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
Are you on the hunt for more delicious recipes? Follow Small Town Woman on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.
https://www.smalltownwoman.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Beth-1.pdf
Anjali
I love hush puppies but never knew how to make them from scratch at home and have them turn out well! Your recipe was absolutely delicious and I’ll definitely be making it again!
Caroline
A classic! These look such a comforting, tasty treat – perfect to add with some other appetizers for a party.
Biana
These hush puppies look delicious! A great addition to any dinner.
Jamie
These hush puppies are so crispy and perfect as a side! I love the hint of Cajun seasoning too. Delicious!
Phillip West
wonder why the recipe just called out for buttermilk, instead of the homemade version? Thought they were a little sweet, and agreed with another posst they aren’t salty enough…but, a good base to build from…thanks
Beckie Johnson
I made these tonight to go with our Catfish Dinner, and it was Super easy, Quick and oh my gosh they Tasted so Delicious. My Family Loved them! I will be making these often and passing this recipe on to my daughters. Thank you so much! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Beth Pierce
That is so sweet! Thanks Beckie! So glad that you like them The pleasure is all mine.
VirginiaH
The end product was good but not what I had hoped for. I cut this sugar back by 3/4ths and still found them too sweet and not salty enough. Next time I will leave out the sugar and up the salt. BTW, I do not use a lot of salt most of the time. However, I’m not giving up on the recipe.
Misty Leigh
Great job! I grew up loving to cook & was my aunt’s restaurants all the time. As an adult I’ve continued to love cooking, as does my husband & daughter. I needed to remind myself the right measurements of the cornmeal & flour in hushpuppies since I haven’t made them in a while, so I searched & found this, thankfully. I had to give you credit for sharing a recipe that absolutely is tried & true. This is a lot like I grew up making hushpuppies here in the south, & the comeback sauce is almost exactly how I used to make it. My husband doesn’t eat onions but after seeing the his puppies, he wanted some made for himself with jalapeños instead, lol. This really turned out great & bless you for explaining things so well & being very thorough. This is exactly how a lot of southern people really eat. Thank you very much. Have a blessed day.
Beth Pierce
Thanks Misty! So glad that you and your husband liked them. The addition of jalapenos is always tasty. Of course I love jalapenos. We love comeback sauce too. It is delicious on so many things. It is almost addicting. Have a wonderful day!
Sandra
Hii Misty, what is comeback sauce?
Beth Pierce
Here is my recipe for comeback sauce.
Brian Stanford
I found that these were too dry and they crumbled when pulled apart. I double checked the ingredients and I got them all right. For the next batch, I used a whole cup of milk and they came out perfect.
Cheryl
I agree. I will add more milk next time. The flavors were good and the family enjoyed, but I like mine a little more “fluffy”. I also added quite bit of Old Bay.
Jacque
I never knew these could be so easy! Enjoyed them with dinner last night and they did not disappoint! Easily, a new favorite recipe in my home!