Homemade Hush Puppies Recipe

Sometimes I crave Southern comfort food, but I just don’t have the time to go through the whole process of a lengthy recipe. That’s where this easy fried Hush Puppies recipe comes in!

 

What are Hush Puppies?

Homemade Hush Puppies are delicious, light and fluffy fried cornbread. Sometimes you’ll hear them called corn dodgers. They are often served, just one or two, on the side or a whole pile in a basket.

What are hush puppies made of?

The base hush puppy recipe consists of flour, cornmeal (white or yellow), a leavening agent buttermilk and eggs. It makes a sticky batter that is then dropped into hot oil.

These golden balls of deliciousness fry up with a crunchy outside and fluffy inside. They are sometimes served with dipping sauce and usually accompany other fried foods like fried chicken, fish fry or chicken fried bacon as a side dish.

Typically served at a seafood restaurant, fish fries or barbecue joints, southern hush puppies can now be made in your own home! No need to dine out to curb that southern food craving anymore.

Why you’ll love these Homemade Hush Puppies

Crispy fried cornbread served with the perfect creamy dipping sauce- what’s not to love!

• Perfect texture – With a crunchy outside and pillowy soft inside, this fried corn bread is really hard to beat.
• Simple ingredients – It takes less than 10 ingredients to make these hish puppies- most of which you might already have.
• Loved by all – This crispy appetizer is loved by people of all ages, making them perfect to serve for a weeknight dinner or even a dinner party.

What you’ll need for this Hush Puppies Recipe

This recipe is a fairly “pantry essential” type of recipe. You’ll need a few fresh items like the wet ingredients, but most are dry ingredients you already have on hand.

• Flour – Proteins that make up gluten and thus, structure and stability. 
• Yellow Cornmeal – What sets these apart from just fried bread. Adds texture, flavor, color and structure.
• Baking Powder – a leavening agent.
• Sugar – Creates balance with the all the acidic flavors and helps to make them caramelize.
• Baking Soda – a leavening agent.
• Kosher Salt – Kosher salt is the least salty, make sure you use a large size grain. Smaller grains in the same quantity will make them too salty. You could also throw in some black pepper.
• Onion Powder – I love the flavor of onion in these, but you can also use garlic powder, or both! If you like onions too, add some finely chopped sweet onions to the batter.
• Buttermilk – The magic that makes these bad boys so moist and soft. Make your own or use one of my handy substitutions.
• Eggs – Creates structure and stability in the finished product. 
• Peanut, Canola or Vegetable Oil – you can use other varieties, but for frying, you want a neutral oil with a high smoke point.

Best Hush Puppy Recipe variations

Many recipes use finely minced or grated onion or bell pepper. Generally speaking, I prefer to use onion powder. This is for two reasons.

The first is, let’s be honest, I am lazy and grating an onion when it is literally the only ingredient that is going to require a little TLC just isn’t in my cards.

The second is that I don’t like little bits in my hush puppies. I want them to be smooth, pillowy balls of gently fried dough. A crispy exterior with a soft interior.

I also don’t use paprika, cayenne pepper or pepper. I like my hush puppies to be slightly sweet to balance out the rest of my savory dish. You can, however, add these if you think it will complement your food.

You can also add:

• Minced fresh jalapeno
• Corn kernels
• Minced roasted red pepper (make sure it is thoroughly dried)
• Okra
• Green onions (scallions)

Also, you can make gluten free hush puppies by using a gluten free flour like almond or buckwheat flour.

Dipping Sauce for Homemade Hush Puppies

Dipping sauces are also controversial. Hush puppy enthusiasts would argue that a good hush puppy needs no sauce and while they are correct, I am a woman who loves sauce!

Aiolis are always a good pick and can be creatively seasoned and flavored. Honey cinnamon butter or even my molasses butter (with a bite) are also the perfect companion. The most traditional is probably tartar sauce or cocktail sauce. Creamy sauces are my personal favorite.

How to Make Hush Puppies

The actual process is very simple.

1. Make batter. Mix the batter in a large bowl, but do not overmix it. Overmixing can lead to tough, chewy hush puppies. Not one wants that!
2. Refrigerate. Refrigerating the cornmeal batter and allowing it to rest is imperative, so don’t skip this step! It won’t hold its shape well if you drop it into the oil at room temperature. One hour is the minimum, but I have made my batter up to 24 hours ahead and kept it chilled until ready to make.
3. Heat oil. Pan frying without using an actual fryer can be tricky. I do recommend using a deep-fry thermometer to make sure you have the correct temperature, but even beyond that, using the right oil. See below for more on frying.
4. Fry hush puppies. Then, drop them into the hot oil in 1 tablespoon balls. I use a cookie dough scoop to make sure I have the right amount- about the size of a golf ball. Too much and the centers won’t cook into bread by the time the outside is browned, too little and you’ll have hard, crunchy nuggets inside and out. Work in small batches to not overcrowd the pan.
5. Allow to drain. Remove using a slotted spoon and let them drain on a wire rack with paper towels under. If you place them directly onto paper towels, the bottom with start to get soggy. Let them sit for 5-10 minutes before serving so no one gets burned.
6. Garnish. Some folks like to top theirs with sliced green onions or chives, personally I like a little green from parsley. Or just omit it- they won’t be around long enough for anyone to admire their beauty.

Deep Frying Hush Puppies

Frying at the right oil temperature is also important, simply saying medium-high doesn’t actually tell you much. Too hot will cook the outside, but not the inside. Too cool and it starts to lose its shape. We are aiming for a nice golden brown.

Oil temperatures will also change radically when you put cold dough in, much like putting ice cubes in boiling water, it takes a minute or so to bounce back to the original temperature.

Deep frying is between 325°F and 365°F. Use several inches of oil to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pot and make sure your hush puppies are small so they cook thoroughly. Drop batter in and let the oil do its magic.

I highly recommend using a thermometer or actual deep fryer to maintain good temps. However, using a deep fryer also means a good amount more oil needs to be used. While you can drain it and let separate out any food particles, it is a lot more work than simply using a Dutch oven, deep skillet or cast iron skillet.

The oils with the highest smoke points (over 400 degrees) are avocado oil, almond oil, corn oil, canola oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, safflower oil, sesame oil and sunflower oil. Peanut oil is actually your best bet since it doesn’t have any aftertaste and also a smoke point.

How to Serve Hush Puppies

Hush puppies are a staple in Southern cuisine and also alongside seafood and French fries. No beer battered fish or shrimp basket is complete without them!

You can serve as an appetizer or a side to lots of meals. The most common meal would probably be some sort of barbecue dish.

Storage, Make Ahead and Freezing

Make ahead: A lot of people ask about making the easy hush puppies recipe ahead of time. I would advise making the batter in advance, but not actually frying them until you are ready to eat. Fried foods and bread always taste best fresh.

Storage: But if you do, allow them to cool fully and then store them (or any leftovers) in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days.

Freezing: You can place hush puppies in a single layer on a sheet pan and freeze for two hours. Then transfer to an airtight container. This prevents them from sticking together.

Reheating: Bread reheated in the microwave is usually gummy and chewy. Your best bet when reheating hush puppies is to wrap them in aluminum foil and reheat them at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions About Hush Puppies

More Cornbread Recipes

• Mini Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins
• Instant Cornbread in the Instant Pot
• Jiffy Corn Bread Mix