Southern Jalapeno Hushpuppies (Hush Puppies)
Jalapeno Hushpuppies are a requirement with all of our fried fish or shrimp. It’s a must! They are spicy, crispy, golden brown little nuggets of fried cornbread heaven. No fish fry is complete without them.
Why You’ll Love These
We recently had these with our Beer Battered Fish. If you are going to be deep-frying fish anyway, throw in some of these bad boys. I promise you won’t regret it.
This jalapeno hush puppies recipe is quick and easy and pairs well with fried shrimp or fish.
They are the perfect combination of flavors and textures that are great as an appetizer also.
Some of our other favorite side dish recipes are Summer Succotash, Macaroni Salad with Apple Cider Vinegar, Baked Macaroni and Cheese, No Mayo Potato Salad, and Easy Twice Baked Potatoes.
Are They Hush Puppies or Hushpuppies?
According to Wikipedia and The Grammarist, they are known as hush puppies, hushpuppies, and sometimes hush-puppies.
Key Ingredients
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and instructions.
- Dry Ingredients – White or yellow cornmeal works fine. Be sure to use all-purpose flour. Baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt. The sugar is optional. I typically don’t use sugar in cornbread or biscuits, but for these hush puppies, I recommend using sugar.
- Wet Ingredients – Buttermilk and large eggs.
- Jalapenos and Onions – Use fresh jalapeno peppers. They tend to be milder than jarred jalapenos. I prefer to use a sweet yellow onion such as Vidalia onion.
- Oil for Frying – A neutral oil with a high heat point is best, such as vegetable, canola oil, or peanut oil.
How to Make Jalapeno Hushpuppies
Whisk together the eggs and buttermilk in a large mixing bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, then add the onion and fresh jalapeño peppers and stir until incorporated and the batter is thick.
Fill a heavy-bottomed pot (Dutch oven) or deep fryer with a few inches of oil. Heat the oil for frying to 360 degrees F.
Scoop with a cookie dough scoop (or spoon). The cookie dough scoop helps keep them as round as possible.
Working in batches, drop the batter one tablespoon at a time into the hot oil, being careful not to overcrowd the pot.
Fry until deep golden on all sides, turning in the oil for even cooking, about 5 minutes. Remove them from the oil using a slotted spoon to drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt (if desired) while hot.
Repeat with the remaining batter.
Sorry, I didn’t get a photo of the frying method. I was a little busy…ok, I forgot.
Simple ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen. It takes less than 5 minutes to mix the batter and only about 5 minutes of frying time.
Fast and easy jalapeno hush puppies! It’s a perfect side dish for fish or shrimp dinners.
Tips
- If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make homemade buttermilk by stirring 1/2 cup of milk with 1 1/2 teaspoons of vinegar or lemon juice and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes. It should look somewhat separated at the top, with a little light curdling.
- Yes, it’s three teaspoons of baking powder. The baking powder creates air bubbles giving these hush puppies their light and airy texture.
- Do not overmix the batter. Stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened.
- I use a heavy-bottomed pan such as a Dutch oven. But you can also use a cast iron skillet as long as it’s deep enough for a couple of inches of oil. You want the hush puppies to float, not stick to the bottom of the skillet.
- Use a deep frying thermometer to monitor the temperature of the oil.
- If the oil temperature drops, be sure to allow it to come back up before dropping the next batch. Otherwise, the hushpuppies will soak up the oil.
- Drain them on paper towels or, even better, a wire rack over paper towels in a sheet pan. This will help keep them crispy.
FAQs
Hush puppies are prepared with a combination of cornmeal and flour and deep-fried. They are like fried cornbread balls. They were initially made by fishermen to toss to the dogs to keep them quiet.
These are best traditionally deep-fried. I do not recommend using an air fryer. The batter will not hold its shape in the air fryer.
Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in a 350 F degree oven or an air fryer to crisp them up again.
As with most fried foods, these are best served immediately.
More Delicious Side Recipes
Jalapeno Hushpuppies
Ingredients
- 1 cup Cornmeal white or yellow
- 3/4 cup All-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons Baking powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 tablespoon Granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon Baking soda
- 2 large Eggs, beaten
- 1/2 cup Buttermilk
- 1/4 cup Onion diced small
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup Jalapeno peppers (as desired)chopped
- Canola or vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Whisk together the eggs and buttermilk, in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, then add the onion and jalapenos and stir until incorporated and the batter is thick.1 cup Cornmeal, 3/4 cup All-purpose flour, 3 teaspoons Baking powder, 1 teaspoon Salt, 1 tablespoon Granulated sugar, 1/4 teaspoon Baking soda, 2 large Eggs, beaten, 1/2 cup Buttermilk, 1/4 cup Onion, 1/4 to 1/2 cup Jalapeno peppers
- In a heavy-bottomed pot (Dutch oven) or deep fryer, heat enough oil to come halfway up the sides of the pot, to 360 degrees F.Canola or vegetable oil for frying
- Working in batches, drop the batter, 1 tablespoon (I use a cookie dough scoop) at a time, into the oil, being careful to not overcrowd the pot. Fry until deep golden on all sides, turning in the oil for even cooking, about 5 minutes. Transfer the hush puppies to a paper towel-lined dish and sprinkle with salt (if desired) while hot.
These are perfection and the recipe halves perfectly for just two people. Thanks for a great recipe and drawing me in with the mouth watering photos ❤️
I haven’t even made them yet, but the recipe is more on point compared to other’s I’ve seen.
They’re the tasty goodness! Thanks!! 🙂
I just made this today and they were Delicious !
Yay! We are so happy to hear you love the recipe! Thanks so much for coming by to tell us, Tootie.
Oh my gosh, I love hush puppies! But I haven’t had them forever. I don’t know how I forgot about them. I never dreamed of adding jalapenos into these little bready, fried pieces of Heaven. But I am pinning this recipe so that we can have these the next time we have fish and chips. I am so excited my stomach’s growling right now!
Thank you, Nikki! I hope you try them.
Hey Erin! So excited to let you know your jalapeno hushpuppies are one of my features tomorrow morning on You Link It, We Make it! Thanks so much for such a great recipe – have a fabulous day!
Thank you so much, Kim! 🙂
These look so good. I love jalapeño cornbread, this is a great idea! Thanks for linking up at You Link It, We Make It, hope to see you back tomorrow!
It’s a southern thing! 🙂 Thanks, April!
These hushpuppies are killer, thanks for sharing with Hearth and soul blog hop, pinning, tweeting and featuring on this week’s hop.
Thank you so much, Swathi!
These remind me of the hushpuppies at Joe’s Crab Shack! Yummy! Thanks for linking up with Delicious Dishes Recipe Party!
Oh, I haven’t been there in YEARS! Thanks, Liz!
I love hushpuppies, jalapeños sound like a great addition! Thanks for sharing at What’d You Do This Weekend?!
Thanks, Joy!
Oh, I love hushpuppies but I’ve never tried with Jalapeno…pinning this recipe! Thank you for sharing with us at Welcome Home Wednesdays!
Thanks for coming by, Crystal! 🙂
Oh my word these look wonderful! Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe with us at #MMBH!
XOXO
Thank you!
Oh, I bet these are the bomb! On my list to try for sure! Thanks for linking up with us at You Link It, We Make It!
Thank you, Kim!
These little bag boys look awesome. We don’t have a deep fat fryer, so I don’t think I’ll be making them any time soon, but I’m pretty sure I’d love them.
Sally @ Life Loving
#LifeLovingLinkie
These look amazing. Thank you for linking up to Good Tips Tuesday. You will be featured this week.
Thank you so much, Erin! 🙂 Have a great weekend!
These look delicious! Thanks for sharing at Talented Tuesday- definitely going to feature these on Tuesday! 🙂
Cheers,
AJ
Thank you so much, AJ! Have a wonderful weekend!
Omgosh, I love hushpuppies! These look delicious! Thanks for sharing at Merry Monday this week.
Thanks, Marie!
What a great twist on traditional hush puppies! My husband would love these! Thank you for sharing at Funtastic Friday! Hope to see you tonight!
Thanks, Lacie! 🙂
I’m loving this hush puppy recipe! A little bit of spice sounds like a wonderful twist to the usual hush puppy recipe. 🙂
Thank you, CJ!
I love hushpuppies, and you twist on it is so clever! I’m definitely going to try this soon. Thank you for sharing such a great recipe with us on #shinebloghop! Have a great day 🙂
Thank you, Maria! 🙂
These look amazing! I think they would be a hit in our home. 🙂
Thank you, Sarah!:)
Yum! We love hush puppies in our hoe and I bet my hubby would like the addition of jalapeno.
🙂
Traci
He definitely would! Thanks for stopping by!
These sound & look yummy! Thanks for sharing at the #InspirationSpotlight party. Pinned & shared.
Thank you, Theresa!
I have never made hush puppies! Maybe I should give it a go. These look delicious! Thanks for sharing at FTAF, pinned!
Thanks, they are super easy and yummy!
YUM! Those poppers look scrumptious! I can’t wait to try them. Thanks for sharing the recipe. Pinning! 😛
Thank you so much, Vashti!
I love spicy foods! And these look D-lish! Visiting from Thank Goodness It’s Monday!
Thank you so much, Kristine! Happy you stopped by!
I love hushpuppies, and anything spicy, so this combo is perfect! And you’re right, if the grease is already hot, there’s no reason not to make hushpuppies. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Martie! These hushpuppies are the bomb!
Visiting from Inspire Me Monday at Create With Joy!
Oooh, my husband is going to LOVE these! He’s a jalapeno kind of a guy. Of course, our oldest (19) likes to eat hot foods too. If I walk in the house and my eyes start to water, I know one or both of them is making something in the kitchen!
Here’s my Inspire Me Monday!
🙂 Thank you, LuAnn!
This is a totally new recipe to me, they sound like they would be yummy. Very good photos too.
Kathleen
Blogger’s Pit Stop
Thank you, Kathleen!
Love them. Skipped the onions though. Fluffy inside, crispy outside. Very good. 🙂