These Vegan Baked Oil-free Hush Puppies are baked, not fried, oil-free, gluten-free and absolutely to-die-for delicious! They are soft, buttery, moist and like little clouds. You will become obsessed with them!
VEGAN BAKED HUSH PUPPIES
That’s right, today we are eating some Vegan Baked Oil-Free Hush Puppies! Sayonara grease bombs, hello healthy, but-still-delicious, hush puppies. My husband said something the other day that cracked me up. He said he hated hush puppies growing up because they were so greasy, that after one bite your whole face would break out into zits. Hahaha!
Well, here ya go folks, zit-free hush puppies! Ok, now I’m cracking myself up….that sounds gross, sorry. However, I’m not sorry that these little hush puppies are vegan, gluten-free, oil-free and baked….making them healthy and guilt-free!
If you are not from the south, then you may have no clue what the heck these are. Well, they are basically super popular where I’m from (Texas) and also very popular in Louisiana (where hubby is from). Basically, they are a cornbread type of ball that is deep fried in a bucket of oil. Kind of nasty, right, but really delicious, haha. They have chopped onions and sometimes corn inside them and a mild heat to them, I made mine very mild. They are really delicious and I’ve missed them, so I created a non-greasy version and they are still delicious, soft and full of flavor. Typically they are served with seafood, but I found myself VERY content just eating these all on their own!
USING CORN FLOUR TO MAKE HUSH PUPPIES
For these I used corn flour, not cornmeal. It is superfine and gives such a better, wonderful soft texture. I tried them with coarse cornmeal first and was not a fan at all. In case you are wondering, no, Bob is not paying me to share this product with you. I just happen to love it, found it at my local HEB and can’t wait to use it in other baked goods. Sooo cheap too, only $2 if you get it off Amazon. Awesome stuff.
These look a bit different on the exterior once baked up because they didn’t take a bath in grease like traditional ones. Since these hush puppies are baked and not fried, that means absolutely zero oil. So, to avoid these being as dry as a cotton ball, I used an unconventional ingredient that probably has never been used in a hush puppy before, almond meal. The almond meal does 2 things, it gives moisture and a wonderful texture, it also makes these gluten-free, where as most hush puppy recipes contain white all-purpose flour.
I kid you not, my 3 year old daughter ate 6 or 7 of these in one sitting. I asked her if she thought they were pretty okay. Her response, “Mommy, these aren’t okay, these are very yummy!” I was shocked she liked them so much, since they aren’t like a muffin or cookie.
Awesome golden brown exterior with a wonderful, soft interior. These are so good. Using a corn flour and almond meal coating for their exterior, helps them form a bit of a crispy shell. SO GOOD.
I can’t wait to hear what you think of these Vegan Baked Oil-Free Hush Puppies!
Vegan Baked Oil-Free Hush Puppies
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon (7g) ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons warm water
- 1 cup (130g) corn FLOUR, NOT cornmeal (I used Bob's Red Mill Corn Flour)
- 1 1/4 cups (125g) almond meal (I used Trader Joe's, it has a superfine texture, not gritty)
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (really gives depth of flavor, don't omit)
- 4 teaspoons coconut sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup (60g) finely chopped white onion
- 3/4 cup "lite" canned coconut milk (shake the can well prior to measuring. Or sub with another creamy milk like soy or cashew, creamy is best
- Optional: 1/4 cup corn kernels I didn't add any to mine, but I know some people like corn in their hushpuppies
COATING
- 2 tablespoons (15g) corn flour
- 2 tablespoons (14g) almond meal
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
- I use this scale.
NOTE
- These hushpuppies use corn flour and almond meal for their base. It gives them a wonderful soft texture and keeps them moist so they are totally oil-free. Neither one of these flours can be subbed!
Instructions
- Mix your flaxseed with 3 tablespoons water and warm for 20 seconds in the microwave. You want the water very warm, this will help the flaxseed mixture to gel up really well and act as an "egg". Set aside while you prepare the other ingredients.
- In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, almond meal, baking powder, cayenne pepper, coconut sugar and salt and whisk everything really well until mixed. As always, for accurate results, use a kitchen scale to weigh your flours. When measuring the almond meal, scoop it up with your measuring cup and lightly pat down and then level off with your finger.
- In a separate small bowl, add the white onion and coconut milk (shake can first) and stir well. Add the reserved flaxseed mixture and stir until well mixed. Pour over the dry ingredients and stir with a spoon until it all comes together into a thick, sticky batter. It should be soft and sticky. Now, you could roll them into balls now if you like, but they will be a bit sticky to deal with, so place the batter into the fridge for one hour and then proceed.
- After the batter has chilled, preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Mix together the "coating" ingredients well into a small bowl with a whisk. Roll all the dough into 16 balls about the size of golf balls. Put a little corn flour on your hands to combat the stickiness. Coat each ball well with the coating mixture, shaking off any excess. After I coated each one, I rolled into my palms again to keep the round shape. Place them on the prepared pan and bake for 8 minutes, flip them over and bake another 7 minutes (15 minutes total), so they get a nice golden brown color on each side.
- Let them cool just 10 minutes on the pan, then devour! These are best eaten immediately the day they are made, as they tend to dry out later. Eat them on their own or dip them in ketchup or mustard or even my Lemon Pepper Cream Sauce.
Can you fry them in oil
If you could respond before tomorrow will be appreciated. I plan on cooking tomorrow
Hi Cassandra, you can certainly try it, but I’d be careful, not sure how they’d hold up! They work so well baked! But maybe half baked and then half fried, not sure! let me know if you try them fried!
It was good. I did add garlic powder, because, seasoning. I sifted the flours and measured with measuring cups and it turned out I needed more wet ingredients; I added more and it was fine. I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome. This one is a keeper. Thank you.
Weighing will always give the best results! We all measure differently with cups. Glad you enjoyed it!
nutritional information?
Hi Cindy, it has been added to the recipe card now!
Hi Brandi! These look amazing!! I can’t wait to make them for my kids! Can the uncooked balls be frozen and used for a later date?
Hi! I am planning on making these for Thanksgiving and was wondering if I could make the dough the day before, let it sit in the fridge overnight, and bake the rolls the next day. Just trying to save time on Thanksgiving day! Thanks, can’t wait to try them!
I’ve honestly never tried that so I can’t say if it would work just as good or not. A lot of times, leaving batters to sit in the fridge overnight, won’t work well. My thinking is it won’t because of the corn flour. Corn flour is highly absorbent and will likely make the batter too stiff and make the balls dry. If you want to do a trial testing it before Thanksgiving, I would suggest that. Or, one thing I like to do to save time on holidays is prep all the dry ingredients in a bowl the day before. Whisk the next day and add the liquids and bake. This recipe is extremely fast to put together, so it’s not very time-consuming at all.
The hush puppies are so quick and easy to make. They are delicious. Another fabulous recipe from Brandi. Our favorite blogger💗
You are the sweetest, thank you so much Ann!
These hush puppies are so quick and easy to make. They are delicious. Another hit for Brandi)!! I just love all your recipes. We are also making your lemon cake as I type this review.
Oh these were so easy and so tasty!! Added the corn and a diced jalapeño and we made a Saturday night dinner out of them! Husband loved them too!
So wonderful to hear Juliana!!
I am allergic to flaxseed. Is there a substitute that you can recommend or can this be omitted? Thanks so much for all your amazing recipes!
These look amazing! I’ve missed Hushpuppies! Could you use another type of flour in substitute for almond?
Thank you Katie! No, the almond flour is really crucial in these because they add a ton of richness, moisture and butteriness in place of the oil. Without it, they’d be very dry.
What about using an air fryer?
Hi Fran! I’ve never used an air fryer so I can’t say how it would compare to an oven!
I don’t have enough almond meal but I do have lots of almond flour, would this work?
yes!
I just made these- delicious!! Have you ever frozen them? I want to make a large batch and freeze, but want to know if they freeze well.
Thanks!
Yay, so glad you loved them Helen! I’ve never tried freezing them, no, but I think they’d be okay, just can’t say 100%!
I had totally forgotten about hushpuppies until I saw this (and I honestly can’t even remember how I got to this page on your site)! I made these this weekend and as per usual with your recipes, they turned out perfectly – held together wonderfully, form kind of a crust on the outside but are still soft on the inside – and do taste like I remember hushpuppies tasting. Also, I found that they reheated very well – I just popped them in a toaster oven at 375 for a few minutes. So fun – I’ll have to try out that Lemon Pepper Cream next time 🙂
Thank you so much Laura for this amazing review! I’m so happy you loved them! Thanks for the awesome feedback!
Just want to pop back and say I’ve made these twice (and this weekend will make three times) and just love them. I tried the Lemon Pepper Cream sauce with this last batch. I paired this recipe with the Smoky Zucchini Corn Cakes – have made them twice, too -very good!
I made my 1st batch tonight as a trial run for appetizers for Thanksgiving tomorrow. I followed the recipe exactly, and they came out really dry, plus they didn’t brown at all. I am pretty sure I know the problem though… I live at 6700 feet elevation (Hello from Lake Tahoe!). SOOOO… I need them to be more moist, should I add more flax mix & coconut milk? Should I not worry about the browning? They were pretty crumbly, albeit they tasted great, I just think they’ll make a mess on everyone.
Hi Jamah. Yes, that definitely must be it, as I’ve heard baking at a high altitude can dramatically affect baking results! Things bake faster and dry out much quicker. Because, as you can see from the reviews above, these have been big hits! These are not dry at all, in fact, they are really moist with a crispy exterior and soft interior. I just made these 2 days ago in fact and they browned up nicely. If yours didn’t brown, then it is likely the pan you are using or not cooking them long enough on each side. Although if they were dry and due to your location, they may need less baking time because they shouldn’t be dry at all. For the browning, I always use a dark metal pan with parchment paper on it and it browns things MUCH better than light colored pans or aluminum pans. They also are not crumbly in the least. Did you use almond meal or blanched almond flour?
As far as the high elevation baking suggestions, I unfortunately have no clue since I’ve never baked in that altitude before. But I do know the baking times need adjustments and even the temp because it is SO different. This happens a lot with cakes. I’d try some research online! Were you able to roll them up into balls just fine? The batter should be sticky moist, not dry, but able to roll into balls.
Hi Brandi!
I honestly followed the recipe word for word, I even use a dark baking pan and parchment. Almond meal, not flour. The batter was not super moist, I was able to ball them pretty nicely. I will moisten it just a bit more, because it was a tiny bit crumbly.
I’m going to play around with them this morning and see if I can get them just right. I may even add a little oil, just this once, since I am serving them to a bunch of dairy/meat eaters. Maybe just on my hands while I roll the balls, to help brown them.
High elevation is a beast in the kitchen! I truly appreciate all the time and effort. Love your site & recipes! Thank you for everything that you do. Much love to you and your family. 🙂
Hello Brandi!
I grew up in Texas and I loved the hush puppies at Long John Silvers! Growing up, I never like seafood, but I always loved going to the seafood restaurant because they had hush puppies! I never had homemade ones. I am looking forward to trying these after thanksgiving, but I am curious about the sugar? The ones I remember from childhood were not sweet.
On a side note, my local potluck group (ATX Alive on fb) held a screening of “Eating You Alive” yesterday, and I was so thrilled to see you featured in that movie! Awesome job!
Hi Gira! Yay! So glad you saw the movie, thank you so much! I thought the crew did an outstanding job on the movie, it was so amazing and inspiring.
The coconut sugar is very mild and does not make these sweet, it’s a very subtle flavor that really adds to the onion and mild spice of the cayenne. They are incredibly, delicious, so definitely don’t omit it! Let me know after you make them!
As a new person to the plant-based whole foods lifestyle, I am always a bit skeptical when trying recipes for things that I loved as an omnivore because most things taste vastly different. My tastes are slowly adapting, though :). I absolutely LOVE hushpuppies and I have to say that these were just like the real thing (minus the fried outer layer). Even my daughter loves them! You are so gifted Brandi- thank you for your creativity!!! This recipe is going to be a standard in our household!!!
Aww Swann I’m SO sorry I somehow missed this comment back in July! I’m so extremely happy you loved these so much! These were a bit of work to get them right, but oh boy, they are a favorite now! Thank you so much for the feedback!
Fudge. Last time I used my phone to leave a review, the stars appeared. This time, they didn’t. 🙁
Since I run in to the same thing with my iPad, maybe it’s an Apple thing?? Anyway, I had to get back on my PC to leave 5 stars. They are just TOO GOOD!!
Colleen, you are the BEST! Can I just tell you how much I love reading your reviews?! Thank you so much that you always take the time to leave such thoughtful reviews, I can’t express enough how much it means to me!
Ahhh!! I cannot believe I never left a review for these amazing hush puppies! I have made them MANY times-and sometimes when I’m feeling lazy-I use the batter to make cornbread instead of the balls. These beauties are enjoyed by absolutely everyone who tries them! And whenever I make your cocoa chili ( which is about once a week) I HAVE to make these to accompany it. I use a small cookie scoop so they are bite-size, and they are just gorgeous in your chili. 🙂 Many many thanks for coming up with this recipe and sharing it, Brandi!
Just made them. Dropped you a pic on Facebook 😉
I am in love with them. I must say I can totally relate to your little daughter: it is sweet and at the same time savory; that twist when you bite the little pieces of onions is awesome! I was scared they would just fall apart later, but they didn’t. They are also extremely satisfying, I ate 3 of them and that was more than fulfilling. Delicious.
Brainstorming: I know you stressed that almond flour is a crucial ingredient, but was also wondering if they would work with SPROUTED buckwheat flour (not normal buckwheat flour,– sprouted, homemade & dehydrated) for the almond; would be an option for those with nut allergies (not me, just a thought). I am regularly and successfully swapping between them to reduce nut intake. I’ll let you know if I try, of course 🙂 THANK YOU!
I’m so very happy to hear you loved these so much Barbara! Thank you so much for letting me know and for sharing your pic on Facebook! I would love to hear how the sprouted buckwheat flour works! The almond flour is what helps to keep these so moist, since there is no oil, so I would be concerned about them getting too dry, but I would love to hear when you try them! Thank you again!
Hi Brandi, first I have to say that I love your blog! I am not even vegetarian but I love how healthy your recipes and how wonderful your photos are! I made these today and decided to leave a comment to let you know how much we all loved them! My 2-year-old was holding one in his hand and pointing to the ones on the plate screaming “more cake!” 🙂 So I guess it means that these are so delicious that they can pass for cake 🙂 PS-I did not have corn flour so I processed corn meal in my magic bullet and it worked!
Wow Ken, this feedback was so wonderful to read! I can’t tell you how much it made me smile! I’m so happy to hear these were such a hit and even better that your 2 year old thought they were as good as cake, hahaha! So cute! Thanks again for letting me know 🙂
OMG!!!!! Holy smokes these are incredible!!! While I have nothing to compare them to (I’ve never had hush puppies before), I’m willing to bet that these are WAAAAAY better than the greasy ones. I lost track of how many I ate…no shame. I love how buttery they were and despite having so few ingredients, they were amazingly flavorful. Willow was loving them until she took a closer look and saw the onions! Ha! Josh and I decided that we’re making these for our next family get together. Awesome recipe, my friend!! xo
Yay!!! So happy that you made these Mandy, and more importantly, LOVED them!! I’m all about big flavor on few ingredients, haha! I’m so happy you loved them so much. I’m so addicted to them and they are totally better than the traditional ones because they are WAY too greasy and make you feel sick…these are healthy and delicious, win-win! Thank you so much for making them! You rock!
I can’t wait to try these!! I’m from South Louisiana (south of NOLA, to be exact–and yes, there is life south of NOLA! lol) so I’ve had my fair share of hushpuppies. But these are so much better! Thanks!
Haha, that was funny! Hushpuppies are the best, and these thankfully are really healthy! Let me know if you try them!
This looks amazing! I have so many southern relatives so hush puppies were a huge part of my childhood as well. Do you have any recommendations for replacing the almond meal? I’m allergic to nuts.
Hi Tori! Unfortunately, the almond meal is a very crucial ingredient to these and it just wouldn’t work or be as moist without them. I found one that doesn’t use almond meal and you can try those, I have not tried them though. http://www.brandnewvegan.com/recipes/baked-vegan-hushpuppies/