Hush Puppies Recipe
My hush puppy recipe gives you delicious, super-easy, bite-sized cornmeal fritters with a beautiful, crunchy exterior and a moist inner texture. Enjoy this fun appetizer or side that’s perfect for gatherings and special occasions.
If I were to choose between fries and hush puppies, I’d never give fries a second look. I’m all for the hush puppies, baby!
I can still remember the first time I tasted them. There was an instant connection. Perhaps it was because cornmeal is a staple in West Africa, and I grew up eating it. Corn fritters, for example.
Why Are They Called Hush Puppies?
So why are these deep-fried cornbread balls called hush puppies? Out of curiosity, I decided to research its origin, and here is what I found.
The term hush puppy has been attributed to hunters, fishermen, cooks, and soldiers of the American Civil War. People would deep fry a little of their cornmeal mixture and feed it to the dogs to keep them quiet. One thing is for sure: these hush puppies will knock your socks off.
How to Make Hush Puppies
- Dry Ingredients – Combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, salt, and garlic powder. (Photo 1)
- Wet Ingredients – In another bowl, whisk the buttermilk and lightly beaten eggs until well combined.
- Combine the dry and wet ingredients, mixing until fully incorporated. Then, stir in the grated onions and softened butter. (Photos 2-3)
- Heat about ½ inch of oil in a large cast-iron skillet on medium-high heat (375℉/190℃) until hot but not smoking.
- Scoop the batter with a spoon and gently drop it into the hot oil. Fry in batches, turning once, until golden brown (about 5 minutes per batch). (Photo 4)
- Remove the hush puppies with a slotted spoon, allowing the excess oil to drain back into the skillet. Place them on paper towels to absorb more oil.
- Serve warm with remoulade or ketchup. Happy eating!
Recipe Tips and Notes
- For those with gluten sensitivity, you can replace the flour with the same amount of all-purpose gluten-free flour.
- Omit the baking powder and salt if using self-rising cornmeal and flour.
- You can replace the buttermilk with ⅓ cup of regular milk and a teaspoon of apple cider or white vinegar.
- If you have a dairy sensitivity, you can use ⅓ cup of unsweetened soy or almond milk with a teaspoon of white vinegar or lemon juice.
And when I learned how easy it is, it became a go-to party appetizer, and it’s always a massive hit. On a recent trip to the South, my mission was to sample as many hush puppies as I could. And boy, did I have fun eating them.
Storage Tips
Although you can reheat them, they’re definitely best enjoyed as soon as you make them. However, you can store the hush puppies in the fridge in an airtight container for up to two days. Crisp them up again by reheating them in a 450°F (205°C) oven or an air fryer for 8-10 minutes.
You can also freeze them in an airtight container for up to three months. Spread them out on a baking sheet so they’re not touching each other, then put them in the freezer. As soon as they’re hard, store them in a freezer bag. When you’re ready to eat them, spread the frozen hush puppies on a baking sheet and bake them until crispy.
What to Serve Hush Puppies With
Hush puppies love being with Southern fried catfish and coleslaw. And don’t forget the remoulade sauce for dipping, and finish it off with a slice of pound cake.
More Incredible Southern Recipes to Enjoy
Watch How to Make It
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Hush Puppies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (138g) cornmeal
- ½ tablespoon (6g) baking powder
- 2 tablespoons (25g) sugar
- 1 teaspoon (6g) salt
- 1 tablespoon (10g) garlic powder
- ⅓ cup (75-76g) buttermilk
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 3 tablespoons (42g) unsalted butter, softened
- 2-3 tablespoons (12-18g) chopped or grated onion
- oil for frying
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, salt, and garlic powder.
- In another bowl, whisk the buttermilk and lightly beaten eggs until well combined.
- Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until fully incorporated, and then add the grated onions and butter.
- Heat about ½ inch of oil in a large cast-iron skillet on medium-high heat (375℉/190℃) until hot but not smoking.
- Scoop the batter with a spoon and gently drop it into the hot oil. Fry in batches, turning once, until golden brown (about 5 minutes per batch). Be careful not to overcrowd the pan, as it will absorb excess oil, resulting in soggy hushpuppies.
- Remove the hush puppies with a slotted spoon, letting the excess oil drain back into the skillet. Place them on paper towels to absorb more oil.
Tips & Notes:
- Avoid overmixing the batter so they don’t get tough. Stir around 8-10 times or until the dry and liquid ingredients are barely combined.
- Let the batter stand at room temperature for 5 minutes before forming the balls.
- A Dutch oven and deep cast-iron skillet both work well for frying. Just make sure the oil is 5-6 inches deep or enough to submerge the hush puppies in 3-4 inches of oil.
- Fry in batches until golden brown, flipping several times with a slotted spoon or other frying utensil to prevent the oil temperature from dropping and resulting in greasy hush puppies.
- A cookie or ice cream scoop makes dropping the batter into the hot oil a breeze. If using a spoon, dip it into a glass of water between each hush puppy to keep the dough from sticking.
- Drain on a double layer of paper towels or a wire rack to get as much oil off as possible.
- Since hush puppies need to be fried in batches, I like keeping the cooked ones warm in a 200℉ (93℃) oven. Just don’t forget them to avoid overcooking them.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and may vary greatly depending on the ingredients used.
Wow those look beautiful and delicious. Would love to try them. How did you get them so round?
Hi Bella! You can use a cookie scoop or spoon to make sure the shape is intact during the dropping process. 🙂 Enjoy!
Yikes garlic in hushpuppies no thanks!
No worries, Jane. You may take out the garlic powder, if you prefer to go without.
I made these using Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free flour and they turned out fluffy, crispy, and absolutely yummy drizzled with a touch of honey. I used my deep-fryer set at 375F…..no worries, they were not greasy at all!
Thanks for leaving a feedback. I appreciate those info on the changes that you made for this recipe.
Can I use polenta instead of cornmeal. If so does it have to be instant polenta or can I use regular polenta?
Yes you can. regular polenta works just fine
I love all of your recipes! But I just recently found out I have Celiac. In the recipes that call for flour in addition to cornmeal is there any substitute that you’ve tried and worked? Could I simply use a gluten-free flour instead?
Hi Ashley! Rice or gluten free flour would work. Thanks .
I grew up in East Texas, and love me some “quiet dogs” (as my grandpa used to call them)! LOVE the idea of mixing some shrimp in there! Thanks!
Awesome! The shrimps lend some added protein to it and make it extra special.Thanks for stopping by
Your Hush Puppies sound delicious! And thanks for the history lesson never knew why or how they got their name.
yum