I find that once I set my air fryer out on my counter (otherwise it’s tucked away in a kitchen cabinet next to my slow cooker), I suddenly am in the mood to make air fried okra and air fried French fries all week.
Lately, I have been experimenting with air fried pickles and I am happy to report I have a recipe/method I feel works best (sharing below). I wonder if it’s the prospect of summer on the horizon that has me in the mood for fried food.
It’s exactly the kind of thing you can buy at a fair or outdoor festival. Fried pickles are probably my all-time favorite savory fried food (funnel cake being the sweet counterpart).
Related: Bread and Butter Pickles and Favorite Things to Make in My Air Fryer.
These air fried pickles are crispy and lightly breaded. Although much lighter than a deep fried version, these are totally satisfying. These can be a little tedious to make—not something I would recommend putting on the menu for a big crowd.
But these air fried pickles are PERFECT for a two-person at-home happy hour snack. And I don’t know about you, but I am always looking for ways to make at-home date nights a little more special for when we need them.
I’m going to put the entire recipe and steps in the printable recipe card below, but here are the basics:
Dry the pickles. Use cotton towels or paper towels to soak up the excess liquid.
Bread the pickles twice. Dip in the batter once, going through the entire batch.
Then, do them once more before frying. Air fry twice. Fry once for six minutes, then toss in a little more flour and oil and fry again.
If you plan to fry an entire (16-ounce) jar of pickles, you’ll likely need to do this in 3-4 batches because you don’t want to crowd the air fryer. If the pickles touch or overlap as they air fry, they won’t get as crispy.
My only note on these is you’ll want to eat them right away. Once they get cold they are just not as good. This is true of most fried foods, I guess, but I thought it was especially true of these air fried pickles.
So a great project for two people who are maybe having a little at-home happy hour, but not a great project for a large crowd or to make ahead. Cheers! xo. Emma
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Ingredients
- 16 ounce jar of dill pickles
- 2-3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon all purpose spice (Old Bay, Cavendar's, etc.)
- 2 teaspoons oil (canola, vegetable, or olive)
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Instructions
- Drain the pickles from the jar juice and pat dry.
- On a small plate, stir together the flour and spice.
- Dip one batch-worth of pickles in the flour. Once you have dipped them all, coating completely, dip them again. Giving them a second coating of flour.
- Add the prepared pickles to the heated air fryer. It should be 356°F. Air fry for six minutes.
- Carefully remove the pickles to a small mixing bowl. Toss in a little flour and 1/2 teaspoon oil. Fry again for six minutes.
- Continue until you've air fried all the pickles, in 3-4 batches.
I love my air fryer! Brussels sprouts are delicious !
Plus stuffed chicken and sausage
Also did stuffed mushrooms! Delicious! I am
New to it too!
I love fried pickles, and I’m going to make this recipe as soon as I can. I hate pulling out my deep fryer at home because of the mess and now I’ve got one less thing to use it for! I”d love to try these with a spicy buffalo ranch or a siracha mayo. Thank you for sharing.
I am gonna ask my other to make it for me. But is it necessary to use an air fryer for this? or any other kind of fryer can be used ? Please advise. Thanks
Do you think they will crisp up if made ahead then reheated in a toaster oven?
You have convinced me that I need to get an air fryer! These look amazing!
Hi Emma! I’m new to the air fryer and this was my first recipe for it. My pickles didn’t come out crispy like yours appear to. I even cooked another 5 minutes! When I try again, would you suggest more flour or something else? I don’t usually fry things the normal way either so I’m not sure how to improve next time!
great air fry recipe, thank you, plus better than potatoes for me, and I like pickles so much appreciated
Where does the oil come in?
My question as well. How is the oil used?
step 5 – during the second frying. You toss the pickles in a little more flour and also some oil before the second frying.
These look delicious!!
www.thelisasworld.com
I’m getting the grandkids for the summer. They will love this.
I’ve never had fried pickles, I’m guessing that it’s a salt and vinegar-ish taste? I’ll have to try these one day.
www.NancyUgo.com
I adore fried pickles with ranch! This will be my next experiment with my new air fryer. I bought a combination toaster oven / air fryer by Hamilton Beach so it is on the corner of my counter always ready to go.
Ranch is the best with these! Totally agree. Ha. The day I photographed this batch I was out, which was very sad. 🙂
These sound delicious!! Now I’m even more convinced that I need an air fryer.