This Quick + Easy Cornbread Fritters Recipe makes a wonderful snack or side dish! Tender little cornbread cakes are fried like pancakes and served topped with plenty of butter and honey for a bit of sweetness. Try these for breakfast or with collard greens at dinner!
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Pin RecipeCornbread fritters, also known as hoecakes or Johnnycakes, are a classic Southern dish that can be served as a delicious side dish with a variety of mains, or you could serve them for breakfast as a sort of cornbread pancake. They can be adjusted to be sweet or savory, definitely tolerate add-ins like cheese or maple syrup, and are just all-around lovely little morsels.
Quick + Easy Cornbread Fritters Recipe
This quick and easy recipe for cornbread fritters is made from simple ingredients that are mixed together in minutes and then fried up in a little bit of oil in a cast iron skillet until they’re tender inside and lightly crisp on the outside. Cornbread fritters make a wonderful side dish, or you can nibble on one for a snack. Don’t let the short ingredients list fool you – these are big on flavor and texture!
When I feel like switching up my usual pancake routine, I’ll make cornbread fritters and top them with salted butter and maple syrup. They’re equally great at dinner time too, especially when served along with other Southern staples like beans and greens, succotash, fried chicken, or bbq chicken. Don’t get me wrong. I love biscuits, but sometimes I want something different. In those times, these cornbread fritters always hit the spot!
You can check out my variation suggestions below for what to add to this cornbread fritters recipe. I love throwing in some jalapeños for a little heat and some sharp shredded cheddar cheese for a punch-up of flavor. Maple syrup is also welcome in the batter for a hint of natural sweetness. Play around with this recipe, I have no doubt you’ll enjoy it!
For more cornmeal-based recipes, see my Homemade Cornbread or Cornbread Casserole recipes.
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Ingredients for Quick + Easy Cornbread Fritters Recipe
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Cornmeal – If possible, you’ll want to buy fine ground cornmeal to make these cakes (don’t use polenta, for example, because it’s too coarse).
- Self-rising flour – It’s important to use self-rising flour in this recipe, because there is no other rising agent, like baking powder or soda, called for.
- Salt – I use kosher salt when I make these fritters.
- Water – Water helps to moisten the batter.
- Milk – I like to use whole milk for added richness, but 2% milk is fine as well.
- Oil – Vegetable oil is stirred into the batter and used to fry the fritters.
- Egg – An egg helps to bind the batter.
- Honey and salted butter – To serve, optional and highly recommended!
Variations
- To make maple cornbread fritters: Replace the water with ½ cup milk plus ½ cup pure maple syrup.
- Or make savory fritters, with cheese in the batter: Add ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar or Jack cheese to the batter before cooking.
- Use buttermilk: You can substitute ½ cup buttermilk for the whole milk if you wish.
- Add corn: Add ½ cup of fresh or frozen corn to the batter.
How to Make Quick + Easy Cornbread Fritters Recipe
- Prepare a plate: Line a plate with paper towels.
- Whisk together the cornmeal, flour, salt, water, milk, vegetable oil, and egg: In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, self-rising flour, salt, water, milk, ¼ cup vegetable oil, and egg to form a thick batter.
- Heat a skillet and add some oil: Heat a cast-iron skillet or nonstick pan until hot but not smoking. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and allow it to heat for 30 seconds.
- Drop the batter on the skillet: Drop the batter by the tablespoonful into the skillet. Cook until the edges of the fritters are bubbling and the center is set.
- Now, flip the fritters: Using a spatula, carefully flip the fritters over to cook on the other side, about 1-2 minutes, until the fritters are golden brown.
- Place the fritters on the towel-lined plate to drain, and repeat the process with the remaining batter: Remove the fritters to the paper towel-lined plate to drain any excess oil. Repeat the cooking process with any remaining batter, oiling the pan in between batches. Serve the fritters hot with salted butter and honey if desired.
Quick Tip
You can make cornbread fritters as small or large as you prefer, depending on how you’ll serve them. I will mention that the smaller fritters are easier to flip!
How to Store Quick + Easy Cornbread Fritters Recipe
Store leftover cornbread fritters in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat them, place the fritters in the microwave, and heat them in 30-second intervals until hot. You can also reheat them on the stove. To do so, place a little vegetable oil in a skillet, and warm the fritters over low heat until heated through.
Serving Suggestions
Cornbread fritters are so delicious served with butter and honey or maple syrup, or simply plain. You can also serve them with:
- Chili – Try my Texas Chili, Crockpot Chili, or White Bean Chicken Chili recipes!
- Fried chicken – My Crispy Chicken Strips or classic Fried Chicken recipes would be great with this cornbread fritters recipe.
- Southern staples – Southern dishes like Collard Greens or Black-Eyed Peas were made for cornbread fritters.
FAQs
Not quite. Both recipes contain cornmeal and follow similar cooking principles. However, hoe cakes are fried on the stove while cornbread bakes in the oven.
Northern cornbread isn’t very sweet and is made with yellow cornmeal and fewer eggs to result in a crumbly texture. Southern-style cornbread can be made with white or yellow cornmeal, has a buttery finish, and calls for more eggs. It has a more cakelike texture than Nothern cornbread.
Baking soda is a leavening agent that helps cornbread to rise, which is why we add it to cornbread batter!
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Quick + Easy Cornbread Fritters Recipe
Equipment
- Measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- spatula
Ingredients
- 2 cups fine ground cornmeal
- ¼ cup self-rising flour
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup vegetable oil plus more for frying the fritters
- 1 large egg
- To serve: honey and salted butter optional
Instructions
- Line a plate with paper towels.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, self-rising flour, salt, water, milk, ¼ cup vegetable oil, and egg to form a thick batter.2 cups fine ground cornmeal, ¼ cup self-rising flour, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, 1 cup water, ½ cup milk, ¼ cup vegetable oil plus more for frying the fritters, 1 large egg
- Heat a cast-iron skillet or nonstick pan until hot but not smoking. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and allow it to heat for 30 seconds.
- Drop batter by the tablespoonful into the skillet. Cook until the edges of the fritters are bubbling and the center is set.
- Using a spatula, carefully flip the fritters over to cook on the other side, about 1-2 minutes, until the fritters are golden brown.
- Remove the fritters to the paper towel-lined plate to drain any excess oil. Repeat the cooking process with any remaining batter, oiling the pan in between batches. Serve the fritters hot with salted butter and honey if desired.To serve: honey and salted butter
Notes
- To make maple cornbread fritters: Replace the water with ½ cup milk plus ½ cup pure maple syrup.
- Serve the fritters with butter and honey.
- Or make savory fritters, with cheese in the batter. Add ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar or Jack cheese to the batter before cooking.
- You can substitute ½ cup buttermilk for the whole milk if you wish.
