How many calories are in a beef hot dog?
One regular beef hot dog weighs 57 g and carries 177 calories. Per 100 g the link alone runs 310 calories, with 28 g of fat and almost no carbohydrate. Put it in a white bun and the whole sandwich reads 302 calories, because the bun adds 125 of them.
You'd need to walk about 35 minutes to burn the 177 calories in one regular hot dog (57 g).
How long does it take to burn off a beef hot dog?
One regular hot dog (57 g) is 177 kcal. Enter your weight and the amount you ate to see how long it takes you to burn that off:
lb
| Activity | Time to burn 177 kcal |
|---|---|
| Walking, brisk | 35 min |
| Cycling, moderate | 22 min |
| Swimming, moderate | 25 min |
| Jogging | 21 min |
| Weight training, moderate | 39 min |
Times are for a 155 lb adult at a steady pace; change the weight to see yours. The amount is set to the portion in the text (57 g); change it to what you actually ate. BodyPal works this out from your steps automatically.
On this page
- Beef hot dog quick facts
- US servings from a cocktail link to a cup of slices
- The bun changes the math
- Turkey and reduced-fat links
- Saturated fat and sodium are the rows to watch
- How does a beef hot dog compare?
- Most popular beef hot dog brands
- FAQ
Beef hot dog quick facts
The row used here is FNDDS 2706167, "Hot dog, beef" — the link on its own, no bun, no relish, nothing else. That is what a person is actually holding when they pull a frank out of the package and want a number for it. USDA also publishes four separate sandwich rows that bundle the bread in; those sit further down as variants, since the bread is a choice you make after the frank is already logged.
A regular link is 57 g, which is the standard eight-per-pound size and the same weight USDA gives for a bun-length frank.
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Per 1 regular hot dog (57 g) | % Daily Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 310 | 177 | — |
| Total fat | 28 g | 16.0 g | 20% |
| Saturated fat | 11.4 g | 6.5 g | 32% |
| Carbohydrate | 2.89 g | 1.6 g | 1% |
| Dietary fiber | 0 g | 0 g | 0% |
| Total sugars | 1.26 g | 0.7 g | — |
| Protein | 11.7 g | 6.7 g | 13% |
| Sodium | 828 mg | 472 mg | 21% |
| Cholesterol | 58 mg | 33 mg | 11% |
| Potassium | 326 mg | 186 mg | 4% |
% Daily Value is based on a 2,000-calorie diet.
Verified nutrition data
Numbers on this page come from USDA FoodData Central, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s food composition database, and from manufacturer labels where a branded product is named. Last verified September 2026. How we verify our data →
Two rows you would see on a package label are missing above: added sugars and trans fat. USDA does not publish either value for FNDDS composite foods, so guessing them would be worse than leaving them out. The sugar that is listed, 1.26 g per 100 g, is what the cure and the small amount of corn syrup put there — it is not enough to move any daily target.
One more line worth keeping in view: 472 mg of sodium is about a fifth of a teaspoon of table salt, packed into a piece of meat the size of your finger.
US servings from a cocktail link to a cup of slices
| Serving | Weight | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| 1 cocktail link | 10 g | 31 kcal |
| 1 oz | 28.4 g | 88 kcal |
| 1 regular or bun-length hot dog | 57 g | 177 kcal |
| 1 footlong | 88 g | 273 kcal |
| 1 cup, sliced | 150 g | 465 kcal |
| Per 100 g | 100 g | 310 kcal |
The regular link, the footlong, the cocktail link and the sliced cup are all USDA household measures for this record. The 1 oz row is our own arithmetic from the USDA 100 g figure, not a USDA serving — useful if you are weighing pieces rather than counting them.
The cup is the row that catches people. Sliced franks stirred into chili, a bean salad or macaroni look like a garnish, but 150 g of them is 465 calories, just over two and a half links. If a recipe calls for a cup of sliced hot dog and serves four, that is 116 calories per bowl before anything else goes in.
Cocktail links go the other way. At 10 g each they are 31 calories apiece, so a handful of six on a party plate is 186 calories — just over one regular frank, spread across a longer, more satisfying eating experience.
The bun changes the math
Here is the trap in per-100-g thinking. The naked frank is 310 calories per 100 g. The same frank on a white bun is 296 calories per 100 g — a lower number that describes a bigger meal. Bread is less calorie-dense than cured beef, so adding it drags the density down while the plate total climbs by 125 calories.
| Version | Per 100 g | Typical piece | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beef hot dog, link only | 310 kcal | 1 link (57 g) | 177 kcal |
| On a white bun | 296 kcal | 1 sandwich (102 g) | 302 kcal |
| On a wheat bun | 290 kcal | 1 sandwich (102 g) | 296 kcal |
| On white bread | 295 kcal | 1 sandwich (87 g) | 257 kcal |
| On wheat bread | 294 kcal | 1 sandwich (87 g) | 256 kcal |
A wheat bun saves six calories against a white one, which is nothing. What it actually changes is fiber: 2.4 g per 100 g against 0.8 g for the white bun, so the wheat bun leads the four on fiber toward the 28 g Daily Value. Sodium is slightly lower too, 657 mg per 100 g against 681 mg.
Folding the frank into a slice of bread instead of a bun is the real saving. That sandwich is 87 g and 257 calories, 45 fewer than the bun version, because a slice of white bread weighs about 30 g where a hot dog bun weighs closer to 45 g. Ballpark and backyard buns are usually bigger than the USDA one, so treat 302 as a floor rather than a ceiling.
Turkey and reduced-fat links
Swapping the meat moves the number more than swapping the bread. A turkey hot dog is 223 calories per 100 g, so a 57 g link is 127 calories — exactly 50 fewer than beef. A reduced-fat link is lighter still at 216 calories per 100 g, or 123 per link, and it carries the most protein of the three at 13.75 g per 100 g against beef's 11.7 g.
That is the useful pattern: the two lighter options are not just smaller, they are denser in protein per calorie. A reduced-fat link delivers 7.8 g of protein for 123 calories where beef delivers 6.7 g for 177.
Store brands land below the generic USDA figure almost across the board. Among the six best-selling beef franks in the USDA Branded database, calories run from 196 to 286 per 100 g — every one of them under the 310 of the generic FNDDS row. Applegate's organic uncured beef hot dog is 100 calories for a 47 g link; Sugardale's is 140 for a 49 g link; Teton Waters Ranch lists 130 for a 57 g link. If you have the package, use the label. If you are eating at a cookout with no package in sight, 177 is the honest default.
Saturated fat and sodium are the rows to watch
Calories are not the interesting part of a hot dog. One 57 g link carries 6.5 g of saturated fat, 32% of the FDA Daily Value of 20 g, and the Dietary Guidelines set the target lower still, at under 10% of daily calories. Two links put 13.0 g on the plate, 65% of the Daily Value, from 354 calories — about a sixth of a 2,000-calorie day.
Sodium runs the same way. One link is 472 mg, 21% of the day. Two on white buns come to roughly 1,390 mg, our own arithmetic from the USDA sandwich figure, which is more than half the daily limit before you add mustard, relish or chips.
Protein is the redeeming column, and it is modest: 6.7 g per link, 13% of the Daily Value. MyPlate puts a typical adult around 5 to 6.5 ounce-equivalents of protein foods a day, and a hot dog contributes about one of them at a high fat cost. If you are watching saturated fat, the turkey or reduced-fat link is the better pick; if you want the beef, one link with a wheat bun is a more balanced plate than two links with white.
How does a beef hot dog compare?
| Hot dog | Per 100 g | US serving | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beef | 310 kcal | 1 regular link (57 g) | 177 kcal |
| Meat and poultry blend | 277 kcal | 1 regular link (57 g) | 158 kcal |
| Turkey | 223 kcal | 1 regular link (57 g) | 127 kcal |
| Reduced fat | 216 kcal | 1 regular link (57 g) | 123 kcal |
Our take: beef is the heaviest of the four, per gram and per link. The reduced-fat link is the lightest at 216 calories per 100 g, and it is the only one of the four that clears 13 g of protein per 100 g, which makes it the pick if you are counting and still want two in a bun. Turkey is the everyday swap — 50 calories less per link, close enough in texture that most people stop noticing after the first cookout. Keep the beef for the times it is the point of the meal, not for the times it is just what was in the fridge.
Most popular beef hot dog brands in the United States
Ranked by how widely each product appears among foods sold in the United States, from the BodyPal food database of over 3.3 million products. Calories are the figures printed on each Nutrition Facts label, checked against USDA FoodData Central.
| Product | Calories (per 100 g) |
|---|---|
| Teton Waters Ranch Mini Uncured Beef Hot Dogs | 228 cal |
| Stemple Creek Ranch Uncured Beef Hot Dogs | 263 cal |
| Teton Waters Ranch Uncured Beef Hot Dogs | 228 cal |
| Applegate The Great Organic Uncured Beef Hot Dog | 213 cal |
| Applegate The Great Organic Uncured Beef Hot Dog 56 g | 196 cal |
| Sugardale Uncured Beef Hot Dogs | 286 cal |
Brand popularity: BodyPal food database. Nutrition: manufacturer labels / USDA FoodData Central.
Beef hot dog FAQs
How many calories are in one beef hot dog?
177 calories for a regular 57 g beef link, no bun. That works out to 310 calories per 100 g, with 16.0 g of fat and 6.7 g of protein. A bun-length frank of the same weight is the same number; a footlong at 88 g comes to 273 calories.
How many calories in a beef hot dog with a bun?
302 calories for a beef hot dog on a plain white bun, USDA's 102 g sandwich. A wheat bun brings it to 296. The bun is doing 125 of those calories, which is more than a slice of white bread does at 80. Condiments are extra.
How much protein is in a beef hot dog?
6.7 g of protein in one 57 g link, or 11.7 g per 100 g. That is 13% of the Daily Value, and it costs 177 calories to get there. Turkey and reduced-fat links carry more protein per 100 g, 12.23 g and 13.75 g, for fewer calories.
How much sodium is in a beef hot dog?
472 mg of sodium in a single 57 g beef link, 21% of the 2,300 mg Daily Value. That is roughly a fifth of a teaspoon of table salt from one small link. On a white bun the sandwich reaches about 695 mg, and two of those pass 1,300 mg.
Are beef hot dogs healthier than turkey hot dogs?
A turkey link saves 50 calories, 127 against 177 for beef at the same 57 g, and carries more protein per 100 g, 12.23 g against 11.7 g. If saturated fat is the number you are watching, turkey is the better pick. Flavor is the trade-off; the calorie gap is real.
How many calories in a footlong beef hot dog?
273 calories for a footlong beef frank of 88 g, no bun. It is 1.5 times a regular link, and a footlong bun adds more bread than a standard one. Sodium scales with it: about 729 mg, close to a third of the Daily Value, from the frank alone.
Do beef hot dogs have carbs?
2.89 g of carbohydrate per 100 g, which is 1.6 g in a 57 g link, about 1% of the Daily Value. Of that, 0.7 g is sugar and none of it is fiber. The carbs on a hot dog plate come from the bun, not from the meat.
How many calories in two beef hot dogs?
354 calories for two regular 57 g links, before buns. They bring 13.0 g of saturated fat, 65% of the Daily Value, and 944 mg of sodium, 41%. Two on white buns is 604 calories, a full dinner's worth from a food most people treat as a snack.
Similar foods
- Sausage — 210 cal per link
- Italian sub — 610 cal per regular sub
- Chuck Roast — 257 cal per 3 oz
- Coconut Shrimp — 250 cal for 4 shrimp
- Hush puppies — 521 cal for 8 hush puppies
- Mozzarella — 334 cal per cup, shredded
Count it without the math
Point the camera at the plate and BodyPal counts the frank and the bun separately for you.
