Dogs – Any normal bun length type of hot dogs will work, but I prefer the texture and flavor of beef hot dogs. If you're using frozen hot dogs, I recommend letting them thaw out in the refrigerator overnight before making this recipe.
• Hot Dog Buns – Although I like to serve my hot dogs with regular length hot dog buns, there's no shame in just using regular bread instead.
• Your Favorite Toppings – There are so many different condiments and toppings that you can serve alongside your hot dogs. I'll go into more detail on this in the instructions below.

How to Cook Hot Dogs in the Crock Pot

I'm using a 6-quart Crock Pot for this recipe. I can usually pack it pretty full with around 48 hot dogs, but you may have to use more or less depending on the size of your slow cooker. The CrockPot is truly a game changer!

1. Remove all of the hot dogs from the packaging, and add each one to the slow cooker. You can place them standing up if the lid will still fit, or you can lay them on their side.
2. Place the lid on the Crock Pot and set it on low for 2-3 hours, stirring the hot dogs occasionally with a pair of tongs to keep them from burning on the bottom of the slow cooker. Most hot dogs are already precooked, so you really just need to get them hot enough to serve.

In case you're wondering, there's no need to add any water to the slow cooker. When they're cooked in the Crock Pot, hot dogs are moist enough that they will produce their own steam, resulting in the best texture and flavor!

How to Serve Slow Cooker Hot Dogs

Your hot dogs should be done after 2-3 hours in the slow cooker. Serve and enjoy with your favorite condiments and toppings. Pair them with garlic parmesan chicken skewers for the ultimate party appetizer!

If your slow cooker has a warm setting, you can set it there and let the hot dogs sit in the slow cooker at this setting for 3-4 hours until you're ready to serve up an easy meal. I'm convinced that this is truly the best way to cook hot dogs!

What Toppings Should I Serve with Crock Pot Hot Dogs?

Not sure how to serve your slow cooker hot dogs? Here are some of my favorite toppings…

• Serve slow cooker hot dogs with your favorite condiments, like the traditional ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise. I also like to serve mine with bbq sauce, and sometimes worcestershire sauce. My youngest son puts chicken dipping sauce on his!
• I love to top off my hot dogs with classic Chicago-style hot dog toppings, like pickle relish, sliced tomatoes, pepperoncini and minced white onions. They're always a huge hit!
• Thanks to their Germanic roots, the guys LOVE sauerkraut and hot dogs. Better yet, cook both the sauerkraut and the hot dogs in the Crock Pot together!
• My family loves homemade dirty water dogs. We'll add some beef broth and red wine vinegar to the Crock Pot as well as a variety of different spices, like cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, sea salt, black pepper and sometimes a pinch of brown sugar.
• Top them off with homemade chili with ground beef, minced red onions and shredded cheddar cheese to make the best ever chili dogs or coney dogs. If you're looking for side dish ideas, they also go great with homemade chili cheese fries.
• A lot of people like to make taco dogs with black beans, pinto beans, shredded Mexican cheese, salsa, pickled jalapeño slices, taco sauce and Queso cheese sauce drizzled on top.
• Add quartered cherry tomatoes, bacon bits and finely shredded iceberg lettuce to make the best BLT hot dogs!
• Other fun and delicious toppings that go perfectly with CrockPot hot dogs include thinly sliced avocados or guacamole, corn salsa, salsa verde and creamy homemade coleslaw.

Expert Tips and Recipe FAQ's

More CrockPot Recipes

• Crock Pot Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich
• Easy Chili Cheese Dip in the Crock Pot Recipe
• CrockPot Baked Beans with Bacon and Hot Dogs
• CrockPot Funeral Potatoes Casserole

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