Easy Hush Puppy Recipe
These classic Southern hush puppies are the perfect homemade side dish, ready in just 15 minutes. They are wonderfully crispy and golden on the outside, while remaining incredibly soft, fluffy, and flavorful on the inside.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Cornmeal You can use either white or yellow cornmeal; white cornmeal tends to be slightly sweeter, while yellow cornmeal provides a more robust corn flavor.
- 1 cup All-purpose Flour
- 1-2 tbsp Granulated Sugar
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/4 tsp Cajun or Creole Seasoning
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/8 tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper
- 1 Large Egg At room temperature.
- 1/2 cup Milk At room temperature. Whole milk or buttermilk provides the best richness and moisture.
- 1/2 tbsp White Vinegar
- 3 tbsp Grated Onion
- Oil Use a neutral oil with a high smoke point, such as canola, vegetable, or peanut oil.
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, Cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper. In a separate medium bowl, combine the room temperature milk and white vinegar. Let it sit for 5 minutes; it will curdle slightly, creating a buttermilk substitute. To this mixture, whisk in the egg, vegetable oil, and grated onion until well combined.
- Pour the wet mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients. Stir gently with a spoon or spatula only until the ingredients are just combined. It’s important not to overmix; a few lumps in the batter are perfectly fine. Overmixing can develop the gluten in the flour and result in dense, tough hush puppies.
- Cover the bowl and let the batter rest for 10-15 minutes while you heat the oil. This step allows the cornmeal to fully absorb the liquid, which thickens the batter and improves the final texture.
- Pour about 2-3 inches of oil into a heavy-bottomed pot, Dutch oven, or deep skillet. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it reaches 365-370°F (185-188°C). Maintaining the correct oil temperature is the key to success. If it’s too hot, the outside will brown too quickly, leaving the inside raw. If it’s too cool, the hush puppies will absorb too much oil and become greasy.
- Using a small cookie scoop or two spoons, carefully drop rounded tablespoon-sized portions of batter into the hot oil. Do not overcrowd the pan; fry in small batches of 5-6 at a time. They should sizzle immediately. Fry for 3-5 minutes, turning them occasionally with a slotted spoon, until they are a deep golden brown on all sides and cooked through.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the cooked hush puppies from the oil, allowing excess oil to drip off. Transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels to drain further. If you are making multiple batches, you can keep the finished hush puppies warm on a baking sheet in a 200°F (95°C) oven. Serve immediately while hot.
Notes
Tips for Perfect Hush Puppies
- Check Oil Temperature: A deep-fry thermometer is the most accurate way to ensure your oil is at the right temperature. If you don’t have one, test the oil by dropping a tiny amount of batter into it. If it sizzles and turns golden in about a minute, the oil is ready.
- Use a Scoop: A small cookie scoop is the easiest tool for creating uniformly sized and shaped hush puppies, which helps them cook evenly.
- Resting the Batter: While optional, letting the batter rest for at least 10 minutes allows the cornmeal to hydrate, resulting in a better texture.
- Don’t Overcrowd: Frying too many hush puppies at once will lower the oil’s temperature, leading to greasy results.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!