Corn Dog Muffins

This healthy and easy corn dog muffin recipe is so versatile that it can be made vegan, gluten free and without buttermilk, or you can make them with cheese! It’s much tastier and healthier than boxed cornbread mix like Jiffy. A perfect idea for school lunches.

In order to help make my life as mom, head chef and home manager a bit easier, I’ve been more intentional lately to cook things SPECIFICALLY for the freezer.

It’s nice having a few batches of cinnamon oatmeal blender waffles in the freezer so the kids can simply reheat and serve themselves in the morning.

And it’s nice having a batch of peanut butter oatmeal cookies, already baked in the freezer – to pull out when we want a little bit of sweet after dinner.

And it’s REALLY nice when I can pack school lunches entirely from the freezer – these corn dog muffins are one way that’s possible!

Now, I know what you’re thinking.

Tiff, corn dog muffins don’t sound healthy at all! Why in the world would you want to feed that to your kids if you’re eating real food?

My friend, here’s the thing. STORE-BOUGHT corn dogs contain the stuff that gives me the heebie jeebies. But HOMEMADE corn dogs? Oh no. We have nothing but real food ingredients going on here!

Corn Dog Muffin Ingredients

• apple cider vinegar
• milk
• butter, melted
• honey (optional)
• eggs
• cornmeal
• flour (I used all-purpose)
• salt
• baking soda
• baking powder
• hotdogs

Notes On Ingredients for Corn Dog Muffins

Let’s break down just exactly what our homemade corn dog muffins contain:

Hot Dogs

This is the elephant in the room, isn’t it? A lot of people don’t view hot dogs as real food. I, on the other hand, usually follow the 80/20 rule.

The 80/20 rule basically says that 80% of what you eat should be healthy and the other 20% can be less than stellar.

In practice though, we eat closer to 95/5 in my house, especially since completing the Whole30 as a family.

(By the way, if you’re thinking about doing a Whole30, I say go for it!! Here’s a budget-friendly Whole30 meal plan, here’s how we did the Whole30 with kids and here’s how much the Whole30 actually cost!)

Here’s what the hot dogs in this recipe contain:

Grass-fed Beef, Water. Contains Less Than 2% Of The Following: Sea Salt, Paprika, Dehydrated Onion, Spices, Nutmeg Oil, Celery Powder.

Considering these are ingredients I already have in my own kitchen, I’m pretty much okay with buying a pack every now and then!

(By the way, if you’re aiming for 80/20 but can’t afford more expensive hot dogs, don’t feel bad about it. Our goal shouldn’t be to be a box checker; rather we should consistently try to do the best we can with what we have. ♥)

Cornbread

I wish that that lovely coating surrounding hot dogs was fancier than cornbread, but it’s not!

I absolutely LOVE my cast iron skillet cornbread recipe, but the batter I used for these cornbread muffins is slightly different. My skillet cornbread recipe is designed to be super moist and light in its own right, but I wanted a batter that would rise a bit more for these muffins.

The differences are minimal, and I’m 90% sure you could easily substitute whatever cornbread recipe you’re currently crushing on instead of mine, but I wanted to go with a tried-and-true version to offer you guys.

How to Make Corn Dog Muffins

Step 1. Preheat the oven to 375F and line a muffin tin with 16 muffin liners. I really like these silicone muffin cups because they’re reusable, easy to wash and the corn dog muffins just pop right out of them!

Step 2. Measure the apple cider vinegar into a glass measuring cup. Add milk until you reach the 1 cup line. Stir well and let it sit for about 5-7 minutes while you continue working on the recipe.

Step 3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the melted butter, honey (optional) and eggs. Whisk well.

Step 4. In a small bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and whisk together. Set aside.

Step 5. Cut your hot dogs into small pieces. I like to cut each hot dog into 8 pieces and then put 3 pieces into each muffin tin. Feel free to simply halve each hot dog if you’d like, but the hot dog might stick out from the top!

Step 6. When the oven is preheated, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Immediately add the milk mixture and stir together until JUST combined.

Step 7. Divide evenly between the 16 muffin cups and bake until the tops are just golden brown about 15-17 minutes. Cool completely before storing in the freezer.

Corn Dog Muffin Recipe Tips and Tricks

• Be sure to not over mix the batter. Over-mixing will give you a muffin that doesn’t rise well and tastes dense.
• I cut each hot dog into 8 pieces and then put 3 pieces in each muffin cup. I did this so that each bite would give a chunk of hot dog. You don’t have to go through the trouble if you don’t want to. The recipe as a whole makes 16 corn dog muffins, so you can short cut and just cut each hot dog in half (although they might stick out a bit at the top!).
• Corn dogs are traditionally served with ketchup or mustard, but don’t forget that they’re CORNBREAD… meaning a slather of butter isn’t off limits either.
• These can be made gluten-free by substituting your favorite all-purpose GF flour for the all-purpose flour.
• If you’re vegan, sub your choice of no-meat hot dogs, a non-dairy milk and melted coconut oil.
• For an extra fun treat, consider adding 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese right into the batter before baking!

More Homemade Corn Dog Muffin Recipe Tips

• I use these silicone baking cups. They make muffins SO easy!
• I also like to use this cookie scoop so I get even amounts of batter in my muffins. Beyond cookies and muffins, I use my scoop for pumpkin donuts, Italian meatballs, and portioning yogurt to freeze!
• Freezer cooking is one way that I make school lunches easier. If you need some fresh ideas or a break from coming up with ideas, use this free two week school lunch meal plan. It will make your kids happy and your mornings easier!

FAQs for Corn Dog Muffins