This corn dog batter recipe is fantastic if you are looking for a recipe to recreate those classic corn dogs you get at the local fair.
This batter will cook to be a lovely golden color and have that excellent crunch we all expect with a good corn dog. As with any corn dog, it’s best with a good dousing of ketchup and mustard.
To recreate the famous fair corn dog at home, follow this super easy recipe. It’s pretty straightforward, and the result is absolutely delicious.
Tips for Making Corn Dogs at Home
Making mini corn dogs is ideal for when making these at home. They will fit better in most home deep fryers, and you should be able to cook quite a few at once.
I would not tinker with the ingredients too much as it is very easy to mess up a batter. If you find it a little thick, you can add more milk.
You can make this recipe gluten-free by doing a few simple substitutions. Simply ensure that you use gluten-free cornmeal, GF plain flour, and a GF baking powder. You might need to adjust some ingredients, such as adding more flour.
Be careful around the deep fryer, as it is very easy to burn yourself with hot oil. Gently add the corn dogs to the oil, and you should be fine. Coating the hot dogs in the batter near the deep fryer will help reduce mess and accidents caused by rushing.
Deep Fry or Shallow Fry
Even though I have instructions on how to shallow fry the corn dogs, I do still highly recommend that you deep fry them for the best result.
If you decide to shallow fry, you may have issues with the batter not staying on as well as you would like. Avoid handling the corn dogs as much as possible to avoid having the batter fall off.
I do not recommend baking or using an air fryer. Both methods will work fine with the frozen corn dogs but not with this homemade batter recipe. It’s likely to make one big mess.
I used wooden skewers for these corn dogs, but something like popsicle sticks works well. Using a skewer is ideal because it makes it so easy to eat.
Can you Reuse the Corn Dog Batter?
I would make this batter fresh every time I need it. Even after one day, the batter will start to lose quality, so make it fresh if you want the best quality.
Watch the video below to learn how to make these fantastic homemade corn dogs. Underneath the video, you will find a full written recipe.
Corn Dog Batter Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 hot dogs
- 1 cup All Purpose (plain) flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 4 Tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
Extras
- Vegetable oil for cooking
- Wooden skewers
Instructions
Preparing the Batter
- In a large mixing bowl, stir the dry ingredients until combined.
- Add the eggs and milk. Mix until there are little to no lumps left.
- Pour the batter into a tall glass for easy coating.
- Insert a skewer into each of the hot dogs.
To Deep Fry
- Fill a large pot or deep fryer with oil and start preheating to 175°C (350°F).
- Once the oil is at 175°C (350°F). Coat the hot dogs in the batter one by one, then gently place them into the oil and cook for about 5 minutes, turning them if necessary.
- Once golden brown, remove and drain excess hot oil before placing the corn dog on a paper towel.
To Shallow Fry
- Heat the frypan with roughly 1cm (0.4 in) of oil until hot. Roughly 175°C (350°F).
- Coat the hot dogs in the batter mix one by one, then place them into the pan and cook for about 1-2 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
- Once completely golden brown, remove and drain excess hot oil before placing the corn dog on a paper towel.
Recipe Tips
- You can make mini-corn dogs that are great for parties or platters. To do this, cut the hot dogs into thirds or quarters and use toothpicks instead of the skewers.
- A great way to easily coat the hot dogs is to fill a drinking glass with the batter and dip the hot dogs into the glass.
- If you scale down the recipe, you may need to use half an egg, so make sure you use half an egg and not put a full one into the mixture. Otherwise, your mix will be runny and very hard to use.
- You can adjust this corn dog batter recipe to make it more to your liking. Adding mustard powder and other spices and herbs can significantly change the overall taste of the corn dog hot dog.
- If you plan on baking these in the oven, you should note that these will not come out as well, and the batter may slide off of the dog.
- If you do not have vegetable oils, other oils with a high smoke point will work just as well. Peanut, canola, or safflower oil are great examples.
Nutrition Information
The information above is an estimate generated by an online nutrition calculator.
Other Recipes That You Might Love
If you love using hot dogs in recipes, something like the crunchy pigs in a blanket recipe might also interest you. Much like this recipe, it features hot dogs, but they are wrapped in puff pastry and then baked.
Another dish that you should try if you love deep-fried food, is fried camembert. It is delicious, gooey, and cheesy, coated with breadcrumbs. I absolutely love it and highly recommend it.
If you have any questions, variations or anything else about these homemade corn dogs, please feel free to drop a comment below.
Love, love this recipe is so easy and Sooo yummy ! I added 1Tbs of honey to my batter and boiled dogs for 3 min. Let them cool and rolled in corn starch before dipping in batter. Soooo yummy goodness!