Air Fryer Hush Puppies (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
I’m heading back to my Southern roots with this healthy air fryer spin on Hush Puppies! They are super tasty, easy to make + gluten-free & vegan.
These Air Fryer Hush Puppies have a delightfully crisp exterior and a melt-in-your-mouth fluffy interior. They are truly like classic hush puppies, yet quite a bit healthier than the fried variety! I’m so over the moon with this recipe, and I hope you enjoy it, too!
What are Hush Puppies?
Hush Puppies are traditionally deep-fried rounds of cornmeal dough, with its roots in the American South. You can usually find it served alongside fish.
How-to Make Air Fryer Hush Puppies
Step 1: Combine polenta, GF flour, and remaining dry ingredients. Step 2: Mix well. Step 3: Finely dice 1/2 an onion. Step 4: Fold onion into dry mix. Step 5: Add coconut milk and remaining wet ingredients. Step 6: Mix well. Step 7: Fold in chopped vegan or regular butter. Step 8: Your batter should look like so. Step 8: Roll batter into rounds then place in greased air fryer basket/tray. Step 9: Air fry at 390F for 15 minutes. Step 10: Let cool, then enjoy!
Helpful Tips & Tricks
Not gluten-free?
You can use regular all-purpose flour in place of gluten-free flour in this recipe.
Tapioca Starch
If you do not have tapioca starch on hand, arrowroot, potato or corn starch can be used instead.
Not vegan?
You can use regular salted or unsalted butter in place of plant-based butter, if you prefer.
Psyllium Husk Powder
If you are not vegan or sensitive to eggs, you can omit the psyllium husk powder and use 1 egg instead.
Coconut Milk
Coconut milks lends the perfect creaminess to the fluffy interior of these hush puppies, but if you are not vegan or dairy-free, buttermilk can be used in its place.
Can you fry these hush puppies instead of air fry them?
Yes! If you want more of traditional take, you can fry them on the stovetop. To do so, heat enough oil to cover hushpuppies to 365F degrees in a pot on the stovetop. Drop large spoonfuls of batter into the hot oil cook for 3-4 minutes or until the hush puppies are golden brown.
What to Serve with Hush Puppies
It’s not unusual to find hush puppies served alongside coleslaw. I’m quite fond of my Creamy Vegan Coleslaw.
Condiments! Air Fryer Hush Puppies are great dipped into just about any sauce you can think of! I love my Vegan BBQ Sauce.
How-to Store and Reheat
While I prefer how these taste fresh and straight out of the air fryer, they store okay for a few days! They keep well at room temperature for about 12 hours, any longer keep them stored in air tight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheat in an air fryer or a regular oven at 400F for about 10 minutes, or until crisp and warmed throughout.
More Southern-Style Recipes You Will Love
Gluten-Free Vegan Peach Cobbler
Air Fryer Hush Puppies
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry uncooked polenta or coarsely ground cornmeal
- 1 cup gluten-free all purpose flour or regular flour if not gluten-free
- 2 tablespoons tapioca starch or corn, potato or arrowroot starch
- 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt or pink salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon psyllium husk powder or 1 egg if not vegan or dairy-free
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cayenne
- 1/2 medium white or yellow onion finely diced
- 1 13.5-ounce can full fat coconut milk or buttermilk if not vegan or dairy-free
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup or raw honey if not vegan
- 4 tablespoons plant-based butter, chopped or regular butter if not dairy-free or vegan
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 390°F. Grease air fryer basket/tray and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl add polenta, flour, starch, salt, baking powder, psyllium husk powder, baking soda, cayenne. Mix well. Fold in diced onion.
- To the dry mixture add coconut milk, vinegar and maple syrup. Mix all together well. Gently fold in the chopped butter.
- Use a tablespoon and scoop out rounded mounds of batter from the bowl (approximately golf ball-sized).
- Using wet hands roll the batter into a smooth ball of dough. Place each dough ball into your greased air fryer basket/tray, ensuring none are touching each other.
- Air fry at 390°F for 12-15 minutes, or until all hush puppies are turning crisp and golden.
- Let cool for a few minutes before serving. Enjoy!
This tastes so good and was so easy! I used almond flour instead of GF all purpose flour and had to add extra (about a half cup) to thicken the batter since it was like pancake batter initially. They didn’t quite turn out like balls but they were delicious!
So happy to hear it! Thanks for stopping by and sharing. 🙂