I love any kind of fried bread so this homemade hushpuppies recipe is high on my list. If you aren’t familiar, hushpuppies are small, fried savory bread ball. The batter usually contains cornmeal. Think of it like a savory donut hole or maybe a small fried biscuit. This recipe is classic and simple—anyone can make this hushpuppy recipe.

I associate hushpuppies with Long John Silver’s. Lol. So I typically think of hushpuppies as a bread side dish served with seafood. It’s also typically more popular in the south and some believe they originate from nuns in New Orleans. They are delicious and best served with a little butter and lemon juice IMO.

Related: Next up learn to make arepas or homemade focaccia.

Ingredients

Cornmeal
All purpose flour
Salt
Baking powder
Baking soda
Granulated white sugar
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Egg
Buttermilk
Water

You will also need oil to fry the hushpuppy batter in, I typically use canola or vegetable oil for deep frying.

How to make Hushpuppies

In a medium to large mixing bowl stir together the dry ingredients: cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, onion powder, garlic powder and sugar. Next stir in the egg, buttermilk and water.

In a large pot or dutch oven heat the oil to around 365°F. Use a cookie dough scoop to drop the batter into the hot oil. Fry for 2-3 minutes, taking care to make sure all side get fried in the hot oil.

Remove to a plate lined with paper towels. I use kitchen tongs for this. Continue to cook the batter until you have fried all the hushpuppies.

Tips and Notes

You can add other ingredients like spices or chopped fresh herbs to flavor these classic hushpuppies. Things like: green onion, cilantro, parsley, or spices like cumin, cayenne or ginger
If you don’t have a cookie dough scoop you can simply use a spoon.
Hushpuppies are best served warmed, just after they have been fried. You can rewarm them in the microwave or oven if needed. But, like a lot of fried foods it’s best the day it’s made.
You can make the batter ahead of time and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.