Disneyland Corn Dog Recipe + Video
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This Corn Dog Recipe, made famous by the Little Red Wagon food truck, is iconic for a reason! Hand-dipped Disneyland corn dogs feature a light, puffy breading flavored with a hint of sweetness and fried to a perfect golden brown. You’ll be surprised how easy they are to make at home!
Learn how to make corndogs at home with this easy corn dog recipe!
Corn Dog Recipe
Being the foodie that I am, it probably comes as no surprise that my fondest memories are built entirely around food.
I could easily build whole vacations around finding iconic eats to try. In fact, even when I went to Disneyland, I only had eyes for one goal: to hit every booth, stall, and food cart I could find.
Made famous by the Little Red Wagon food cart on Main Street USA in Disneyland, this carnival classic is a must-try for newcomers and a can’t-miss for regulars.
Recipe Video
To see us make this corn dog recipe from start to finish, watch the video in this post!
I knew I had to recreate them with a homemade corn dog recipe!
The hand-dipped breading has a slightly sweet taste, and the Disneyland corn dogs are typically served with mustard, apple slices, and a bag of chips.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Hot dogs – Standard-sized dogs are the way to go here! Choose your favorite brand and variety, including chicken or turkey hot dogs!
- Cornmeal – Not to be confused with cornbread mix, you’ll find this in the baking aisle near the flour.
Be sure to grab a package without any extra flavors or ingredients. - Buttermilk – Adds tang and moisture to the batter. If you don’t have any, you can make a substitute with regular milk and vinegar or lemon juice.
- Honey – This adds a light sweetness to the batter. Swap with maple syrup, or leave it out entirely if you prefer.
How To Make Corndogs
Step 1 – Combine the dry Disneyland corn dog batter ingredients in a large bowl, then whisk in the wet ingredients until smooth and creamy.
Step 2 – Thread hot dogs on sturdy wooden sticks, leaving enough room for a handle at the bottom.
Step 3 – Dip the corn dogs in the batter, coating them all the way to the stick.
Step 4 – Drop the hot dog into a large, wide skillet full of hot oil. Let the hot dogs cook until golden brown and puffy.
Step 5 – Once ready, use tongs to transfer the corn dogs to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and cool slightly. Serve and enjoy!
Tips for Making Disneyland Corn Dogs
- Let the batter rest. This ensures that the crispy outer layer stays nice and fluffy on the inside. 10 minutes should do it, but a little longer won’t hurt!
- Mess-free dipping. I’ve found it’s easier (and way less messy) to pour the batter into a tall drinking glass, then dip the hot dog inside.
This way you get a nice even coating of batter without getting any on your fingers. - Check oil temperature. If you happen to have a fryer, it should monitor and adjust the temperature for you.
When using a deep pan for frying, you will need to insert a candy thermometer to ensure it’s at the right temperature for frying.
Once the oil has reached 350°F, you can start frying your Disneyland corn dogs! Be sure to let the oil come back to temp in between batches.
Corn Dog Recipe FAQ
Yes! Once the corndogs are fried, let them cool to room temperature, then transfer them to a freezer container or bag.For best quality, corndogs can be frozen for one to two months. When ready to eat, preheat oven to 350 degrees F and arrange corn dogs on a baking sheet.If corndogs are still frozen, bake for 15-18 minutes. If they have been thawed, bake for 10 minutes.
Any leftover batter from this corn dog recipe can be refrigerated for 2 to 3 days. Be sure to store it in an airtight container.
This homemade corn dog recipe requires about two quarts of vegetable oil to get the depth you need for frying Disneyland corn dogs.You can either safely dispose of it or store it for future fried goods.
Enjoy!
With love, from our simple kitchen to yours.
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Disneyland Corn Dog Recipe + Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk, plus up to 1-3 tbsp more for consistency
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 quarts vegetable oil, divided
- 10 hot dogs
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Add buttermilk, egg, honey, and 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined with the dry ingredients. Set bowl aside and let batter rest 10 minutes.
- While batter rests, heat the remaining vegetable oil in a wide, deep skillet up to 350 degrees F (using a candy thermometer helps!)
- Thread hot dogs on to wooden popsicle sticks, leaving enough room to hold the bottom of the sticks while also securely keeping the hot dog in place. If needed, use a paper towel to pat the hot dogs dry.
- Give the corn dog batter a stir. The batter should be able to thickly coat a spoon while also be fluid enough to slowly drip off. If batter is too thick, add 1 tablespoon of buttermilk and stir, then do another drip test. You can add up to 3 tablespoons of buttermilk to help even out the consistency.
- Pour corn dog batter into a tall drinking glass, filling to about 3/4 full. Dip a threaded hot dog into the batter, gently twisting to coat the hot dog up to the stick. Slowly pull hot dog out of the batter, shaking off any excess.
- Holding the coated hot dog by the stick, gently drop it into the oil, letting go before the oil touches your fingers. Cook corn dog for 3-5 minutes, using tongs to turn the corn dog as needed. Use tongs to transfer corn dogs to a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat this step until all corn dogs are cooked. To speed things along, fry corn dogs in batches.
- Serve corn dogs immediately with condiments of your choice.
Video
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.
Originally published August 2018, updated and republished June 2023
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These sound great. I think the honey is perfect sweetner.
I was wondering if I could make the batter a day ahead of time, is that possible?
can these be baked?
Good morning…Can I use white cornmeal Instead of yellow cornmeal?? Want to make them for lunch
Is it better to use skinless hotdogs or ones with the skin on. I have attempted to make corndogs (dagwood dogs in Australia) but have trouble with the breading not sticking. Also we have to use polenta for the breading as its the closest thing we can get to cornmeal over here … Could that be the reason for the breading problem?
I made this recipie, they were a huge hit with my Dland loving family. The honey add lovely sweetness, people preferred them a bit more brown and crunchy then the light golden color. My brother in law ate 6 of them in one sitting 😳 Lots of comments on how much money we saved vs buying these at the park, haha! 😂
Can you tell me how much oil goes in the batter? The video shows 1 Tbsp but the recipe calls for 2 Qts, which I assume is for frying them but it doesn't give the amount that goes in the batter.
Recipe says 2 TBS
Its in step two. 2 TBSP
where can I find the wood sticks?
I used wood skewers normally for shish kabobs. Just cut the sharp pointed end off so if I child is eating it they won't cut their mouth or poke themselves.
Wow, these really were awesome. I have not had a better corn dog than these. I have not tried the ones from Disney myself, but they must be totally awesome to inspire such a great recipe!
are you boiling your hotdogs first
What a hit! Broke away from tradition and made these for Easter. Everyone loved them! Added frozen corn kernels to the leftover dough for corn fritters. Everyone’s bellies were happy! The dough stuck to the dogs really well and the flavor was great!
I used regular dogs. I dried them and dusted them in flour before dipping them in the dough. The dough stuck really well!