These Mini Corn Dogs are super easy and fun to make! A delicious little treat on a stick, these are guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser no matter the occasion!
Mini Corn Dogs
Some of my favorite memories in life involve corn dogs, how is that you may ask? Well think of being a kid at the fair or cheering in the stands at the game, holding one of these puppies in your hand just seemed to make it all the more memorable! If you’d like to feel all that nostalgia at home, then my super easy and wickedly fun Mini Corn Dog recipe is for you!
A Mini History Of Corn Dogs
This little delicacy was supposedly first invented at the Minnesota State Fair in 1941. Since then it has been enjoyed by generations of North Americans at games, fairs, and drive thrus alike. Even the city I live in now pumps them out once a year in the craziest combinations, at the Calgary Stampede.
I for one, can probably count on one hand the number of times I’ve actually had a corn dog in my life. I do remember buying the prepackaged ones a long time ago and although I hate to admit it, I did love them. But a fresh corn dog is always better, especially a mini one!
Ingredients In Mini Corn Dogs
Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Corn dogs
- Hot dogs – Cut in half, feel free to use any hot dog you’d like. You can even make this dish vegetarian with a little faux dog!
- Sticks – Lollipop sticks, we need something that can handle being so close to hot oil. Wooden skewers will also work if that’s what you have on hand.
- Vegetable oil – We’re looking for something neutral tasting that holds up well to high heat, such as Canola oil.
Batter
- Dry ingredients – Cornmeal, all purpose flour, baking powder, sugar. You can use gluten free flour and cornmeal as long as you use 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum to bind.
- Wet ingredients – Milk, feel free to use any kind of milk you’d like.
- Seasoning – Salt and pepper.
How To Make Mini Corn Dogs
Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Prepare the oil: In a large Dutch oven, pour the vegetable oil to a depth of 4 inches. Heat the oil to 350 F degrees.
- Get the hot dogs ready: Stick each half hot dog onto the lollipop sticks. You can use wooden skewers as well.
- Prepare the corn dogs: In a bowl, combine all the batter ingredients and whisk. I found it easier to pour the batter in a long glass. Dip each hot dog into the cornmeal batter to completely cover the hot dog.
- Finish the corn dogs: Carefully place the hot dogs into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown, about 2 or 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels. I fried about 2 or 3 at a time. Repeat with remaining hot dogs and batter. Serve with ketchup and mustard.
What Else Can I Put In My Corn Dogs?
The fun doesn’t end here! Since these little Corn Dogs are so easy to make, why not play around with them some more? Try some of these fun twists:
- Chop up some jalapeños right in the batter for a spicy kick!
- Wrap your little hot dog in some American Cheese before dipping it in the batter and frying.
- Add some curry powder to your batter and garam masala to your ketchup for a curry kick!
- Get creative with your hot dog base, feel free to substitute your favorite sausage or smokey in its place.
- The Calgary Stampede features a hot dog stuffed in a hollowed out pickle dipped in batter and fried, this is a delicious treat that I encourage you to try!
Can I Bake My Mini Corn Dogs?
While I do recommend frying these treats for the absolute best results, you can also make them in the oven.
Preheat your oven to 375 F degrees and batter your hot dogs as usual. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes before removing from the oven. Spoon the batter that has collected on the parchment paper back onto the dogs and place back in the oven. Bake until golden for about 20 minutes.
Can I Make This Recipe Ahead?
This recipe is best enjoyed fresh so I do recommend enjoying them right away, but if you’re in a time crunch or have leftovers, they also store just fine.
Fridge
These mini corn dogs can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for 2 – 3 days. You may find they get a bit soggy so I don’t recommend storing them for much longer than that. Just zap in the microwave when ready to enjoy.
Freezer
You can freeze these treats! Just freeze them individually on a baking sheet till frozen through, around 2 hours, then store in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Pop them in the oven at 350 F degrees till heated through when ready to eat, please don’t put them in a fryer to reheat as it is not safe and could cause the oil to spit back violently.
Craving More Game Day Snacks? Try These Delicious Recipes:
- Bacon Corn Dip
- Banana Fritters
- Antojitos
- Crispy Baked Parmesan Wings
- Sweet Chicken Bacon Bites
- Crockpot Sweet And Tangy Asian Meatballs
- Loaded Pub Fries
- Cheesy Guacamole
Mini Corn Dogs
Ingredients
- 6 hot dogs cut in half
- 12 lollipop sticks
- vegetable oil for frying
For batter
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cornmeal
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/4 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/4 tsp pepper or to taste
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven, pour the vegetable oil to a depth of 4 inches. Heat the oil to 350 degrees F.
- Stick each half hot dog onto the lollipop sticks. You can use wooden skewers as well.
- In a bowl, combine all the batter ingredients and whisk.
- I found it easier to pour the batter in a long glass. Dip each hot dog into the cornmeal batter to completely cover the hot dog. Carefully place the hot dogs into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown, about 2 or 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels. I fried about 2 or 3 at a time. Repeat with remaining hot dogs and batter.
- Serve with ketchup and/or mustard.
Christine Lopez says
June 15, 2019 at 2:24 pmIs it possible to use an air fryer?
Nicole Beaulieu says
June 17, 2019 at 10:27 amNot for this recipe as the batter is too liquidy!
Christian Arriaga says
August 12, 2018 at 6:42 amCan these be made without cornmeal?Christ
Nicole Beaulieu says
August 13, 2018 at 9:43 amThey are corn dogs, so it wouldn’t quite be the same. We’ve never done this recipe without the cornmeal but you are free to give it a try.
hilda says
October 5, 2017 at 1:17 pmCan corn dogs be frozen for later use?
Joanna Cismaru says
October 6, 2017 at 11:22 amYes, absolutely. I would probably wrap each one individually in plastic wrap and they would probably last for up to 1 month in the freezer.
Love from Munchkintime.com says
February 6, 2017 at 10:33 amThis recipe is making me drool all over my computer screen! Yummmmm! Thank you so much for sharing this awesome recipe! Pinning it to my Yummy Recipes Board! 😀
Also I want to tell you that your food photography is Stunning!!!
Joanna Cismaru says
February 6, 2017 at 11:33 amThank you for the compliment, means a lot to me!
Thelma says
February 1, 2017 at 6:51 amHi,
Can’t seem to find cornmeal can I use corn starch or more flour?
Fenne Kieken says
February 1, 2017 at 9:05 amCorn starch and flour will not work. You really have to have the cornmeal.
Kareena Hudson says
January 27, 2016 at 6:27 pmI just made this recipe but used honey instead of sugar for some natural sweetness and so it would be like the honey corndogs you can find and I just covered them in batter and fried them without the stick so they would be completely finger food and they turned out great.
tony says
June 15, 2019 at 12:38 pmwhat a great idea !
Brittany says
January 13, 2016 at 7:26 pmHi Jo! Have you tried these the day after? I’d like to fry them up the night before, refrigerate and warm them up in the oven the next day for a noon party! What do you think?
jo says
January 14, 2016 at 8:54 amTo be honest no, they didn’t last until the day after, but that should be just fine, you could just microwave for a bit and I’m sure they’ll be just fine.
Cherie says
October 24, 2015 at 1:37 amThe lollipop sticks are plastic, how did they go in the hot oil? I’m thinking of using wooden skewers.
jo says
October 24, 2015 at 8:16 amThe ends were mostly sticking out so they were fine, but wooden skewers work as well.
Nazia says
September 29, 2015 at 8:37 amThanks for the recipe. Just wondering if It is ok to refrigerate the batter so I can use it early next morning to make the corndog for my son ‘s school snack?
jo says
September 29, 2015 at 9:23 amHi Nazia,
I haven’t tried it, usually I make them right away but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. The only change I’d make though is maybe not add the baking powder until the morning.
Tracey says
August 2, 2015 at 11:45 amDo you have a baked corn dog? Is that even possible? Thanks! Tracey
jo says
August 2, 2015 at 2:36 pmNo I don’t Tracey, these would not work baked, the batter is too thin for them to stay on the dog,maybe if the batter were a little thicker, but without further recipe testing I couldn’t tell you for sure.
Nec says
July 11, 2015 at 1:24 pmHi Jo,
Love this recipie, to make them taste more like pogos I used schneiders original hot dogs. I put 1 tsp of sea salt and hand cranked freah pepper 8 times. Which turned out perfect and I used a deepfryer.
Thank you
This will be a fave in our house for sure!
Nec
jo says
July 11, 2015 at 1:44 pmThat’s wonderful, so glad you liked it. 🙂
Michelle says
July 9, 2015 at 8:07 pmHi Jo, good afternoon.
My question is. . If I do not have a Dutch oven can a deep fryer be used instead?
Thank you!
jo says
July 9, 2015 at 9:54 pmAbsolutely Michelle, I don’t have one so that’s why I used a Dutch oven. They might even turn out nicer in a deep fryer. 🙂
Michelle says
July 9, 2015 at 9:59 pmThank you for the feedback Jo!
Christianne says
June 25, 2015 at 7:36 amHey Jo,
Thanks for this recipe it looks great. Little question though .. if I don’t have a Dutch oven can I just use something else to deep fry it? Will it still come out as well?
Thanks!
jo says
June 25, 2015 at 10:01 amOh yeah, any deeper pot should work.
monica says
May 8, 2015 at 10:17 amHi 🙂 i found your blog in some pinterest board! This recipe is absolutely easy and beautiful!
This week end i’ll try it!!
jo says
May 8, 2015 at 3:04 pmThanks Monica, hope you do!