Here's What To Do With That One Leftover Hot Dog Bun In Your Pantry

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Here's What To Do With That One Leftover Hot Dog Bun In Your Pantry By Ellery Weil Dec. 13, 2025 4:00 pm EST

It's a melancholy moment in the breadbox: after a barbecue, you've put the ketchup, mustard, and relish back in the fridge, and cleared the table, but a single, sad hot dog bun remains. It happens — and not because you made this common hot dog bun mistake . Nobody likes food waste, but a single hot dog bun doesn't have much potential before it goes stale. But what if you could take this leftover food and make something even better ? A solitary bun might not be much of a snack, but it can be turned into bread crumbs — which can then coat chicken parmesan or top mac and cheese.

To make breadcrumbs out of a leftover hot dog bun, it's okay to let it go a l