Easy Hush Puppy Recipe (2025)

My easy Hush Puppy Recipe is one that you'll want to make again and again!Fried until golden brown, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside they are easy to make and delicious! This hushpuppies recipe is a great use of garden zucchini and a great way to sneak some hidden veggies into your kiddos!

Every year we plant way too many zucchini plants and end up trying to find ways to use them up. While My Grandmother's Chocolate Zucchini Cake still makes an almost weekly appearance every August, we needed something new.

We've madeLemon Glazed Zucchini Bread and Chocolate Zucchini Marble Bread but I wanted something really different.

While there are many variations of a zucchini fritter recipe, I have (humbly) perfected this one!For subtle flavor, I use onion powder rather than raw onions. The result is the perfect savory, crispy bite!

Grating the zucchini also gives the finished fritters a really yummy consistency and makes it easier to hide the veggies.I don't peel the zucchini first, but if you're trying to hide it from your kiddos, you'll want to do that before grating.

🧂 Ingredients

• zucchini - whether you're harvesting from your garden or picking these up at the store, choose smaller zucchini. The smaller one will be more tender and the seeds will be smaller as well.
• white cornmeal and self rising flour - both act as the binders for this recipe
• egg, whole milk and cheddar cheese - from the refrigerator.
• salt, black pepper and onion powder - for seasoning.
• vegetable oil - to fry the hush puppies

🔪Instructions

This is meant to be a brief overview of our homemade hush puppies recipe. For step-by-step instructions and a full printable recipe card with ingredients, please scroll down to the teal box below or Jump to Recipe.

This is my favorite part! You'll love these because it's easier to make than you think! Dinner in 30 minutes? You bet, you'll love these deep fried niblets!

1. Add vegetable oil to a heavy bottom skillet or Dutch oven. Place on the stove over medium heat. Add the oil and bring up to temperature - about 375°F.
2. Peel (if you want) and grate the zucchini. Strain and allow extra moisture to drain.
3. Beat egg and milk in a large bowl.
4. Mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl - add in the zucchini and cheese.
5. Next add the beaten egg mixture and stir gently. Let the mixture sit about 5 minutes before frying.
6. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and top with a cookie cooling rack.
7. Using a small cookie scoop, drop about 1-inch balls of the cornmeal mixture into the hot oil. Don’t over-crowd the pan or the fritters won't crisp up.
8. Fry the fritters until golden brown on one side, flip and repeat with side two.
9. Once crispy and golden on all sides, remove to the cooling rack. Sprinkle immediately with kosher salt, serve immediately.

Equipment

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• Dutch Oven - 6 quart and Cooking Thermometer
• Box Grater
• Large Mixing Bowl and Whisk
• Liquid Measuring Cup
• Dry Measuring Cups
• Measuring Spoons
• Baking Sheet and Cooling Rack

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If your kids like to cook, get them in the kitchen! Your older kids can help grate, while the younger ones can help measure and mix. Of course, only adults should be near the hot oil.

These are so tasty, you'll want to serve them for breakfast, lunch and dinner and all the hours in between, too!

📖 Variations

We recommend that the first time you make this Easy Hush Puppy Recipe just as it is written to yield the best results. However, here are some ideas for variations if you choose to be creative:

• For a more intense corn flavor, use yellow cornmeal instead of white and add more texture with 4 tablespoons of fresh corn kernels or add a little bit of thinly sliced green onion.
• Add some heat with 1 finely minced jalapeno pepper and/or substitute the cheddar cheese for pepper jack instead.

Related: Kid Friendly Vegetable Side Dishes

🍴 Serving Suggestions

Serving them with melted Maple Bacon Compound Butter or a drizzle of honey? Heavenly! These are great for parties, but they are also a wonderful side dish for fried fish or chicken.

You could also serve these with cowboy butter dipping sauce for loads of buttery flavor that's divine with these hush puppies.

💭 Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some questions people sometimes as about our cornmeal hush puppies recipe, and the answers:

⭐ Tips

• Use a Cooking Thermometer to measure the temperature of your oil before you begin and keep an eye on the temp as you fry each batch and adjust as needed.
• Do not crowd the pan as that will cause the oil temperature to drop and the hush puppies will be oily and soggy.
• Keep the batter at room temperature. If the batter is too cold, the hush puppies will fall apart.
• To keep the hush puppies warm while you're frying, set your oven to WARM and slide the tray into the oven.

⏲️ Storage

Store your leftover hush puppies in an air-tight container for around 5 days. (These are my favorite airtight containers.)

You can flash freeze these on a sheet pan for about 1 hour (so they don't stick together). After that, just pop them in your favorite storage container or a freezer bag. They will keep for about a month.

😋 Similar Recipes

Trust me, this hushpuppies recipe is so easy and everyone loves them. You'll be making them again and again! However, if you have tons of zucchini in your garden, try one of these delicious recipes next time:

• Chocolate Zucchini Cake - my grandmother's recipe that is both easy and absolutely divine!
• Zucchini Lasagna Roll Ups - made with thinly sliced zucchini and rolled around a delicious ricotta filling. Finished by baking in tomato sauce.

You might also like one of these recipes:

📋 Recipe

This easy hush puppy recipe turns out the most addictive little morsels! They have a deliciously crispy texture on the outside, and a soft, warm, flavorful middle. They are so good, you can't possibly eat just one!

Not ready to make these yet? Don’t forget to pin the recipe for later! When you do make it, please be sure to tag me on Instagram@jugglingactmamaor #jugglingactmama – I’d love to see your pictures! And finally, if you get a chance, please comment and leave me a⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below!