Korean Corn Dog Recipe | Two Plaid Aprons (2024)

This Korean corn dog recipe is a copycat of Korean corn dog and Korean mozzarella dogs from Korean street food. The corn dogs are coated in a yeast batter with panko and fried till golden brown. Paired with cheesy, stretchy mozzarella, Korean corn dog is like the perfect mesh between a corn dog and mozzarella stick!

Korean corn dog is seriously sooo good! They're like a mesh between a classic American corn dog and a good, cheesy mozzarella stick!

This Korean corn dog recipe features half and half hotdog and mozzarella that's coated in a yeast batter and rolled in panko. They are then fried till golden brown perfection. These Korean corn dogs are no joke. And they taste even better with some ketchup and mustard!

So if you enjoyed this Korean cheese dog as much as Han Ji Pyeong did, you may also like our other Korean street food recipes like hotteok (Korean sweet pancakes), Korean cream cheese garlic bread, and this simple budae jjigae.

What is Korean corn dog?

Korean corn dogs are hotdogs that are battered and coated in panko then deep fried to golden brown perfection. They also come in different variations from half and half hotdog and mozzarella to ones coated with potato chunks on the outside.

This Korean corn dog recipe is also known as Korean cheese corn dog or Korean mozzarella dog. It's one of the most popular option featuring half a hotdog with melted, gooey, stretchy mozzarella. Top it with some tangy mustard and ketchup, it's a party in your mouth!

Korean corn dog with yeast batter

As this is a Korean corn dog copycat recipe, we tested out many different batters before settling on using this yeast dough batter.

This yeast dough batter coats the cheese and hotdog skewers like how Korean street food vendors batter their Korean corn dogs. The batter also give these Korean corn dogs that natural puff and chewy bread texture without the greasy taste.

The other close contender was a baking soda based batter. This type of batter yielded a nice puffy corn dog shell but lacked the slight chew you'd want in Korean corn dogs. It also soaked up more grease than what we liked.

Ingredients for making Korean corn dog

• Hotdog - The star of this street food snack! Use any hotdogs you prefer, as long it is cooked.

• Mozzarella - We recommend using whole milk mozzarella blocks for making Korean corn dogs. Mozzarella sticks work too, but they don't melt as well as whole milk mozzarella.

• Panko - Sometimes known as Japanese bread crumbs, is used for coating the yeast batter. Panko adds extra texture and also prevents the cheese from oozing out and the batter from soaking up too much oil.

• All-purpose flour - The yeast batter requires a flour that develops some gluten, so all-purpose flour is a great, accessible choice.

• Water - For making the yeast batter. Make sure the water is warm (95°F to 110°F) so the yeast can dissolve and work faster.

• Active dry yeast - We use active dry yeast often for most of our bread recipes, so we always have it around. This yeast requires to be dissolved in water before using. If you don't have active dry yeast, you could use instant yeast instead.

• Sugar and salt - For seasoning the yeast dough batter. You can decrease the amount of sugar used if you prefer.

• Oil (for frying)

The best mozzarella for making Korean corn dogs

For these Korean corn dogs, we highly recommend using mozzarella blocks made with whole milk. Whole milk mozzarella melts better and stay melted and stretchy for a longer time compared to low moisture mozzarella.

The only downside to using block mozzarella is that you'll have to cut the mozzarella to the thickness of your hotdog, but it's totally worth the trouble!

We've also tried making these Korean cheese dogs with mozzarella sticks. They are convenient to use and perfect for when you're in a pinch. However, compared to whole milk mozzarella, you can see the difference in how fast the string mozzarella solidifies.

Active dry yeast substitute

We listed active dry yeast in the ingredient list because we always have it around for bread making. If you don't have active dry yeast in your pantry, don't fret! You can use instant yeast instead.

For instant yeast, you won't have to pre-dissolve it in water. Simply add it to your flour mix and add water.

How to make Korean corn dog

Make the yeast batter:

1. Sprinkle the active dry yeast over the warm water and give it a stir. Set it side to let the yeast dissolve, about 3 to 5 mintues.

2. In a shallow pan (like a pie dish or Pyrex container), mix together the flour, sugar, and salt.

3. When the yeast has dissolved, add the water to the flour mixture. Mix until no more dry flour is visible. Cover and set aside and let it proof in a warm area until doubled, about 45 minutes.

Make the Korean corn dogs:

4. Once the yeast batter is ready, preheat the fryer to 350°F or prepare a pot with 3 to 4 inches of oil, heated to 350°F. Make sure the pot is wide enough to accommodate the entire corn dog and skewer!

5. While the oil is heating, cut the hotdogs in half and cut the mozzarella into smaller blocks, about 2 to 2 ½ inch long and similar thickness as the hotdogs.

6. Assembled the hotdogs and mozzarella onto skewers, with the hotdog on the bottom and mozzarella on the top. Try to keep everything as centered as possible.

🌟 Pro tip: You can assemble the Korean corn dog skewers ahead of time and keep it in the fridge until ready to use. This will give you more time to prepare and keep the mozzarella cold.

7. Dip the tip of an assembled skewer into the yeast batter and start turning the skewer in one direction to coat the corn dog. Try to keep the corndog evenly battered. You can use a fork or kitchen shears to help pull the dough batter around the skewer. If you have trouble breaking off the batter, you can snip it with the shears.

8. Place the battered corn dog skewer into the panko and roll the skewer around to to coat. Gently compact the panko onto the corn dog to make sure it is well coated.

9. Carefully place the Korean corn dog into the hot oil and fry until it turns golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove the corn dog from the oil and let it cool on wire rack or paper towel for a couple of minutes before enjoying. Repeat with the battering and frying process with the remaining corn dogs.

🌟 Pro tip: When frying, place the corn dog into the oil AWAY from you to prevent burning yourself if oil splatters.

Proper battering technique for Korean corn dog

Unlike regular corn dogs, you can't just dip Korean corn dogs straight into the batter. Instead use a twisting technique!

First, dip the tip of the skewered corn dog into the batter. Then, kind of hover/ lay the corn dog in the batter and slowly pull the corn dog up horizontally while slowly turning the skewer until the batter gets completely wrapped around the corn dog. You can also use a fork or kitchen shears to help wrap the batter around the corn dog.

Try to be as even as possible so that there's not a thick layer of dough in one area.

Try out different skewers

Skewers for corn dogs may be a minor detail, but they can make your life easier if you pick the right one for you! These are some of the ones we used:

• Standard grilling skewers - These are the first ones we used. They are really skinny and not our favorite for making Korean corn dogs. But they did their jobs. If the bamboo skewers are too long, you can cut it to your preferred length.

• Thick bamboo skewers - These thick bamboo skewers are commonly used for candy apples, but we love using them as Korean corn dog skewers because they're thick and easier to hold and twist. Also because of their sturdiness, you can wash and reuse them.

• Bamboo disposable chopsticks - We collect these bamboo chopsticks when we order Asian takeouts. They are perfect for making Korean corn dogs! They're thick, sturdy, and also reusable. The only downsides are how long they are and if you collect them like we do, you may have mix matched ones.

Tips to make perfect Korean corn dogs

Here are a few tips to help prevent your mozzarella from leaking from the Korean corn dogs:

• Keep the mozzarella chilled. Cold mozzarella takes longer to melt than room temperature ones. This gives the batter enough to fry and set before the mozzarella melts.

• Work with a couple of corn dogs at a time. Until you become more comfortable with battering the Korean corn dogs, we highly suggest working with one or two corn dogs at a time. This way, the cheese will stay chilled and the dough batter around the corn dog won't slide off or droop all to one side.

• Cover the entire corn dog with an even layer of yeast batter. Melted mozzarella will leak out from areas with thin patches of batter. So try your best to get about ⅛ inch of batter evenly around the corn dog. The batter will puff and expand when fried. Do patch up thin areas if needed.

• Be generous with the panko. Use your hands to gently pack the panko around the entire corn dog. There shouldn't be any patches of batter without panko. This will keep the dough compact around the corn dog and prevent the mozzarella from leaking when it melts.

• Fry the Korean corn dog at the right temperature. Make sure the oil is at 350°F when frying these corn dogs. If the oil is too low, the batter will not set before the mozzarella starts to melt.
  • Also, if the oil is too hot, the corn dogs will brown too fast, which will result in undercooking. If the temperature is too low, the batter will absorb more oil, which will make the corn dog taste really greasy.

Korean corn dog variations

Korean corn dog comes in many different variations and toppings. Here are some of the most popular:

• Cheese only - This version is similar to the this Korean corn dog recipe, except the corn dog is a whole stick of mozzarella and no hotdog. So kind of like a mozzarella stick.

• Cinnamon sugar - Mix 2 parts granulated sugar with 1 part ground cinnamon. Roll your fried corn dogs in the cinnamon sugar blend after letting the corn dog cool for a few seconds.
  • If you make this version with only cheese and no hotdog, it kind of taste like a cheesy churro!

• Potato (also known as gamja hotdog or Korean french fry corn dog) - Instead of coating the battered corn dog in panko, it's rolled in potato chunks. The potato for this variation is peeled, small diced, and par cooked (fried or boiled).

• Chips - Korean corn dogs are rolled in crushed up chips after frying for some extra flavor.

• Instant ramen - Battered corn dogs are coated with crushed up instant ramen instead of panko for an extra crunch.

Storage

Store any leftover fried Korean corn dogs in an airtight container or wrap them well in plastic wrap after they are completely cooled.

They will be good in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days, or frozen for up to 1 month.

How to reheat Korean corn dog

These Korean corn dogs can be easily reheated after they're fried. You can reheat them in the air fryer at 325°F for about 7 to 10 minutes (from the fridge) or about 15 minutes from frozen. Just check to make sure they are hot throughout.

You can also reheat them in the oven, although it's not as good as the air fryer. Reheat at 350°F for about 10 minutes in a preheated oven (from the fridge) or about 15 to 20 minutes from frozen.

FAQ

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Korean Cheese Corn Dog

This Korean corn dog recipe is a copycat of Korean corn dog and Korean mozzarella dogs from Korean street food. The corn dogs are coated in a yeast batter with panko and fried till golden brown. Paired with cheesy, stretchy mozzarella, Korean corn dog is like the perfect mesh between a corn dog and mozzarella stick!

Nutrition

Calories: 300kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 545mg | Potassium: 122mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 144IU | Calcium: 146mg | Iron: 3mg

Keywords: cheese corn dog, Korean streetfood