Easy recipe for a small batch of the best homemade hush puppies made with ground cornmeal and buttermilk. Fried to crispy perfection and ready in minutes!
This classic southern side dish comes together quickly and we're showing you how to make a small batch of hush puppies that are better than any you'll find elsewhere.
What Are Hush Puppies?
Hush puppies are made with a cornmeal-based batter and are quickly fried until crispy outside and soft and tender inside. In restaurants, they are often served with barbecue platters and fried seafood but I love making up a batch to go with just about anything, including Shrimp Creole, Gumbo, Chicken Stew, and Chili.
It is said that fishermen used to fry this savory corn batter in the same oil as they would use to fry catfish. Legend has it that the fishermen would throw some to their barking dogs telling them to, "Hush Puppy!"
Why This Recipe Works
- Easy to make: Hush puppies come together with just a few pantry staples. Even if you've never deep-fried anything before, you'll have no trouble making hush puppies.
- Tested and perfected recipe: We tested this recipe with different quantities of cornmeal and flour. Too much cornmeal resulted in dense, gritty hushpuppies. Too much flour made them cakey. We found the perfect balance between them both.
- Made with buttermilk: The acid in buttermilk reacts with the baking soda which helps to produce a lighter hushpuppy and also helps to brown them and give them a crunchy crust. If you don't have buttermilk, be sure to see below for a simple way to make your own.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
To make a small batch of hush puppies, you will need:
- Cornmeal: I find that a yellow medium ground cornmeal produces the best texture and taste. You can also use finely ground cornmeal. I don't recommend using anything larger than medium ground when making hush puppies because it will make the batter too thick and chunky.
- Flour: Use all-purpose flour in this recipe.
- Kosher salt: I use kosher salt in most of our recipes. Kosher salt dissolves quickly and it doesn't have the bitter flavor and excessive saltiness found in table salt. You can easily find kosher salt in the supermarket. If you only have table salt, use ⅛-teaspoon.
- Baking powder and baking soda: These are both leavening agents that help the hush puppies to rise.
- Sugar: We use a scant ⅛-teaspoon of sugar which gives a suble sweetness to the hush puppies.
- Onions: Use yellow, white, or sweet onions in this recipe. We recommend using 2 tablespoons (⅛-cup) of finely chopped onions. Chop the onions as small as you can, you can also use a box grater.
- Egg yolk: One egg yolk is all you need in this recipe. Using the entire egg will cause the batter to be too thin. Be sure to save the leftover egg white and see below for ways to use it.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk provides a lot of flavor to hush puppies. The acid in buttermilk reacts with the baking soda which gives the hush puppies a beautiful rise. If you don't have access to buttermilk, the closest substitute would be a little dairy with a touch of acidity added. To make ¼-cup of buttermilk alternative, measure ¼-cup milk and add ½-tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar. Let sit for 10 minutes at room temperature before using.
- Oil: Use vegetable oil, canola oil, or peanut oil. Do not use olive oil.
See below for ways to use leftover ingredients.
How To Make A Small Batch Of Hush Puppies
This recipe moves fast so be sure to have all of your ingredients ready before starting.
- Whisk together cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar in a medium-sized bowl.
- In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and buttermilk. Then, stir in the chopped onions. Next, pour the wet mixture into the cornmeal mixture and stir until combined. Set the bowl aside.
- In a deep 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, add enough oil to come halfway up the sides of the pot. Heat the oil to 350°F. It is best to use a thermometer to make sure your oil is at the correct temperature.
- Scoop the batter with a large spoon and use another spoon to push the batter into the oil. The hush puppy batter should be roughly the size of a golf ball, about 2 tablespoons each.
Make sure not to crowd the pot. In a 2-quart saucepan, I usually get 3 hushpuppies inside.
- Turn the hush puppies frequently with a slotted spoon or tongs until golden brown on all sides, about 3-4 minutes.
- Transfer the hushpuppies with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain off the excess oil. Repeat until all of the batter is used.
Serve hot with salted butter.
Expert Tips
- This recipe moves fast so be sure to have all of your ingredients ready before starting.
- Read through the entire recipe before you begin.
- Don't overmix the batter. It's okay if the batter is a little lumpy. Keeping the batter slightly lumpy is ideal for making perfect southern hush puppies!
- I strongly encourage you to use a candy or food thermometer to maintain the correct temperature for frying, which is 350°F. Frying at the right oil temperature is so important. If the oil is too hot, the outsides will cook before the insides. If the oil is too cool, the hush puppies start to lose their shape. This is why it is so important to use a thermometer. You can see the one we use on our Store page.
- Consider adding in minced jalapeños or red pepper flakes for a little heat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frying the hush puppies in a shallow skillet is not the best way to fry hush puppies. They are more likely to fall apart. Hush puppies need to be submerged in the oil.
Yes! They will be less crunchy and more like cornbread but still incredibly delicious. Just spray a mini muffin tin with cooking spray and fill the cups about ⅔-full. Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cover and store leftover hush puppies in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can also cover and freeze them for up to 2 months.
To reheat, place the hush puppies on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake in the oven at 350°F for about 5 minutes or until warm. You can also reheat them in the microwave.
Absolutely! If you want to make a double batch of hush puppies, just double the ingredient amounts.
First, absolutely do not pour cooking oil (or any type of oil) down your drain. Doing this can damage your plumbing.
For this hush puppies recipe, I recommend using a 2-quart saucepan which is an appropriately sized pan for the number of hush puppies we are preparing. If you use a much larger pan, you will need more oil.
Oil can be reused by letting it cool, straining it through a fine-mesh strainer or several layers of cheesecloth, and then storing it in a cool, dark place such as a pantry to use another day.
Cooking oil will deteriorate with each use. I only use it once or twice after the first initial frying. Oil kept longer than this may not be able to reach frying temperatures without smoking and can impart other flavors into the foods you are frying.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this small batch hush puppy recipe, you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
- Cornmeal: Cornbread, Corn Muffins, Cornbread Dressing
- Onion: Taco Soup, Shepherd's Pie, Chicken Stew
- Egg white: Mini Texas Sheet Cake, Two Vanilla Cupcakes, Meringues
- Buttermilk: Mini Irish Soda Bread, Red Velvet Donuts, Mini Red Velvet Cake
If you’ve tried this recipe for hush puppies or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
Also, if you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see it!
Small Batch Hush Puppies
See the post above for expert tips,
FAQs and ways to use leftover ingredients.
Video
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons cornmeal
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped onions
- vegetable oil
Instructions
- Whisk together cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar in a medium-sized bowl.
- In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and the egg yolk. Then, stir in the chopped onions.
- Pour the wet mixture into the cornmeal mixture and stir until combined. Set the bowl aside.
- In a deep 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, add enough oil to come halfway up the sides of the pot. Heat the oil to 350°F. It is best to use a thermometer to make sure your oil is at the correct temperature.
- Scoop the batter with a large spoon and use another spoon to push the batter into the oil. The hush puppy batter should be roughly the size of a golf ball, about 2 tablespoons each.Make sure not to crowd the pot. In a 2-quart saucepan, I usually get 3 hushpuppies inside.
- Turn the hush puppies frequently with a slotted spoon or tongs until golden brown on all sides, about 3-4 minutes.
- Transfer the hushpuppies with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain off the excess oil. Repeat until all of the batter is used.
- Enjoy hot.
Notes
- This recipe moves fast so be sure to have all of your ingredients ready before starting.
- Don't overmix the batter. It's okay if the batter is a little lumpy. Keeping the batter slightly lumpy is ideal for making perfect southern hush puppies!
- I strongly encourage you to use a candy or food thermometer to maintain the correct temperature for frying, which is 350°F. Frying at the right oil temperature is so important. If the oil is too hot, the outsides will cook before the insides. If the oil is too cool, the hush puppies start to lose their shape. This is why it is so important to use a thermometer. You can see the one we use on our Store page.
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Cissi says
Can this be done in air fryer
Joanie Zisk says
This recipe has not been tested in an air fryer but an air fryer is just a small convection oven so anything that can be made in a regular oven can be made in an air fryer. You’ll just need to reduce the cooking time as convection ovens cook faster due to how they circulate heat using a fan.
Angela S says
Sounds amazing. Can you air fry instead of frying them?
Joanie Zisk says
We have not tested this recipe in an air fryer.
Roger says
If you beat the egg white and then fold it into the batter, you’ll get a lighter hushpuppy.