Homemade Corn Dogs Recipe (VIDEO)
Honey-battered, hand-dipped Corn Dogs are a real treat. Watch the video tutorial and see how easy it is to make homemade corn dogs from scratch.
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We love hand-dipped corn dogs at fairs, carnivals, and of course Disney, but some of our favorite carnival foods like Churros, sweet Corn on the Cob and of course these corn dogs, are so easy to re-create at home. If you’re looking for fun, family-friendly recipes, these Corn Dogs are a must-try!
Corn Dog Video Tutorial:
Corn dogs are essentially cornbread batter + hot dogs. This homemade Corn Dog Recipe has the best honey batter. They are fried to perfection with a crisp exterior and a soft cornbread inside that keeps the sausage juicy.
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Why You will Love These Corn Dogs:
- Simple batter – no waiting for the batter to chill. You can use it right away.
- Make-ahead option – you can make the batter 1 to 2 days ahead if you want to. You can also store extra batter to fry something fresh the next day.
- Skip the corn starch – dipping the hot dogs in corn starch is an unnecessary step. Drying the corn dogs with paper towels is enough to make the batter stick.
- Freezer friendly – you can make these, cool to room temperature then freeze in a freezer-safe Ziploc bag.
- Reheats well – You can defrost in the refrigerator or for 30 seconds in the microwave then pop them in the air fryer or sautee on a skillet until crisp on the outside.
Ingredients for Homemade Corndogs:
Since this recipe doesn’t have many ingredients, so buy the best quality hot dogs (get your favorites).
- Hot Dogs – We highly recommend using simple hot dogs – either beef, chicken or turkey hot dogs will do. If using longer-sized hot dogs, keep in mind they will need to fit the diameter of your pot to fry once your stick is on. Also, very thick hot dogs won’t heat through as well.
- Corn Meal – get “finely ground”
- Flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt – pantry basics that help form the batter and make it fluffy.
- Buttermilk and oil – adds flavor and moisture to the batter
- Egg – helps batter hold together.
- Honey – adds sweetness to create a honey batter
How to Make Corn Dogs:
Making corn dogs is easier and takes less time than you think! Here is a visual reference for the process. Watch the video recipe above and you’ll have this recipe memorized in no time.
- Pat Dry Hot Dogs with paper towels to help the batter to stick better.
- Insert Sticks – skewer hot dogs make sure the length fits your pot)
- Dry Ingredients – whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Wet Ingredients – whisk together buttermilk, egg, olive oil, and honey.
- Combine Batter – pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and whisk until blended.
- Dip Hot Dogs and Fry – Batter the corn dogs to completely cover the hot dog, let excess drip off at the edge then Fry 2-3 at a time at 350˚F for 3 minutes until golden brown.
Pro Tip: Use a tall drinking glass and a funnel to keep things tidy while filling with batter. Fill it almost full, leaving enough room to dip the corn dog without overflowing the cup.
The Best Sticks for Corn Dogs:
You can use a variety of sticks (even popsicle sticks). The most important thing is to make sure the skewered corn dog will fit easily into your frying pot. Avoid sticks that have sharp points or are too long. You can use:
- Multi-Use Skewers 6.5″ (the ones we used, pictured in the center)
- Corn Dog Sticks 8″-8.75″ (pictured on the right)
- Candy Apple Sticks 5″ to 5.5″ (pictured on the left)
How to Keep Corn Dogs from Cracking:
Air bubbles cause corn dogs to crack and burst. The right technique is important. Dip straight down until hot dog is fully coated. Twirl in the glass and swirl as you pull up. If you see gaps in the dough or big bubbles then re-dip. Also, make sure to maintain the right oil temperature at 350˚F.
Common Questions:
Look for fine yellow corn meal. Avoid “course” or “medium” ground cornmeal as that will be too large of granules and won’t work. I have found that if the cornmeal packaging doesn’t say what texture it is, most often it is finely ground.
A deep fryer can be tricky because the corn dogs are more likely to stick to the fryer basket. Make sure you carefully hold the corn dog in the oil at an angle for 5-7 seconds to seal the exterior before dropping them into the basket. Watch the video to see this in action.
Nope. Coating in starch is an unnecessary and messy step. Patting the hot dogs thoroughly is enough to help the batter stick to the hot dogs.
We heat the oil to 350˚F and use a clip-on thermometer to maintain a steady temperature. You want to keep the oil between 340˚-360˚ while frying.
Our favorite oil for frying is peanut oil. Canola oil is also a great option.
Serve as a main course or snack with the classic dipping sauces of ketchup and mustard.
Have Extra Batter Left Over?
Use the extra batter to dip mini sausages, little smokies or cocktail sausages to make mini corndogs. Use a toothpick to dip and fry then remove the toothpicks before serving.
Hand dipped corn dogs satisfy the craving for carnival food when you aren’t able to get to the carnival or state fair to enjoy it. They are also really fun to make!
More Kid-Friendly Recipes to try:
If you love this Corn Dog Recipe, then you won’t want to miss these family-friendly recipes.
- Pizza – try our pizza dough for any pizza
- Cheeseburger Sliders – easy and great for parties
- Chicken Sandwiches – crispy with the best sauce
- Chicken Nuggets – a copycat recipe
- Brownies – fudgy and decadent
Homemade Corn Dogs Recipe
Ingredients
For the Corn Dogs:
- 12 hot dogs we used turkey hot dogs
- 12 sticks
- Peanut oil canola oil, or vegetable oil for frying
- Ketchup and mustard to serve
Batter Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups fine yellow corn meal
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 3/4 cups buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 1 Tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil
- 1 Tbsp honey
Instructions
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Pour 2-3” of oil in a large pot or dutch oven and heat to 350˚F over medium heat.
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Pat dry with paper towels. Insert sticks into hot dogs.
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Whisk together dry ingredients (corn meal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt). Whisk together wet ingredients (buttermilk, egg, 1 Tbsp oil and honey). Combine wet and dry ingredients and whisk to combine.
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Pour batter into a drinking glass almost to the top and dip hot dogs. Put corndog straight down into batter and give it a little twirl to fully coat the hot dogs then swirl as you lift up. Let excess drip off.
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Hold corn dog at an angle in the hot oil for 5-7 seconds to let it seal then drop into oil (this keeps them from sticking to the bottom of the pot).
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Fry 3 minutes or until golden brown. Fry up to 2-3 at a time (so you don’t drop the temperature), turning them as needed to brown evenly. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Recipe Notes
*Nutrition label is only an estimate. We calculated 1 tsp of peanut oil per corn dog.
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Just tried making these and followed the directions exactly, using peanut oil as well, but the batter was not cooking all the way through. Used thermometer to ensure 350 temp, but 350 was too hot, started to burn the outside way before the 3 minutes. Burnt the first ones because the temp burnt the outside before it could cook all the way through. Tried lowering the oil temp, to extend cook time without burning exterior, and fully cooking inside. Still had raw batter, although it was less. Any suggestions/recommendations?
Hi Star, a raw better is usually an indication of cooking too quickly over too high of heat or having the batter too thick. Check that your hot dogs look the same as what I show in the video before they go into the oil. Also, make sure the corn dogs are floating in the oil (that there is enough oil in the pot when frying).
Taste great!!! I followed your direction exactly. The only trouble I had was that I couldn’t get the batter to stay on the hotdog. Any ideas?
Hi Laurie, that could happen if the batter is too loose or too thick. Also, make sure the hot dog is well patted dry with a paper towel before applying batter.
Can I add more flour or corn meal?
Hi Laurie, if you will be making more corn dogs adding more of the ingredients would be okay.
I like mustard and pickle relish
Sounds yum too!
My kids loved getting Cheese Dogs from Hot Dog On A Stick but thanks to COVID the locations near our place closed down. I saw this recipe and tried it with Pepper Jack and kids were on Cloud 9. Used the leftover batter the next day to make mini dogs…were soooo good 👍
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the wonderful review!
First off, my kids love watching your channel! They saw this video and have been begging me to make these with them. The recipe was superb and my kids had a blast!
For the extra batter we ended up just plopping spoonfuls into the oil and cooking it. I think they are called hush puppies. So yum!
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I’m all smiles
Big hit with the kiddos…Thank You!
That is so perfect! You are most welcome and thanks for your great feedback, Josie.
Hello from the farm in northern Sweden! We make everything from scratch here including the sausages. We are making these corndogs tomorrow and everyone is excited! And our most important message to you from all of us on the farm is…DAVID!! YOU ROCK!!!
I’m excited for you! I hope they all LOVE this recipe!
My husband and I made these together. The corn dogs were easy to coat. It was a fun activity together. Very good and hot. My pan sides were too high and made it difficult to turn the dogs. Going to try again this weekend with a different pan.
Best Corn Dogs ever! My husband and I had fun making them. Thank you!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
Hi! I am a newer follower but am LOVING the recipes of yours I have made so far. Tonight we are having your chicken pot pie! I have kind of a silly question. I never fry things because it’s a bit scary to me. But my big question is, what do you do with the oil when you’re done? Do you throw it away or do people reuse oil? I’m completely clueless! I would love to try this recipe out but want to be sure what to do with the used oil. Thanks so much!
Hi Sara, I do re-use the oil. Here is a great article form bon apetit with tips for storing leftover oil.
I made these for the first time tonight. I will never go back to store bought corndogs again! Hands down the best corndogs ever! My son gobbled up two so quickly!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
Holy cow, these were amazing! We have tried several other recipes and they didn’t turn out nearly as well as these. We used a deep fryer and they were perfect. Thank you!
Wonderful! You are so welcome, Kate. It’s my pleasure to share this great recipe and I’m glad you enjoyed it!
First time making these. They came out just right and delish.
Nice, so great to hear that, Pat! Thanks for sharing that with us.
Hi! What can I use instead of the buttermilk? Thank you! I love You your recipe!
Hi Esther, I haven’t tried anything else but keep in mind the buttermilk is thicker than regular milk which helps the batter to form properly. If it’s too thin, it won’t stay on the sausage.
I made these the other day using Jalapeno cheddar sausages and they were the best corn dogs we’ve ever had! Thank you so much for the yummy recipe!
You’re welcome, Cheryl! I’m so glad you enjoyed our recipe!
Love, love, love that you are cooking with your Son. I’m teaching my great-nephew to cook – and this is going to be our next recipe!!! Thank you for sharig.
I hope you love this recipe, Bobbie! This was a fun one to record!
Silly question – do you need to cook the hot dogs first or do you work with them straight out of the package? I’m assuming it’s straight out of the package, pat dry, and they cook in the oil, but I wanted to make sure. Thanks in advance!
Hi Dawn, we did not precook these hotdogs.
Love the recipe! I add only one step that makes my dogs special……I put the dog’s on the grill and give them a slight char. Proceed as normal and use your recipe for everything else.
Very nice, that makes it more special yes! I should try that next time too. Thanks for sharing.
We just made these for lunch. My husband loves corn dogs, but I don’t like the frozen store bought ones. These were amazing! I’m never buying corn dogs again when it’s so easy to make them myself, and they are delicious!
Awesome! Homemade is so much more delicious and you can now make corn dogs any time you crave for it.
I just made these…they are wonderful!! 🧡😁
Love it! Thanks for your great comments, Christy.
Do these freeze well?
Hello Anna. Yes, these are freezer-friendly. You can make these, cool to room temperature then freeze in a freezer-safe Ziploc bag.
These look great! I would dip mine in my favorite queso recipe. And I would use extra batter to make deep-fried mac n’ cheese, or just squares of cheese deep fried! Thanks Natasha!
Sounds like a great, plan. Please share with us how it goes if you try this recipe!
Hi natasha I tried your fudgy brownies and it was tasty can you easy air fryer recipes if you have 😊😊😊👌👌👌
Thanks for your good feedback, Malak. You can check out my Air Fryer Chicken Wings recipe.
thanks natasha my mom is going to make chicken keiv do you have some good recipes that we can serve was the chichen keiv and it looks tasty. 😋😋😋😍😍😍
Hi Malak, here’s my Chicken Keiv recipe. I hope you love it.
Dumb question..but do you need to soak sticks or toothpicks in water first or is that just for grilling?
Hi Tammy, it is not necessary to soak the sticks – that is just for grilling. It’s best not to add wet sticks to hot oil or you may end up with extra splatter.
These will not last long at our house! The kids would LOVE them!! YUM!
If you do have leftovers, you can pop them in the freezer. We love leftovers of this recipe!
These are just like the ones you’d get at the fair! So crispy & yummy!
I’m so glad you loved the recipe! Yes crispy corn dogs are the best – hot and fresh.
It’s amazing home much better these homemade corn dogs than the frozen ones. My son loves corn dogs so he was dying to make them with me. Now he wants to make them EVERY day.:)
I’m so happy to hear that! I completely agree it’s hard to beat homemade corn dogs!