Crispy Air Fryer Hush Puppies

These remind me so much of those amazing hush puppies you get at seafood restaurants, but now I can make them whenever I want! These crispy air fryer hush puppies are so easy and delicious, my family thinks I secretly ordered takeout. The best part is you get that golden crunch with just a spritz of oil!

For me, the perfect hush puppy is all about that contrast: super crispy and golden on the outside, fluffy and tender on the inside. My air fryer absolutely nails it with these crispy air fryer hush puppies! They get that amazing crunch you crave, without being greasy at all.

🌽 Ingredients

Most of the ingredients are seasonings, binder, and the dry ingredients for the base. You will love the combination of flavors.

✅Yellow Corn Meal – The most important ingredient in this hush puppy recipe is the yellow cornmeal. It gives you the traditional texture and flavor.

✅Egg – The egg is used to bind the other ingredients together. If you don’t use something to bind them, then they will fall apart. You just need one egg, and you will be good to go.

✅Cream of Corn – Using cream corn gives your hush puppies the best flavor ever. It’s naturally sweet, and the creamy texture is perfect.

✅Seasonings – I used garlic salt, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper for a scrumptious, savory, and slightly spicy flavor blend.

✅Minced onion

✅Flour

✅Baking powder

✅Milk

🍽️ Instructions

👉Step 1: Mix the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, garlic salt, and cayenne pepper in a medium-sized bowl. Make sure it’s well blended. 

👉Step 2: Put the egg, milk, onion and cream corn and whisk until combined.

👉Step 3: Use parchment paper to line a baking sheet. 

👉Step 4: Put one cup of cornmeal in a shallow bowl. Form the batter into small balls by rolling it between your palms, and then roll them in the cornmeal (this will give you that lovely crispy exterior). Place each hush puppy on the baking sheet.

Put the pan of hush puppies into the freezer for 30 minutes to harden slightly. This will ensure the puppies will hold their round shape beautifully in the air fryer instead of spreading out

👉Step 5: After freezing, remove them and put them into the air fryer basket. Give them a light spray with non-stick spray and cook at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.

At the halfway point, turn them over and spray again. If needed, add an additional few minutes until they are golden brown and the middles are cooked all the way through. 

👉Step 6: Sprinkle the warm hush puppies with minced parsley. Serve with ketchup and enjoy!

⏲️ Cooking Time

They should only take about 10 minutes to turn a lovely golden brown.  If they are fully frozen, it might take a minute or two more. 

They key is to look for the golden brown coloring and you will almost be guaranteed that the inside is fully cooked and is light and fluffy!

We found that not all Air Fryers cook at exactly the same rate. Mine took 10 minutes, but check on yours at the 7-minute mark to see how they are doing.

🍲 Meal Prep Instructions

Hooray! You can make these tasty snacks ahead of time. They are so fast and easy to make, but it’s still nice to keep them on hand when you need them.

Sometimes make them a day or so ahead of time so that we can reheat them and serve them later. It’s perfect for those nights when you don’t even want to think about cooking. 

They will last in the refrigerator for up to four days. To reheat them, simply put them back in the air fryer at 350 degrees and warm them for a few minutes.

It doesn’t take long to heat them and sticking them back in the air fryer will keep them crispy. 

If you decide to microwave them, they are much more likely to be soggy or mushy. It’s just not going to give you the results you want. 

🧊 Freezing Instructions

If there weren’t already enough reasons to be in love with this recipe, you can even freeze them after they are cooked.

When freezing, use the flash freezing method. After cooking, lay them on a baking sheet and freeze them. When they are completely frozen, add them to a freezer safe Ziploc bag.  

When you are ready to serve, take them out of the freezer and reheat in your air fryer or oven. It’s that easy, and you don’t even have to take the time to defrost them.

Just pop them in and warm them until they are hot and crispy. They will last three months in the freezer, so they are ideal for meal prepping and planning. 

💡 Expert Tips

Making mouthwatering food is so easy when you use your air fryer. It’s an incredible kitchen gadget that gives you amazing dishes. The best part is that in most cases, the food is healthier than being cooked in a bunch of oil.

Granted, it’s not always healthier, but often that is the case. I wanted to give you some tips for this fantastic contraption so you can make the most of it and have the best experiences possible. 

📌Check each recipe to see if you need to preheat the air fryer or not. Every recipe is different, and you will find many of them require you to preheat.

📌Don’t put too much food in your air fryer at once. If you are making a large recipe, work in batches. If you put too much food in there at once, the air can’t circulate properly to cook. This will cause uneven cooking, and your food may not turn out as well. 

📌Add a slice of bread to the bottom of the air fryer to help catch oil. If you have run into the problem of smoke coming from fat dripping in your air fryer, then you know what a pain this can be. I know it sounds strange, but add a piece of bread to catch the drippings. It really helps make a difference.

📌Try more dipping sauces. While we love these with ketchup, they’re also fantastic dipped in tartar sauce, a spicy remoulade, honey butter, or just plain melted butter! A good dipping sauce takes them over the top.

🔄 Substitutions

Gluten-free – If you eat a gluten-free diet or dairy-free, make a couple of swaps to adjust this hush puppy recipe. 

Use gluten-free cornmeal and gluten-free flour. If you use gluten-free flour, make sure it has xanthan gum in it, or you will need to add some. 

Dairy-free – Swap out regular milk for almond milk, oat milk, cashew milk, or any other non-dairy milk that you like. 

Make whatever adjustments that work for you and your family, and it should turn out great. 

🌶️ Variations

As with most of my dishes, you can easily add in your favorite ingredients. Don’t you just love that option? Here are a few of the ideas we love, and I think you might enjoy it as well. 

⭐Green onions – I like to add green onions to many recipes because they are delicious. Chop up some green onions and add one or two tablespoons to the mixture. It adds some lovely colors too. 

⭐Sugar – If you prefer your hush puppies to have some sweetness, add ¼ – ½ cup of sugar to the batter. Go less if you want a subtle sweetness or more if you want it to be super sweet. 

⭐Minced garlic – Add a teaspoon or two of minced garlic – I used garlic salt and garlic powder, but fresh garlic will give you an even stronger flavor.

⭐Jalapeños – If you like some heat in your food, then chop up a pepper and toss it in. It looks great and adds some spice! 

⭐Cheese – Add 1/4 cup of shredded cheese to the batter. You don’t need a lot, but that little bit of cheese adds great flavor. Use cheddar, mozzarella, or even parmesan. There is no wrong answer! 

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