Food and Recipes Side Dishes Air Fryer Hush Puppies Be the first to rate & review! These hush puppies are every bit as crispy as the traditional kind—but without the mess of frying. By Melissa Gray Updated on April 12, 2023 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Photographer: Antonis Achilleos, Prop Stylist:Christine Keely Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer Active Time: 10 mins Total Time: 30 mins Servings: 8 For the sake of a quick clean-up and fewer calories, it's time to give air fryer hush puppies a try. Yes, dear fellow Southerners, let's trade the deep fryer for the air fryer—and you'll be thrilled with the results. Why Southerners Love Hush Puppies If there is one thing Southerners are truly great at, it’s frying. From okra and pickles to chicken and shrimp, practically any ingredient can be seasoned, coated, and tossed in hot oil until cooked to crunchy perfection. But there is, perhaps, no dish more quintessentially fried and Southern than hush puppies: round, golden fritters made from a cornmeal-based batter and most commonly served with seafood platters and barbecue. The dinnertime staple is dense, heavy, and typically reserved for special occasions, but what if we told you that you could enjoy a lightened-up version of the classic any day of the week with no frying whatsoever? Meet our Air Fryer Hush Puppies. Ingredients for Air Fryer Hush Puppies The batter for these puffy cornbread bites comes together entirely in one bowl. Buttermilk lends a tenderness to the hush puppies, while hot sauce adds a hint of spice, and chives bring a pop of color. Melted butter and an egg round out the list of wet ingredients. Of course, a yellow cornmeal, flour, sugar, and baking powder base serves as its dough foundation, accented by garlic powder, black pepper, and a finely chopped yellow onion for extra aromatics. Feel free to experiment with these flavors and tailor them to your liking. Antonis Achilleos; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely How To Make Air Fryer Hush Puppies The process is simple: Whisk together your dry ingredients first. Stir in your chives and onions, and then slowly add your wet ingredients until just combined. Refrigerate this mixture, uncovered, for no less than 10 minutes or up to 30 minutes. This step is essential, as it will help to firm up the batter and maintain their shape as they’re transferred to the air fryer. In the meantime, preheat your air fryer to 400°F. Line your fry basket with aluminum foil, and spray it down with cooking spray. Working in two batches, you'll next want to scoop out heaping tablespoons of the refrigerated mixture, ¼-inch apart, and then spray them lightly with the cooking spray. Cook until puffed and golden brown, which should take approximately eight minutes. You can then transfer your finished hush puppies to a cookie sheet or wire rack to keep them warm in a 200°F oven until batch two is ready. How To Serve Air Fryer Hush Puppies These Air Fryer Hush Puppies are great with tartar sauce, white BBQ sauce, or comeback sauce (or a trio of all three). If you're feeling indulgent, you could even serve these hush puppies with melted butter for dipping. Traditionally, hush puppies pair well with seafood bakes, barbecues, or any outdoor culinary soiree where piles of protein are served. They can take the place of cornbread, biscuits, white bread, or any other starch used to mop up the grease and sauces of your meal. How To Store Air Fryer Hush Puppies Cooled hush puppies can easily be stored in a resealable plastic bag or airtight container. You’ll likely want to wrap them in a paper towel to absorb excess oil and prevent mushiness. The refrigerated shelf life is typically three to five days. We recommend reheating them in the air fryer to gain back some of the crispiness. You can also freeze hush puppies for up to three months using the aforementioned storage recommendation, but it’s advised that you flash freeze them first until solid (about one to two hours) so that they don’t stick together. Editorial contributions by Joey Skladany. Ingredients 1 ¼ cups (7¼ ounces) fine plain yellow cornmeal 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder ¾ teaspoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon garlic powder ¼ teaspoon black pepper ¼ cup finely chopped yellow onion (from 1 small [5 ounce] onion) 1 tablespoon finely chopped chives ½ cup whole buttermilk 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted 1 ½ teaspoons hot sauce 1 large egg Cooking spray Directions Preheat oven: Preheat air fryer to 200°F. (The oven will keep the hush puppies warm.) Make batter: Place a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet, and set aside. Whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, garlic powder, and pepper in a large bowl. Antonis Achilleos; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Stir in onion and chives until combined. Antonis Achilleos; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Whisk together buttermilk, melted butter, hot sauce, and egg in a small bowl. Stir buttermilk mixture into cornmeal mixture until just combined. Refrigerate, uncovered, at least 10 minutes or up to 30 minutes. Antonis Achilleos; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Cook hush puppies: Meanwhile, preheat air fryer and fry basket to 400°F for 10 minutes. Remove fry basket; carefully line with aluminum foil, and lightly coat foil with cooking spray. Working in 2 batches, scoop half of chilled batter by heaping tablespoonfuls into prepared basket, spacing hush puppies about ¼-inch apart. Antonis Achilleos; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Lightly spray tops with cooking spray. Cook in preheated air fryer until puffed and golden brown, about 8 minutes. Transfer cooked hush puppies to wire rack on baking sheet, and keep warm in preheated oven. Antonis Achilleos; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Repeat with remaining half of batter. Serve immediately. Antonis Achilleos; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Rate it Print Additional reporting by Joey Skladany Joey Skladany Instagram Twitter Joey is a writer, editor, TV/radio personality, lifestyle expert, former entertainment publicist, and author of Basic Bitchen. His work has appeared in People, Food & Wine, Travel + Leisure, Allrecipes, Food52, Apartment Therapy, and more. learn more