Hush Puppies Recipe
Updated Jan 08, 2025
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Hush Puppies are a popular Southern side dish that consists of a simple cornbread batter that is scooped into little balls and then deep fried to perfection. My mouth is watering just thinking about them.
These fried balls of goodness are quick to mix up and are a really great side dish. Hush puppies would be yummy served along side any seafood dish (battered fried fish, crab cakes) or barbecue meal (pulled pork, short ribs). They can also be an appetizer with a dipping sauce such as tartar sauce or ranch dressing.
These little balls of yum are about the size of golf balls. They are small but pack a punch. The inside is a tender batter made with a mixture of cornbread and onions while the outside is golden brown with a great crunch. Seriously so good!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Hush Puppies Recipe
- Comfort Food Factor: Hush puppies are often associated with comfort food. Their warm, comforting taste can evoke nostalgic memories of home-cooked meals and family gatherings.
- Pairing Possibilities: This recipe will complement a wide range of dishes. Whether you’re eating them with fried fish, shrimp, or even chili, they add an extra layer of flavor and texture that enhances the overall meal.
- Easy to Make: Making hush puppies at home is simple. I encourage to try everyone to try their hand at crafting these delicious bites.
- Ideal Appetizer: These also make for a fantastic appetizer. Their bite-sized nature makes them perfect for snacking while waiting for the main course to arrive.
Recipe Ingredients
- Yellow cornmeal: this is the base of the recipe, it gives it great color, flavor, and texture
- All purpose flour
- Seasonings: sugar, garlic powder, smoked paprika, onion powder, salt, and pepper
- Egg
- Milk
- Melted butter or light oil
- Onion or finely chopped green onion
- Oil for frying: you can use any light oil such as canola, vegetable oil, or corn oil.
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities
Popular Substitutions and Variations
- Cheese: Add shredded cheddar, pepper jack, or other cheese varieties to the hush puppy batter for a gooey, cheesy twist.
- Jalapeño: Incorporate diced jalapeño peppers for a spicy kick that balances the sweetness of the cornmeal.
- Onion: Mix in finely chopped onions for a burst of savory flavor and a hint of sweetness when caramelized during frying.
- Herb-Infused: Enhance the flavor profile with fresh or dried herbs like chives, parsley, or thyme.
- Bacon: Crisp up some bacon and crumble it into the batter to infuse the hush puppies with smoky, salty goodness.
- Crawfish or Shrimp: For a taste of the Gulf Coast, add chopped crawfish tails or small shrimp to the batter.
How To Make Hush Puppies
Step 1: Mix up your batter by adding all of the dry ingredients to a bowl. Add all of the wet ingredients, stir to combine well and until there are no dry spots left.
Step 2: Heat up your oil. Use a cookie scoop to put small amount of the cornmeal batter into the hot oil. Remove from the oil and enjoy warm. So easy!
Recipe FAQs
You want to fry these little puppies in an oil with a high smoke point. Some good options would be vegetable oil, peanut oil, corn oil, or canola oil.
Hush puppies are typically served with seafood dishes. They would be really great as a barbecue side dish as well. I serve them with fried fish and coleslaw most often.
Either cornmeal works when you are frying up hush puppies but the yellow cornmeal tends to have a better coloring when fried. If you use white cornmeal, they will end up a little bit sweeter and I don’t think they fry up as well.
Turn on your oven and heat it to 200 degrees F. When each batch of hush puppies is finished, put them on a cooking sheet in the oven to stay warm. I use this trick a lot and it works well with hush puppies too.
Expert Tips
- Don’t over mix the batter. Mix until the ingredients are just combined. It is okay if there are some lumps. I like to let the batter sit for about 3-5 minutes while waiting for the oil to heat up
- You can keep your first batches of hush puppies warm in a 200 degree F oven while you are cooking the others.
- I use green onions because I like the color but using grated onion has a more pronounced onion flavor, so if you like that yummy onion flavor, choose the grated white or yellow onion.
- This recipe if really easy to scale up if you are making it for a crowd.
What Should I Serve With Hush Puppies
Hush puppies are incredibly versatile and can be served with various dishes. They’re a classic side for fried seafood and barbecue, but they also pair well with chili, coleslaw, and Southern-style vegetables. You can get creative by serving them with grilled meats, in sandwiches, or even as a unique breakfast item. The key is to balance their crispy, slightly sweet flavor with dishes that offer different tastes and textures, creating a satisfying meal for any occasion. Serve with your favorite fried fish and coleslaw for a wonderful meal.
How To Store Hush Puppies
To store hush puppies, cool them to room temperature, place them in an airtight container, and consider adding a layer of paper towels to absorb moisture. For short-term storage, keep them in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days, but if you want to keep them longer, freeze them for 2-3 months.
More Side Dish Recipes to Consider
Dip Recipes
Lemon Garlic Hummus Recipe Without Tahini
Vegetable Sides
Glazed Honey Roasted Carrots
Vegetable Sides
19 Fresh Vegetable Recipes For Spring
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ review and share it on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!
Hush Puppies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup milk
- 3 tablespoons melted butter or light oil
- 3 tablespoons grated onion or finely chopped green onion, white and green parts
- 2 quarts oil for frying, such as canola, vegetable, or peanut oil
Instructions
- In a medium to large Dutch oven, cast iron fryer, or heavy bottom pan add the oil and start preheating it over medium to medium high heat.
- In a medium mixing bowl add the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt and black pepper.
- Stir with a wooden spoon to combine.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the egg, milk, butter or oil, and the onion.
- Stir to combine and until no dry bits remain.
- When the oil reaches 350 degrees F. (I like to use a paddle thermometer to monitor my oil temperatures when frying), add the cornmeal mixture one rounded tablespoon at a time (a cookie scoop works really well for scooping up the batter and getting it into the hot oil).
- Place a few hush puppies in the oil to fry and allow them to cook for 3-5 minutes or until a deep golden brown.
- Remove with a slotted spoon or a spider strain and place the cooked hush puppies on a plate or rimmed baking sheet lined with paper towels to absorb the extra grease.
- Repeat until you’ve used all the batter.
- Serve right away and enjoy hot.
Video
Notes
- You can keep your first batches of hush puppies warm in a 200 degree F oven while you are cooking the others.
- I use green onions because I like the color but using grated onion has a more pronounced onion flavor, so if you like that yummy onion flavor, choose the grated white or yellow onion.
- This recipe if really easy to scale up if you are making it for a crowd.
- Make sure to keep you oil temperature high enough (350-375°F) so that your hush puppies are light and crispy, rather than greasy.
I like the recipe because it gave details like “large” egg.. and “finely grated” onion.. the only thing that gave me a problem was the oil being 350 degrees.. I don’t have a cooking thermometer but with some experimentation I figured 5 on my heat was about right because at 6 my oil smoked and set off my smoke alarm.. lol I spent the 10$ to get the smoke paprika and it was worth it.. the flavor was excellent.. and 3 minutes was all I needed to fry.. I didn’t need the extra 2 minutes..
I LOVE smoked paprika, sometimes I find it cheaper in the Hispanic section of spices!