Deep-Fried Hush Puppy Recipe

Key Takeaways

• Use a deep fryer that heats fast and evenly to prevent your hush puppies from absorbing oil and becoming mushy.
• Deep-fried hush puppy recipes typically call for basics like cornmeal, flour, buttermilk, and spices like cayenne.
• Our crispy hush puppy recipe involves mixing dry and wet ingredients separately, letting the batter rest, and turning the balls often for even browning.
• When learning how long to deep-fry hush puppies, pay attention to color. They should turn a dark golden brown in 2-4 minutes.

In the South, we may not agree which college football team reigns supreme. We may not agree on whether vinegar-based or tomato-heavy barbecue sauces are best. We may not even agree on what to put in our seafood boil recipes. But if there’s one thing most of us can agree about, it’s that no fried fish plate or BBQ is complete without a basket of hot, crispy hush puppies.

Deep-fried to perfection, hush puppies are often served in restaurants as an appetizer or side dish alongside Southern favorites like fried catfish and shrimp. But they’re also easy to make for cookouts, with the right outdoor deep fryer and a great deep-fried hush puppy recipe.

What Fryer Is Best for Hush Puppies?

Your fryer matters just as much, if not more than, your hush puppies recipe. Since we’re deep frying here, it’s VERY easy for your hush puppies to absorb grease and turn soggy. You need steady heat to seal the outside quickly.

Temperature recovery is also key. Dropping cold batter into oil lowers its temperature instantly. So you’ll need a fryer that heats the oil back up fast.

Try a High Performance Cooker

A deep fryer like our 4-Way 20 QT Fryer or 18 QT Fish Fryer works best for deep-fried hush puppy recipes because it heats fast and evenly. Why it works:

• Even Cooking: Our proprietary Tunnel Tube design distributes heat evenly and quickly across the bottom of the pot, eliminating hot spots. You can also achieve a raging boil in under 7 minutes.
• Fast Temperature Recovery: Our cookers return to a boil in under 90 seconds. This lets you cook multiple batches evenly. No more mushy hush puppies!
• Better Grease Control: Because our cooker heats 3x faster than other pots, you don’t need to worry about grease absorption from low-oil heat.

Your Deep-Fried Hush Puppy Recipe

Crispy hush puppies recipes can vary from place to place, but we all use a basic cornmeal batter with a few tweaks here and there.

Ingredients You’ll Need:

• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar, depending on your desired sweetness
• 3/4 cup buttermilk (can substitute
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 onion, grated
• 1 jalapeño, diced (optional)
• Peanut or vegetable oil, for frying
  

Equipment You’ll Need:

• Deep fryer
• Small ice cream or cookie scoop (can also use two spoons)
• Digital thermometer (optional)
• Slotted spoon
• Wire rack or paper-towel-lined plate, for draining excess oil
  

What You’ll Do:

1. Combine all the dry ingredients in your deep-fried hush puppy recipe in a large mixing bowl.
2. Add the wet ingredients to the mixed dry ingredients.
3. Mix until just combined. Some lumps are okay!
4. Let the batter rest for 15 minutes while you heat your oil for frying. You know it’s ready when a pinch of cornmeal sizzles when dropped in. This is around 365°F, if you’re using a digital thermometer.
5. Drop spoonfuls of your batter into the oil using your ice cream or cookie scoop. Don’t overcrowd the pot. It’ll drop the oil’s temperature.
6. Turn the hush puppies frequently so they brown evenly on all sides. Wondering how long to deep fry your hush puppies? They should take around 2 to 4 minutes.
7. Transfer the hush puppies to a wire rack or paper-towel-lined plate to drain any excess oil.
8. Repeat the process with the remaining batter from our deep-fried hush puppy recipe.
9. Serve hot and enjoy!
   

Make the Perfect Hush Puppies for the Cookout

All you need for crispy hush puppies is a great recipe and an even better outdoor cooker. Make our deep-fried hush puppy recipe your own with more spices, cheese, or even bacon, then bring it to life with a multi-use pot and burner you can trust to do the job.

FAQs

What do I serve with hush puppies at a cookout?

Hush puppies are traditionally served with fish fries or barbecue favorites, like fried catfish and shrimp, BBQ chicken, and pulled pork. Baked beans and coleslaw also go well with hush puppies at your cookout.

How long to deep fry hush puppies?

Hush puppies take about 2-4 minutes to fry once dropped in hot oil. Make sure to turn them often so they turn golden brown on all sides.

Does my fryer really matter when making hush puppies?

Yes! It doesn’t matter if you have an amazing deep-fried hush puppy recipe if your fryer heats slowly or fails to hold heat. Hush puppies require precisely heated oil to achieve a crispy exterior and a fluffy interior. A high-performance cooker ensures fast, even cooking without getting greasy or burning.