County fair style Homemade Corndogs are a fun, easy dinner recipe! Deep fried, hand-dipped corn dogs with a thick delicious cornmeal batter.
Corndogs are a fun recipe to make at home, and they can be enjoyed as a party snack or Meal. You may be used to enjoying them as a food truck or fair food item, but following this recipe, you can make them yourself. For more fried food snacks, try my recipes for Fried Pickles and Fried Ravioli next.
Table of contents
Sabrina’s Homemade Corndogs Recipe
This is a great family-friendly recipe that kids and adults are both sure to enjoy. Corndogs are a simple concept with a hotdog at the center of crispy fried batter. But, just because they’re simple doesn’t mean they aren’t an amazing food option for parties or a fun and casual dinner.
Though frying the recipe yourself is a little more work than reheating frozen corndogs, it’s easier than you may think. You can combine the batter in a matter of minutes. Then, you’ll just dip the hot dogs in the batter and fry them. Just like that, you’ll have a superb corndog recipe ready to go.
Ingredients
- Cornmeal: One of the most important ingredients in the simple cornmeal batter is the cornmeal itself. For best results, you’ll want to use finely ground yellow cornmeal. You want to avoid coarsely ground cornmeal because it won’t mix as well into the batter. The combination of cornmeal and flour makes a soft, fried batter that crisps up beautifully on the outside.
- Sugar: Adding 1 tablespoon of sugar is the perfect sweetness to mix into the batter without making it too sweet. You can also swap the sugar out for honey if you prefer.
- Egg: The egg helps bind the batter together. It provides stability and structure while thickening the mixture.
- Hot dogs: I’ve made these recipe instructions to prepare 6 hot dogs, which is usually a good amount to share with the whole family. However, you can make more or less; just be sure to change the ingredient amount for the batter as well. Bring the hot dogs to room temperature for best results and dry them with a paper towel before dipping them in the batter.
Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- Tall Drinking Glass: I like to use a tall drinking glass that is slightly taller than the length of the hotdog. The tall cup lets you quickly dip the hotdog in the batter completely without getting batter all over the stick.
- Wooden Skewers: You’ll need either wooden skewers or popsicle sticks to hold the hotdog while you dip it in the batter mess-free and to hold it while you eat the corndog!
- Skillet: I used a cast-iron skillet with high sides to fry my Corndogs. I find it keeps the temperature even better. You could also use a deep fryer if you have one.
- Wire Racks and Baking Sheets: These are used to drain the excess oil off and cool the corndogs.
How to Make
Time needed: 25 minutes.
- Sift the Dry Ingredients
Sift the cornmeal, all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, salt, and baking powder into a large mixing bowl.
- Add the Wet Ingredients
Then add the milk and eggs. Whisk until the wet ingredients are incorporated and you have a thick smooth batter.
- Prep Time:
After you combine the batter, pour the bowl into a tall drinking glass to make it easier to dip. Then, skewer the hot dogs with wooden skewers and dry them with paper towels. Add 3 inches of oil to a large cast iron skillet or prepare your deep fryer. Put the oil for frying over medium heat and use a deep-fry thermometer to check when it reaches 350 degrees.
- Dip the Hot Dogs
Dip the hot dog into the glass so it’s completely covered in a batter coating. Important Note: Work in batches of up to 3 corn dogs at a time. I fried mine 2 at a time so the pot doesn’t get crowded and my oil temperature stays even.
- Frying:
Let excess drip off before deep frying the Corndog to golden brown perfection. Place the cooked Corndog on the prepared baking sheet and continue the process with the remaining Homemade Corndogs. Then, serve the finished recipe with mustard, ketchup, and other condiments you like.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup flour
- 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal , finely ground
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 large egg
- 6 hot dogs
- 6 wooden skewers
Instructions
- In a large bowl sift together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, and baking soda.
- Add the milk and eggs and whisk together until well combined.
- Pour mixture into a tall glass for easier dipping.
- Skewer the hot dogs with the wooden skewers.
- Dry the hot dogs well with paper towels.
- Heat 3 inches of oil or a deep fryer with vegetable oil to 350 degrees.
- Note: Work in batches of 1-3 corn dogs, depending on the size of your pot. I fried 2 at a time.
- Dip the hot dog into the batter, let excess batter drip off.
- Fry for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown. Again, do not overcrowd your pot or fry more than 3 at a time. See note section.
- Serve with mustard and ketchup or any other dipping sauces.
Notes
Nutrition
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Chef’s Note: Use Wire Racks
I always use a wire rack over a baking tray to cool my deep fried food. Elevating the hot food on racks keeps it from getting greasy or soggy. When you just put freshly fried food on paper towels, the oil seeps into the paper and then back into the breading which makes it greasy. The heat also gets trapped and turned into steam which makes the coating soggy. The reason I place the rack over baking trays is for easy cleanup and to protect my counters.
Can this be made ahead of time?
- Cook Ahead: You can fry the corndogs ahead of time. After frying, let them cool completely on a wire rack to prevent them from becoming soggy.
- Freeze Before Cooking: If you want to freeze them before cooking, freeze the uncooked corndogs on a baking sheet until solid. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container. They can be kept for up to 3 months.
- Cook From Frozen: To cook from frozen, heat oil to 350 degrees and fry the corndogs for a few minutes longer than usual until they are golden brown and cooked through.
Nutritional Facts
How to Store
- Serve: I give the breading a little time to cool and set before serving, but still enjoy this recipe while the Corndogs are warm. You don’t want to leave the breaded hotdogs at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
- Store: To keep the recipe fresh, put the corndogs in an airtight container and store them in the fridge for 4-6 days. To reheat the corndogs, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Place the chilled Corndogs on a parchment-lined baking sheet and heat them for 7-10 minutes until crispy and warmed through.
- Store: This is also a freezer-friendly recipe. Kept carefully sealed, frozen corn dogs can stay good for 1-2 months. To reheat them, put the frozen corndogs directly in the oven and heat them until thawed and warm.
Ideas to Serve Homemade Corndogs
When you serve this recipe, you can enjoy the Homemade Corndogs with your favorite condiments such as ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, Honey Mustard Sauce, or chili sauce. Along with the classic dipping sauces, don’t forget to round out the meal with side dishes like Sweet Potato Fries, Macaroni Salad, Southern Baked Beans, and any of your other favorites.
Air Fryer Corndogs
- Add the wooden skewers to a bowl of water and let them soak for 20 minutes. Soaking the wooden skewers will prevent them from burning and splintering in the air fryer.
- Then sift the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Add the egg and milk and stir the corndog batter together. Then pour the batter into a tall glass.
- Preheat the air fryer to 375 degrees. It will take about 5 minutes to heat.
- Skewer the hot dogs and dry them with paper towels.
- Prepare the air fryer’s inside with a non-stick cooking spray coating.
- Dip each hot dog into the batter and let any excess batter drip off before placing them in the air fryer.
- Cook at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes, flipping the corndogs halfway through the cooking time.
Frequent Questions
For the wooden stick at the center of the Homemade Corndogs, you can use popsicle sticks or craft sticks from the craft section of your local grocery store. You can also pick up wooden skewers like the ones you’d use for kebabs.
Ensure the corndogs are fully submerged in the oil to prevent the batter from cracking while cooking. Otherwise, the recipe will cook unevenly, leading to cracking of the outer coating.
To safely dispose of cooking oil, DON’T pour it down the drain or directly into your trash can. Instead, pour the oil into an empty milk carton or another disposable container with a lid. Then, use a Sharpie to label it and throw it in the trash. You could also reuse the cooking oil to make another recipe.
Variations
- Mini Corn Dogs: If you want to make a bite-size appetizer or have a little leftover batter, you can use them to make mini corndogs with cocktail sausages. Skewer the mini sausages with toothpicks and coat them in the leftover batter. To fry them, you can pop the mini corndogs directly in the oil, then use a slotted spoon to remove them after they cook. Let the mini corndogs cool for a few minutes before serving.
- Honey Batter Corndogs: You can make this recipe with a sweet twist by adding honey to the corndog batter. Whisk 2 tablespoons of honey into the mixture to make the sweet honey batter. Leave the white sugar out of the batter if you’re using honey. After cooking, this version tastes amazing, with sweet and savory honey mustard as a dipping sauce.
- Types of Hot Dogs: It’s up to you if you want to use pork or beef hot dogs for this recipe You could also get turkey hot dogs if you want a leaner meat option.
- Coating Additions: After adding the batter, you can coat the corndogs with a layer of bacon bits, breadcrumbs, cornflakes, or other crunchy ingredients to add a bit more texture.
More Delicious Hot Dog Recipes
I don’t see the amount of cornmeal needed in the recipe. can you help? thanks
Sorry about this. The recipe card has been updated. It should have read 3/4 cup cornmeal, finely ground.
Hi. I may be missing something, but I don’t see cornmeal listed in the recipe. How much cornmeal is needed?
Sorry about this. The recipe card has been updated. It should have read 3/4 cup cornmeal, finely ground.
where is the cornmeal in the recipe?
How much CORNMEAL?
If this is a corndog recipe, how come it doesn’t say how much cornmeal to use, only has 1 1/2 cups of flour in the ingredients list?