Best-Ever Hush Puppies
This Best-Ever Hush Puppies recipe makes a crispy on the outside and light and tender on the inside treat. They have a delicious, sweet cornbread flavor with a fresh jalapeño and oniony taste. The easy prep and cooking instructions make these golden-brown fried rounds a 'best ever' quick bread recipe!
I'm an Amazon Associate. Please note that the Louisiana Woman Blog contains affiliate links, and I will earn a commission if you purchase through those links. Thank you!
Jump to:
- Why Do They Call It A Hush Puppy: The Back Story?
- The Hush Puppy Ingredients
- Instructions For Best-Ever Hush Puppies Recipe
- Kay's Top Tips for the Best Hush Puppies
- Substitutions
- Variations
- Storage
- Reheating the Homemade Hush Puppies
- Here's help from a few of my favorite appliances for making hush puppies!
- My first helper for the Best Hush Puppies.
- Next is the T-Fal Ultimate EZ Clean Deep Fryer.
- FAQ
- More Southern Recipes
- Pair These Recipes with Golden Hush Puppies
- 📖 Recipe
- Save This Recipe
- Comments
Hush puppies are a popular Southern food. They make a perfect addition to fried catfish and other seafood dishes, such as this Easy Boiled Shrimp Recipe. There's no need for a bottled liquid crab boil or a boxed seasoning bag. You only need simple seasonings, lemons, raw shrimp, and a large pot of boiling water. In minutes, you'll be eating tender shrimp!
Instead of the traditional tartar sauce, try this tantalizing Louisiana Comeback Sauce to dip these Southern hush puppies in. It's akin to a Louisiana remoulade and neighboring Mississippi Comeback Sauce.
At our house, we like this creamy Remoulade Sauce recipe for dipping. It has a slightly sweet taste made with fresh herbs, a bite of horseradish, and spicy mustard.
Why Do They Call It A Hush Puppy: The Back Story?
It's been said that the Hush Puppy got its name and origin while fishermen cooked their fresh catch of the day. They would fry spoonfuls of cornmeal batter and feed them to their dogs to silence their annoying barking, thus naming the deep-fried fritters hush puppies. Clever!
Somehow, humans began consuming these little snacks, too. The little fried dough balls are so versatile. They aren't just for fish fries but also make a delicious snack, appetizer, or side dish for other meals.
However, getting a decent hush puppy can be hit-or-miss. Not every kitchen, restaurant, or fast-food place delivers consistent results. But you can get them with this Southern hush puppy recipe. Part of the success is using cornmeal mix, or the substitution listed below.
The Hush Puppy Ingredients
This easy hush puppy recipe uses six simple ingredients plus cooking oil, which you may already have in your kitchen.
- White cornmeal mix - already containing leavening ingredients for easy prep.
- Granulated sugar - adds just the right amount of sweetness.
- Fresh onion - flavorful, small bits.
- Fresh jalapeñoalapeño pepper-seeded to remove most of the heat and chopped; keep the seeds for a hotter taste.
- Egg - it moistens and holds things together.
- Buttermilk - adds moisture and tenderness to the dough.
- Canola oil has a pleasant, light taste and a high smoke point, making it safe for deep frying.
Instructions For Best-Ever Hush Puppies Recipe
The simple recipe should bring easy success. Whenever my husband asks for them, I don't hesitate to stir up a batch. The thought of biting into these hot, tasty, crunchy, fried little balls of cornbread urges me to do so.
- Step 1: To make the batter, place the cornmeal mix into a medium-sized bowl and mix in the sugar.
- Add the onion and jalapeno to the dry ingredients, stirring until well combined.
- Step 3: Add the wet ingredients, which are egg and buttermilk, until all ingredients are incorporated; be careful not to overmix.
- Step 4: Cover the bowl of hush puppy mix with cellophane and refrigerate for 30 minutes. The batter will be thick and scoopable.
- Step 5: Heat the oil to 375°F in an electric fryer or in a thick-bottomed pot on the stove, such as a Dutch oven, over medium-high heat. Scoop the batter with a rounded teaspoonful or a small cookie scoop to make golf-ball-sized hush puppies. Drop them into the hot oil and fry on each side for 2-3 minutes in small batches until golden brown.
- Step 6: Remove them with a slotted spoon if you are not using a frying basket. Line a sheet pan with paper towels and place the deep-fried hush puppies in a single layer. Let them cool just a little bit before biting into one.
Kay's Top Tips for the Best Hush Puppies
- Before making the cornmeal batter, finely chop the jalapeño pepper. You can use a knife, but a food chopper makes it easy to achieve a finer texture.
- Use gloves when handling jalapeño peppers, especially when removing the seeds and veins. This way, the hot oil in the pepper will not burn your skin -I speak from experience!
- Refrigerating the batter for at least 30 minutes or up to 12 hours helps the dough stay together when dropped into the hot oil, so get the batter as cold as possible before frying.
- Reheat leftover fried hush puppies in an air fryer for a refreshed, crispy crunch.
Substitutions
- To substitute 2 cups of White Cornmeal Mix, use 1 ½ cups of regular white or yellow cornmeal, 6 tablespoons of all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons of baking powder, and ½ teaspoon of salt.
- The yellow cornmeal mix can be used instead of the white cornmeal mix. The white one seems to be a bit lighter in texture than the yellow one, but the color is definitely different between the two.
- Stir 1 tablespoon of vinegar into 1 cup of whole milk, let it set for a few minutes, and use it instead of buttermilk.
- Vegetable oil may be substituted for the canola oil. I like using half olive oil and half canola or vegetable oil when frying hush puppies and French fries for the best results.
Variations
- After mixing the batter, stir in a half cup of your favorite ingredients: cut or cream-style corn, cheese, chopped okra, bacon, and/or green onion, or anything else you desire.
Storage
- Store batter in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 day before frying.
- Freeze the batter or any leftover batter, then thaw and deep fry.
- Refrigerate leftover hush puppies in an airtight container, then warm them in the air fryer, microwave, or a 400°F oven until hot and crispy.
- Store leftover hush puppies at room temperature in the refrigerator or freezer in an air-tight container.
Reheating the Homemade Hush Puppies
- The best way to reheat these babies is in the air fryer.
- The oven is also a great way to heat up the leftover golden spheres.
Here's help from a few of my favorite appliances for making hush puppies!
My first helper for the Best Hush Puppies.
Kitchen-Aid 3.5-cup food chopper
Buy Now →
The starter button on the lid makes it easy to access, and it delivers a powerful chop for such a little fella. It's also light, easy to clean, and has a BPA-free bowl. The cord wraps around it in a hidden slot for easy storage.
Next is the T-Fal Ultimate EZ Clean Deep Fryer.
T-Fal Ultimate EZ Clean Deep Fryer
Buy Now →It's the ultimate stainless steel fryer for easy cleaning, with an inner basket and an oil filtration container on the bottom. This fryer makes it easy to store and reuse oil. And clean-up is a breeze! I set the fryer to 375°F, and the oil is at the perfect temperature for frying these Best Ever Hush Puppies.
I love a right-handy tool. These two favorites get used often at our house. They also make great gifts, too! You can Shop My Favorite Kitchen Tools for more.
FAQ
Hush puppies are a popular Southern quick-bread dish of deep-fried balls of cornmeal batter, usually served with fried fish and other seafood dishes.
The secret is using self-rising cornmeal, not overmixing, letting it rest in the refrigerator until it's cold, and frying it at 375°F.
Make a batter of cornmeal, onion, egg, and buttermilk, and deep-fry in oil until golden brown.
More Southern Recipes
Looking for other quick bread recipes like this homemade hush puppy recipe? Try these:
This Couche Couche Recipe, A Cajun Mama's Breakfast Cereal is a Cajun delicacy of hot cereal made of pan-fried cornmeal mush, usually served in milk or coffee milk and sweetened with cane syrup.
Another fried treat is Crispy Louisiana Boudin Egg Rolls, which are easy to make and feature the stuffing from Louisiana's Cajun boudin. Wrap the boudin filling in an egg roll wrapper and fry it in the right combination of oils for a satisfying snack, meal, or appetizer.
Pair These Recipes with Golden Hush Puppies
These recipes go well served with hush puppies:
📖 Recipe
Best-Ever Hush Puppies
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 4-6 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 32 hush puppies 1x
- Category: side dish/appetizer
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: American
Description
These hush puppies are crispy on the outside, tender on this inside, and full of flavor. Mix up the basic quick bread recipe, refrigerate, cook them as is or with added ingredients, then fry them in a flash!
Ingredients
Basic Recipe
- 2 cups white cornmeal mix
- 1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ cup onion, processed in a food processor or cut into small bits
- 3 tablespoons jalapeno pepper, chopped fine in a food processor or cut into small bits (1 pepper)
- 1 egg
- ¾ cups buttermilk
- 64 ounces of canola oil
Instructions
- Place the cornmeal mix into a medium-sized bowl and mix in the sugar.
- Add onion and jalapeno pepper into the cornmeal mixture and stir until well combined.
- Add the egg and stir in the milk until all ingredients are incorporated; don't overmix.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Heat oil to 375°F in an electric fryer or in a thick pot on the stove, such as a Dutch oven.
- Scoop the batter with a rounded tablespoon or a small cookie scoop to make golf-ball-sized hush puppies. Drop them into the hot oil and fry on each side for 2-3 minutes in small batches until golden brown.
- Scoop them out with a slotted spoon, if not using a frying basket, and drain on a paper towel-lined sheet pan.
- Let them cool for a few minutes before serving.
Notes
- To substitute 2 cups of White Cornmeal Mix, use 1 ½ cups of regular white cornmeal, 6 tablespoons of all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons of baking powder, and ½ teaspoon of salt.
- After mixing the batter, stir in a half cup of a favorite ingredient, such as cut corn, seafood, cheese, chopped okra, and more.
- Serve with butter or a dipping sauce such as Homemade Ranch Dressing, Remoulade Sauce, or Louisiana Come Back Sauce.
- The batter can be made up to 12 hours in advance.
Save This Recipe
Join our email list to get recipes.
Be sure to sign up for my emails to keep in touch. If you have any questions or comments, leave them in the reply box below. You know I love hearing from you. Have a nice day!
Christopher Columbus"By prevailing over all obstacles and distractions, one may unfailingly arrive at his chosen goal or destination."
These look awesome! I've never tried a hush puppy but I'll have to now! Thanks for sharing. Greetings from London.
Well, hello from America! You should try these with you fish and chips. It’s traditional to eat them with fried catfish over here. Let me know how you like them.
I certainly will! Thanks for the tip!
My pleasure!
Is "white cornmeal mix" something different than just cornmeal? Is there salt or baking powder or something else in there? I LOVE hushpuppies but have never made them.
Yes, Jenny. The white cornmeal mix already has flour, salt, and baking powder added to help save a few steps in preparing the hush puppies. I think you’ll find this recipe very helpful since this is your first experience in making them. ?
Do you know what amounts of flour, salt, and baking powder would need to be added if you only had cornmeal? I currently have a huge bag and would love to try your recipe!
No I don’t, but there are plenty of recipes on the internet if you google cornmeal mix substitutes. Thanks for asking and I hope this helps.
Glad I reead the notes about white corn meal mix. I don't think we have that in Michigan. I added some flour and baking soda at the last minute. I guessed on the amount.
Thanks for letting me know. I just updated the post and added a recipe to substitute white corn meal mix. This should work.
These look amazing! I love hush puppies, but never tried to make them, but now I'm going to.
Oh, good! I used to make them from a packaged mix, but not any more. These are much better. ?
Can need to be cooked in the air fryer
I haven’t tried them in the air fryer.
these are so so so good my wife and i ate them all. i caped frying them and eating along the way
a best with hot/ranch , ummm-um!. i got a new batch for nfl sunday thank you very much
we love them.
Thank you, Ernest for letting me know! I will try them with the hot/ranch next time I make some which reminds me it’s time for a fresh batch soon. 😁
Can I substitute milk plus something instead of buttermilk? I am kind of in a time crunch and I needed to go ahead and prepare them and get them in the fridge. Thank you so much have a blessed day!
Hi, Kimberly! Yes, to substitute 1 cup of buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon of vinegar into a 1 cup measuring cup and fill with milk to measure 1 cup. Stir and let stand 5 minutes. Then use as buttermilk.