15 Creative Ways To Use Up Leftover Hot Dog Buns

You'll usually find sloppy Joe filling on a hamburger bun, but use a hot dog bun for your sloppy Joe instead when you're in the mood to switch things up. From a brioche bun to a sesame-topped bun, you can use just about any hot dog bun variety out there and the flavors will match the sloppy Joe. Even a Hawaiian bun is suitable because you'll often find sweetness in sloppy Joe filling in the form of molasses, brown sugar, or even apple juice.

This version is easy to hold onto with the length of the bun and is also a fantastic way to utilize any slightly stale buns you might have. The moisture from the sloppy Joe can help revitalize the bread. If the bun is particularly soft, lightly toast it so it doesn't crumble under the weight of the meat filling. You can also use sloppy Joe mix as a hot dog topping (sort of like a chili dog).

There's something so satisfying about a crusty, buttery garlic bread. For this appetizer, you might want to stick with some of the basic buns, like a white bread bun or whole wheat. Make this as you would any homemade garlic bread: Bun, garlic, butter, and fresh parsley for an herbal addition. This is great for both soft and partially stale hot dog buns since you end up baking and broiling them. However, avoid hard and stale bread, which will get too crispy during baking. 

If your leftover bun is on the somewhat stale side, cut the broiling time in half (to one minute or less) and keep your eye on it the entire time so it's not too crunchy. Enjoy your garlic bread with pasta, pizza, or chicken wings. This dish is a splendid way to scoop any remaining sauce or oil from pasta. If you don't have plans to eat it right away, you can prep the buns and then freeze. When you're ready to eat, pop them in the oven for 10 minutes, but make sure to use them within three months. Garlic bread buns are a fantastic side dish for when you have a hankering for garlic.

If you left the bag open and the buns are stale — or if they're beaten up and torn — bread pudding is a fantastic way to use any remaining pieces. The buns get soaked in a mixture of cream, milk, egg, sugar, spices, and a few other ingredients for a perfect dessert to eliminate any toughness. This rich bread pudding takes around an hour and a half to cook, but you'll be drooling once it's ready. 

Bread pudding is great if you have whole wheat buns, brioche, Hawaiian, or white buns. You don't want something like a pretzel bun that would interfere with the flavor. Pair this with a scoop of ice cream, or switch out the raisins for chocolate chips if you want a more gooey alternative. You could also add a nutty element, such as walnuts or pecans, or drizzle it with peanut butter. There's a lot of flexibility with the add-ins as long as the core ingredients remain the same. This is a rich, thoroughly spiced, and flavorful way to transform the buns into a treat — and you wouldn't even know that it was made from leftover hot dog buns.

When you desire something simple and comforting, make a grilled cheese with your leftover hot dog buns. Construct it how you would any grilled cheese, but if you want to upgrade your sandwich to the ultimate grilled cheese, make it with room-temperature Gruyère and cheddar cheese. This recipe has an added herbiness with chives, and it's cooked to a crispy, flaky perfection. Or try a blackberry grilled cheese with prosciutto and sage. 

Separate the buns so you have two individual pieces, then spread mayonnaise on the outside of the buns. For the most pleasing results, smash the pieces so they're a tad flatter. Or turn the bun pieces upside down – so the softer insides are used as the exterior of the bread — and then flatten it. This alternative has the same delicious taste as a grilled cheese with sliced bread, it simply looks different. You can use any type of hot dog bun for this, but if you're in the mood for comfort food, choose a white or potato bun.

Making French toast is one of the best things to do when you have stale bread that you want to use up, and it doesn't take too much time to create. Whip it up just like you would with any other French toast, swapping the bread for hot dog buns. This is particularly delicious with brioche buns (since you will often see brioche French toast), but you could also use white, Hawaiian, or wheat buns. 

Tear the bun so the two sides are separate, as it will be easier to dredge and fry. Or cut the buns into strips for French toast strips, which is a fantastic way to disguise any mashed buns. Once cooked, you can layer them in a sandwich fashion if you want to make a stuffed French toast – to which you can stuff ingredients like hazelnut spread, lemon curd, chopped fruit, or chocolate chips. Top these with powdered sugar, or for an adults-only version, try incorporating triple sec into the custard as a simple way to instantly elevate French toast. This is a manageable brunch when you want something sweet but don't want to spend your morning baking anything complex.

Croutons are one of the simpler creative ways to use leftover hot dog buns. They are usually made by baking or pan-frying pieces of bread, so you can apply the same technique with buns. You only need a few ingredients to make croutons at home, including hot dog buns and fat, such as butter or olive oil. A basic white hot dog bun works best since it acts as an unadorned base to load flavor onto, whether you add salt, pepper, thyme, garlic, or something else. 

These are crunchy and rustic and completely disguise any broken, smushed buns. Croutons take on the flavor of the butter and herbs to create crispy morsels that you might end up eating on their own. If you want to drive further into the unexpected route, anchovy filets will elevate your croutons thanks to their savory, oily components. These are an immaculate match for a Caesar salad. Rather than throwing away your slightly hard hot dog buns, transform them into this crunchy topper for soups and salads.

A dessert bun is kind of a mishmash of whatever you have, with no baking involved and no need to soak overnight. This is a straightforward way to finish off buns that can be customized for each person. You could cut the buns into halves if you don't have a lot and want to get more out of them. Take inspiration from crepes and think about what you would add to that. Fruits like sliced bananas, strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries are excellent choices. Classic peanut butter is another way to integrate flavor. Or go for something with a different flavor profile, such as pistachio butter or macadamia butter. 

If you're not into nuts, now is the perfect time to raid your pantry or refrigerator for any sauces, jams, or toppings. Try caramel sauce, hot fudge sauce, marmalade, strawberry jam, mini marshmallows, or crushed cookies. Make it a fun activity for the whole family by getting everyone involved in making their own combinations. Create a theme for decorations or colors (like red, white, and blue for the Fourth of July). If you prefer a warmer version, pop it in the toaster oven for a couple of minutes. It will probably be a bit messy, so have some napkins handy.

When you leave hot dog buns out in the open so long that they turn into a rock, they can still be salvaged in the form of breadcrumbs to use in pasta, meatballs, and more. This is the last thing to do before throwing out stale hot dog buns since there's no turning back from this texture change. Breadcrumbs are also fantastic when you have some torn or less-than-appealing pieces of bread left. Cut or rip them into bite-sized pieces and toss them in a food processor. Blitz them into your desired consistency, whether you want a fine powder or slightly bigger bits. 

To store them properly in an airtight container, breadcrumbs need to be crispy and have no remaining moisture (since you don't want them to mold). If your buns aren't completely stale, pop them in the oven to toast on low heat. Use any hot dog bun variety you have, whether it's a Hawaiian bun or a pretzel bun. Give them more dimension by toasting them, blending them with Italian seasoning, or flavoring them with lemon pepper.