How Long to Cook Air Fryer Hot Dogs

Air fryer hot dogs or chili dogs are the perfect quick dinner idea our whole family loves! Here is how long to cook hot dogs in an air fryer in just 6-8 minutes to be juicy and plump. With Hebrew National, Oscar Mayer, Boars Head OR this is how to cook frozen hot dogs first. Without buns first, then load up with toppings to crisp them too. 

Hot Dogs in Air Fryer

If not, you’ve come to the right place! We are all about easy family meals for those busy nights when you only have about 20 minutes to prepare and cook something. And if you’re wondering, can you air fry hot dogs? The answer is yes! Air frying hot dogs is a quick and delicious option that fits perfectly into our family-friendly meals. We started with making Instant Pot hot dogs which are great but not crispy at all.

When it comes to dogs we love them crispy on the outside, that’s the benefit of air fryers. Now that we have a Ninja Foodi we can pressure cook them if we want, and then use the air fryer to crisp them. For this recipe we are just using the air fryer function though.

Hot Dogs in Air Fryer No Bun

Wondering how to cook hot dogs in air fryer? There is no need for the bread if you don’t want it. If you do you can toast them after the dogs are done, add chili on top with cheese and melt that too. So as simple as you want it to as loaded as others might this turns out incredibly well. We have even made hot dog burnt ends without the bread that are killer.

Can you cook frozen hot dogs without bun in air fryer?

A bit forgetful and forgot to defrost them the night before? No problem really because we recently shared how to cook air fryer frozen hot dogs too! That is right, it just takes a few extra minutes but dinner can still be saved using this fail proof method. Here’s some information before you get going on this:

What are the best tasting hot dogs?

That is very subjective depending on the person When it comes to processed meats I prefer Boars Head hot dogs hands down I don’t always have them on hand though, thus the photo above which was what I found that day and what was on sale

Crispy Dogs in Air Fryer

The great thing about this machine is you can lift the lid and check as often as you’d like. Of course everyone is going to have a preference as to what texture is considered to be perfect for this food. You can take some out that have just a touch and leave the others in for a few more minutes.

Best hot dog buns

• Once again this is subjective
• For us we like Hawaiian hot dog buns which bring a bit of sweetness, salty-sweet is the best
• Fresh and soft is great because they will get crispy on the edges when making air fryer hot dogs

Best hot dog chili recipe

We use our 5 ingredient dump chili that can be made in the pressure cooker, crockpot or just thrown together and warmed on the stovetop.

You will need an air fryer basket, some like the Ninja Foodi have a removable basket and some are attached.

How to cook hot dogs in the air fryer

• Place hot dogs by themselves inside the basket, no need to pierce them.
• Close air fryer lid
• Turn machine on
• Press air crisp, or button on your machine to turn air fryer function on
• Set to 375 degrees
• You’ll be air frying for 6-8 minutes
  • timing depends on how crisp you like them on the outside
  • if you’re continuing on to make chili cheese dogs then set air fryer and cook for 6 minutes

Frozen Hot Dogs in Air Fryer

1. Preheat your machine to 350 degrees F for 5 minutes.
2. Lay separated dogs in your air fryer basket.
3. Cook for about 7 minutes or until they are as browned as you’d like.

Air Fryer Chili Cheese Dogs

If you want chili dogs, follow same directions above. Then after minute 6 pick up dogs and place into a bun. Put back into the basket. Spoon chili and cheese on top and continue cooking for another 2 minutes or so until it’s browned and warmed.

What to do with leftovers

If you have made a bunch of these and they aren’t finished you can make our hot dog casserole the next night! I hate wasting food so I get it.

Hot Dogs in Air Fryer XL

Like I said, the brand doesn’t matter. We have quite a few and I haven’t found a difference other than the size of the basket. Larger is better for more people so you don’t have to make as many batches but other than that just go with whatever you have.

Best hot dog toppings

• Ketchup
• Relish
• Mustard
• Diced onions
• Chives
• Shredded cheese
• Chili

Best canned hot dog chili when making air fryer hot dogs into chili cheese dogs

We could probably get into a debate on this one but for us we choose Hormel canned chili over the others typically.

Ours come out looking like this! Seriously the slightly crispy hot dog underneath, with the edges of the buns toasted and smothered with chili and cheese. OH MY!! Here are a few other air fryer recipes you’ll love:

Other fun air fryer snacks you’ll love

• Our air fryer frozen corn dogs are made by my girls often
• Ninja foodi french fries are homemade
• Want to make air fryer pigs in a blanket?? We’ve done that too!!
• Make air fryer frozen tater tots to go with this one on the side.

You can print recipe below and keep it on hand for all your holiday get togethers, or for an after school snack. Nutritional information such as saturated fat and calories will vary with brands.