Southern Hush Puppies Recipe (2024)

Published: Feb 23, 2022 · Modified: Aug 12, 2023 by Ashley Boyd · This post may contain affiliate links

These classic southern hush puppies are made with slightly sweetened cornmeal batter, diced sweet onions, and the perfect amount of seasoning and spices. Crispy and golden brown on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside, these hush puppies will become a new family favorite!

If you are a cornbread fan, you will LOVE this hush puppy recipe! Hush puppies are a must-have side dish in the South and you will have a hard time finding a backyard fish fry without these crispy golden nuggets on the menu.

These hushpuppies are made just the way I always had them growing up in Mississippi and are packed with flavor. If you want more authentic southern recipes, check out our Southern Buttermilk Cornbread, Soul Food Candied Yams, and Southern Baked Macaroni and Cheese!

What You Need to Make This Recipe

• Yellow cornmeal. This recipe calls for 1 ½ cups of yellow cornmeal. Be sure you are using plain cornmeal and not cornmeal mix. You can also use white cornmeal if you prefer, but yellow cornmeal is typically used for Southern-style hush puppies. I recommend using good-quality cornmeal such as Bob's Red Mill Yellow Cornmeal.

• All-purpose flour. This recipe calls for ½ cup of all-purpose flour. I've found that this ratio of cornmeal to flour gives me the best texture in a hush puppy - crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside and not too dense. I recommend using good quality flour such as Bob's Red Mill or King Arthur.

• Baking powder. The baking powder helps the batter puff up when fried so that the hushpuppies are not dense on the inside. You need 2 teaspoons.

• Granulated sugar. Southern hushpuppies are slightly sweetened to give them an almost cornmeal cake flavor that is absolutely delicious! This recipe calls for 3 tablespoons.

• Salt, onion powder, garlic powder, cracked black pepper, and cayenne pepper. These seasonings are mixed into the batter for added flavor.

• 1 large egg. The egg acts as a binder for the hushpuppies.

• Buttermilk. Buttermilk gives the hushpuppies a delicious tanginess and helps the hushpuppies remain tender. You can use regular milk if you prefer but you will not need as much.

• 1 small sweet onion. Finely diced sweet onion is mixed into the hushpuppy batter and is a classic addition to Southern hushpuppies. The flavor of the onion mixed with the sweet cornmeal batter is scrumptious!

• Vegetable oil. The oil is for frying the hushpuppies. You can also use any other type of neutral-tasting oil with a high smoke point, such as canola or peanut oil. You will need enough oil to come up the side 3 inches in a 5 or 6-quart Dutch oven.

How to Make This Recipe

• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and spices until combined. In a separate medium mixing bowl, beat together the egg and buttermilk until the egg is completely mixed in.

• Pour the buttermilk mixture into the bowl with the cornmeal mixture and mix together with a silicone spatula until just combined, or no more dry cornmeal and flour are visible. Lastly, fold in the chopped onions with the spatula.

• Heat oil in a 6-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat until it has reached 365°F (185°C). Clip a candy or deep fry thermometer to the side of the pan to monitor the oil temperature.

• Using a tablespoon size cookie scoop or two tablespoons, drop balls of batter into the hot oil. Fry the hushpuppies in batches, about 6-7 at a time. I like to use my 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop and fill it about ⅔ full with batter. Cook the hushpuppies until they are golden brown on all sides and float in the oil. This only takes about 2-3 minutes.

• Use a slotted spoon to transfer the hush puppies from the oil to a paper towel-lined plate. Allow hushpuppies to cool enough to handle and enjoy!

What Are Hush Puppies?

Hushpuppies are deep-fried fritters made of a cornmeal-based batter. Hushpuppies are very popular in the South and are typically served with fried fish or barbecue. You will sometimes see different ingredients added to the batter such as chopped jalapenos or corn kernels.

How Did Hush Puppies Get Their Name?

While there are several conflicting stories floating around about how hush puppies originally got their name, according to an article by Serious Eats, hush puppies were originally known as "red horse bread" by South Carolinians.

Red Horse was a common type of fish that was caught in the South Carolina rivers. Cornmeal batter balls were dropped into the fish cooking oil and fried up and served alongside the red horse and other varieties of fish.

Now, how the cornmeal fritters came to be known as hush puppies is a hotly debated topic and I cannot tell you which story is true. What I do know is that my family and countless others in the South have been enjoying hushpuppies alongside fried fish and other Southern recipes for decades.

Hushpuppies are a Southern staple and I've been making them just like this recipe for years! Another thing to note is that "hushpuppy and hushpuppies" are also spelled "hush puppy and hush puppies" and can be used interchangeably just as I have done in this blog post.

What to Serve with Hush Puppies

Hushpuppies make a tasty accompaniment to so many different dishes. Two of the most popular meal parings in the South are hushpuppies served with fried fish such as catfish, bream, or crappy, or served with smoky barbecue.

Try serving southern hush puppies with some of the following for an unforgettable meal:

• Flavorful southern entrees such as Louisiana red beans and rice, Cajun shrimp and grits, or southern salmon croquettes.
• Other side southern sides like southern fried okra, southern collard greens, southern baked mac and cheese, homemade creamed corn, or soul food candied yams.
• Irresistible southern desserts such as southern tea cakes, southern pecan pralines, or best ever bread pudding.
• Don't forget a delicious dipping sauce like New Orleans remoulade, creamy cajun dipping sauce, or Mississippi comeback sauce!

Variations and Substitutions

You can add a number of different ingredients to hush puppies. Feel free to try these hushpuppies with some of these fun additions:

• Hush puppies with crab meat
• Chopped crawfish tails
• Chopped shrimp
• Hush puppies with corn kernels
• Blackeye peas
• Okra
• Celery
• Hush puppies with jalapenos

These hush puppies are made with buttermilk to give them a subtle tanginess and make them extra tender and fluffy on the inside. You can also use whole milk but you will not need as much since it is thinner than buttermilk.

Make-Ahead and Storing Instructions

The hush puppy batter can be made up to two days ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook them.

Leftover hushpuppies can be stored in a zip-top bag or airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. Reheat hushpuppies in the microwave or, for the crispiest texture, reheat them in the oven.

Tips For Making The Best Hush Puppies

• Do not substitute cornmeal mix or self-rising flour in this recipe. We add our leavening agent, baking powder, to the batter separately so there is no need for added leavening agents, which are found in the self-rising varieties.
• Make sure your oil is hot enough before frying the hushpuppies. Frying the hushpuppies in oil that is not hot enough will result in greasy hushpuppies. Use a kitchen thermometer to be sure - see my recommendation below.
• I highly recommend using buttermilk in this recipe for the best flavor and texture. If you use regular milk you will need slightly less.

• Dutch oven
• Mixing bowls
• Deep fry thermometer
• Slotted Spoon

More Irresistible Southern Recipes You Will Love!

• Creamy Southern Coleslaw
• Southern Buttermilk Biscuits
• Buttermilk Cornbread Muffins
• Southern Spoon Bread
• Southern Smothered Chicken
• Homemade Biscuits and Sausage Gravy
• Creamy Southern Cheese Grits
• Chocolate Gravy
• Crispy Maple Barbecue Glazed Wings
• New Orleans BBQ Shrimp
• Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Creole Sauce
• Cheesy Cajun Chicken and Sausage Dip

📖 Recipe