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. 
These turned out perfect! I’m so glad you specified fine cornmeal. Otherwise I would have used course and I think I tried that a while back and it didn’t turn out so well. I didn’t have any buttermilk so I used milk mixed with a little vinegar. Also I used sunflower oil to fry them in. This recipe is definitely a keeper. I enjoy your recipes and recently subscribed to your YouTube channel.
Thank you for subscribing and I’m happy to know that you loved this recipe. I hope you’ll enjoy every recipe that you will try from my channel and website!
Yummy. Not complicated though I did have trouble getting the batter to stay on the hotdog. That said, kid (4,3,and 1) and approved. I will make it again.
That is the best when kids love what we moms make. That’s so great!
Hi from Ireland I just made the corn dogs and they turned out really good. My son has been asking to make him but I was a bit skeptical as I never even had one. They were so nice. I made corn bread with the left over bater and it turn out nice. Will definitely make them again.
I’m so glad you gave these a try! Thank you for sharing that wonderful review Daniela!
The recipe came out perfect and I was so happy to attempt this at home rather than buying it from the store. My little daughter asked for it and she was impressed. I didn’t have corn meal and instead used fine semolina and still came out great. I used a dutch oven to deep fry and saved the batter for more corn dogs tomorrow. Thank you Natasha, I really trust your blog as a source for successful recipes. I attempt things I never thought I would!
Great to hear that the recipe was a hit! Thank you for sharing your experience with us, so good to know that you and your family always enjoy my recipes!
I tried these, as I have others. Unfortunately they blew apart as soon as they hit the oil. Oil was 350, dogs were completely dry when I dipped them in the mix. I even went so far as trying Baking powder and corn starch. They all blew apart.
Hi Tim, I ran into this same thing in my testing so I try to anticipate issues like that in my post. Check out the section above titled: How to Keep Corn Dogs from Cracking
Would love to make these for my kids but one has an egg allergy. Is there a substitute for egg that I could use or just leave the egg out?
Hi Meaghan, the egg helps the batter hold together, I’m not sure if it would work too without it.
Easy and extra batter makes tasty onion rings 🙂
Thank you, Christa!
This is the second time I try your recipe, and both times the batter burst out and ended up coating only the top of the weaner… I just am not able to make it work… it tastes really good though… I believe it is the buttermilk… I am making the buttermilk myself with heavy milk+lemon, but then once I add the wer ingredients, the batter turns out soooooo thick! I add a bit more buttermilk substitute, and this is probably where I am going wrong…
They say the third time is when the miracle happens… let’s see, let’s see… I won’t give up yet!
Hi Bete, it does sound like it’s the buttermilk substitution or how the ingredients were measured – something is off in the liquid to dry ingredients proportions possibly. Also, try letting the batter rest for a bit or refrierate it which can help it thicken.
Hi Bete, it does sound like it’s the buttermilk substitution or how the ingredients were measured – something is off in the liquid to dry ingredients proportions possibly. Also, try letting the batter rest for a bit or refrigerate it which can help it thicken.
Try using heavy milk + sour cream to make your buttermilk. 1:1 ration, Room temp for both before you mix them well and let set on countertop for at least 10 minutes. I think the lemon is your issue.
Thank you! We just tried it! They turned out great
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
You mentioned using apple slices for left over batter?? is there a recipe? or how do you prepare apples? any other uses for corn batter?
Hi J, we kept it simple, sliced the apples into wedges and dunked them into the leftover batter, followed the same steps as we did for the hot dog.
I’m from Belgium and we don’t really know corndogs… Had them the first time with my family in Canada last year but only the ones you buy frozen in the supermarket (pogos). Made them now myself with this recipe and they turned out to be delicious!
I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe, Wim! Thanks for giving it a try and for sharing this great review!
So I did everything the way the recipe was written but when I fried them they became flat and caused the hot dog to to be seen. someone told me to try and freeze them. any thoughts?
Hi Mahira, it sounds like the batter may have been too thin (not enough dry ingredients or too much wet ingredients). Also, be sure the oil isn’t overly hot or too cool. Using a thermometer is highly recommended with frying because the wrong temperature can really adversely affect results.
Just did these last night they turned out great! So easy and fun to make!
Aren’t they great! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe.
Made these with vegetarian hot dogs, first time I’ve had a corn dog since I stopped eating meat 5 years ago. They were amazing! I used the leftover batter to make cauliflower fritters, which were also great.
Wow! That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
Sadly, I did not get good results. They cooked fine, but were just totally saturated in oil. I wish I had put them on paper towels instead of a cooling rack but even if I had, I don’t think it would have soaked up enough oil from them. Anyone else have this issue?
Hi Ronda, if the oil isn’t hot enough it can absorb too much oil. I highly recommend checking the temperature with a thermometer to make sure it isn’t running too hot or cold.
Need help to break down the recipe to 4 corn dogs please assist
Hi Paula, if you click on the serving size in the recipe card, you can slide it up or down to scale the recipe ingredient lists. I hope that helps!“
How do break down the corn dog recipe to only make 4/5 corn dogs?
Hi Paula, I recommend clicking “Jump to recipe” at the top of the post. It will take you to our printable recipe, where you’ll have the option to change the number of servings. Hover over the number of servings highlighted in red and slide it to how many servings you would like to make. I hope that helps!
Ketchup? Are you mad?? 😜
Hi Natasha! These look so good I’m hoping to make them this week. One question, do you know how much oil I would need? I have the same Dutch oven as you, just wanted to know how much I needed to buy to make sure I had enough, thanks!
Hi Jane, Step one will be your best friend for that, “Pour 2-3” of oil in a large pot or dutch oven and heat to 350˚F over medium heat.” I hope that helps. Depending on your pot size, the amount may vary, but it should be 2-3″ of oil.
Yes I saw that it said 2-3″ I was just wondering if you could tell me what that was in cups. Also my phone was acting up I didn’t think this submitted so you might have another one from me in here sorry! Also thanks in advance I’m so excited to make these haven’t had a corn dog since I was a kid
Hi Jane, I didn’t measure it in cups and it can vary depending on how large your pot is. My guess is maybe 1 1/2 to 2 quarts of oil.
My kids loved these!! They are soo good and easy to make. Thank you for sharing this recipe will be making them again!
You’re welcome! That is the best when kids love what we moms make. That’s so great!
You are great ever very sample cooking. let use knowledge.
Thank you!
Hey Natasha! Is there anything I can substitute the buttermilk for?
Hi Jasmin, I haven’t tried anything else but keep in mind that the buttermilk is thicker than regular milk, which helps the batter form properly. If it’s too thin, it won’t stay on the sausage.
When making are corn dogs. I feel we did everything right. But the batter made them flat and came apart. They were still great. Just not sure where I went wrong. We love you
Hi Kay, I wonder if it could be in how the ingredients were measured?
I made these yesterday and changed a few things. used Gluten Free flour (Cup 4 Cup), substitute butter milk mad with cream of tarter, let everything come to room temp as seen in other GF recipes. After mixing everything let set for 15 min while cutting up fries, then re-stirred. They came out great, just like I remaindered corn dogs to taste like. Haven’t had a corn dog in over 3 years. Husband even said these were good. PS I am a very picky eater.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Sandra!
Technically that’s not this recipe. It blows my mind people search for a recipe then spend their time changing everything.
This was my first time making homemade corn dogs and I have to say, they did not disappoint. My Wife, my step daughter and her boyfriend said they may have been the best corn dogs they ever had.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
Hi Natasha,
I want to try this recipe, should I boil sausages before? Or they pretty get cooked while frying?
Thank you
Hi Aziza, we did not precook the hotdogs in this recipe.
These are great! Everything from ingredients to dipping and frying is spot on. Flavor is YUM! I cut the dogs in half and used toothpicks.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review, Teresa!
I made these for new years eve dinner. Very delicious. Will be making more sometime.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review.
oh WOW!!! Loved these!!! Got a corn-dog craving from watching a Korean show, and these definitely satisfied them, my kids LOVED THEM, even my picky eater. Thank you so much for this!
You are most welcome. Thank you for sharing!
I like it but my corn dogs, the bread would come out verrry thin and my hot dog would get thicker. If you guys are looking for a honey flavor, I suggest to add more honey because I was waiting for that taste and it didnt taste very much like honey. But they came out really good!!
Hello Ariana, thanks for sharing some tips with us. So hepful!
Hi Natasha, don’t have Buttermilk, can I just use milk?
Hi Meryl, if you don’t have buttermilk, you can make your own by mixing milk and lemon. Here’s an example for reference, 1 cup buttermilk = 1 Tablespoon lemon juice + enough milk to measure 1 cup
These were so easy and fun to make! I had all the ingredients on hand and they were a hit! I halved the recipe and it was perfect for my pack of 6 Hebrew Nationals. Y’all, so so good!! I love your recipes and videos Natasha! I really love seeing your kiddos in the kitchen with you – so sweet!!
You’re so nice! Thank you Cyndi! I’m glad this was a hit!
Hello Natasha,
I work at a skating rink and made these for the staff and ended up making them for customers as well. We did add more honey to the batter. Shared your site with many customers who wanted to know where I got the recipe. THANKS
Oh my goodness that is wonderful! That makes my day and thank you for sharing that with me.
Hello can you please tell me if I can replace the all purpose flour with all purpose gluten free flour?
Hello Antoinette, I honestly haven’t tried that yet to advise but it would also be great to know! Please share with us how it goes if you do an experiment.
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 would try coating the hot dog with cornstarch before dipping in the batter. Best of luck!
I would try coating the hot dog in cornstarch before dipping in batter. Best of luck!
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!