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Hot Dog Nuggets only require TWO ingredients and make a perfect for lunch, dinner or even a party appetizer! Kids and adults alike will love these little bites.

These Hot Dog Nuggets are really mini Pigs in a Blanket. For some reason, everything is better when it’s bite-sized! For more kid-friendly bites, try Mini Deep Dish Pizzas and homemade Chicken Nuggets.

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Mini hot dogs on a plate with a side of ketchup and mustard

Kid AND Adult Friendly

I am so excited to share this recipe with you guys today! It’s a recipe that is SO simple to make and one the kids absolutely loved. In fact, we’ve already made it twice this month. 😉 It’s for Hot Dog Nuggets!

You see, we’re not super fancy around these parts and tend to have hot dogs or corn dogs each month. Because we have them each month, I feel like it gets a little boring so I wanted to be able to try a “new version” of this classic meal and was pleased at how simple and delicious they were.

And don’t be fooled into thinking these bites are only for kids! Adults love them just as much, especially for appetizers. Don’t you think these would be perfect to serve as an appetizer on game day??

Hot dogs cut into bite sized pieces for hot dog nuggets

Just TWO Ingredients!

All you need to make these savory little bites is (1) hot dogs, and (2) crescent roll dough!

PREP. Begin by preheating you oven to 400 degrees.

HOT DOGS. Slice your hot dogs into thin pieces (ours were about half inch each). Set aside.

DOUGH. Roll out your crescent dough and press the seams together. Cut into 8 strips. Then cut lengthwise into 8 more strips. You should end up with 64 1.5 inch x .5 inch pieces.

WRAP. Wrap the hot dogs in the crescent pieces and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

BAKE. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes. Serve warm.

Air Fryer Instructions

 If you want to make these in the airfryer you certainly can.

  1. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom of your basket. Add a batch of the wrapped hot dogs to the basket. Be sure they are not touching.
  2. Turn the fryer to 325°F and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until crescent tops are light brown. Use tongs to turn over each one then bake for 3 to 4 more minutes or until golden brown.
  3. Remove and repeat with the remaining mini dogs.

Note: you do not need to preheat the airfryer. Simply add the mini hot dog nuggets to the basket set temp and bake.

Step by step photos of cutting the crescent dough for hot dog bites

Recipe Tips

  • If serving as a main dish, plan to serve 4-6 bites per child and 6-10 bites per adult
  • If serving as an appetizer, plan to serve 3-4 per person
  • Use puff pastry dough or homemade roll dough instead of canned dough
  • Make em cheesy: create a small slit in the center of the hot dog and add a small piece of cheese inside
  • Use little smokies instead of hot dog pieces

dip It!

Set out a condiment bar: One of the reasons my children like these hot dog nuggets is they can easily be used to dip into sauces. Some delicious sauces include:

A hand holding a corn dog nugget

Make Ahead & Freeze

You can assemble your hot dog nuggets a few hours ahead of time. Cover the pan with plastic and store in the fridge. Bake according to the directions. 

To freeze: Bake and allow to cool. Flash freeze them first: place baked pigs in a blanket on a sheet and freeze for 2-3 hours then transfer to a freezer safe container. Freeze for 1-2 months.

To reheat: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place frozen pigs in blankets on a baking sheet. Bake until warm for about 5-10 minutes.

Close up of hot dog nuggets stacked on a plate with sides of ketchup and mustard

If your kids love nuggets and corn dogs, then they’ll love these Hot Dog Nuggets. And SCORE for finding another simple recipe everyone loves, right?!

And for even more party appetizer recipes, check out:

4.94 from 43 votes

Mini Hotdogs

Our wildly popular mini hotdogs require only TWO ingredients and make a perfect lunch, dinner, or party appetizer!
Servings: 64 nuggets
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 8 minutes
Total: 18 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 5 hot dogs
  • 1 can crescent rolls
  • ketchup and mustard for dipping

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  • Cut your hot dogs into half-inch chunks. Set aside.
  • Roll out your crescent dough and press the seams together.
  • Cut into 8 strips. Then cut lengthwise into 8 more strips. You should end up with 64 – 1½ inch x ½ inch pieces.
  • Wrap the hot dogs in the crescent pieces and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
  • Bake for 8 to 9 minutes. Serve warm. ENJOY!

Video

Notes

Recipe tips.
  • If serving as a main dish, plan to serve 4-6 bites per child and 6-10 bites per adult. If serving as an appetizer, plan to serve 3-4 per person.
  • Make them cheesy: Include a small piece of cheese when you wrap the hot dog pieces with the dough.
  • Our favorite way to keep them warm during a party is to line the bottom of a crock pot with a paper towel and set the crock pot to the warm setting.
  • Dip in ketchup, mustard, ranch, honey mustard, BBQ sauce, fry sauce, or cheese sauce.
Air Fyer. Line the bottom of the basket with a piece of parchment paper. Cooking in batches, turn the fryer to 325°F and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until crescent tops are light brown. Use tongs to turn over each one, then bake for 3 to 4 more minutes or until golden brown.
Prep ahead of time. You can assemble your hot dog nuggets a few hours ahead of time. Cover the pan with plastic and store in the fridge. Bake according to the directions. 
Store baked nuggets in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days to in the freezer for 1-2 months. To heat, preheat the oven to 325°F. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 5-10 minutes. If frozen, bake for  15-20 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 21kcal, Carbohydrates: 2g, Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 1mg, Sodium: 51mg, Potassium: 5mg, Calcium: 1mg, Iron: 0.1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

About Kristyn

Kristyn Merkley is a published cookbook author, wife, mom of six, and major food enthusiast! For the past 15 years, she has been sharing foolproof, family-friendly recipes—each one tested in her kitchen—that anyone can master. As a seasoned recipe creator, she loves making cooking simple, stress-free, and totally doable for everyone!

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4.94 from 43 votes (19 ratings without comment)

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85 Comments

  1. Silvia Klumpp says:

    Excelente ideia! Please post more ideias for end-of-year get togethers!

    1. Lil' Luna Team says:

      So happy you liked it! I do have a post that lists all of my favorite New Years Appetizers that you might like.

  2. Betsy says:

    5 stars
    For those wanting to know how to keep these warm, I’ve done it a couple of different ways. I’ve made them for boating with friends. They are often requested. We live an hour just from their lake. The first time I made them, I baked literally as we were driving out the door. Put in an aluminum pan that I put in the oven with the hot dogs while baking. First put some aluminum foil in the pan, dumped in the hot dogs, and then triple wrapped the entire pan with HEAVY DUTY aluminum foil. Then kept this in the hot spot in the very back of our SUV. Would put in my trunk if I had a trunk. Once at our destination, I just make sure to leave the pan in the sun. I do also roll the pan in our towels for more insulation. Even a few hours later, they were still warm. Now, I have a couple of new methods.

    1. Once cooked, put in aluminum foil, and then throw in my heated up Crock Pot. Then I plug the Crock Pot into my Jackery portable power bank to keep them warm. This only works if it is a small group. I take the crock pot on the boat. If it is a large group, then once at the lake, and loading up the boat, I take the hot dogs out of the crock pot, and throw them into our backpack cooler. I boil water before leaving the house, and dump it into the backpack to warm it up. Then throw into the backpack before getting on the boat. Also keeps them warm for hours. This may seem like a lot, but it is really easy to do all of this.

    Making tomorrow for another lake day! We love them!

    1. Lil' Luna Team says:

      Thanks for sharing those ideas!

  3. Laurie says:

    To keep warm can put them in a crockpot? On warm?

  4. Tammy Stark says:

    5 stars
    This is such a great quick meal that pleases the whole family. Thank you for the best family friendly recipes.

  5. Kristen K. says:

    5 stars
    What a fun, quick, kid friendly meal! We’ve done the little smokies but haven’t thought to use regular hot dogs! 🙂

  6. Elizabeth says:

    How do I keep these warm? These are being made prior to a party but the venue has no way to reheat them

    1. Lil'Luna Team says:

      I’d say cover with aluminum foil. Or if you have one of those insulated casserole carriers, you could always use something like that? I have always either served right away or been able to reheat, so hopefully something like that will keep them warm but not get too soggy either.

  7. Mallory says:

    5 stars
    Such a great idea and so yummy! My son loves them!!

    1. Lil'Luna Team says:

      I’m so glad to hear that! Definitely a fun recipe for kids!

  8. Kristina says:

    5 stars
    I’ve always made pigs in a blanket with the canned dough, but never thought to make them mini. They’re perfect to serve as an appetizer at a party with different dip choices.

  9. Olivia says:

    5 stars
    These are perfect for the kids and they love them!

  10. Katie says:

    5 stars
    These are quick and such a fan favorite. We love trying them with lots of sauces too!

  11. Natalie says:

    5 stars
    What a fun change. My kids love that you can pop them in your mouth! They are soft & delicious!

  12. Amy L Huntley says:

    5 stars
    My kids loved that these were bite-sized. Everything is much tastier and cuter when its small. These were fun to make and even the kids joined in. Great appetizer or main meal/

  13. Allyssa says:

    5 stars
    Thanks a lot for this corn dog nuggets! It’s our new favorite! Super easy to make and really tasty!

  14. Joy says:

    5 stars
    Why do I enjoy eating these more than a corn dog or regular hot dog?! They are super yummy & great for parties & get togethers. The kids gobble them up!

  15. Sapphire Afton says:

    5 stars
    Amazing! Love it! Keep up the good work!

    1. Lil'Luna Team says:

      Thank you!! So glad you enjoyed these!

  16. StayAThomeCOVIDad says:

    Used a Ninja Air Fryer and had great results using no parchment paper and set temp at 330.

    1. LilLunaTeam says:

      Glad you enjoyed the air fryer method and that it was such a success! Thanks for sharing!

  17. Linda Hyler says:

    5 stars
    Thank you for the recipe.

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      You are so welcome!! Enjoy!!

  18. Zhanna says:

    5 stars
    Great recipe to make with kids! My 5-year-old son loved it! Thank you

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      You are so welcome!! I am glad he liked them! Thank you!

    2. Zhanna says:

      5 stars
      I used kroger brand dough and it took for it ~ 16 mins to bake. Still easy and outstanding snack food ?

      1. Kristyn Merkley says:

        Thank you so much for sharing that 🙂

  19. Kaylea Baarman says:

    ARe you able to make these then freeze them?

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      Yes 🙂 Enjoy!

  20. Lindsay says:

    Do you think I could assemble these the night before, and bake the following afternoon?

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      It should be ok. I would just cover them well, so they don’t harden.

  21. Sinead says:

    Hi! So i’M going to attempt these but live in the UK.
    While searching for the uk equivAlant of ‘Crescent Dough’ its shown me croissant pastry, do these neeD a sweet puff pastry or a normal puff pastry?
    Thanks!!

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      I would use the normal puff pastry 🙂 Hope they turn out!

  22. Kelly Roberts says:

    Thoughts on adding cheese to these??

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      I have not tried, but I bet it would taste great.

  23. Liv says:

    5 stars
    How long do you bake them for?

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      Bake them for 8-9 minutes 🙂 Enjoy!!

  24. Sam says:

    3 stars
    Great use of all the dough, but not corn dogs at all! No cornmeal or dipping. Glad you changed the name!

  25. Rosangela says:

    I like the recipe

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      Thank you so much! Thank you for stopping by 🙂

  26. Diane says:

    I’m sorry, it seems like it would be a lot faster to roll the whole hot dog in the dough then cut into pieces.

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      You can totally do that 🙂

  27. Sioux Siegmund says:

    4 stars
    I’m not sure why these are corn dogs, since there is no cornbread involved, but they seem like a quick handy snack for after school!

  28. stephanie says:

    Where’s the corn??

  29. sherri bartner says:

    5 stars
    I’m gonna try this tonight! Sounds like a fun and easy dinner idea that my daughter will love 🙂

    1. Lil' Luna says:

      What did she think? I hope she liked them!! Thanks!

      1. sherri bartner says:

        5 stars
        she loved them, thought they were so cute 🙂 I’m gonna try other recipes from here as well. You really have some good one’s and great ideas for other things as well, I’ve bookmarked your site for future reference. Its so hard to come up with ideas on my own.

      2. Lil' Luna says:

        I’m so glad she liked them! You are so nice! I hope you find some other great recipes 🙂

  30. Amy McC says:

    Have you ever frozen these to use at a later time?

    1. Amy McC says:

      I just saw your other comments….sorry, should have read through first….

  31. Debbie says:

    Couldn you cut the strips big enough to wrap the entire hot dog and then cut the wrapped hot dog into bite sized pieces either before or even after cooking?

    1. Lil' Luna says:

      You could do that. Not sure if the ends would be as covered, but that’s ok.

      1. Liz says:

        I find that when you do them whole, the crescent is so doughy in the middle. I love these little ones! I’m excited to try them. How would you serve them in a school lunch? Are they still good if they’re cold?

      2. Kristyn Merkley says:

        I agree! I like them smaller 🙂 I would just have them cold. My kids would still eat them that way, but I guess it depends on the kid.

  32. Lu says:

    5 stars
    Where’s the cornbread? these are pigs in a blanket.maybe if you dip them in corn muffin mix would work.you still have a great idea here. Thank you.

  33. DeeDee says:

    5 stars
    I made these tonight. They came out great and the kids loved them. They’re bite size, which was great for my kiddos hands. Thanks for sharing!

    1. Lil' Luna says:

      You’re so welcome!! They’re a hit with kids, for sure. And, I like them too 🙂 Thank you!!

  34. Kristen says:

    Can you freeze these corn dog nuggets? If so, how would you do it?

    1. Lil' Luna says:

      I personally haven’t put them in the freezer, but I’m sure you could. I would maybe put them in freezer bags? Anyone else tried freezing them?

  35. Earleen says:

    Can someone please tell me what crescent dough is ? I live in Australia and haven’t heard of it. Thanks

    1. Lil' Luna says:

      It’s prepared dough already in triangles or squares in a rolled can/tin, depending on what you are looking for.

  36. Nichole says:

    They seem to be pigs in a blanket rather than corndog nuggets which sould be made with a cornmeal or cornbread batter. its

  37. Bill O'Connor says:

    I love the idea of putting these in my kids lunch boxes. I of course would use a food-safe washable cotton bag to help the Earth while I was at it. Yum! Thanks for sharing!

    1. Lil' Luna says:

      These would be perfect for lunch!! Thanks for stopping by!!!

  38. jenny says:

    This must be the first time ever, that a pin I found and made actually looks like the photo! Thank you for this neat recipe and the very good instructions 🙂

    1. Lil' Luna says:

      LOL! You’re so welcome!! Thank you for giving them a try and letting me know!!

      1. Cherry says:

        can you freeze these?

      2. Lil' Luna says:

        I haven’t tried it yet, but I don’t see why not?? I’d love to know how they turn out, after freezing them! Thanks!

      3. Shaylene says:

        Can I prep these the night before, so they just have to popped into the oven the next day?

      4. Kristyn Merkley says:

        Yes, I would just cover them really well, so the dough doesn’t harden. Enjoy!

  39. Rebecca says:

    Are the hot dog pieces meant to be cooked or raw when you wrap them in the pastry dough?

    1. Lil' Luna says:

      They are raw and get cooked in the oven with the dough:)

  40. Scarlett says:

    I feel like calling these corn dogs is very misleading. It’s more like pigs in a blanket

    1. Nichole says:

      Right!

    2. jeaniek says:

      I agree. Expected a cornmeal batter of some kind.

  41. Eliese says:

    I bet you could even make a bunch and freeze them after baking! Then, when hungry, just pop a few in the microwave? Would be so convenient on those crazy days…..

    1. Lil' Luna says:

      Totally!! A quick and good recipe when you don’t have a lot of time or when you just don’t feel like cookin:)

  42. Jean says:

    I bought some similar to these but wrapped in puff pastry, and they were expensive. These look just as tasty! Try dipping them in honey mustard dressing. Yum.

  43. Joanie @ ZagLeft says:

    What a fun recipe! I’m sure my kids would love eating and making these too!

  44. Heather | Heather Likes Food says:

    5 stars
    Love nice, quick and easy appetizers! Great for the get togethers!

  45. Megan Keno says:

    So adorable! And perfect for a Super Bowl party… I’m sure kids would be all over these!

  46. Carrie @Frugal Foodie Mama says:

    Oh my gosh! How fun are these?? I think my whole family would LOVE these, but especially my soon-to-be 4 year old. 🙂 And I love how easy they are to make.

  47. Cookin Canuck says:

    I’m going to show this recipe to my youngest son – I have a feeling he’ll want to make this himself for Super Bowl!

  48. Erin @ Texanerin Baking says:

    Oh my! This brings back memories. I haven’t had pigs in a blanket since I was small. I loved them so I have no idea why I stopped! This nugget version looks so fun. 🙂