Squash Puppies are hush puppies that are loaded with cooked yellow summer squash. The squash helps keep the interior super moist and gives them some flavor and the exterior of the cornmeal batter fries up crispy. These Squash Puppies are a great way to use up some of your summer produce.
It’s time to make one last push to use up that summer produce. Officially we still have over a month of summer left, but with the unseasonably cool weather and school starting back this week, it feels like fall has already arrived. I’m almost ready to start making room for apples, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, and butternut squash.
In South Carolina, the most popular squash to cook with is yellow squash, sometimes called summer squash. It’s very similar to zucchini, except I find it to have a sweeter taste.
If you have a glorious bounty of yellow squash in your garden, you might want to think about adding squash to your hush puppies. It produces a wonderfully tender and moist hush puppy with just enough sweetness.
Be sure to steam the squash until it’s really soft so that you can mash it up well. This way it will melt into the batter as the hush puppies cook and you won’t have noticeable chunks of squash, just the flavor of squash.
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Squash Puppies
Ingredients
- 5 medium-sized yellow squash
- ¾ cup self-rising yellow cornmeal
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt,, divided
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ a medium sweet onion,, minced
- ½ a jalapeno,, finely minced
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 egg,, lightly beaten
- Vegetable oil
Instructions
- Chop off ends of squash, cut in half lengthwise and then into 2-inch pieces. Place in a steamer basket and place basket in a pot over simmering water. Place a lid on the pot, turn heat to low and steam squash for 12-15 minutes or until squash is very tender.
- Place squash in a medium bowl and mash well with a fork.
- In a large bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Mix together .
- To bowl with squash, add onion, jalapeno, buttermilk, and egg. Mix together well. Add squash mixture to cornmeal mixture and stir just until blended.
- Pour oil to a depth of 1 inch in a deep cast iron skillet or a Dutch oven. Heat oil to 350 degrees. Drop batter by rounded tablespoonfuls into oil and fry until golden brown on each side, about 3 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with remaining ½ teaspoon salt while still hot.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Yield: approximately 25 squash puppies
More Hush Puppy Recipes
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I love hush puppies! So hard to find up here. I’ve never made them, but I think I’ll try with this variation – seems a little healthier, and really I just want to reach in a grab one from your photographs, beautiful 🙂
Thanks Billie! I hope you enjoy them!
I was just thinking how fun it would be to make a creative hush puppy recipe, but you definitely beat me to it! This is wonderful (I also never would have thought to use squash) and seasonal and so perfectly Southern 😉 I can never get over how much your blog reminds me of home.
It is so southern isn’t it? And I am surprised at how many people aren’t familiar with hush puppies.
These are so creative! Living in Utah a lot of peeps don’t even know what a hush puppy is. But I love your twist on them! Pinning!
Thanks Gloria! And everyone needs to know what a hush puppy is 🙂
My friend gave me a squash and honestly I wasn’t sure what to do with it.. but now i know! Thank you! 🙂
Not the healthiest squash recipe, but so good!
Oh wow these look so good! I love hush puppies and all fried things, but have an aversion to frying things (so messy!!!) . I wish I could just pluck one of these off the screen 🙂
Thanks Amy! Frying is so messy and I hate to be the one to clean up afterwards.
I have a weakness for fried food and this looks amazing! At least it’s half healthy…. it’s squash! 🙂
That’s a good way to look at it Anne!
my friend gave two squash and they have sat on my kitchen table for four days , i had no idea how to cook them, but now I am going to try rthese
Oh, this is such a comfort food. I could eat these deep fried squash “meatballs” for dinner several nights in a row!
Yes, definitely comfort food Julia!
Great recipe 🙂
Thanks Matt!
oooh, yum, this looks so good. I always eat fried food outside, don’t have the heart to make it. 🙂
I don’t make it often at home either because it can be messy, but it sure is a special treat!
I love the idea of your squash puppies. I grew up in the south and have always loved hush puppies…something you don’t see now that I’m living in New England.
Thanks Karen! I would imagine they would be hard to find in New England. It’s amazing that there are still so many regional food differences.