Homemade Sourdough Mini Corn Dogs Recipe (Discard)
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My Sourdough Mini Corn Dogs Recipe is the ultimate fun snack for snack time or your next party. Juicy cocktail wieners are dipped into a honey cornmeal batter made with sourdough starter discard and fried in hot oil until golden brown perfection in this easy recipe.
These mini corn dogs are a big hit with the whole family and taste just like fair corn dogs without leaving the house. If you love fried corn dog recipes, try my Homemade Sourdough Corndogs for the full-size version or my Sourdough Fried Cheese Curds for another state fair favorite.Be the star of snack time with Sourdough Mini Corn Dogs! Juicy hot dogs are dipped into a honey, sourdough batter and fried until perfectly golden brown and crispy in this delicious and easy recipe.
Quick Look: Sourdough Mini Corn Dogs
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Servings: 40 mini corn dogs
- Calories: ~32 kcal per mini corn dog (based on nutrition panel)
- Cook Method: Deep fried
- Flavor Profile: Juicy cocktail sausages dipped in a honey-kissed sourdough cornbread batter and fried until perfectly golden and crispy. A crowd-pleasing snack for all ages!
- Difficulty: Easy — Simple batter, quick to fry, and ready in just 25 minutes!
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Why You’ll Love This Sourdough Mini Corn Dogs Recipe
- Incredible flavor from the secret ingredient: The secret ingredient is sourdough discard, which gives this sweet, honey cornmeal batter a slight tang that makes these homemade corn dogs taste better than anything you can buy. The simple batter of yellow corn meal, purpose flour, and sourdough starter fries up crispy and golden every time.
- Quick to make with no buttermilk needed: Instead of buttermilk, I use sourdough discard in my corn dog batter. Just whisk the dry ingredients in a large bowl, combine the wet ingredients in a separate bowl, mix together, pour the cornbread batter into a tall glass, dip, and fry in small batches. For another quick fried treat, try my Sourdough Onion Rings.
- Freezer friendly for busy days: These mini corn dogs freeze and reheat perfectly. Cool to room temperature, store in a freezer-safe bag, and reheat in a 300-degree F oven for 15 minutes whenever the whole family needs a quick snack time fix. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Ingredients & Substitutions
* To find precise measurements, scroll to the bottom of this post to find the recipe card*
- Hot Dogs – I chose to use cocktail wieners for this recipe. The small sizes were perfect! You can also use beef franks and slice them into smaller pieces.
- 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 Redmond’s Unrefined Fine Sea Salt for extra natural minerals.
- Milk – Brings moisture to the batter. You can use a variety of milk, such as non-dairy, whole or nonfat milk.
- Unfed Sourdough Starter – Use sourdough discard that is less than 2 weeks old.
- Honey – Adds some sweetness and a honey flavor to this simple batter.
- Egg – Helps bind the batter.
- Frying Oil – Choose a neutral oil, like Canola Oil, Vegetable Oil, or Peanut Oil
How to Make Sourdough Mini Corn Dogs
- Pour four inches of oil into a Dutch Oven or a large pot. Heat to medium-high heat (350 F). To help me regulate the temperature I used this thermometer!
- Remove the cocktail weiners or hot dogs from their packaging and pat dry with a paper towel. If you are using full-length hot dogs, slice them into 2-inch pieces.
- In a large bowl, whisk together yellow 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 over mix! It’s okay if there are lumps, just like pancake batter.
- Pour the cornbread batter into a tall glass. Insert a toothpick in one of the hot dogs and dip one at a time. Allow any excess batter to dip off for 5 seconds, then place the top of the sourdough mini corn dog into the hot oil at an angle. Fry for 5 seconds before carefully sliding the mini corn dog off the toothpick and dropping the entire sourdough min corn dog into the oil, this prevents it from sticking to the bottom.
- I like to fry small batches of 4-5 mini dogs at a time.
- Fry for 2-3 minutes, or until the Sourdough Mini Corn Dogs are fried to a golden brown perfection. Use a wire spider spatula to help fry the sourdough mini corn dogs on all sides.
- Remove the Sourdough Mini Corn Dogs from the oil and place them on a wire rack with paper towels to soak up any excess oil.
- Serve hot with your favorite condiments!
McKenna’s Helpful Tips
- Pour four inches of oil into a Dutch Oven or large pot and heat to medium-high heat (350 F). Use a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature throughout the frying process. Consistent oil temperature is the key to best results. I use the same technique for my Sourdough Funnel Cakes.
- Pat your beef franks or cocktail wieners completely dry with a paper towel before inserting popsicle sticks or wooden skewers. Removing moisture helps the cornmeal batter stick to the hot dog and prevents splattering in the hot oil. I follow the same rule for my Homemade Fried Sourdough Chicken Tenders.
- Pour the cornbread batter into a tall glass for easy dipping. Dip one mini corn dog at a time, let the excess batter drip off for 5 seconds, then lower into the hot oil at an angle to prevent sticking. My Sourdough Fried Pickles use a similar dipping technique.
- Fry in small batches of 4-5 mini corn dogs at a time. Overcrowding the Dutch Oven drops the oil temperature and leads to greasy, unevenly cooked results. After 2-3 minutes of frying to golden brown perfection, remove and place on a wire rack with paper towels to absorb excess oil. My Sourdough Discard Pretzel Bites are another great snack for game day.
- If you have leftover batter after all the hot dogs are dipped, scoop spoonfuls directly into the hot oil and fry up some sourdough hushpuppies. The cornbread batter fries up beautifully on its own. For another way to use up sourdough discard, try my Sourdough Mac and Cheese.
How to Store
Store leftover Sourdough Mini Corn Dogs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To reheat, bake in a 300-degree F oven for 10 minutes, or until warmed through. Or pop the mini corn dogs into the microwave for 30 seconds.
Sourdough Mini Corn Dogs FAQs
I do not recommend it. Corn muffin mix has additional ingredients like leavening agents, sugar, salt, and other additives already mixed in, which will throw off the balance of this simple batter. It is best to use finely ground yellow cornmeal so you can control the batter ingredients and get the best results. Coarse yellow cornmeal can lead to a gritty cornmeal batter, so stick with finely ground for the crispiest mini corn dogs.
Use a neutral oil with a high smoke point, like vegetable oil, canola oil, or peanut oil. Pour four inches of oil into a Dutch Oven or large pot and heat to medium-high heat (350 F). Avoid olive oil because its lower smoke point will cause it to break down at frying temperatures. My Sourdough Funnel Cakes use the same type of oil.
Yes! Cool the mini corn dogs to room temperature, place in a freezer-safe bag, and freeze for up to 2 months. To reheat, bake in a 300-degree F oven for 15 minutes, or until warmed through. You can also pop them into the microwave for 60 seconds. Store unfrozen leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. My Homemade Sourdough Corndogs store and reheat the same way.
If you still have leftover batter and no more hot dogs, scoop the cornbread batter directly into the hot oil and fry up some sourdough hushpuppies. They are delicious served with your favorite sauces and make a great side dish alongside french fries and onion rings. My Sourdough Onion Rings are the perfect pairing.
If you tried this Sourdough Mini Corn Dogs recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Sourdough Mini Corn Dogs Recipe
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Equipment
- toothpicks
Ingredients
- 1 package cocktail sausages
- 140 grams fine yellow cornmeal 1 cup
- 80 grams all-purpose flour 1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons
- 25 grams sugar 2 Tablespoons
- 6 grams baking powder 1/2 teaspoons
- .5 gram salt 1/8 teaspoon
- 1 egg beaten
- 180 grams milk 3/4 cup
- 60 grams sourdough discard 1/4 cup
- 14 grams unsalted butter, melted 1 Tablespoon
- 5 grams honey 1 teaspoon
- neutral frying oil
Instructions
- Pour four inches of oil into a Dutch oven or a large pot. Heat to medium-high heat (350 F). To help me regulate the temperature, I used this frying thermometer.neutral frying oil
- Remove the cocktail sausages or hot dogs from their packaging and pat dry with a paper towel. If you are using full-length hot dogs, slice them into 2-inch pieces.1 package cocktail sausages
- In a large bowl, whisk together the yellow cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside.140 grams fine yellow cornmeal, 80 grams all-purpose flour, 25 grams sugar, 6 grams baking powder, .5 gram salt
- In a separate bowl, whisk the sourdough discard, milk, honey, a beaten egg, and melted butter until smooth.You can substitute with active sourdough starter, just be sure to use the same amount in grams.1 egg, 180 grams milk, 60 grams sourdough discard, 14 grams unsalted butter, melted, 5 grams honey
- 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! It’s okay if there are lumps, just like pancake batter.
- Place the cocktail sausages in a bowl, sprinkle them lightly with flour, and roll them until lightly dusted. This helps the batter stick to the hot dogs. Pour the cornbread batter into a tall glass. Insert a toothpick in one of the cocktail sausages and dip one at a time. Allow any excess batter to dip off for 5 seconds, then place the top of the sourdough mini corn dog into the hot oil at an angle. Fry for 5 seconds before carefully sliding the mini corn dog off the toothpick and dropping the entire sourdough min corn dog into the oil, this prevents it from sticking to the bottom. I like to fry small batches of 4-5 mini dogs at a time.
- Fry for 2-3 minutes, or until the Sourdough Mini Corn Dogs are fried to a golden brown perfection. Use a wire spider strainer to turn the sourdough cornbread for it to be fried on all sides.
- Remove the Sourdough Mini Corn Dogs from the oil and place them on a wire rack with paper towels on top to soak up any excess oil.
- Serve hot with your favorite condiments. Enjoy!
first time making these. I had a hard time getting the oil to the right temp but they turned out so good. Great for my kids lunch! Definitely going to make a double batch when I make them again!
I’m so glad to hear you and your kids enjoyed them! Getting the oil temperature just right can definitely take a little practice, but it sounds like you nailed it in the end. A double batch is always a good idea for these — they disappear fast!
Finally a good corn dog recipe! I used moose dogs instead of beef but it was absolutely delicious! 10 out of 10
So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Lexi!
Is there any way of making these in an air fryer?
Hi Liliana! I personally don’t have an air fryer, so I’m not 100% sure. I believe someone shared that they tried it with success. If you give it a go, please let me know how it goes!
Can I use corn muffin mix?
Corn muffin mix has additional ingredients like leaving agents, sugar, salt, etc., so it is best to use corn meal.