If you’ve ever strolled the late-night streets of Seattle, especially outside a music venue or sports stadium, chances are you may have caught a wiff of this iconic Seattle street food, known as a Seattle Dog. It was believed to have originated in the late 1980’s or early 90’s in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood by a bagel vendor who started serving late night hot dogs on cream cheese-smeared biali sticks, and you can still find them from local vendors and shops in the city. When the steaming hot dog hits the bed of cream cheese, it instantly melts into a sauce and grilled onions are the preferred condiment. Lucky for you they’re super easy to make at home, too! Pair them with some chips and fruit or a nice green salad for a fun weeknight dinner, or simply something different for your next backyard bbq. It’s an unexpected combo that’s actually so good!
Ingredients Needed
- Good quality hot dog bun – Check the bakery section of your grocery store for great buns. I also love the Brioche hot dog buns from Walmart, which is what I’m using in these photos!
- All beef hot dog or polish dog – again, grab a great quality all-beef hot dog. This combination is also great Costco brand hot dogs and Polish dogs you can buy in the refrigerated section.
- Cream cheese – I’ve found the whipped cream cheese is a great texture for spreading on a soft bun. If you’re using traditional cream cheese, you’ll want to warm it up a bit first to be more spreadable
- Onions – I like using sweet onions like Walla Walla, but any onions work
- Butter or oil for toasting and sauting
How to Make Seattle Style Hot Dogs
- Since hot dogs and buns are both quick to cook up, I like to have my onions ready to go first. You can do your onions charred and grilled with a little bite still on them, or completely soft and caramelized. You can saute them up on a flat top grill, or in a saute pan indoors. All of these options work, it’s personal preference!
- Next cook your hot dogs. Again, preference here. Grill on your bbq, spiral cut if you like that. Personally I’m using one of my favorite tools- the air fryer! 5-7 minutes (depending on the size) at 375°F is usually perfect for mine.
- Once those are done or about done, keep them warm. For the buns, you can toast them if you like by spreading a little oil or butter on them and toasting in a pan cut-side down until golden. If you don’t like a crispy bun, you could also just wrap buns in foil and warm in the oven. While I usually love toasted bread on things like this, I find that simply warmed up in the microwave or oven is perfect for me. I like the soft texture with the cream cheese, and hot dog buns usually end up breaking in half when I try and toast them!
- To assemble, spread softened cream cheese on your warm bun. Add your hot dog and top with cooked onions.
- Add any additional toppings as desired- there aren’t really limits, here!
Tips and More Info
- Feel free to add more toppings as desired. The Seattle dog classic combo is the warm bun, cream cheese smear, great dog, and grilled onions. But you can feel free to add other toppings that sound good to you!
- Some ideas are: ketchup and mustard, jalapeno, cabbage or sauerkraut.
- I saw one Reddit user share that there’s a place on Lopez island that adds boysenberry jam and calls it a San Juan dog, which sounds pretty amazing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely. You can saute your onions on the stove top and cook your hot dog in a skillet or air fryer. You can warm your buns in the oven or microwave, or toast them in a pan!
Yes! Traditional Seattle Dogs usually use all-beef franks, and I do think that tastes the best, but you can substitute with turkey, veggie, or even bratwurst depending on your preference. Just make sure it’s a good-quality sausage that grills well.
Plain cream cheese is classic, but whipped cream cheese spreads more easily. If you’re feeling adventurous, try flavored varieties like jalapeño or chive for an extra kick.
Absolutely. Sautéed onions can be made in advance and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Just reheat before assembling your dogs.
Besides cream cheese and onions, popular toppings include jalapeños, sauerkraut, mustard, and sometimes sriracha or other spicy sauces. Feel free to make it your own!
I’ve never tried it, but you can certainly use a plant-based sausage and dairy-free cream cheese. Many brands offer meat and dairy alternatives that hold up well on the grill.
More Recipes You Might Like
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Seattle Style Hot Dogs
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 large yellow sweet onion sliced in half and then in 1/4" slices latitudinally ("rainbow" shapes)
- 4 all beef hot dogs
- 4 good quality hot dog buns
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened, or use whipped cream cheese
Additional toppings
- Ketchup, mustard, jalapenos, hot sauce, etc. optional
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet on the stove top. Add onions and saute at medium heat until softened and then turn up the heat slightly at the end to get some char. This process varies in time. You can do it in just a few minutes if you grill them, or up to 30 minutes to slow-caramelize on the stovetop.
- Cook hot dogs on the grill or air fryer. For air fryer, cut shallow slits diagonally accross opposite sides of the hot dog. Cook for 5-7 minutes (depending on size, smaller dogs may cook quicker) at 375℉.
- Warm buns using desired method. You can simply warm them in the micrwave, or wrap in foil and place in a warm oven. Alternately you can open buns and spread with a little butter and toast in a pan or under the broiler.
- Spread each bun generously with cream cheese on both sides.
- Place warm hot dogs directly from grill/air fryer in the center of buns and top with grilled onions. Eat eat as is, or with any other additional toppings.
