Homemade Sourdough Corn Dogs Recipe (Discard)
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Sourdough Corn Dogs are hand-dipped in a honey, sourdough batter and fried until crispy and golden brown.
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If you’re craving the best corn dogs that ooze with nostalgia and flavor, look no further than Sourdough Corn Dogs. These all-American favorites take the classic juicy hot dog and give it a delicious twist. The secret ingredient? Sourdough discard!
Imagine biting into a crispy, golden-brown batter that’s been lovingly made from leftover sourdough starter. It not only adds a delightful tanginess but also ensures that the batter is incredibly easy to whip up. You can practically taste the memories of county fairs and carnivals with every bite.
What sets these sourdough corn dogs apart is that you can skip the hot dog buns altogether. The flavorful sourdough batter envelops the juicy hot dog, creating a perfect handheld treat.
They fry up quickly, so you won’t have to wait long to enjoy that irresistible combination of crunchy exterior and tender, savory interior.
Whether you’re reliving fond fair memories or introducing someone to the wonders of the American corn dog, Sourdough Corn Dogs are a surefire crowd-pleaser.
So, roll up your sleeves, grab some sourdough discard, and get ready to savor the simple pleasure of homemade nostalgia on a stick.
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Why Youโll Love This Recipe:
Great Flavor –
This sweet, honey cornmeal batter is made better with the slight tang of sourdough discard! Fry it up for crispy, sweet, and unique homemade corn dogs.
Skip the buttermilk –
Instead, of using buttermilk, as many homemade corn dog recipes do, I used sourdough discard in my corn dog batter. The discard fries up just as sweet and fluffy, but with an extra bit of sourdough tang!
โFreezer friendly –
Sourdough Corn Dogs freeze and refresh perfectly! Find the simple instructions below.
Ingredients
Hot Dogs – Any kind of hot dogs will do for this recipe, so choose your favorite.
Yellow Cornmeal – Be sure to purchase “finely ground” cornmeal. Coarse yellow cornmeal can lead to a gritty cornmeal batter.
All-purpose Flour – To thicken the batter.
Baking Powder – This leavener helps the corndog batter to be light and fluffy.
Sugar – For a touch of sweetness.
Salt – Any salt will do, but my favorite is Redmondโs Unrefined Fine Sea Salt for extra natural minerals.
Milk – Brings moisture to the batter.
Unfed Sourdough Starter – Use sourdough discard that is less than 2 weeks old.
Honey – Adds some sweetness and a honey flavor.
Egg – Help bind the batter.
Frying Oil – Choose a neutral oil, like Canola Oil, Vegetable Oil, or Peanut Oil
Supplies
Popsicle sticks or Wooden Skewers
Tall glass
Dutch Oven or a Large Pot
Frying Thermometer
Tongs
Wire rack
How to Make Sourdough Corndogs
Pour the frying oil into a Dutch Oven or a large pot. Heat to medium-high heat (350 F).
Remove the hot dogs from their packaging and pat dry with a paper towel. Insert a stick into each hot dog.
In a large bowl, whisk together corn meal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk the sourdough discard, milk, honey, egg, and melted butter until smooth.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix until all of the dry bites have been incorporated, but be careful not to overmix! This can lead to a dense batter. It’s okay if there are lumps, just like pancake batter.
Pour the cornbread batter into a tall glass and dip one hot dog at a time. Allow any excess batter to dip off for 5 seconds, then place the top of the corn dog into the hot oil at an angle. Fry for 5-7 seconds before carefully dropping the entire sourdough corn dog into the oil, this prevents it from sticking to the bottom.
Fry for 2-3 minutes, or until the Sourdough Corn Dogs are a deep golden brown. Use tongs to turn the sourdough cornbread in order for it to be fried on all sides.
Remove the Sourdough Corn Dogs from the oil and place on a wire rack.
Serve hot with your favorite condiments!
How to Serve:
Crispy Sourdough Corn Dogs are best when served hot with your favorite sauces, like ketchup or mustard!
Keep the dry frying going by whipping up some homemade french fries, onion rings, sourdough fried pickles, or homemade sourdough fried chicken tenders to serve alongside!
How to Store:
Store leftover Sourdough Corndogs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Reheat:
To reheat, bake in a 300-degree F oven for 10 minutes, or until warmed through. Or pop the corn dogs into the microwave for 30 seconds.
FAQs:
What kind of cornmeal should I use?
Be sure to purchase “finely ground” cornmeal. Coarse yellow cornmeal can lead to a gritter cornmeal batter.
Can you freeze Sourdough Corndogs?
Yes! To freeze Sourdough Corndogs, cool until room temperature, place in a freezer-safe bag, and place into the freezer for up to 2 months. To reheat, bake in a 300-degree F oven for 15 minutes, or until warmed through. Or pop the corn dogs into the microwave for 60 seconds.
What can I do with leftover batter?
Chop whole hot dogs into bite-sized pieces to make mini sourdough corn dogs! If you’re still left with batter and no more hot dogs, scoop the batter into the hot oil and fry up some Sourdough Hushpuppies.
Happy frying!
More Recipes Like This:
Homemade Sourdough Fried Chicken Tender
FULL RECIPE TUTORIAL
Sourdough Corn Dogs Recipe
Sourdough Corn Dogs are hand-dipped in a honey, sourdough batter and fried until crispy and golden brown. ๏ปฟ
Enter your email below, and weโll send it straight to your inbox! Plus, youโll get my newest sourdough recipes and best tips every week!
Ingredients
- 12 hot dogs, choose your favorite
- 290 grams (1 3/4 cups) yellow cornmeal, fine
- 175g (1 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour
- 50 grams (1/4 cup) sugar
- 14 grams (1 Tablespoon) baking powder
- 1 gram (1/4 teaspoon) salt
- 1 egg, beaten
- 360 grams (1 1/2 cups) milk
- 140 grams (heaping 1/2 cup) sourdough discard
- 14 grams (1 Tablespoon) unsalted butter, melted
- 24 grams (1 Tablespoon) honey
- neutral frying oil
Instructions
1. Pour neutral frying oil into a Dutch Oven or a large pot, about 2 inches high. Heat to medium-high heat (350 F).
Choose a neutral frying oil like vegetable, avocado or tallow.
2. Remove the hot dogs from their packaging and pat dry with a paper towel. Insert a stick into each hot dog.
12 hot dogs
3. In a large bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
290g (1 3/4 c) fine cornmeal, 175g (1 1/4c) flour, 50g (1/4 c) sugar, 14g (1 T) baking powder, 1g (1/4 tsp) salt
4. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg, milk, discard, melted butter, and honey until smooth.
1 egg, beaten, 360g (1 1/2 c) milk, 140g (heaping 1/2 c) discard, 14g (1 T) unsalted butter, 24g (1 T) honey
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix until all of the dry bites have been incorporated, but be careful not to over mix! This can lead to a dense batter. It's okay if there are lumps, just like pancake batter.
6. Pour the cornbread batter into a tall glass and dip one hot dog at a time. Allow any excess batter to dip off for 5 seconds, then place the top of the corn dog into the hot oil at an angle. Fry for 5-7 seconds before carefully dropping the entire sourdough corn dog into the oil, this prevents it from sticking to the bottom.
7. Fry for 2-3 minutes, or until the Sourdough Corn Dogs are a deep golden brown. Use tongs or a spider wire ladel to turn the sourdough corn dogs in order for it to be fried on all sides.
8. Remove the Sourdough Corn Dogs from the oil and place them on a wire rack.
9. Serve hot with your favorite condiments!
Notes
How to Store:
Store leftover Sourdough Corndogs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.ย
Reheat: To reheat, bake in a 300-degree F oven for 10 minutes, or until warmed through. Or pop the corn dogs into the microwave for 30 seconds.ย
How to Freeze:
To freeze Sourdough Corndogs, cool until room temperature, place in a freezer-safe bag, and place into the freezer for up to 2 months. To reheat, bake in a 300-degree F oven for 15 minutes, or until warmed through. Or pop the corn dogs into the microwave for 60 seconds.
What kind of cornmeal should I use?
Be sure to purchase "finely ground" cornmeal. Coarse yellow cornmeal can lead to a gritter cornmeal batter.
What can I do with leftover batter?
Chop whole hot dogs into bite-sized pieces to make mini sourdough corn dogs! If you're still left with batter and no more hot dogs, scoop the batter into the hot oil and fry up some Sourdough Hushpuppies.
We made the corn dogs for dinner and they were delicious! I had trouble getting the batter to โstickโ to the hot dogs in some places, I made sure the hot dogs were dry so not sure what happened there. I also used bread flour instead of all purpose as I was out. My corn flour was coarse and next time Iโll get some finer ground one, I love the coarse one for corn bread but I think the corn dogs would be better with a finer ground. I made hush puppies with the leftover batter, dinner was a huge success! Thanks for the recipe ๐
I’m so glad that you enjoyed this recipe! It is a big hit in my family. And yes, I would recommend fine cornmeal over course for this recipe ๐
I have always dried the weiners and dusted them with cornstarch. That really helps the batter adhere to the dog. Hope that helps
Thank you for this helpful tip!
I made corndogs and hushpuppies. I added chopped onion, garlic powder, onion powder, garlic salt and ground red pepper to the batter for the hushpuppies. Both were delicious. This recipe is a keeper!
Yum! Thanks for sharing!
Could you use a milk alternative?
That should work just fine!
We have an egg allergy in my home, do you think I could add a substitute, like sour cream or greek yogurt or even a flax egg in place of the regular egg? Thanks for taking the time to answer!
I personally haven’t test any of these option, but I think the flax egg would be a great option to try!
Love that I can use sourdough for making corn dogs!
What oil did you use and how much?
I used about 3-4 cups of vegetable oil.
could you refrigerate this batter for a long ferment?
Yes! You can keep the batter in your fridge for up to 3 days.
Should the milk and egg be left out until ready to use if it’s is cold fermented?
They can be included for the cold-ferment.
I’m not sure what I did wrong but these are the ugliest thing I’ve ever made ๐ they don’t look anything like the pictures. Is there a way to get the batter to stick better?
Hi Meagan! Make sure to dry off the hot dogs well – this will help the batter to stick. Some people will also dust the hot dogs with cornstarch! If they’re still not sticking, you can sparingly add some more flour to the batter. Hope this helps!
Can I freeze or refrigerate leftover batter?
My husband absolutely loved these! I have so much batter leftover I donโt want to waste it.
So glad your husband enjoyed this recipe! Yes, you can refrigerate the leftover bater for up to 48 hours. I also love making hushpuppies out of the leftover batter.
Have you or anyone tried a substitute for the 50g sugar? Like sub-ing it with more honey or coconut sugar?
Hi Allie, I personally have not tried either of those substitutions. If you do give it a go, please let me know! Hope you love them!
Not sure what I did wrong. I used a scale to measure the ingredients and did not end up with a batter but more of a dough conisistency,
Hi Michelle! I’m so sorry to hear that! Next time, I would continue to add a splash of milk until you have a batter consistency.