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Corn dogs are delicious treats that are very popular at fairs, carnivals, sports events, and even family get-togethers. Despite being perceived mostly as “street food”, they are actually easier to make at home than you might think. And we are not just talking about frozen corn dogs. You can make corn dogs at home from scratch and prepare them in a variety of ways.
In addition to answering how to cook frozen corn dogs, today we also want to help you learn how to make your corn dogs from scratch as well as how to fry, bake, and cook them in different ways.
All the Ways You Can Cook Corn Dogs
There are a variety of ways you can cook your corn dogs. Although each preparation method will yield a different outcome, one thing is for certain: they’ll all taste delicious! Corn dogs can be fried, baked, and even be microwaved.
The cooking methods may vary depending on your choice of corn dogs. For example, you may want to exercise more caution while you’re deep-frying store-bought frozen corn dogs. Knowing these simple tips and tricks will save you a lot of headaches in your effort to enjoy tasty corn dogs at home!
How to Fry Corn Dogs
The most traditional and arguably the most delicious way to cook corn dogs is to fry them. That’s the way they have been prepared at carnivals and fairs for ages anyway. Frying the corn dog in a deep container filled with your cooking oil of choice is a great way to enjoy them. But are there some things you want to potentially look out for? Let’s find out.
How you fry your corn dogs will depend on whether you’re using store-bought, frozen corn dogs or fresh, homemade ones.
How to Fry Frozen Corn Dogs
One of the easiest ways to enjoy corn dogs is to buy pre-made ones, which are available in many grocery stores. You can simply remove the packaging, fry them, and enjoy them in mere minutes.
Fill a deep frying pan with enough of your oil of choice to submerge the corn dogs. Heat your oil to about 175-185°C or 350-375°F. If you’re using a deep fryer, you can just set it to preheat, but if you’re using a frying pan, using a cooking thermometer is a good way to keep an eye on the temperature of the oil.
When the oil reaches the desired temperature, submerge the corn dog in the oil and let it cook for about 8 to 9 minutes. The cooking process takes longer than it would with a fresh-made corn dog, but then again, you’re saving time on preparation.
How to Fry Homemade Corn Dogs
What’s better than a frozen corn dog? A freshly made one! The good thing about making corn dogs from scratch at home is that you get to choose the ingredient that makes or breaks a corn dog: the sausage.
Generally, corn dogs are made out of beef sausages but it’s not uncommon to make them out of pork sausages too. If you like, you can even experiment with vegetarian sausages.
Here is a great corn dog recipe you can try at home that also includes instructions on how to fry your fresh corn dogs:
Homemade Corn Dog Recipe
For this recipe, you will need:
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup yellow, finely-ground cornmeal
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 egg
- Frying oil (vegetable oil)
- 500 gr of beef sausages
- Enough skewers for your sausages
- Mustard and ketchup to serve
First, stick the skewers into the sausages firmly, so that they can hold the sausage when it’s dipped in batter. After finishing, start heating your oil to 175-185°C or 350-375°F and you can start working on the batter in the meantime.
What kind of frying oil you use is entirely up to you, but going with an oil that has a higher smoking point like peanut, avocado, or canola oil can give you the best results and will also be much safer.
While the oil heats up, combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk well. After that, combine all the wet ingredients in another bowl and mix. Once the mixtures are homogenous, combine them and whisk them together.
Once done, pour the batter mixture into a tall container; a tall glass usually works best in this case. Now, you are ready to dip your sausages into the batter. And the oil should be ready by now to start the frying process!
Dip the sausages straight down. You can shake the sausage a little bit inside the batter to ensure maximum coverage. When you pull it out of the glass, the sausage should be completely covered with the batter. Still, make sure to shake off any excess batter before frying the corn dog to keep your frying oil clean.
Pro-Tip: Slowly submerge the corn dog into the oil and safely hold it by the skewer for a few seconds before letting it hit the bottom of the pan. This way, your corn dogs won’t stick to the pan or the tray of the deep fryer.
Fry the corn dogs for about 3 minutes. You’ll see them becoming a deep, golden brown. From there, you can decide how fried and crispy you want them to be. Just be sure not to let them cook as long as frozen corn dogs, which need more time in the fryer.
You can let your freshly fried corn dogs cool down for a few minutes and then enjoy!
Can You Bake Corn Dogs in the Oven?
Another way you can enjoy your corn dogs is by baking them in the oven. Baking is a healthier alternative to frying because the process involves a lot less oil. You can cook both frozen and freshly-made corn dogs in the oven safely.
Spread the corndogs on a baking tray lined with a baking sheet and preheat your oven to 200-220°C or 390-420°F. Once ready, place the corn dogs in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Make sure to keep an eye on them and take them out of the oven when they reach that perfect golden color.
Another pro-tip we can give you is; when baking in the oven, try to avoid coating the corn dogs too thick. The batter may melt and separate from the sausage during the baking process.
Can You Cook Corn Dogs in the Microwave?
If you’re in a rush or simply don’t want to go through the trouble of preheating an oven or deep frying your corn dogs, you can also try cooking them in the microwave.
Although, as you may realize, this is a less-than-ideal method. Because there isn’t any circulating hot air or hot oil that consistently covers the corn dog, microwave-cooked corn dogs may not always cook evenly.
You can cook frozen hotdogs in the microwave on the highest setting for 50-60 seconds or if you thaw them out before cooking, 30 seconds should be enough. Sometimes, the outer shell may break during this process, so you can experiment with longer cooking times at lower heat settings.
It’s important to note that it may not be the best idea to cook homemade corndogs in the oven. The results may be very undesirable and inconsistent. So, if you really want to use the microwave for the sake of convenience, it’s best to stick with frozen corn dogs.
Final Tip: Fry Corn Dogs in the Air Fryer
Lastly, let’s close with a pro tip. Air frying is a much healthier alternative to frying and it has been wildly gaining popularity over the past few years, partly due to the power of social media and partly because air fryers are very easy to use and practical.
Just like any other food that can be fried in oil, you can fry corn dogs in the air fryer as well. You can fry frozen corn dogs as well as homemade corn dogs in the air fryer. To find out more about cooking with air fryers and a step-by-step guide on how to use them, head over to our article on how to preheat an air fryer.
Simply place your frozen corn dogs in the air fryer, make sure you don’t add any oil, and cook for about 7-8 minutes at 200°C/400°F. This is both the healthiest and the quickest way to enjoy corn dogs without compromising on taste!
If you’re making corn dogs from scratch, you can still fry them in an air fryer. Just roll and cover the corn dogs in some breadcrumbs after dipping them in the batter to make them not sticky. They should be ready in 8 to 10 minutes at 200°C/400°F.
