My husband’s favorite appetizer is pigs in a blanket. Making a gluten-free version of this snack is not an easy task. So these baked mini corn dog bites are the compromise. They are gluten-free, the favorite at my backyard barbecues, baseball and football parties and really any party where my husband makes the menu. Make them dairy-free with an easy substitution.
Be sure to check out my full list of gluten-free appetizer recipes including my game time friendly gluten-free extra-crispy oven baked chicken wings and gluten-free meatballs in barbecue sauce.
Are Corn Dogs Gluten-Free?
Most hot dogs are gluten-free, so the gluten is in the corn part. Corn dog batter is usually a thick cornbread batter that uses flour made from wheat in the recipe. So unless actually stated as specifically gluten-free, the corn dogs you find at the ball park or fair are not gluten-free. BUT these mini corn dogs are! No they’re not, fried but they check all the other boxes and they are incredibly easy to make.
Cornbread
You can use any cornbread batter for these bites, but my recipe is the perfect texture and has the right amount of sweet to go with the hot dogs. This recipe makes 24 bites while a cornbread mix will likely make double that amount. These little bites bake in a mini-muffin tin, so no messy frying is necessary.
Corn Dog Condiments
You can go with the standard ketchup and mustard or mix it up to make it a little more interesting.
- Spicy Ketchup – Combine 1/2 c ketchup with 1 Tbsp hot sauce. The favorite in my house is Frank’s Red Hot sauce.
- Sweet Mustard – Combine 1/2 c spicy brown mustard or yellow mustard with 1 Tbsp honey, maple syrup or agave.
- Barbecue Sauce – Use your favorite barbecue sauce for a perfect sweet and salty dip.
Corn Dog Bites – Variations
- These bites can also be made with fully cooked sausage. I love them with spicy Italian sausage instead of hot dogs – the spicy-salty-sweet combination is so perfect with mustard.
- Fill these bites with chorizo and serve topped with pico de gallo.
- Use cooked breakfast sausage in place of the hot dogs and use these as a breakfast or brunch dish.
Gluten-Free Flour Blends
I have used several different gluten-free flour blends with this recipe and they all worked well. My custom blend of sorghum, millet and brown rice flours with some starches is my favorite. The combination of flours gives a wonderful taste and texture. See the notes in the recipe for a super simple DIY gluten-free flour blend or my post on gluten-free flours and flour blends.
If you prefer a store bought blend, I recommend King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour. It works very well in this recipe. Be sure to check out my collection of King Arthur Gluten-Free Flour recipes. Pamela’s All Purpose Artisan Blend is another good option. Both of these flours are vegan and certified gluten-free.
Gluten-Free Corn Dog Bites
These gluten-free corn dog bites are a perfect game time snack or barbecue appetizer.
Ingredients
- ½ c cup gluten-free flour blend*
- ⅓ c corn meal
- 3 Tbsps sugar
- 1¼ tsp baking powder
- pinch of baking soda
- ½ tsp xanthan gum (omit if your flour contains it)
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 large egg
- ⅓ c sour cream or vegan sour cream or yogurt
- ¼ c milk or milk substitute
- 2 Tbsp melted butter (oil or butter substitute is fine)
- 2-3 hot dogs
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350°F.
- Melt the butter and set it aside to cool slightly.
- Cut the hot dogs into 1/2" pieces
- Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- Beat the eggs, sour cream and milk in a small bowl. Add to the dry ingredients. Stir 10 strokes. Add the butter and stir until smooth.
- Generously grease a mini muffin tin.
- Spoon enough batter in each well to fill 1/2 way.
- Press a piece of hot dog into each well.
- Bake on the center rack for 12 minutes. Turn on the broiler (leave the pan on the center rack) and cook another minute or 2 to let the tops brown a little. DO NOT walk away while the broiler is on. Keep a close eye on them - the browning will happen quickly.
- Cool in the pan for 2 minutes then remove and serve hot with condiments.
Notes
My preference for a store-bought blend is King Arthur Measure for Measure Flour (follow the link for the best price I have found) or Pamela's All Purpose Artisan Blend.
To mix up your own gluten-free flour blend, combine:
2 cups brown rice flour
2/3 c potato starch
1/3 c tapioca starch.
Do these have to be baked right before you serve them?
Hi Alene, These certainly are better straight out of the oven, but they can be eaten cold. They will keep for 3-4 days.
I made them last night and they were good. Are you aware that you didn’t include when to add the sour cream to the batter? I added it before the butter. I had a small group over that we trust to quarantine, and they loved them! We eat outside. I did, by mistake, mix up the entire dry part of the cornbread recipe, so I put that aside to make this weekend. I used your gluten free flour mix with the starches added, and it worked well in the corn dogs. So there will be cornbread in our future. Yay! Thank you!
Yay! I am so glad you enjoyed them!