Banderillas are considered Mexican street food and they are one of the easiest Mexican dishes you can make. Basically they are hot dogs wrapped in flour tortillas, fried until crispy, and often served with a fiery dipping sauce. The whole thing takes 15 minutes.
The real star of this recipe is the chimichurri pizza sauce, made with toasted chile de arbol peppers blended with evaporated milk and mayonnaise. It’s creamy, smoky, and seriously hot. Perfect for game day, quick lunches, or anytime you want street food at home.
Jump to: RECIPE | What are Banderillas? | Ingredients | Chimichurri Pizza Sauce | More Uses for the Sauce | How to Make | FAQ
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What are Banderillas?
In Mexico, “banderilla” is typically a reference to a version of street food consisting of a corn dog or hot dog, with a stick through the dog being the “banderilla” reference.
In Spain the banderilla refers to a type of tapas or appetizer secured on a toothpick.
The banderilla recipe in this post is a simple casual dish that you would find in the home kitchen rather than the corn dog type of street food.
My recipe is a hot dog roll-up in a tortilla, which is then fried and served with a Mexican hot sauce (aka Mexican chimichurri pizza sauce).
Ingredients for Mexican Banderillas with Chimichurri Sauce
In my personal cooking experience, chimichurri sauce referred to the uncooked Argentinian sauce made from finely chopped parsley, minced garlic, oregano, olive oil, and red wine vinegar. The Argentine version is typically used used as a fresh condiment or marinade.
My daughter’s foster teen from Mexico insisted that the sauce in the recipe below was called chimichurri pizza sauce. This is her recipe from her home, so I’m going with her directions and what she calls it. I’m just adding the word pizza sauce to the label to help distinguish it from Argentinian chimichurri sauce.
This recipe for Cauliflower with Chimichurri Sauce will highlight the difference between the two versions.
The following photo shows you all the ingredients you will need for this recipe. For details on measurements, see the recipe below.
How Spicy Is Chimichurri Pizza Sauce?
The chimichurri pizza sauce is fiery hot! The chile peppers used in the sauce are called Chile de Arbol peppers, which are small dried peppers that reach about 30,000 Scoville Heat Units. That’s about 6 times spicier than a jalapeno!
In addition to being hot however, Chile de Arbol peppers are also packed with flavor. They are quite popular in taquerias, where they are made into sauces drizzled over tacos and tostados.
Chimichurri pizza sauce has been compared to a spicy hot buffalo sauce typically used on wings.
The chile de arbol peppers can be found in most large grocery stores. In Minnesota they are tucked away in the produce section. They are widely available at any Latin market.
I like to use the arbol peppers for our popular recipe for Homemade Salsa Macha
How to Make Sausage Banderillas
The full instructions are in the recipe card below. In short: wrap hot dogs in flour tortillas, secure with toothpicks, fry until golden, and serve with the blended chile sauce.
What Else Can You Use This Chimichurri Sauce On?
The sauce was originally designed to be served with pizza, but it is excellent drizzled over many Mexican dishes.
Here are a few of my favorites:
- As a dip for tortilla chips
- As a side for birria
- Added to tacos, tortillas, or enchiladas
- Drizzled over fried fish
- Great with Mexican street food
- drizzled over popcorn
- smeared onto elote
- on french fries
- scrambled eggs
- basically wherever you’d use a hot sauce!
A few other favorite recipes that are quick and easy and add a Mexican touch to dishes include:
- Quick pickled onions to serve with Mexican food
- Mexican street food with chile lime salt (Tajin)
- Cooling Mexican drinks and treats for hot days
- Quesatacos with beef birria consommé
FAQ
Small dried Mexican peppers with about 30,000 Scoville units; roughly 6 times hotter than jalapeños. They have a bright, slightly smoky flavor beyond just heat.
Yes. Use fewer chiles (start with 10 instead of 20), remove all the seeds, or substitute milder dried peppers like guajillo. The evaporated milk and mayo already temper the heat.
Guajillo peppers for mild heat, or cayenne for similar heat without the smoky depth. In a pinch, use 2-3 tablespoons of your favorite hot sauce blended with the milk and mayo.
Make the sauce up to a week ahead (refrigerate). Fry the banderillas just before serving, as they lose crispness quickly.
Any fully cooked sausage: bratwurst, chicken sausage, chorizo, or smoked sausage. Adjust cooking time if using thicker sausages.
Check out our Mexican Recipe catalog of recipes for over 70 recipes for street food, traditional Mexican fare, and Mexican celebration recipes.
Sausage Banderillas with Pizza Sauce
Equipment
- toothpicks
- medium or small skillet
Ingredients
Sausage Banderillas
- 12 long hot dogs or sausage I used all beef franks
- 12 flour tortillas
- ¼ Cup oil I used olive oil
Chimichurri Pizza Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 20 Chiles de Árbol Or to taste
- 1 Cup Evaporated Milk
- 4 Tablespoon Mayonnaise
- ¼ large Onion
- 1-2 Garlic Clove Peeled
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
- Salt to taste
Instructions
For the Banderillas
- Lay a tortilla flat and place the hot dog at one end. Roll up in the tortilla and use toothpick to secure the tortilla in place. Repeat with each hot dog.12 long hot dogs or sausage, 12 flour tortillas
- Heat oil in large skillet and fry the tortilla-wrapped hot dog on each side until crisp and golden brown (only a few minutes)1/4 Cup oil
For the Pizza Sauce
- While the banderillas are frying, make the sauce.Cut the end off of each chile and tap to remove most of the seeds (leaving the seeds in will make it more spicy, so it’s up to you).20 Chiles de Árbol
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, then toast the chiles. Cook them in the oil for a minute, then flip them. Do NOT burn them, or your salsa will be bitter.2 Tablespoons olive oil
- Add the toasted chiles, evaporated milk, mayonnaise, onion, garlic, mustard and salt to a blender and puree until smooth.1 Cup Evaporated Milk, 4 Tablespoon Mayonnaise, 1/4 large Onion, 1-2 Garlic Clove, 1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard, Salt to taste
- Serve the banderillas with the sauce drizzled over them and more on the side for individual preferences.
Video
Notes
- When toasting the chiles in oil, be careful not to burn them or they will make the sauce taste bitter. Don’t let them turn black (start over if they do).
- If the sauce is too thick for your preference, add a little water to the blender little by little until it is the consistency you like
- Use dried chilis rather than fresh as the flavor will be more concentrated.
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