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Air Fryer Corn Dogs

This Air Fryer Corn Dogs recipe is homemade and from scratch. Making your own state fair dogs can’t get any better than these! A frozen batch can be reheated and air fried to save time for weeknight meals.

air fryer corn dogs in a basket with a red and white napkin
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Welcome to the next saga of the recipes I am transforming from my childhood. I was fed a lot of frozen convenience foods growing up. I cringe at them all!

With the air fryer though, it’s so easy to turn classic foods that are typically loaded with preservatives into a delicious homemade meal.

The great thing is that if you are looking to make frozen corn dogs, you can whip up a batch and freeze them to have on hand for later. Reheating them is very easy.

corn meal, all purpose flour, baking powder, sweetener, and salt in separate bowls
buttermilk, an egg, and melted butter in separate bowls

What Kind of Hot Dogs to Use

I recommend uncured, nitrate-free beef franks. They can be found in most grocery stores. I picked these up from Trader Joe’s.

A cured hot dog is preserved with nitrates and nitrites. The artificial nitrates and nitrites are used to prevent the meat from spoiling and also to enhance the flavor, color and smell of the hot dog.

Per Herald Standard, according to many health sources, artificial nitrates and nitrites can be detrimental to our health. Nitrates may also affect the way the human body uses sugar making it more likely to develop diabetes. Various other studies also show that artificial nitrates and nitrites can become carcinogenic when being digested.

uncured nitrate free organic beef hot dogs

Uncured hot dogs do not contain artificial nitrates or nitrites. The meat in an uncured hot dog is preserved with celery juice or celery powder, which happens to be a naturally occurring source of nitrates.

bamboo skewers on a bamboo cutting board

How to Cook Corn Dogs in an Air Fryer

  1. I use the Cosori 5.8 quart air fryer for this recipe. The basket is square as opposed to round and I have found that full size corn dogs will fit just fine. Examine your air fryer to determine if you will need to make full sized corn dogs or mini corn dogs.
  2. For mini corn dogs slice the hot dogs in half. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to cut them in half.
  3. Thread the hot dogs using bamboo skewers.
  4. Add corn meal, all purpose flour, salt, sweetener, and baking powder to a mixing bowl and stir.
  5. Add in buttermilk, a beaten egg, and melted butter. Stir.
  6. Line the air fryer basket with air fryer parchment paper.
  7. Dip the hot dog in the mixture and place the corn dog on the parchment paper.
  8. Spritz with oil and air fry.
air fryer corn dog batter in a glass bowl
air fryer corn dog batter in a drinking glass

How Long to Cook/Cook Time

Allow 8-12 minutes. Check in on the corn dogs because cook time will vary based on the brand and model of the air fryer you use.

While testing this recipe I also noticed cook time varies based on how much batter landed on the hot dog. Some hot dogs may have more batter than others, which results in a longer cook time.

uncooked corn dogs in an air fryer
cooked corn dogs in an air fryer

Air Fryer Temperature

I recommend 400 degrees.

How to Keep the Breading on the Hot Dogs

When you bread the hot dogs and place them in the air fryer basket, some of the breading will leak along the side of the corn dog. This is expected. I like to leave it.

Leave it because it will harden and form around the hot dog as it cooks. For presentation, you can always slice off any excess breading once the corn dogs have finished cooking. This is what I do.

I tested freezing the corn dogs immediately after breading them in an attempt to hold the breading securely in place. I did not find that it helped at all. I have done that with success with other air fryer wet batter recipes, but this one is different. If you add breadcrumbs, then freezing these would probably work.

air fryer corn dogs with mustard in a basket with a red and white napkin

Can You Use Jiffy Cornbread Mix?

You can use Jiffy if you wish. Follow the ingredients and instructions on the packaging. The air fryer cook time is similar to what is noted in this recipe.

Frozen Corn Dogs and Freezer Tips

You can absolutely freeze these for later! Store them in sealable bags or airtight packaging. To reheat them, place them in the air fryer on 350 degrees for 4-5 minutes or until warm.

a basket of air fryer corn dogs, one corn dog with mustard and bite taken out of it

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air fryer corn dogs in a basket with a red and white napkin
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Air Fryer Corn Dogs

This Air Fryer Corn Dogs recipe is homemade and from scratch. Making your own state fair dogs can't get any better than these! A frozen batch can be reheated and air fried to save time for weeknight meals.
Save this recipe here.
Course Appetizer, dinner, lunch
Cuisine American
Keyword air fryer corn dogs, frozen air fryer corn dogs, homemade corn dogs
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 331kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Add the dry ingredients (corn meal, flour, baking powder, sweetener and salt) to a large bowl and stir.
  • Add in the wet ingredients (beaten egg, melted butter, and buttermilk). Stir.
  • Pour the batter into a large drinking glass to dip the dogs.
  • Remove the hot dogs from the packaging and dry them completely. This will help the batter stick to the hot dogs.
  • Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to cut the hot dogs in half. I use a Cosori 5.8 quart and the corn dogs fit fine.
  • Thread the hot dogs with the skewers. Push each stick into the hot dogs about 3/4ths of the way into the hot dog.
  • Line the air fryer basket with air fryer parchment paper. I have tested this recipe with and without the paper. It works best to use it.
  • Dip each hot dog into the batter in the drinking glass and ensure each is coated.
  • Set the hot dogs in the parchment paper-lined air fryer basket. If there are areas of the hot dog that are missing batter, use a spoon and add more batter to those areas. This is easier to do once you get the corn dogs in the air fryer.
  • Do not overcrowd the air fryer basket. Cook in batches if needed.
  • Spray the corn dogs with cooking oil.
  • Air fry the hot dogs for 8-12 minutes on 400 degrees until golden brown. I did not flip the corn dogs.
  • Cool before serving.

Video

Notes

  • Typically, wooden skewers should be soaked in water for 20 minutes prior to using them. I have tested soaking them and not soaking them and found them to work fine either way.
  • While testing this recipe I also noticed cook time varies based on how much batter landed on the hot dog. Some hot dogs may have more batter than others, which results in a longer cook time.
  • When you bread the hot dogs and place them in the air fryer basket, some of the breading will leak along the side of the corn dog. This is expected. I like to leave it. Leave it because it will harden and form around the hot dog as it cooks. For presentation, you can always slice off any excess breading once the corn dogs have finished cooking. This is what I do.
Recipe Tools Used in this RecipeAs an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition (displayed with net carbs)

Serving: 1corn dog | Calories: 331kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 18g
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Nutrition DataMacros are provided as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. This information is calculated using MyFitnessPal.com. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
Recipe Rating




Sonja

Friday 26th of June 2020

Can you use regular parchment paper?

staysnatched

Friday 26th of June 2020

No

Wednesday 29th of April 2020

Can I just cut the hot dogs in bite size pieces and dip pieces in batter and air fry that instead of using the sticks?

staysnatched

Wednesday 29th of April 2020

Sure, if you want!

Ann Inglet

Tuesday 10th of March 2020

Can you use any other flour because of dietetics???

staysnatched

Tuesday 10th of March 2020

You can use the flour you normally use for diabetic breading.