Last Updated on March 29, 2022
Today, we’re going to be answering the question: are hush puppies gluten free? And take a look at the best gluten-free hush puppy recipe to try making your own at home. Hush puppies are the perfect side dish. Crispy outside, tender inside – they are absolutely delicious. But are they gluten-free? Let’s take a look.
Table of Contents
What Are Hush Puppies?
If you’re from the US, you won’t need me to tell you what hush puppies are…but you may not be familiar if you’re from the UK. Hush puppies are deep-fried balls of goodness. They are often made with a cornmeal batter. Hush puppies are best paired as a side dish alongside foods such as seafood. They are more commonly served as balls but can come in a rectangular shape too.
Learn more about: Gluten Free Rolled Dumplings: How To Make
Are Hush Puppies Gluten Free?
As the main ingredient in hush puppies is cornmeal, you’ll likely think these delicious fried balls are gluten-free. However, this is not the case. Wheat flour is a great binding agent and unfortunately is often included among the ingredients of hush puppies. This means that the majority of hush puppies will be unsuitable for a gluten-free lifestyle.
Gluten Free Hush Puppy Recipe
We’re going to be looking at two different recipes today. One is a traditional hush puppy recipe and the other is a cheddar hush puppy recipe. Let’s take a closer look.
Gluten Free Hush Puppies
While you need a few ingredients for hush puppies, it’s definitely worth the extra time and effort, as you really can’t beat homemade food. This recipe is from Gluten Free Baking.
Ingredients
The ingredients you’ll need for this recipe are:
- 1 cup of gluten-free cornmeal
- 3/4 of ground white rice flour (fine)
- 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon of chipotle powder
- 1/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum
- 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder
- 1/2 cup of milk
- 1 large egg
- vegetable oil for frying
Recipe
Now follow this easy step-by-step guide to make the perfect hush puppies. All you need to do is:
- Grab a bowl and mix together the cornmeal, rice flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, baking soda, xanthan gum, and chipotle powder with a whisk
- In a separate bowl, add the egg, garlic, milk, and onion and whisk well. Once mixed, add the wet mixture to the dry and mix well until relatively smooth
- Over high heat, heat some oil and line a baking sheet with paper towels to prepare for the hush puppies to be ready
- Drop the batter into the hot oil and fry for around 2 minutes. Once golden, flip the hush puppies to the other side and fry for a further 2 minutes. Remove hush puppies to the prepared baking sheet and serve your hush puppies hot
Cheddar Gluten Free Hush Puppies
If you’re looking for something a little less traditional, why not try these gluten-free cheddar hush puppies? Cheese just makes everything better – right? This recipe from My Gluten-Free Kitchen is utterly delicious.
Ingredients
For this recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- 1 cup of all-purpose gluten-free flour
- 1 cup of ground yellow cornmeal (coarse)
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon of salt
- 3oz of yellow cheddar cheese (be sure it’s grated)
- 1/4 cup chopped scallions
- 2 tablespoons of celery (minced)
- 1 cup of buttermilk (room temp)
- 2 beaten eggs
- oil for frying
Recipe
All you need to make these cheesy balls of goodness is to follow this recipe:
- Grab a large bowl and add the cornmeal, all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and combine well. Add the celery, scallions, and cheese to the bowl. Be sure that those ingredients are coated in the cornmeal mixture. Make a hole in the middle of the mixture (like a well) and add the buttermilk and beaten eggs. Mix until the batter is thick
- Set aside a baking sheet or plate lined with paper towels for the hush puppies once cooked. Using a deep fryer or large pot, heat around 2 inches of oil. Once hot, drop a ball of batter into the oil. Repeat this until there’s no further space. Once the balls turn golden brown (around 3 minutes), turn over to the other side and wait until golden brown (around 2 minutes). Place the hush puppies onto the prepared paper towels and repeat until all batter has been used
- Your hush puppies are ready!
If you’re looking for a slightly healthier alternative (no fried food can be healthy!), why not try making them in the oven? They won’t be as crispy, and probably won’t taste quite as good, but it’s definitely an option. Once the batter is prepared, portion the batter into 2 tablespoons worth of batter per ball and place it on a lined baking sheet. Pop in a preheated oven for around 15 minutes at 350F. Once golden brown, remove from the oven and serve immediately.
Read more about: Are Utz Cheese Balls Gluten Free?
Conclusion
I hope this article has helped to answer the question: are hush puppies gluten-free? And give you an insight into how to make your own gluten-free hush puppies. I’ll be honest, it’s incredibly difficult to find ready-made gluten-free hush puppies or even a GF hush puppy mix! So it may be best to stick to making these at home.
Do you have a gluten-free hush puppy recipe? Or know of any GF mixes? If so, please feel free to let me know in the comments below. Sharing is caring!
FAQs

Hi, my name’s Zoë. I live in London, UK. I work full time as a freelance writer and critic for West End theatre. Writing has been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember. I spend most of my free time at the theatre, or at conventions. I’m married to the love of my life, and live in a small apartment with my fur baby, Lillie. I run two of my own blogs: No Safer Place and Stage to Page: both of which have won awards. I also have a YouTube channel where I talk about all things stagey.