Easy Hush Puppies Recipe (2024)

Hush Puppies are the perfect addition to accompany your Southern-inspired meal from fried chicken to shrimp and grits. Bites of corn batter fried until crisp on the outside and tender and fluffy inside!

Of course Hush puppies are great for snacking too! Slather them in a sweet Honey Butter, dip them in soups or even in a spicy mayonnaise.

Easy Hush Puppies Recipe (1)

Bites of Heaven

Small little handheld bites of heaven.

What Are Hush Puppies? Hush puppies are small bits of deep fried cornmeal batter. Unlike soft cornbread, they are crunchy and golden brown on the outside and melt-in-your mouth light on the inside. Typically, you’ll find them in golf ball sized globes or fingers, depending on how the cook drops them in the oil.

The main ingredient in hush puppies is always going to be cornmeal, we also add buttermilk, egg and a leavening ingredient, usually baking soda.

Easy Hush Puppies Recipe (2)

These homemade hush puppies most often served with those other Southern classics: fried fish, shrimp boil, fried chicken and collard greens.

Can you freeze them? Sure you can! If you have leftovers or want to make extras, let them cool, and place them in a freezer bag for up to four months. The next time you’re hungry for some hush puppies, let them thaw and spread them out on a foil-lined cookie sheet, and warm them in a hot oven for 10 minutes to restore some of the crunchiness.

So Why are They Called Hush Puppies? It’s a much-debated question! It’s speculated (among many other stories) that fishermen would fry up the batter they used for fish fries, and toss them to yapping dogs to “hush” their barking. The true origins may be lost, but that doesn’t mean we enjoy this iconic Southern staple any less!

Easy Hush Puppies Recipe (3)

How To Make Hush Puppies

This is one time when you’ll want to get out your deep fryer. True hush puppies are golden crisp on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside. Here’s how to make this easy hush puppy recipe:

  1. Heat up your deep fryer. (If using a pan on the stovetop, you’ll need several inches of oil so the hush puppies will float as they fry.)
  2. Mix your ingredients and drop by spoonfuls into the fryer. Allow to cook until golden on the outside and tender in the middle.
  3. Drain on paper towels and serve warm.

Peanut oil holds up well to intense fryer heat and doesn’t produce any off flavors. You can also use canola oil, vegetable oil or corn oil.

More Southern Favorites

  • Corn Casseroleperfect for potlucks
  • Biscuits and Gravyserve with hush puppies!
  • Easy Homemade Buttermilk Biscuitseasy and flavorful
  • Dirty Riceanother delicious side
  • Old Fashioned Chicken and Dumplingsperfect main to serve with hush puppies!

Easy Hush Puppies Recipe (4)

4.91 from 55 votes↑ Click stars to rate now!
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Easy Hush Puppies Recipe

If you need a side of bread to accompany your Southern-inspired meal, you won’t find anything more delicious than hush puppies.

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Easy Hush Puppies Recipe (5)

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Easy Hush Puppies Recipe (7)

Author Holly Nilsson

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cornmeal
  • cup flour
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup buttermilk you may not use all of it
  • oil for frying

Instructions

  • Preheat oil to 350°F.

  • Combine dry ingredients.

  • Beat egg. Add to dry mixture with most of the buttermilk adding more as needed to create a dough that is moist but not runny.

  • Drop mixture by teaspoon in hot oil.Cook 3-5 minutes until golden, turning once during cook time.

  • Place on paper towel to cool. Serve with honey butter.

Notes

If you do not have buttermilk on hand, you can make abuttermilk substitute!

Optional: add a tablespoon of minced onion.

4.91 from 55 votes

Nutrition Information

Calories: 124 | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 204mg | Potassium: 147mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 55IU | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Easy Hush Puppies Recipe (8) Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Easy Hush Puppies Recipe (9) Cuisine American

© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.

Easy Hush Puppies Recipe (10)

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Easy Hush Puppies Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is hush puppy batter made of? ›

Hush puppies are made from a basic batter consisting of yellow cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, buttermilk or milk and eggs. Many recipes call for the addition of scallions or onions. The base lends itself to riffing, too, including the addition of spicy peppers, cheese, spices or even beer.

What is Long John Silver's hush puppies made of? ›

The main ingredients in hush puppies are cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Some recipes also call for egg, milk, and butter.

How to keep hush puppies from falling apart without? ›

The Perfect Cornmeal-to-Flour Ratio

If made from just cornmeal, hush puppies will fall apart in the oil. If too much flour is used, the hush puppies become heavy, dense, and bread-like. After much experimentation, I landed on a 3:1 ratio: 1 1/2 cups cornmeal to 1/2 cup flour.

What is the difference between a fritter and a hush puppy? ›

What's the difference between corn fritters and hush puppies? While both corn fritters and hush puppies are deliciously crispy fried treats, corn fritters require a key ingredient: corn. Whether fresh or frozen, corn is the main ingredient in fritters, while cornmeal is the star of hush puppy recipes.

What are original hush puppies? ›

In fact, the Carolinas can proudly claim to be the birthplace of this now-iconic American food. A hushpuppy is a simple treat—thick cornmeal batter dropped in spheres (or nuggets or fingers) into hot oil and fried till crisp and brown.

What do you eat hush puppies with? ›

Besides fried catfish, shrimp, chicken, crab cakes, or bbq, you might want to serve a dipping sauce for you hush puppies. We like honey or ranch, but ketchup, tartar sauce, remoulade sauce, or Outback sauce are all great options that go well with the savory-sweet fried cornmeal dough.

Why do my hush puppies fall apart? ›

If your hush puppies are falling apart, you may have used too much cornmeal. Try adding a little more (but not too much) flour. If you add too much flour, they'll become dense. For healthier hush puppies, try baking them.

What is an American hush puppy? ›

A hush puppy (or hushpuppy) is a small, savory, deep-fried round ball made from cornmeal-based batter. Hushpuppies are frequently served as a side dish with seafood and other deep-fried foods. Hushpuppy. A serving of hushpuppies.

How to tell when hush puppies are done? ›

If your oil is the correct temperature, the hush puppies should be golden on the outside and cooked on the inside. When golden on one side, if they automatically turn themselves over, you're cooking like a Pro.

Why are my hush puppies greasy? ›

Fry the hush puppies in small batches, which can help avoid overcrowding the frying pan or fryer. Cramming too many into the pan can lower the oil temperature and result in greasy hush puppies.

What's the difference between cornbread and hush puppies? ›

The main difference is that cornbread is baked and hush puppies are fried, hence the difference in texture—though hush puppies can be air fryed, too. "Typically hush puppy batter is a little thicker than cornbread batter, but that is just a matter of moisture. The basic ingredients are the same," Matijevich said.

Are Hush puppies a Southern thing? ›

To this day, some old-timers in the middle region of South Carolina continue to call hushpuppies Red Horse Bread. South Carolinians were not the only ones to hit on the joys of frying cornmeal batter in fish grease. Comparable creations could be found in Georgia and Florida, but they were called by different names.

Is Falafel the same as hush puppies? ›

Falafel might be considered the “Lebanese/Mediterranean hush puppy,” though the fresh herbs and spices make it a much healthier and more complex version. It's a delicious source of protein for vegans and vegetarians and meat eaters alike.

What is another name for a hush puppy? ›

Besides "red horse bread," Southerners had several of other names for what we now call hushpuppies, like "wampus" in Florida, and "red devils" and "three finger bread" in Georgia. But hushpuppy was the term that stuck.

What is cornmeal made of? ›

Cornmeal is a coarse flour (or meal) made of ground yellow corn ranging in texture from fine to coarse grounds. Most yellow cornmeal, especially the kind found in U.S. supermarkets, is made from dent corn, which has a high starch content and a prominent corny texture.

Are Hushpuppies unhealthy? ›

Hush puppy contains 450 calories per 152 g serving. This serving contains 20 g of fat, 9.4 g of protein and 61 g of carbohydrate. The latter is 5.8 g sugar and 4.4 g of dietary fiber, the rest is complex carbohydrate. Hush puppy contains 4 g of saturated fat and 0 mg of cholesterol per serving.

Is hush puppies brand vegan? ›

This company does NOT test on animals. All products are vegan.

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