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hush puppies on a plate with a little bowl with ketchup.
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5 from 2 votes

Southern Hush Puppies

Crispy Southern Hush Puppies made with cornmeal, onion and buttermilk. Golden and crunchy outside, soft and steamy inside, and fried in about 3 minutes. The classic savory version with no sugar, best served hot next to fried fish.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: hush puppies
Servings: 8
Calories: 188kcal
Author: Joanna Cismaru

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 cup yellow cornmeal
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 small onion finely chopped
  • ½ cup buttermilk
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 quart vegetable oil for frying
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Pour the oil into a heavy pot to a depth of about 2 inches and heat to 375°F.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the 1 cup cornmeal, ½ cup flour, 1½ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper.
    process shots showing how to make hush puppies.
  • Stir in the finely chopped onion, ½ cup buttermilk and 1 egg, mixing just until combined. The batter should be thick enough to hold its shape on a spoon.
    process shots showing how to make hush puppies.
  • Drop rounded tablespoons of batter into the hot oil, a few at a time without crowding the pot. Fry 3 to 4 minutes, until deep golden brown all over.
    process shots showing how to make hush puppies.
  • Remove to a paper towel lined plate and season with salt while hot. Let the oil return to 375°F before frying the next batch.
    process shots showing how to make hush puppies.
  • Serve immediately.

Notes

  1. Oil temperature is the whole recipe. Too cool and they absorb oil and turn greasy. Too hot and the outside browns before the middle cooks. Check it between every batch.
  2. Chop the onion finely. Large pieces steam inside the batter and leave hollow spots.
  3. Don't overmix. Stir until just combined or they'll be tough.
  4. Fry only 5 or 6 at a time. Crowding drops the oil temperature.
  5. For jalapeño hush puppies, add 1 finely diced jalapeño with the onion.
  6. For a sweeter, restaurant style version, add 2 tablespoons sugar with the dry ingredients and leave out the onion.
  7. Reheat in a 400°F oven or air fryer for 5 minutes. Do not microwave them.
  8. Freeze cooled hush puppies on a tray, then bag. Reheat from frozen at 400°F for about 10 minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 188kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.05g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 172mg | Potassium: 191mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 85IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 1mg
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