Gluten Free Corn Dogs
These gluten free corn dogs are the classic street or carnival food, with crisp and tender corn batter fried to perfection around a gf hot dog in the center—all on a stick. Use the leftover batter to fry up some gf corn fritters, too!
Servings: 12 corn dogs
Equipment
- Deep fry/candy thermometer
- 12 bamboo skewers/lollipop sticks
Ingredients
For the corn dogs
- 6 gluten free hot dogs
- ½ cup gluten free corn flour or cornmeal (See Recipe Notes)
- ½ cup gum-free gluten free flour blend plus more for sprinkling (See Recipe Notes)
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (optional)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 egg at room temperature, beaten
- ½ cup milk at room temperature
- Oil for deep frying (I like a mix of equal parts shortening and vegetable oil)
- 12 lollipop sticks or bamboo skewers
For fritters
- Additional corn flour or gum-free gluten free flour by the tablespoonful See Recipe Notes
- Confectioners’ sugar for dusting (optional)
Instructions
To make corn dogs
- In a small bowl, place the cornmeal or corn flour, flour blend, optional sugar, baking powder, and salt, and whisk to combine well. Add the egg and milk, and whisk until very smooth.
- Place the mixture in a tall, narrow glass or mason jar, and then in the refrigerator to chill while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Remove the hot dogs from the package and pat them dry. Cut each hot dog in half by cross-section to create two evenly-sized short pieces.
- Place a stick or skewer in the cut end of each hot dog piece, pressing it about halfway up the hot dog. Be careful to insert the stick parallel to the hot dog or the stick will poke out of the hot dog skin.
- Toss the hot dogs in enough of the gum-free gluten free flour blend to create a thin coating all the way round, including the cut end. Set the hot dogs aside.
- Line a large plate or platter with disposable paper towels, and set it aside.
- Place the frying oil in a medium-sized heavy-bottom saucepan, with a candy thermometer on the side (make sure the probe is in the liquid, and not resting on the bottom of the pan, or you will not get an accurate reading).
- Bring the oil to 350°F over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat enough to maintain the temperature of the oil without allowing it to increase.
- Remove the cornmeal mixture from the refrigerator, and whisk to ensure it’s still well-combined and loosened.
- Holding onto the stick, slowly immerse the prepared hot dogs, one at a time, in the batter and remove it slowly to allow the batter to adhere to the hot dog.
- Allow the excess batter to drip off, and immerse it again in the batter. Remove it slowly from the mixture, and twirl it slowly to help the batter stay on the hot dog without dripping off.
- Place the coated hot dog in the frying oil gently. It should float, but if it doesn’t, shake the pan a bit to help prevent it from adhering to the bottom of the pot or frying basket.
- Fry for about 2 minutes, and then rotate it, so it cooks evenly on all sides. If the batter has stuck to anything, pry it loose gently before you attempt to rotate it.
- Allow the hot dog to finish frying until the coating is uniformly deep golden brown. Remove the hot dog from the frying oil, and place on the prepared paper towel-lined plate to drain.
- Repeat with the remaining hot dogs.
- Serve immediately, or, crisp in a 300°F oven for about 5 minutes before serving.
To make corn fritters with any leftover batter.
- Add about an additional 1 tablespoon of corn flour to each 1/4-cup of remaining batter to thicken it to a scoopable consistency.
- Using a small spring-loaded ice cream scoop (a #50 works well), place mounds of the thickened batter into the frying oil and fry, turning once, until uniformly golden brown (about 4 minutes total).
- Remove from the oil and place on paper towel-lined plates to drain. Sprinkle lightly with confectioners’ sugar and serve warm.
Video
Notes
For the corn flour or cornmeal.
If you’d like a more prominent cornmeal taste, with the slight crunchiness of coarsely-ground cornmeal, use all cornmeal. You can also use a combination of both corn flour and cornmeal. I rarely buy finely ground corn flour. Instead, I grind coarsely ground yellow cornmeal in a blender until it’s a fine powder. For the gum-free gluten free flour blend. My plain gum-free gluten free flour blend is made from 66% superfine white rice flour + 22% potato starch + 12% tapioca starch/flour. For 1/2 cup (70 g), you’d use 46 grams superfine white rice flour + 15 grams potato starch + 9 grams tapioca starch/flour. Originally published on the blog in 2013. In 2021, video, photos, extras all new. Core recipe unchanged.
If you’d like a more prominent cornmeal taste, with the slight crunchiness of coarsely-ground cornmeal, use all cornmeal. You can also use a combination of both corn flour and cornmeal. I rarely buy finely ground corn flour. Instead, I grind coarsely ground yellow cornmeal in a blender until it’s a fine powder. For the gum-free gluten free flour blend. My plain gum-free gluten free flour blend is made from 66% superfine white rice flour + 22% potato starch + 12% tapioca starch/flour. For 1/2 cup (70 g), you’d use 46 grams superfine white rice flour + 15 grams potato starch + 9 grams tapioca starch/flour. Originally published on the blog in 2013. In 2021, video, photos, extras all new. Core recipe unchanged.