These Best-Ever Hush Puppies are crispy on the outside and light and tender on the inside. They have a delicious sweet cornbread, fresh jalapeño, and oniony taste. The easy prep and cooking instructions make these fried golden brown 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!
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 in minutes!
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?
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 as a delicious snack, appetizer, or side dish for other meals.
However, getting a decent hush puppy can be a hit-and-miss venture. Not every kitchen, restaurant, and fast food place offers consistent results. But you can get them with this hush puppy recipe. Part of the success is using corn meal mix, or the substitution for it highlighted below.
The ingredients
This easy hush puppies recipe uses six simple ingredients plus cooking oil, which you may already have in your kitchen.
- White cornmeal mix - which already contains leavening ingredients for easy prep.
- Granulated sugar - adds just the right amount of sweetness.
- Fresh onion - flavorful small bits.
- Fresh jalapeño 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 - it has a pleasant light taste and a high burning point, making it safe for deep frying.
Instructions For Best-Ever Hush Puppies
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.
Before making the cornmeal-based batter, finely chop the onion and jalapeño pepper. You can use a knife, but a food chopper makes it easy to achieve a finer texture.
- Now you're ready to make the batter. Combine the white cornmeal mix, sugar, onions, and peppers in a large bowl. Then, add the wet ingredients, the egg, and buttermilk, and stir to blend well.
- You can add extra ingredients such as corn, chopped okra, cheese, bacon, green onion, or anything else you desire.
- Be careful not to overmix the batter. For best results, the cornmeal batter should sit in the refrigerator for about half an hour before the frying begins.
- Heat the oil to 375° in an electric fryer or a large, heavy pot such as a Dutch oven.
- Scoop the batter with rounded teaspoonfuls 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.
- 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.
Hints
- Use gloves before handling the jalapeño pepper, especially when removing the seeds and veins. This way, the hot oil in the pepper will not burn your skin —I speak from experience!
- To substitute 2 cups of White Cornmeal Mix, use 1 ½ cups regular white or yellow cornmeal, 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt.
- Reheat leftover fried hush puppies in an air fryer for a refreshed, crispy crunch.
Substitutions
- 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 the only difference between the two.
- Stir 1 tablespoon of vinegar into 1 cup of whole or coconut milk, set it for a few minutes, and use it instead of buttermilk.
- Vegetable oil may be substituted for the canola oil.
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.
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 leftovers in an airtight container and warm them in the air fryer, microwave, or 400° f oven until hot and crispy.
Here's help from a few of my favorite appliances!
My first helper is this Kitchen-Aid 3.5-cup food chopper. The starter button is on the lid for easy access and has 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. I use it to process the onion and the jalapeno pepper for these "quiet dough rounds."
Next is the T-Fal Ultimate EZ Clean Deep Fryer. 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 storing and reusing oil a simple task. And clean-up is a breeze! I set the fryer to 375° f, and the oil temperature is perfect for frying these Best Ever Hush Puppies.
I love a right-handy tool, and these two favorites get used at our house often, especially the Kitchen-Aid 3.5-cup food chopper. They also make great gifts, too!
Top Tip
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 dough as cold as possible before frying it.
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.
Hush Puppies are crispy on the outside and light and tender on the inside. They have a delicious sweet cornbread, fresh jalapeño, and oniony taste.
Make a batter of cornmeal mix, onion, egg, buttermilk, and deep-fry in oil until golden brown.
RELATED
Looking for other quick bread recipes like this homemade hush puppies recipe? Try these:
Pairing
These recipes go well served with hush puppies:
Best-Ever Hush Puppies
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!
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 32 hush puppies 1x
Ingredients
Basic Recipe
- 2 cups white cornmeal mix
- 1 ½ tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ cup onion, processed in a food processor into small bits
- 3 tablespoons jalapeno pepper, chopped fine in a food processor (1 pepper)
- 1 egg
- ¾ cups buttermilk
- 64 ounces canola oil
Instructions
- Place cornmeal mix into a medium-sized bowl.
- Mix in the sugar.
- Add onion and jalapeno pepper into the cornmeal mixture and stir until well combined.
- Add egg and stir in milk until all ingredients are incorporated; don't over-mix.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Heat oil to 375 degrees in an electric fryer or a thick pot on the stove, like a Dutch oven.
- Scoop the batter with rounded teaspoonfuls 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.
- Drain on a paper towel on a sheet pan.
- Let them cool for a few minutes before serving.
Notes
- To substitute 2 cups of White Cornmeal Mix, use 1 ½ cups regular white cornmeal, 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons baking powder, and ½ teaspoon 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.
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 4-6 minutes
- Category: side dish/appetizer
- Method: frying
- Cuisine: American
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."
The West Laine Wanderer says
These look awesome! I've never tried a hush puppy but I'll have to now! Thanks for sharing. Greetings from London.
Louisiana Woman says
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.
The West Laine Wanderer says
I certainly will! Thanks for the tip!
Louisiana Woman says
My pleasure!
Jenny says
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.
Louisiana Woman says
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. ?
Katie says
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!
Louisiana Woman says
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.
Gabrielle A Riihimaa says
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.
Louisiana Woman says
Thanks for letting me know. I just updated the post and added a recipe to substitute white corn meal mix. This should work.
Christy says
These look amazing! I love hush puppies, but never tried to make them, but now I'm going to.
Louisiana Woman says
Oh, good! I used to make them from a packaged mix, but not any more. These are much better. ?
Lars Thomas says
Can need to be cooked in the air fryer
Louisiana Woman says
I haven’t tried them in the air fryer.
ERNEST GUZMAN says
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.
Louisiana Woman says
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. 😁
Kimberly A Manard-Henkelman says
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!
Louisiana Woman says
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.