Fried to perfection with crispy edges on the outside and a soft fluffy inside, these classic southern-style Hush Puppies are incredible! It’s a super easy to make recipe with a simple batter with just a touch of sweetness to enhance all the savory flavors. These puppies are the perfect addition to your next fried seafood dinner!
Best Hush Puppies Recipe
When I think of southern fried seafood platters I think of hush puppies! They are basically little balls of fried cornbread. Extra crispy on the outside, a little sweet, and soft on the inside. They are so darn good!
But don’t let the fried part scare you! First off, they are easy to whip together in just 20-minutes! And while they are fried, they are fried at a high temperature for just a few minutes. So if you do it right they should be crunchy on the outside and not greasy at all on the inside. The idea is when you drop them into the oil to cook at the proper temperature it forms a crust and that crust allows the outside to fry without the oil seeping into the batter too much. Brilliant right!?!
We love them in my house! I like to serve hush puppies with Fried Fish or with a big bowl of Homemade Chili. They can also be served as a snack with your favorite sauces too like my Fry Sauce or Homemade Buffalo Sauce.
Why You’ll Love These Hush Puppies
- Quick and Easy! This recipe requires no special equipment or skills. You only need a few basic pantry ingredients and about 20 minutes to make from scratch hush puppies.
- Tasty Southern Classic! A cornmeal meal batter with a dash of sweet and savory that is fried into little bite-size balls of crunchy perfection is southern food at its best.
- Freezer Friendly! You can double or triple the recipe and freeze them for up to 3 months! Then you have ready to eat hush puppies that heat up perfectly in the oven.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Flour – Good old all-purpose flour works perfectly to make the batter.
- Cornmeal – Basic cornmeal adds a nice contrasting texture to the flour and yummy flavor.
- Baking Powder – Used as a leavening agent to help keep the puppies light and fluffy on the inside.
- Sugar – A dash of white sugar adds a touch of sweetness.
- Salt – Works to season the batter by enhancing all the natural flavors.
- Onion – Use a yellow or white onion to make them a little more savory.
- Egg – You need a large egg to bind the batter and create a soft texture inside.
- Milk – I like to use whole milk but any kind of milk in your fridge will work including plant-based varieties.
How To Make Hush Puppies
This recipe is ridiculously easy to make. You’ll be wondering why it took you so long to make your own homemade hush puppies. Just follow these simple steps and you’ll be popping them into your mouth in no time!
Make The Batter
The batter needs to rest for a few minutes, so that’s where you’ll begin. To make it, whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl. Now, mix in the shredded onion, egg, and milk until well combined. Make sure all the raw flour has been broken up and the batter is free of lumps. Then set the mixture aside to sit for 10 minutes.
Heat The Oil
While the batter is resting, start heating up about 2 inches of oil over medium-high to 350°F (177°C) in a large skillet or Dutch oven. I prefer to use a Dutch oven for less mess when deep frying. Also, for safety reasons, it is crucial that you keep an eye on the temperature, which you can do using a digital cooking thermometer. If the oil is getting too hot you need to turn the heat down or off. It’s much easier and safer to heat it back up.
Then line a large sheet pan or plate with paper towels and put it next to your frying skillet. This is where you will put the cooked hush puppies to drain.
Fry The Hush Puppies
Before you even begin, it’s imperative that the oil is at the correct temperature for the hush puppies to fry properly. Then you can start dropping tablespoon size portions of the batter into the hot oil to fry for 2 to 3 minutes turning them halfway through cooking. They will be a nice golden brown color when done. Also, it’s very important not to crowd the skillet and fry them in batches if needed.
As they finish cooking, transfer the fried puppies over to the paper towel lined plate to drain. Then serve them warm to enjoy.
Can I Bake Them?
Yes, you can. But if you do they are more like corn muffins and less like hush puppies. To bake, put the batter in a mini muffin pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Then bake them at 425°F (218°C) for 15 to 20 minutes.
Can I Add Things To The Hush Puppies?
Yes! Feel free to customize the batter. Some of my favorite add-in combinations are jalapeño and cheddar, corn and green onion, or chopped cooked bacon and cheese! There are no rules, so be as creative as your taste buds take you.
Can I Make Gluten-Free Hush Puppies?
Yes! This recipe can easily be made using your favorite gluten-free flour in place of the all-purpose flour. Yet, for the best results, I recommend using a 1-to-1 variety of gluten-free flour.
Expert Tips
- Use neutral oil. Use a vegetable oil like canola oil to fry the hush puppies. It won’t add any flavor to the puppies and has a higher smoke point which is better for frying.
- Let the batter rest. Once the batter is made, you must let it sit for 10 minutes to give the gluten time to develop and the baking powder time to lighten the mixture.
- Hot oil. The oil must be hot enough before you add the batter. If it’s not, the batter will just fall apart and not hold its shape.
- Temp the oil. For the best results, use a digital cooking thermometer to make sure that the oil is consistently around 350°F (177°C) as you fry.
Leftovers
Fridge
You can store leftover southern hush puppies in a container or sealed bag in the fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat, put them on a sheet pan in the oven at 350°F (177°C)for about 3 to 5 minutes or until hot.
Freezer
Once they are totally cooled off, they can be stored in a sealed freezer bag for up to 3 months. Then when you are ready to eat them you will reheat them in the oven, just like out of the fridge, but for a tad longer. From frozen they typically take about 7 to 10 minutes at 350°F (177°C) to fully warm up.
Other Delicious Snacks To Try
- Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels
- Air Fryer Roasted Peanuts
- No Bake Energy Bites
- Spring Roll Recipe
- Best Ever Spinach Dip
- Vegetable Fritters
- Spanakopita Recipe
Craving More? Follow Along:
Hush Puppies
Ingredients
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1½ cup cornmeal
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 small onion shredded
- 1 large egg beaten
- ¾ cup milk
Instructions
- In a large bowl bowl combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar and salt together. To this, add the shredded onion, egg and milk. Stir until well combined. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, heat about 2 inches of oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat to 350°F.
- Line a large plate or baking sheet with paper towels and place it next to the skillet with oil.
- When the oil is ready, drop by tablespoon into the hot oil, but do not over-crowd. Fry until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes, turning over halfway through. Transfer fried hush puppies over to the paper towel lined plate.
- Serve warm.
Tips & Notes:
- Recipe yields about 30 hush puppies.
- Use neutral oil. Use a vegetable oil like canola oil to fry the hush puppies. It won’t add any flavor to the puppies and has a higher smoke point which is better for frying.
- Let the batter rest. Once the batter is made, you must let it sit for 10 minutes to give the gluten time to develop and the baking powder time to lighten the mixture.
- Hot oil. The oil must be hot enough before you add the batter. If it’s not, the batter will just fall apart and not hold its shape.
- Temp the oil. For the best results, use a digital cooking thermometer to make sure that the oil is consistently around 350°F (177°C) as you fry.
- You can store leftover southern hush puppies in a container or sealed bag in the fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat, put them on a sheet pan in the oven at 350°F (177°C)for about 3 to 5 minutes or until hot.
I am Gluten, Dairy, Soy, and Corn Free
I made this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure in place of the flour, Almond milk in place of dairy and Almond flour in place of the corn flour. We have enjoyed it several times and the rest of my family prefer it over the original.
It’s fantastic to hear that you were able to modify the hush puppies recipe to fit your dietary needs and that it turned out to be a hit with your family! Thank you for sharing your adjustments; it might be very helpful for others with similar dietary needs who wish to enjoy a delicious batch of hush puppies!