Homemade Corn Dogs

Whenever the cafeteria in middle school served corn dogs, I was super psyched. And every time I’d go to the State Fair, getting a cotton candy and a corn dog was a total must. But nowadays, after having watched a lot of food documentaries, I kinda steer clear of them. I love corn dogs. I love hot dogs. There’s seriously nothing better than a grilled hot dog in the summertime. But those pesky undercover videos of people making hot dogs?

Gross city.

But I have a solution for all you lovely people: Homemade Corn Dogs! Yep! This way you can use any dog you like: veggie hot dogs, all beef hot dogs, Hebrew National hot dogs, grass-fed hot dogs–whatever you like. The world is your oyster.

Do you remember when you could peel the breading off of corn dogs? That was kind of my favorite part. When I went digging for recipes for corn dogs, I wanted something in the middle. I wanted it soft and bready, but I also wanted there to be a bit of a crunch, for texture purposes. And I think this amount of cornmeal does the trick. It adds a bit of a bite to it. I think it’s pretty fantastic, especially when paired with a spicy mustard. I wouldn’t necessarily call it a grown-up corn dog, maybe a teenage corn dog is more like it.

Homemade Corn Dogs

Yields enough batter for 4-6 corn dogs

Print this recipe!

I fried these up in my cast iron skillet so I had to cut my skewers so the entire hot dog would fit in the pan. A lot of people say using chopsticks is the way to go since they’re a bit thicker and sturdier. If you’re using a big deep fryer, I’d recommend using those for sure.

2/3 cups of all-purpose flour

1/2 cup of yellow corn meal

1 tablespoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of salt

1/4  teaspoon of baking soda

1/4 teaspoon of cayenne

1 egg

3/4 cup of whole milk

4 hot dogs or veggie dogs

4 tablespoons of cornstarch (for dredging)

4 skewers (cut to a 6 inch length)

Grab a pair of tongs and line a baking sheet with paper towels. (For the corn dogs after frying.)

Pour your oil in a cast iron skillet, dutch oven, or deep fryer. Heat over medium-high heat until your thermometer reads 375F (Note: My thermometer broke (long story) so I eyeballed this. Obviously, this isn’t the way to go but I just tested the oil by putting a drop of the batter in. When it rose to the top, I knew it was ready).

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, yellow corn meal, baking powder, salt, baking soda and cayenne. In a large bowl whisk the one egg and whole milk. Then add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients all at once, mixing until just combined. The mixture will look a lot like pancake mix. Don’t over-mix and let it rest for 10 minutes. Note: I found it easiest to transfer the mixture to a skinnier cup. It made it much easier to dip in the batter.

While your batter is resting, lay your cornstarch on a baking sheet or big plate. Place each hot dog on a skewer and roll in the cornstarch, being sure to pat off any excess. Then quickly dip the hot dog in and out of the batter. Immediately place the corn dog in the hot oil. Be careful! The oil will be hot and may splash back at you. Cook until the coating is golden brown, 4-5 minutes. Remove with tongs and place on paper towels for draining. Serve with ketchup and mustard.