Homemade Jalapeño Hush Puppies

4.80 from 5 votes

Tender balls of slightly sweetened cornmeal batter studded with fresh jalapeño peppers are fried until perfectly golden brown and tender!

Prep Time35

Cook Time10

Total Time45

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: fried food

Servings: servings

Calories: 50kcal

In a large mixing bowl, add flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, onion, jalapeños, and granulated sugar.
Add egg and buttermilk, and stir until just combined. Set aside on the counter for about 30 minutes, and don’t stir any more.

Line a baking sheet with a paper towel, and top with a wire cooling rack. Set near the stove, as this will be where you put the cooked hush puppies.
In a heavy bottomed pot (I use a dutch oven), add enough oil to fill the pot by about 2-3 inches. Heat over MED heat, until about 375°F.

Scoop batter by rounded tablespoonfuls (I like to use a Tbsp sized cookie scoop for this), and fry about 1 1/2 minutes on each side, until golden brown and crispy.
Make sure not to overcrowd the pot, and fry in batches. Transfer the cooked hush puppies to prepared baking sheet.

This recipe makes about 30-40 hush puppies, which you can divide into as many servings as you'd like.
Calorie count is for 1 hush puppy, and doesn't include the oil, as that amount will vary from individual to individual.
Prep time includes the time for letting the batter rest (20 minutes).
Using a candy or frying thermometer (or even an instant read one) is highly recommended to ensure proper oil temperature.
Avoid overcrowding the pan when frying. Overcrowding causes the oil’s temperature to drop too low, which means the fried food will end up soggy, oily, and not cook evenly.
To remove hush puppies from the hot oil, I highly recommend a spider, but a slotted spoon will work well too.