How to Reheat Hot Dogs

Nothing beats a perfectly grilled hot dog on a warm summer’s evening, topped with ketchup, mustard and all the works.

You may be tempted to snack on some leftover hot dogs for the next day’s lunch if you have made a few too many, but not all hot dogs can be eaten cold. So what is the best way to reheat hot dogs? 

To reheat hot dogs, pop them into a pan over a medium heat for just a few minutes or pop them into the oven for around 10 minutes.

How to Reheat Hot Dogs

You do not necessarily need to reheat hot dogs the same way you cook them. They just need to be warmed up enough to kill any lingering bacteria. 

This can be done using 2 different methods, both of which will give you delicious hot dogs in next to no time: 

How to Reheat hot Dogs on the Stovetop

To save having to set up the grill or prepare a barbeque every time you want to reheat your hot dogs, you can mimic that heat by using a frying pan to reheat leftover hot dogs. 

Either a typical frying pan or a skillet will work for this method, but a non-stick frying pan will work best: 

1. Heat Some Fat
   In your frying pan, melt some butter or heat up some cooking oil on a medium heat until the oil starts to sizzle. Once the fat is hot enough, reduce the heat to a medium-low. 
2. Arrange The Hot Dogs
   Place the hot dogs in the frying pan, being careful of the hot oil. Try and keep the hot dogs from touching each other too much as they could become stuck. 
3. Reheat
   Your hot dogs will not take long to reheat in the pan, only around 2-3 minutes on either side. After 2-3 minutes of cooking, use a spatula or some tongs to turn the sausages over and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.
4. Pat Dry 
   Oily hot dogs are not the most appetising meal, so once your hot dogs are thoroughly warm, briefly pat them dry of any excess oil with a paper towel and serve immediately. 

How to Reheat Hot Dogs in the Oven

Using an oven to reheat a meal that is typically grilled or boiled may seem like an odd solution. But when you have a big batch, you want to warm through quickly, the oven works perfectly, so long as you do not overcook them. Here is how: 

1. Preheat The Oven 
   Warming your oven to 160C (or 325F) before you prepare the sausages to reheat will make the process much quicker and more effective. 
2. Arrange Hot Dogs 
   On a baking tray, lay the hot dogs on their side, ensuring they are not too close together. You want to leave 1/2 inch or so to allow the oven’s hot air to heat the hot dogs evenly.
3. Cover With Tin Foil 
   Cover the top of the hot dogs and baking tray completely using tin foil. This will prevent the sausages from drying out or burning if your oven is too hot. 
4. 1st Reheat
   Set a timer for 5 minutes and place the baking tray in the middle of your oven. After 5 minutes, check on the hot dogs and turn them over to allow both sides to bake evenly. 
5. 2nd Reheat
   The hot dogs will not be hot enough to eat after 5 minutes, so set your timer for a further 5 minutes. Depending on how big the hot dogs are and how many you are reheating, you may not need to wait the full 5 minutes on the second reheat.
6. Serve
   Check the hot dogs every minute or so. Take them out of the oven as soon as they are piping hot and serve them with your favourite toppings. 

How to Reheat Hot Dogs Successfully

They may be easy to cook initially, but hot dogs tend to dry out or quickly burn when reheated. To ensure this doesn’t happen to you, follow the tips below: 

• Remove The Tin Foil Quickly – When following one of the above methods that require coving hot dogs in tin foil, take the tin foil off as soon as the sausages have finished reheating. Otherwise, any released moisture will soak back into the sausages, making the insides all mushy and ruining the texture. 
• Try Flavoured Oil – You only need to use a little cooking oil to reheat your hot dogs, but you can use any oil you want. Olive oil is a good pairing for hot dogs and is a healthy alternative to most cooking fat. 
• Don’t Leave Unattended – Hot dogs are very easy to burn or overcook when reheated. The times listed in the methods above are a rough guide for how long you should leave the hot dogs to warm up. It is better to consistently check on the hot dogs as they warm up.

Is It Safe to Reheat Hot Dogs?

Hot dogs that have been boiled or grilled are safe to reheat, provided they have been kept in cold conditions for a maximum of 4 days. 

Even then, you need to be able to get the hot dogs hot enough to kill potential bacteria that may have stuck to the hot dogs in storage, which is why you should avoid microwaving your hot dogs. 

Reheating Hot Dogs FAQs

If you still have a couple of questions about reheating hot dogs then these answered questions might help you out: