Fried pickles are one of my all-time favorite appetizers. What’s not to love about tangy dill pickles in a crunchy coating? This recipe for air-fried pickles gives you restaurant-quality taste and texture without the oil and grease splatter. And with the air fryer’s superior heat circulation, a batch of these zesty pickles cooks in just 15 minutes.
Air-fryer fried pickles make great game-day snacks and party appetizers. They’re tasty on their own but even more delicious with a creamy dipping sauce like ranch dressing, fry sauce or aioli.
Ingredients for Air-Fried Pickles
- Pickles: Since it’s all about the pickle, use the best pickles you can find. The pickle-obsessed will be happy to know that any type of pickle can be air-fried, including dill pickles, bread and butter pickles, or even homemade pickles! Whichever you choose, make sure they’re uniform in shape, and sliced about 1/4-inch thick.
- Seasoned flour: Like many fried foods, the pickles are first dredged in seasoned all-purpose flour. This helps the crunchy coating adhere to the pickle.
- Egg wash: This egg dip does not need milk! It’s just eggs and pickle juice, plus extra seasoning from cayenne pepper, salt and garlic powder.
- Panko bread crumbs: Panko, the larger, thicker bread crumb that results in an ultra-crispy coating, makes these air-fried pickles extra crunchy.
- Fresh dill: Toss some snipped fresh dill in with the panko crumbs for extra flavor. If you only have dried dill, our fresh-to-dried-herb conversion guide says to use a third of the fresh amount.
- Cooking spray: A little bit of oil makes these air-fried pickles a whole lot crispier, and cooking spray does the trick.
Directions
Step 1: Prepare the pickles
Preheat the air fryer to 400°F. Place the pickles on paper towels and let them rest until the liquid is almost absorbed, about 15 minutes.
Editor’s Tip: The pickles should be as dry as possible; this will help the coating to stick.
Step 2: Create a dredging station
While the pickles are drying, line up three shallow bowls. In the first bowl, combine the flour and salt. In the second bowl, whisk together the eggs, pickle juice, cayenne and garlic powder. In the third bowl, combine the panko and dill.
Step 3: Coat the pickles
Dip the pickles into flour mixture to coat both sides, and shake off any excess. Then dip them into the egg mixture, then into the bread crumb mixture, patting them to help coating adhere.
Step 4: Air-fry the pickles
Working in batches, place pickles in a single layer on a greased tray in the air-fryer basket. Cook until they’re golden brown and crispy, five to seven minutes.
Flip the pickles and spritz them with cooking spray. Air-fry them until they’re golden brown and crispy, five to seven minutes longer.
Editor’s Tip: After you’ve coated a handful of pickles in the bread crumb mixture, it can get a little wet and clumpy. Add extra panko and stir to combine.
Recipe Variations
- Make fried pickle spears: Instead of pickle chips, dredge and air-fry pickle spears.
- Make a low-carb version: To make low-carb air-fried pickles, use coconut flour instead of all-purpose flour and skip the bread crumbs. Instead, coat the pickles with a second coating of coconut flour.
- Make gluten-free air-fried pickles: Use your favorite gluten-free flour blend and gluten-free bread crumbs for gluten-free fried pickles.
How to Store Air-Fried Pickles
Air-fryer fried pickles are best served fresh. If you happen to have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three to four days. To reheat fried pickles, place them in a single layer in the air fryer, spritz them with a little cooking spray and air-fry them at 400° for three to five minutes.
Air-Fried Pickles Tips
How do you make air-fried pickles extra crispy?
To make extra crispy fried pickles in an air fryer, start by removing as much liquid as possible from the pickles. Pat them dry before dredging them in flour, and only dredge them when you’re ready to air-fry so that the moisture doesn’t soak into the breading. You can also toast the bread crumbs for more of a crunch. Don’t overcrowd the air-fryer basket, otherwise the air fryer can’t work its magic and circulate the hot air.
How do you serve air-fried pickles?
Air-fryer pickles are fantastic on their own, but who doesn’t love an assortment of dipping sauces? Serve them with condiments from the fridge like mayonnaise or ranch dressing, or whip up a spicy aioli for dipping. Make it a fried feast along with some of our other favorite air-fryer appetizers, like air-fryer French fries, air-fryer potato chips and air-fryer chicken wings.
