Crisp & Golden Gluten-Free Corn Dogs

recipe by: Sarah Menanix

yields: mini corn dogs or 8 full-size corn dogs

prep time: 15

cook time: 20

total time: 35

These homemade gluten-free corn dogs have the perfect crisp and golden texture, made with a a soft and fluffy cornbread batter. They're much easier to make than one would think, and the juicy hot dog with lightly sweetened, crunchy cornbread is a dream!

5 from 5 reviews

Ingredients

1 cup (124 g) Bob's Red Mill gluten-free corn flour, see notes for cornmeal option
½ cup (54 g) Bob's Red Mill gluten-free oat flour
½ cup (80 g) Bob's Red Mill sweet rice flour
¼ cup (52 g) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cups + 2 tablespoons (272 g) buttermilk, plus more for thinning, if needed
1 large egg, room temperature
1 tablespoon honey
8 hot dogs, beef or otherwise
4-6 cups vegetable, canola, or peanut oil , for frying

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat 2-inches of oil to 350°F in a pot large enough to fit your hot dogs on skewers. Clip a thermometer to the side to help maintain even temperature. Place a wire rack over a baking sheet. Line the wire rack with paper towels.
Meanwhile, prepare the hot dogs. Dry the hot dogs well with a paper towel. If making mini corn dogs, cut the hot dogs in half. Carefully slide a 6-inch wood skewer through the cut side or bottom about halfway up the hot dog.
Sift together the corn flour, oat flour, sweet rice flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
Whisk the egg into the measuring cup with the buttermilk.
Pour the buttermilk mixture and honey into the dry ingredients, whisking until just smooth. The batter should be thick, but not too thick. Add up to 1 tablespoon more of buttermilk to thin the batter as needed. For example, if the batter is too thin, it won't stick to the corn dog. If the batter is too thick, you'll end up with a very fat layer of cornbread around your hot dog.
Transfer the batter to a glass cup tall enough to fit your hot dogs, depending on whether you're doing half or full-size corn dogs.
When the oil is ready, dunk the skewered hot dog into the batter, swirling it to cover completely and gently swirling it as you lift it out of the batter. The entire hot dog should be covered in about ⅛-inch of batter. Carefully place the corn dog into the hot oil and fry for 3-4.5 minutes rotating the corn dog, until deeply golden brown on all sides. Transfer the corn dog to the paper towel to cool a bit before serving. Cook 2-3 corn dogs at a time, keeping an eye on the temperature of the oil.
Repeat until you've fried all your corn dogs, adding more batter to the glass as needed. Serve warm with ketchup or mustard.

Video

Notes

Using Medium Grind Cornmeal

This recipe also works with Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Medium Grind Cornmeal. Medium Grind Cornmeal is less finely ground and will produce a cornbread shell that's rich and flavorful with a bit of crunchy texture throughout. Note: medium grind cornmeal will soak up less moisture, so start with just 1 cup of buttermilk, adding 1 teaspoon more at a time just to thin.

*I do not recommend substituting the buttermilk in these corn dogs with homemade buttermilk or buttermilk powder as the batter will be significantly thinner and won't coat the hot dogs.

While I haven't tested it yet, for a dairy-free version, I would recommend substituting the buttermilk for half non-dairy milk and half non-dairy yogurt. Add more non-dairy milk as needed to thin the batter or up to 2 tablespoons more corn flour to thicken, if needed.

How to store corn dogs

Once cool, store leftover homemade gluten-free corn dogs in an airtight container or freezer bag in the fridge for up to 4 days or the freezer for up to 6 months. Reheat in the oven as described below.

How to Reheat Corn Dogs

Reheat corn dogs just as you would store-bought frozen ones. If still frozen, place them on a baking sheet in a 350°F oven for 12-15 minutes. If defrosted or stored in the fridge, reduce the bake time to 8-10 minutes.