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 “coarse” 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
- Pour 2-3” of oil in a large pot or dutch oven and heat to 350˚F over medium heat.
- Pat dry with paper towels. Insert sticks into hot dogs.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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).
- 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.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
I had a hard time turning. They would flip back over when I turned them! Also the batter was too thin. Wouldn’t stay on the dog! Tried to thicken, nothing I did would work! The only way they were thick is when I double dipped them (dipped, cooked, let cool and dipped, cooked again!).
Did you make sure to use finely ground cornmeal? If it’s too coarse, it won’t stick as well or cook through properly.
I bought different corn meal and am using buttermilk (last time I used milk with lemon juice). Trying again tonight! I’ll let you know. Thank you so much for responding!
Nailed it! The bomb! My husband LOVED them! Not waiting the left over batter. Will make more tomorrow!
Mine didn’t work at all. The batter wouldn’t stay on the dog and it was not cakelike more like a crumbly tempura batter. Not good. Sorry
Hi Tina, the way you described it, it sounds like coarse corn meal may have bene used by mistake? This recipe requires a finely ground cornmeal, otherwise, it would be more crumbly and rough and wouldn’t cook through properly or stick correctly.
These were quick, easy and super delicious! Everyone enjoyed these and, as another commenter noted, I used the left over batter for hush puppies.
getting ready to make can I skip the baking powder if using self rising?
Hi Paul! I haven’t tested it with self rising flour, but I think that would be fine. Let us know how they turn out if you experiment.
I love all your recipes. But i want to know can i use fine corn flour? I cant seem ot find fine ground organic cornmeal? Also can i freeze them and reheat them in the microwave later like the store bought?
You can freeze and reheat them, however, I have not tried using corn flour to advise.
It seems like corm flour and fine ground cornmeal are interchangable though? Do you know the difference i have medium grind cornmeal and itd pretty fine. I cant find any fine ground cornmeal except Goya brand and that just looks like powder like flour as well
These were delicious! My Dad is from Minnesota and was missing the Minnesota State Fair and all the fried food. I made these corn dogs for him and he said they were better than the fair. He used to call them “Pronto Pups” as a kid.
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Hi Natasha and David. Our fair here just ended and I never got a corn dog while there…sigh.. Not to worry because your recipe is excellent! I loved the video/tutorial. Found that to be very helpful especially the trick regarding pouring the batter into a large glass for dipping. I followed recipe with a few exceptions/additions. Didn’t have buttermilk so substituted regular milk and added lemon juice to it and let sit few minutes before adding. Utilized some seasonings: Lawry’s seasoning salt, garlic powder, and some paprika. My daughter deemed these better than the fairs! High compliments there. The addition of that TBL of honey gives these such a great taste! Especially when dipped in mustard. I did use jumbo all beef hotdogs and just let them cook in the oil an extra few minutes to ensure heated and cooked through. So good! Thanks for another keeper recipe!
Hi Barbie! Thank you so much for sharing that. I’m so glad you loved this recipe.
My first time making corndogs and they turned out pretty good. I turned my back for a moment and the mixture decided to expand and run down my cup. I followed the recipe, so… I was just surprised. Still, tasty batter and simple. I still have to get the technique down.
Batter was too thick and too sweet. I will not use this again
Hi Peggy, I haven’t had that issue before – did you make any changes in the recipe?
Love, love, love this recipe. I made this the other day and it was so good. I got rave reviews from a couple of children in the form of wanting more. I do wish it was a little sweeter but otherwise it was good. I made the batter a day before and refrigerated it and had no issues. The longest part of the process was waiting until the oil heated up. And I used avocado oil with no issues. Thank you for this recipe. I am so happy I am able to enjoy a favorite food again that is much healthier.
Hi Joy, I’m so happy to hear it was well loved by your children. That is the sweetest feedback. Thank you for sharing that with me.
Great corndogs, turned out a lot of extra batter. Used the rest to make hush puppies. Only issue is some said corndogs were a bit greasy? Not sure what I messed up.
Hi Pete, I’m glad you still enjoyed them. Its hard to say without being there. I’m curious if the type of hot dogs releases more oil? Or if the oil is not hot enough when fried, the corndog may be absorbing too much oil. I recommend checking the oil with a thermometer regularly. Using the remaining batter for hushpuppies sounds like an awesome idea!
I followed your recipe exactly and the corn dogs were perfect! My husband and I enjoyed them very much!
Thank you!!
That’s so great to hear. Thank you for trying my recipe. Thank you for the wonderful feedback.
You really are the best and a joy to watch. I have been teaching cooking for a few decades now and I still learn from you.
Thank you for that wonderful compliment, Judi!
I am looking forward to making this but I was wondering, can you use avocado oil instead of peanut oil to fry the corn dogs?
Hi Joy, I would check the smoke point of your avocado oil, if it can get to a high heat without smoking it may work.
Avocado oil smoke point is 520 degrees. Great for deep frying.
Do you think a substitute of corn meal for jiffy corn bread mix would be a good idea? I’m gonna try it me .
I have not tested that to advise. Let us know how it goes if you decide to give it a try!
I haven’t tried it but I intend to.
Looks really good. Nice snack.
Are you sure about the amount of buttermilk? When I made the batter it came out kind of thick. I ended up adding more butter milk .
Hi Claudia! Yes, it’s correct. Did you make any substitutions or miss any ingredients? A thick batter is a result of the wet/dry ingredients ratio being off most commonly from using too much flour. Watch my tutorial on How to measure ingredients here to ensure you’re measuring correctly.
I’m a bit late to the game on this one, but it’s a great recipe for a treat that I’d normally eat only at a fair. My husband was shocked (in a good way) to see that I had made these. Here’s what I did with the leftover batter: thick sliced kolbassa, pierced with a toothpick and dipped in the corndog batter. As an experiment, I tried a half cob of uncooked corn, but that did not work out very well at all. As appealing as a corn-coated cob of corn sounds, hot dogs and kolbassa are the way to go, I think. Thanks, Natasha!
I wanted to love this so much but the batter consistency was off and the flavor profile was nothing to write home about. Will be using another recipe next time
Hi Mildred, did you use a coarse ground corn meal? That would negatively impact the texture. I’d love to help troubleshoot more if I had more information about what went wrong.
This is very good, but you could cut this recipe to 1/3 for 12 dogs.
HI Denise, if you click on the serving size in the recipe card, you can adjust the ingredient list. I hope that helps and I’m so glad you loved the corn dogs recipe!
Hello and thank you for this recipe. I wanted to post to help others. Since I didn’t have buttermilk I used the 1 tbsp lemon + 1 cup milk to substitute the buttermilk. I was a goof and forgot I was out of eggs when I started making these, I used the substitute 1tsp baking soda + 1 Tbsp vinegar. I doubled the batch, we made 24 sausage dogs and 8 regular hotdogs.
With my substitutes I did have to add some extra milk as the batter was too thick. Also I learned that as the batter sits it thickens. I just thinned it again with some milk, a little at a time.
They turned out beautifully, batter stuck to the dogs. They puffed up nicely and were a gorgeous golden brown.
We had left over batter and decided to drop it in the oil to make what we call “cornbread puffs”. Waste naught want naught.
Thank you again. My kids and I really enjoyed making these nummy corn dogs. We do not buy them so it was truly a treat.
Thank you so much for sharing that with us, Michelle!
I am getting ready to make these corn dogs and would like to know if it matters what kind of hot dogs I use. We usually buy skin on dogs. Will it affect how they fry using skin on vs skinless? I can hardly wait to start.
Hi Sue, I’m not sure what you mean by skin-on – do you mean you use sausages with casings? That might be a little risky if you are using raw sausage since that takes significantly longer to cook since you aren’t starting with a precooked meat versus normal store-bought hot dogs. If you experiment with that, be sure to check the meat temperature with a thermometer to make sure it’s safe.