This Hush Puppies Recipe is the best, easiest Southern favorite side dish. It has crispy outer edges and lightly sweetened, soft, tender centers. They are by far the best I have ever made or tried.
I love to serve them with pan-fried chicken, collard greens, and oven-roasted corn. Maybe it has been quite some time since you have had any. Perhaps it feels like forever. They are so simple to mix and fry up.
I like to fry mine in my deep fryer, but you can also use a heavy stock pot or Dutch oven. They are delicious by themselves or dipped in Southern comeback sauce.
Ingredients Notes and Substitutions
See the complete list of ingredients below on the recipe card.
- Cornmeal: Both white and yellow cornmeal are good for making hush puppies. White cornmeal is slightly sweeter.
- Granulated sugar: just a touch to suit your taste
- Seasonings: Cajun or Creole, salt, freshly ground black pepper
- Milk: 2% or whole
- White vinegar: You can substitute apple cider vinegar
- Vegetable oil: You can substitute canola or peanut oil
- Onion: a sweet yellow or Vidalia onion
How to make Hush Puppies
This is the nutshell version. See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and instructions.
Start by whisking the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, Cajun seasoning, salt, and black pepper.
Add your milk and vinegar to make buttermilk in another bowl or large measuring cup. Let that sit for about five minutes. Whisk in the egg, vegetable oil, and grated onion. Then, stir the wet ingredients into the dry mixture and mix until incorporated.
Heat the oil to 365 degrees and drop the cornmeal batter by rounded tablespoons into the hot oil, working in small batches so you don’t crowd the fryer.
Cook for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon and transfer them to paper towels to drain.
Preparations Tips
- If you like yours extra sweet, add a little more sugar.
- Mix the ingredients just until incorporated, and let the batter sit while you heat the oil.
- Try maintaining a constant oil temperature using a deep fryer or heavy pot with a thermometer.
- Drain the hush puppies on paper towels after frying.
- Use an oil with a high smoking point, like vegetable, canola, or peanut oil.
Storage and Reheat
Store leftover hush puppies in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the fridge for up to 4 days. For best results, reheat on a baking sheet in the oven at 400 degrees for 5-7 minutes or in the air fryer at 350 degrees for 2-3 minutes.
Taste Variations
- Jalapeno and cheddar: add 1 tablespoon finely minced jalapeno and 1/2 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese
- Corn and scallion: add 1/2 cup frozen corn (thawed) and 2 scallions, minced
- Gouda and chive: add 1/2 cup finely grated Gouda and 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
More Southern Recipes
Hush Puppies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup cornmeal see notes
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1-2 tablespoons sugar see notes
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon Cajun or Creole seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- ½ cup milk room temperature
- ½ tablespoon white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 3 tablespoons grated onion
- Oil for frying canola, vegetable or peanut
Instructions
- Whisk the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, Cajun seasoning, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl.
- In a separate medium bowl, add your milk and vinegar; let sit for 5 minutes. Whisk in vegetable oil, egg, and onion. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients; mix just until incorporated.
- Heat 1½ inches of oil in a Dutch Oven or heavy skillet to 365 degrees. Using two small spoons, scoop a rounded spoonful onto one spoon and gently push it off with the second spoon. Fry for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve promptly.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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https://www.smalltownwoman.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Beth-1.pdf
Roy
This is a good start but very under seasoned and not enough salt. The batter stuck nice and it fried very crispy, the texture was good. Just no detectable spice
Erika
Delicious. My family loved them and they were so easy. I did not have Cajun seasoning and forgot to add the oil, but they were still good. I added Shredded cheese, Diced Jalapeños (seeds removed), and a little more milk (since i forgot the oil). Great recipe.
Beth Pierce
Thanks Erika! So glad that you and your family enjoyed them.
Sean
Definitely under seasoned, but a good start for a recipe. Going to probably double the Cajun, salt, pepper.
Janet
Does the oil have too cover the puppies or do you flip them?
Beth Pierce
Just flip them when needed. They float as you fry them anyway so you do need to flip them.
Nichole
I accidently forgot the oil in the first batch. In the second batch, I made sure to add oil. The difference, not as dry and the ones with the oil; didn’t “poop” the middle out. They stayed nice and round. I also added some diced up cowboy candy. That batch was divine!
Beth Pierce
I love cowboy candy! Thanks for the tip!
G Murphy
Made these gluten free by using Bob’s One to One flour (blue bag) was fantastic! Only change I made was added onion powder and old bay seasoning. Seems like a great base to add chunks of corn, cheese, or jalapeño. Thank you for this! Was liked by the whole family!
Beth Pierce
So happy that you liked it and thanks for the tip on the gluten free.
Allyson
My first attempt at hush puppies – they were GREAT and looked just like the picture!
Beth Pierce
Thanks! So glad that you like them!
Shannon Smith
I wish I could post a photo of the hushpuppies I just made from your recipe. They are DIVINE! So crispy outside and light as a cloud inside. IF I had any singular critique, add a bit more than 2 Tbsp of sugar, but I prefer a sweeter pup…I’d read a review from a lady who’s grandma did her hushpuppies with tomato juice, so tried a batch. I concur…they are phenomenal. I also did a second batch with an added 1/4 cup of sweet pickles to the otherwise unaltered recipe, and I must say, BOTH batches I made are definitely going to be a regular routine in my house!
WELL DONE! Beats the heck out of fast food/restaurant hushpuppies any day. THANK YOU
Beth Pierce
Thanks so much Shannon! The pleasure is all mine! So glad that you loved them. I just might have to try the pickle relish in the hushpuppies. They sound so yummy.
Joshua
Anyone ever try old bay seasoning instead? Wonder what that would taste like? If anyone does let me know. Not sure if I should try the Old Bay for the first batch or just follow as is. Either way they look delicious!!! Can’t wait!
Shannon Smith
Yes. I made these today with Old Bay. Very nice, if I do say so myself. Add a little bit more
Holly Gilmer
I grew up on fried catfish and hush puppies, though I have found no one else has made them as my grandmother did. Fairly standard but instead of milk, water, or other liquid she added tomato juice and I don’t remember her adding oil. They were a nice pink color on the inside, but the flavor was exceptional. I don’t generally like “plain” hush puppies since I was a bit spoiled by my grandmother. Supposedly these were what my grandfather grew up on in Florida. I was wondering if any of you have heard of these? I don’t have a recipe as she “just made” them. They either looked right, felt right or they didn’t. She made the best rolls too. Shame she didn’t have recipes for anything.