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This recipe is a beyond simple delicious hand-dipped corn dog making you never want to buy store-bought again!

These are a summer favorite right next to our Mini Corn Dog Muffins and Hot Dog Nuggets and Homemade Nuggets.

Corn Dogs piled in a metal bowl.

Who Doesn’t Love Corn Dogs?!

Whether we’re at the fair or Disneyland, we love to enjoy hand-dipped corn dogs. Well, now we can enjoy them anytime at home!

Here’s why we love them:

  • Fair food at home. Provide the taste of amusement parks and carnivals straight from your own kitchen.
  • Quick. These are on the table in under 20 minutes!
  • Simple ingredients. All you need are hot dogs, skewers, and pantry staples.
  • Freezer friendly. Fry, cool, and freeze to heat up for a quick and delicious snack.

It’s hard not to love this homemade corn dog recipe!

Two packages of hot dogs on a kitchen counter.

Ingredients

  • Yellow Cornmeal – Finely ground cornmeal makes the best batter.
  • Dry Ingredients: All-Purpose Flour, Sugar, Salt, Baking Powder
  • Egg
  • Honey – Used as a sweetener and to add flavor.
  • Buttermilk
  • Vegetable Oil
  • hot dogs – Use regular-sized hot dogs as thicker ones won’t cook all the way through. Choose hot dogs made with beef, chicken, pork, or turkey. You can even use cheese filled hot dogs (as long as they are not too thick).
  • Wooden skewers, candy sticks, or thin popsicle sticks – Be sure when the stick is added it will fit the diameter of the frying pan.
  • vegetable oil for frying – Or use canola oil or peanut oil.
Hot dogs stuck with skewers on a white platter.

How to Make Corn Dogs

  1. Heat 2 quarts of oil to 350°F in a large pot or Dutch-oven.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk dry ingredients then add in wet ingredients. Let sit for 10 minutes.
  3. Pat hot dogs dry and insert a skewer into each hot dog. Pour the batter into a tall glass (not too full) and dip one dog at a time into the batter, then place into the hot oil to fry (I like to make sure that the batter is coating a bit of the skewer/stick so that the coating stays on).
  4. Let the corn dog sink to the bottom and then turn it with tongs to ensure that it is browning evenly on all sides. Cook for about 2-3 minutes, then transfer to a paper-towel lined plate.
  5. Repeat until all the hot dogs are cooked. You will need to keep refilling the glass with the batter as you go.
Hot dog being dipped in a cup filled with corn meal batter.

Recipe Tips

  • Flavor. Add extra flavor by stirring in some smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, or black pepper to the batter.
  • Batter. Allow excess batter to drip off the dipped hot dog before placing it into the oil. If the batter is too thick, add a splash of buttermilk to thin it out.
  • Hot oil. The oil should reach 350°F. Test it by dropping a small piece of bread into the hot oil. If it starts to sizzle and turns golden brown within a few seconds, the oil is ready.
  • Condiments. Aside from ketchup and mustard, try Fry Sauce, Honey Mustard Sauce, or Chick-fil-A Sauce.
A corn dog being dipped in ketchup.

Storing Info

  • STORE leftover corn dogs in a Ziploc bag in the refrigerator for 2 days. Reheat them in the oven at 350°F for about 10 minutes or air fry them until warm throughout.
  • FREEZE. Store them in a freezer-safe bag. When ready to make, bake at 400°F for about 15 minutes.
Corn dogs piled in a metal bowl served with ketchup.

For More Fair Favorites:

Funnel Cake

30 mins

Recipe Video

5 from 111 votes

Corn Dog Recipe

By: Lil’ Luna
This recipe is a beyond simple delicious hand-dipped corn dog making you never want to buy store-bought again!
Servings: 12 corn dogs
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 2 minutes
Total: 17 minutes

Ingredients 

  • ¾ cup yellow cornmeal
  • ¾ cup all purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 egg lightly beaten
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • ¾ cup buttermilk *
  • 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
  • 12 hot dogs
  • 12 wooden skewers, candy sticks or thin popsicle sticks
  • 2 quarts vegetable oil for frying

Instructions 

  • In a large pot or Dutch-oven, heat the 2 quarts of oil to 350℉.
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Add the egg, honey, buttermilk, and vegetable oil, and stir until combined. Let sit for 10 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, pat the hot dogs dry and insert a skewer into each hot dog. Pour the batter into a tall drinking glass and dip one dog at a time into the batter, then place into the hot oil to fry (I like to make sure that the batter is coating a bit of the skewer/stick so that the coating stays on).
  • I let my corn dog sink to the bottom and then turned it with tongs to ensure that with was browning evenly on all sides. Cook for about 2-3 minutes (you want to make sure they're fully cooked inside), then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat with remaining hot dogs (you may have to tilt the glass a bit to get the last few ones fully dipped).

Video

Notes

Thin the batter. If the batter is too thick, just add a splash or two of additional buttermilk.
Double it. You can easily double this recipe!
Freeze. These corn dogs freeze really well. Just make sure to let them cool completely before placing them in a Ziploc bag. To reheat, bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes.
Adapted from Life in the Lofthouse

Nutrition

Calories: 1596kcal, Carbohydrates: 26g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 168g, Saturated Fat: 132g, Cholesterol: 97mg, Sodium: 402mg, Potassium: 217mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 135IU, Calcium: 68mg, Iron: 2.1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
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Share it with us on Instagram using the hashtag #lilluna, so we can see what you’re creating in the kitchen!

About Kristyn

My name is Kristyn and I’m the mom of SIX stinkin’ cute kids and the wife to my smokin’ hot hubby, Lo. My mom’s maiden name is Luna, and I’m one of the many crafty “Lil’ Lunas” in the fam. On this site I like to share all things creative - from recipes to home decor to gifts and home decor ideas. Welcome!

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Recipe Rating




47 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Make your corn dogs last night, half with turkey and half with beef hot dogs…came out perfect and were delicious! Thank you for the recipe. 🙂

  2. 5 stars
    I made bites with mine. Some with dog bites and cheese squares worked just fine. Will be doing them more.

    1. 5 stars
      Very very good
      My grandson said that he has never had one so good
      This is going to be number one at my home

    1. I haven’t personally tried this without eggs in the recipe. I have seen an eggless version using evaporated milk (all other ingredients are the same). Might be worth trying. You could also search for an eggless version on google.

    1. Yes, make sure that the hot dogs are totally dry. You can pat dry with a paper towel. And yes, you can use white corn meal!