Mexican Hot Dogs
These bacon-wrapped Mexican hot dogs are loaded with pinto beans, pico de gallo, avocado mayo, mustard, and pickled jalapeños. They are messy in the right way, so toast the buns and keep napkins close.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Yield
- 6 hot dogs
- Difficulty
- Easy
Prep 20mCook 15mMexican-AmericanSandwiches
Mexican hot dogs are a street-food favorite with roots in northern Mexico and the U.S. Southwest. The Sonoran-style version is often wrapped in bacon and tucked into a soft roll with beans, salsa, mayo, mustard, and chiles.
This home version keeps the same spirit but uses easy grocery-store ingredients. You will cook the bacon-wrapped hot dogs in a skillet, warm the beans, mix a quick pico de gallo, and build everything in toasted buns.
They are great for a casual dinner, game day, or a cookout. The toppings can be made ahead, which makes assembly fast once the hot dogs are hot.
01What you'll need
Ingredients
15 items · 6 hot dogs
- 1 cup cooked pinto beans or no-salt-added canned pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup diced tomato
- 1/4 cup finely diced white onion
- 1 small jalapeño, seeded if desired and finely chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 medium ripe avocado, pitted and peeled
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 1/4 cup pickled jalapeño slices, drained
- 6 fully cooked beef hot dogs, about 45 g each
- 6 thin-cut bacon slices
- 6 hot dog buns or small bolillo-style rolls, split
- Toothpicks, for securing the bacon
02How to make it
Step-by-step
1. Make the pico
In a small bowl, stir together the tomato, onion, fresh jalapeño, cilantro, 1 tablespoon lime juice, and salt. Set it aside while you cook the hot dogs. Pico de gallo is a fresh chopped salsa, so do not worry if it looks chunky.
2. Mix the avocado mayo
In another bowl, mash the avocado with the mayonnaise and the remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice. Mash until mostly smooth but still thick enough to spoon. Cover and set aside.
3. Warm the beans
Put the pinto beans in a small saucepan with 1 to 2 tablespoons water. Warm over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring now and then. Lightly mash a few beans with the back of a spoon so they stay in the bun more easily.
4. Wrap the hot dogs
Wrap one slice of bacon around each hot dog in a spiral. Secure the ends with toothpicks. Try not to overlap the bacon too much, because overlapped bacon takes longer to cook.
5. Cook the bacon-wrapped hot dogs
Set a large skillet over medium heat. Add the wrapped hot dogs and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, turning every few minutes, until the bacon is browned and cooked through. If the bacon browns too fast, lower the heat. Remove the toothpicks before serving.
6. Toast the buns
Place the split buns cut-side down in the same skillet for 1 to 2 minutes, or until lightly toasted. You can also toast them under a broiler for about 1 minute. Watch closely so they do not burn.
7. Build and serve
Spoon warm beans into each bun. Add a bacon-wrapped hot dog, then top with pico de gallo, avocado mayo, yellow mustard, and pickled jalapeños. Serve right away while the buns are crisp and the hot dogs are hot.
03From our kitchen
Cook's tips
- Make-ahead: Mix the pico de gallo up to 4 hours ahead and refrigerate it. The avocado mayo is best made within 2 hours of serving, but pressing plastic wrap directly on the surface helps slow browning.
- Storage: Store leftover hot dogs, beans, pico, and sauces in separate airtight containers. Refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat the hot dogs in a skillet or air fryer so the bacon can crisp again.
- Bun swap: Traditional versions often use soft bolillo-style rolls. Regular hot dog buns work well, especially if you toast them first.
- Protein swaps: You can use turkey hot dogs, pork hot dogs, or plant-based hot dogs. If using plant-based bacon, cook according to the package directions because it may brown faster than pork bacon.
- Less heat: Remove the seeds from the fresh jalapeño and skip the pickled jalapeños. For more heat, add hot sauce or a spoonful of salsa verde.
- Bacon tip: Thin-cut bacon works better than thick-cut here. Thick bacon may stay chewy by the time the hot dog is heated through.
Cook's note
Nutrition is an estimate per loaded hot dog using standard USDA values for beef hot dogs, thin-cut bacon, regular hot dog buns, no-salt-added pinto beans, avocado, mayonnaise, mustard, and the listed toppings. Sodium can vary a lot by brand, especially for hot dogs, bacon, buns, and pickled jalapeños.
04Frequently asked
Questions & answers
Can I grill Mexican hot dogs instead of cooking them in a skillet?
Yes. Grill them over medium heat, turning often, until the bacon is cooked through and browned. If flare-ups happen from the bacon fat, move the hot dogs to a cooler part of the grill and keep turning.
Do I have to wrap the hot dogs in bacon?
No. You can skip the bacon and simply grill or pan-sear the hot dogs. The toppings still give you plenty of flavor, and the recipe will cook faster.
How do I keep the buns from getting soggy?
Toast the buns and drain the pico well before spooning it on. Lightly mashing the beans also helps because they spread instead of rolling around with extra liquid.
Are these the same as Sonoran hot dogs?
They are inspired by Sonoran hot dogs, which are commonly bacon-wrapped and served with beans, onions, tomatoes, mayo, mustard, and chiles. This version uses easy home-kitchen toppings and standard hot dog buns or small rolls.
Can I make these vegetarian?
Yes. Use plant-based hot dogs, plant-based bacon or no bacon, and vegan mayo if needed. Check the buns too, because some brands contain dairy or eggs.
05Per serving
Nutrition facts
Nutrition Facts
6 hot dogs
Amount per serving
% Daily Value*
- Total Fat29 g
- 37%
- Saturated Fat8 g
- 40%
- Cholesterol36 mg
- 12%
- Sodium1238 mg
- 54%
- Total Carbohydrate40 g
- 15%
- Dietary Fiber6 g
- 21%
- Total Sugars6 g
- Protein17 g
- 34%
- Vitamin D0.3 mcg
- 2%
- Calcium110 mg
- 8%
- Iron3.7 mg
- 21%
- Potassium554 mg
- 12%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet.
05Keep cooking
You might also like
SandwichesChicken Banh Mi
This chicken banh mi layers juicy marinated chicken, quick-pickled carrot and daikon, crisp cucumber, herbs, and spicy mayo inside a warm baguette roll. It is bright, crunchy, savory, and very doable on a weeknight.
SandwichesPan con Bistec
This Cuban-style steak sandwich layers garlicky citrus-marinated beef with sweet onions, tomato, lettuce, mayo, and crisp potato sticks. Press it lightly in a skillet so the bread gets warm and the filling settles into a
SandwichesMushroom Swiss Burger
This mushroom Swiss burger layers juicy beef patties with browned mushrooms, sweet onion, and melted Swiss cheese. A quick Dijon mayo keeps the buns from feeling dry without taking over the burger.
SandwichesJuicy Turkey Burgers
These turkey burgers are simple, well-seasoned, and weeknight-friendly. A little grated onion and a touch of mayonnaise help keep the patties tender without making them fussy.