This MINI CORN DOG RECIPE is the perfect answer to a kid-friendly lunch! No need to leave the house and hit up the local drive-thru, because these fry up absolutely perfect at home.
I’m not a huge hot dog person. Just a few times a year is generally good enough for me.
But corndogs? Those are something special and I’d never pass one up. 😉
The batter is the perfect combination of crisp on the outside and sweet and puffy on the inside.
How to make the corn dog batter:
I’m all about easy recipes, so not to worry – you’ve totally got this.
Stir together some flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder in a bowl and then stir in some milk.
That’s all it takes to make corn dog batter.
Making the mini corn dogs:
Start by cutting your corn dogs into thirds. Of course, if you wanted full sized dogs, you could leave them whole, but what fun is that?!
I use 100% beef corn dogs in my recipe, but you can use any hot dogs you like.
Roll your hot dog piece in some flour and then dip it into the wet batter before putting into your frying pan.
I use a fork to dunk the hot dog in the batter and then carefully use a toothpick to push the hot dog off the fork and into the hot oil.
Frying tips:
Canola, vegetable, peanut, and avocado oil all work well for frying. Use whatever you prefer.
The hot dog should be fully covered in batter and as evenly coated as possible. This will help ensure even frying.
Don’t overcrowd the pan as it will cool the oil or cause the corn dogs to stick together. It is best to cook these in batches.
Rotate the dogs halfway through the cooking. They will want to flip themselves back over, so use tongs and hold them in place for a few seconds.
What to do with leftovers:
I mean, if you have leftover corn dogs, you definitely have more restraint than me. 😉
These will last in the fridge for a few days. To reheat, I recommend using the oven or an airfryer. Like most fried food, they’ll just get soggy in the microwave.
Corn Dog Bites
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour, divided
- 1/4 cup cornmeal
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 cup milk
- 8 hot dogs, cut into thirds
- vegetable oil, for frying
Instructions
- Preheat about 3 inches of oil to 350 degrees over medium heat.
- Combine 2/3 cup of flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, garlic powder and onion powder in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the milk.
- In a pie plate or other shallow dish, add the remaining flour.
- Dredge each hot dog piece in the flour and then dip it into the cornmeal batter. Shake off any excess batter, but be sure that the hot dog is fully covered in batter.
- Drop into the hot oil and fry for 3-4 minutes, turning halfway through, until golden brown and crispy.
- Fry in batches, being careful not to over crowd the pan.
- Drain on a paper towel lined plate and keep warm in a 200 degree oven until all of the hot dogs are fried.
- Serve immediately with ketchup and mustard, if desired.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Information:
This post was originally published in June 2012. It was updated in March 2020 with new photos.
Lisa R says
THEY LOOK DELISH. can you make them ahead and freeze/reheat later? looking for superbowl snacks.
Karly says
Hi Lisa! I’ve never tried freezing and reheating these, but I think it’d probably work fine? They’ll be best served fresh though.
Jerry Gum says
wow, i am addicted! thanks for sharing!!! basically easy and they came out better than i expected. i made a half recipe and was able to use a 2qt sauce pan, dipping 4-5 per batch.
i used yellow cornmeal, my preference. next time i will try a bit less flour and a bit more cornmeal and probably skip the salt. i used a bit of paprika and was pleased. i reduced the sugar by about 1/4 but full amount would be fine. i used thin wood skewers in halves for dipping and put the batter in a tall narrow glass to make it easier.
the temperature is important. my meat thermometer doesn’t go to 350 so i used my candy thermometer.
jerry gum says
how do you feel about using finely diced onion rather than onion powder?
BTW, using ketchup is blasphemy LOL. i used a mixture of mayo and plain mustard
Karly says
Hi Jerry! I personally don’t like the idea of onion chunks in the batter, but you could certainly give it a try. I don’t see any reason it wouldn’t work. 🙂
Glad you enjoyed these! Thanks for sharing how you made them, too!
Ryan says
These had great flavor just like at the amusement park. This will be my go to recipe. I didn’t have baking powder so I had to do a substitution with baking soda and cream of tartar and added about a tablespoon of vinegar. The batter was airy and made for a great cornbread coating. Everything cooked perfectly once I got the oil temperature right, nice and crunchy. Thank you for sharing.
Karly says
So glad you enjoyed these! Thanks, Ryan!
Vane says
My family loved them thank you for sharing the reciepe. Can we save the batter or is it no good next day?
Karly says
Hi Vane! The batter won’t be any good the next day. The baking powder starts working when it hits the liquid and it’ll die off before tomorrow if it’s not cooked. 🙂 Glad you enjoyed the corn dogs though!
Chelsea w says
Hi! Made these last night with cheddar dogs (because cheese.) And they were so tasty, but I couldn’t get my batter fluffy like yours. It was like a super thin, super crispy batter on the outside and not at all like the fluffy, bready cornbread batter I’m used to. Any tips for next time?
Karly says
Cheddar dogs – genius! 🙂
Sorry your batter wasn’t quite right! Are you sure that you didn’t forget to add the baking powder? Or could your baking powder be old? That would likely be the culprit.
Madeleine says
Is it possible to cook them in the oven instead of frying them?
Karly says
@Madeleine,
I haven’t baked them before, so I can’t guarantee it will work out. If I were to try, I would add the batter to muffin tins and then stick chunks of hot dog in there and bake. I’m not sure how long it will take to cook though, so you’d have to watch the time.
Stacy Ann Smith says
They would take about 20 minutes to bake . About the same time cornbread would take that long . I was wondering that too , I will try this tonight and let y’all know how it turns out! I hope you don’t mind me butting in with a solution.