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Korean corn dogs distinguish themselves from classic American corn dogs in various tasty and creative ways. To start, Korean corn dogs are stuffed with both hot dogs and cheese. But the most notable difference is the yeast and flour-based batter and fun bonus ingredients that comprise the outer coating, like crushed nachos or puffed rice. But one thing both Korean and American corn dogs share is that they’re deep fried. Luckily, you can skip the mess and effort of deep-frying by making Korean corn dogs with the help of your air fryer.
As its name implies, an air fryer is designed to instill the same deep-fried crisp without a vat of oil and a food thermometer. The kitchen gadget will easily crisp up Korean corn dog batter and any extra sweet or savory ingredients you sprinkle onto it. Because the batter is made with yeast and flour, it’s thicker and firmer than a cornmeal batter. Plus, dusting it with breadcrumbs and dotting it with cubes of frozen french fries will further fortify the shell, so it won’t fall off the hot dog and cheese center as it air fries.
You can follow a typical Korean corn dog recipe, spearing a skewer through half a hot dog and similarly sized cheese stick before dredging it through yeasty batter and breadcrumb coating. Then, stick the corn dogs onto a parchment paper-lined air fryer basket, ensuring the dogs aren’t touching each other. Slide them into a preheated air fryer at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 to 13 minutes, flipping halfway through.
More tips for air fryer corn dogs
While Korean corn dogs will crisp up beautifully in the air fryer, they won’t take on that deep golden brown hue that their deep fried counterparts achieve. You can spray the corn dogs with Pam cooking spray to help the browning. That said, a lighter color doesn’t equate to air fryer Korean corn dogs being any less delicious. If you want to camouflage the coloring a bit more, you can replace breadcrumbs with crushed Flamin’ Hot cheetos. Since cheetos are a corn snack, they’ll impart that savory earthy corn taste in addition to a kick of heat to complement the hot dog and mellow mozzarella cheese.
The yeast batter won’t fall apart in the air fryer, but it might flatten out as it bakes. Luckily, you can use tongs to lightly press them back into their long, cylindrical shape. We recommend using silicone-tipped tongs like these Tribal cooking tongs to ensure that the outer coating doesn’t stick to the tongs as you shape the corn dog. Along with drizzles of mustard and ketchup, a cold beer would be the perfect Korean corn dog accompaniment.
A helpful preparation tip for Korean corn dogs, whether you’re deep frying or air frying them, is to bring the cheese you’re using to room temperature before skewering them. A softer, room temperature mozzarella will make for much easier assembly. If you don’t want to cut a block of mozzarella up, you can try using string cheese halves.
