Spicy, sour, sweet, salty, creamy, crunchy, zesty – when you want to experience all of these flavours and textures in one bite, all you have to do is grab a hot dog loaded with toppings. One of the great, if not best things about eating these tasty treats straight from a hot dog stand is that you can have your pick of toppings to go with them, and the choices can be endless. But there are only a select few that most would consider the best, and below, we’ve listed them down. Take a look at our list of the most popular hot dog toppings, and see if your favourite made the cut:
1. Mustard
Undoubtedly the king of toppings, mustard makes for the perfect hot dog pair because of its sour, zesty flavour that compliments the salty dog. According to an online survey conducted for the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council (NHDSC) of America, a whopping 71 per cent of Americans prefer the golden yellow topping on their dogs, and we at Yummy Dogs couldn’t agree more. That’s why we’ve always got a huge dispenser full of this stuff every time we do mobile catering in Sydney.
2. Ketchup
And right beside the king of toppings is his crimson queen, ketchup. Despite having a lot of haters, ketchup still retains its reign as one of the most popular hot dog toppings, garnering 52 per cent of votes in the NHDSC survey. Ketchup adds a sweetness to hot dogs that, along with mustard, makes for one flavourful combination.
3. Onions
Whether fresh or grilled, nothing beats good ol’ onions (well, except maybe for ketchup and mustard, but who says you can’t have them all?). Raw, diced onions give you that extra fresh flavour and crunch, while grilled onions give you a mellower, sweeter flavour.
4. Chili
If you don’t mind a little mess and a little spice, chili is a topping that’s worth a try. This meaty, spicy stew of a topping often stands alone, or is sprinkled with a bit of cheese.
5. Relish
Relish gives your dog that much needed sweet and sour kick. What’s great about relish is that you can have it in so many ways: you can have it sweet, spicy, sour, and even chunky with big slices of pickles for that extra crunch. At Yummy Dogs, you can get the exact flavour you want with our selection of relishes that come with our food catering in Sydney.
6. Sauerkraut
This fermented, finely chopped cabbage concoction is pretty popular in the West because its strong, sour flavour really goes well with salty dogs. If you’re going for sauerkraut though, you won’t have room for much else since this pungent topping can take over all other topping flavours.
7. Coleslaw
The less aggressive cousin of sauerkraut, coleslaw gives just the right amount of sour, sweet and crunch with its lovely combination of cabbage, carrots and onions in creamy mayonnaise.
8. Jalapeño
This topping is not for the faint of heart, as it definitely puts the ‘hot’ in hot dog! But if you love the heat, then you’ll love having this alongside other flavourful toppings.
9. Cheese
Whether you choose cheddar or cream, a bit of cheese can really change the flavour of your hot dog and give it a creamy, gooey texture. It goes best with chili, or some sweet grilled onions.
10. Mayo
Mayonnaise isn’t a very popular topping on its own, but is a great accompaniment to several others. It can also be a good substitute in case you run out of mustard and ketchup.
Find out more about our delicious Relish48 toppings and tell us, which one is your favourite?