These “fried” pickles are the ultimate party food! Made with simple ingredients like dill pickles, flour, eggs, seasonings and breadcrumbs, this appetizer recipe is made easily in the air fryer (oven directions too)!
This is one of my Air Fryer recipes I know you’ll want to keep on hand!
I don’t know about you guys, but I absolutely love appetizers. There have been plenty of times that we go out to dinner, and I end up ordering an appetizer as my meal.
And fried pickles are one of my all-time favorites!
But as much as I love them, sometimes I just don’t want to hassle with deep or shallow frying anything.
That’s where an air fryer comes in handy! It’s not actually frying anything, but it gets these “fried” pickles super crispy, and in less time than it would take to bake them in the oven!
How to make fried pickles in the air fryer?
This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.
- Season breadcrumbs. Plain breadcrumbs don’t have much of a flavor, so I find it’s best to add seasonings directly to the crumb mixture.
- Dredge in flour. I like to do this in a shallow bowl or a pie pan.
- Dip in egg wash. This will help the coating stick to the pickles.
- Bread in crumb mixture. Gently press to help the coating adhere to the pickles.
- Add to air fryer. This is best done in a single layer, with a little bit of space around them to let the hot air circulate.
- Air fry. All air fryers cook a little differently, so please use the time (5-8 minutes) as a guideline and adjust if necessary.
Helpful Tip!
Breading anything can be very messy and frustrating, so here’s how you can avoid some of the mess.
Have one hand your designated “wet hand”. It’s the one you pick up the pickle slices, toss them in the flour, give it a bath in the egg mixture, and place it in the breadcrumbs. Then use your other designated “dry hand” to coat it in the breadcrumbs.
This helps you not “bread” your fingers and end up with a big mess to clean. Or you can wear some disposable gloves for even less clean up!
Variations of this recipe
- Pickles – classic dill pickles are the traditional ones used for fried pickles, but if you like a little extra flavor, try a garlic dill, or a zesty/hot variety. You can even use homemade pickles!
- Seasonings – if you’re not a fan of old bay seasoning, you could try a cajun blend, or an all-purpose seasoning blend. Feel free to experiment, since we all have different tastes and preferences.
- Breadcrumbs – I really love the combination of panko and regular breadcrumbs, since the panko adds crunch, and the breadcrumbs add coverage. But if you find you only have one or the other, that’s totally fine. You just want about a cup of crumbs.
- Cheese – for some extra flavor and crunch, try adding some finely shredded cheddar, colby jack, or pepper jack cheese to the breadcrumb mixture.
- Fried – if you’d rather go for a deep-fried alternative, you can definitely do that. Just heat about an inch and a half of vegetable or peanut oil to a heavy bottomed pot and heat over MED heat until about 350°F. Bread pickles as written, then fry, in batches, for about 2-3 minutes, flipping over halfway through.
- Baked – no air fryer? No problem! Check out the “chef tips” section of the recipe (right below the directions) for the details.
FAQ’s
The first step to keeping the breading on your pickles is to not skip the step of drying off the pickle slices. This ensures the breading can really adhere to the pickles. The other trick is to use caution when handling the fried pickles.
There’s nothing worse than biting into something that’s supposed to be gloriously crispy, and finding it soggy. That’s why I recommend air frying the pickles in a single layer, and to add the cooked pickles to a wire cooling rack to cool (rather than adding them to a plate). The single layer prevents the pickles from steaming, and the cooling rack allows for air to flow around the pickles, giving the steam somewhere to go.
Making fried pickles ahead of time
As with anything fried/breaded, these pickles taste best when made right before serving.
However, you can mix up the seasoned breadcrumbs ahead of time, which will save you a few minutes of prep. Just keep it sealed in an airtight container at room temperature.
Storage
Leftovers should be refrigerated in an airtight container and enjoyed within 3 days.
To reheat, preheat air fryer to 400°F and cook the pickles for a couple of minutes, until heated through and crispy!
More Air Fryer Appetizer Recipes:
My Favorite Air Fryer!
This is a newer air fryer for me, but I really enjoy it! I love the larger, rectangular basket, and that the basket is nonstick, removable, and dishwasher safe!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups dill pickle slices
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 2 large eggs with a small splash of water
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
- 2 tsp old bay seasoning
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- cooking spray
Instructions
Prepare
- Lay out the pickle slices on a cutting board and pat dry on both sides.
- Preheat air fryer to 400°F. Set out a baking sheet or large plate (to put the breaded pickles on before cooking), and a wire cooling rack (to put the cooked pickles on afterwards).
Set up breading station
- Set up a breading station by lining up 3 shallow bowls next to a baking sheet. In the farthest bowl from the baking sheet, add the flour.
- In the next bowl, add the eggs and splash of water, beating with a fork until well combined.
- In the final bowl, add the panko, breadcrumbs, old bay seasoning, garlic powder, black pepper, and kosher salt. Stir well to combine.
Bread pickles
- Add a pickle slice to the flour bowl and turn to coat, shaking off the excess.
- Next, add the pickle to the egg bowl and turn to coat, letting the excess drip off.
- Then add the pickle to the breadcrumb bowl and press gently to adhere the crumbs to the pickle. Flip over and do the same on the other side.
- Transfer pickle to baking sheet and repeat with remaining pickles.
Air fry
- Add breaded pickles to the basket of the preheated air fryer, in a single layer and not overlapping. You'll likely need to cook the pickles in batches.
- Lightly spray with cooking spray, then air fry for 5-8 minutes, flipping over halfway through cooking.
- Transfer cooked pickles to cooling rack and repeat with remaining batches of pickles.
Cool and serve
- Let the pickles cool for a few minutes, then serve hot/warm, with desired dipping sauce.
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
Chef Tips
- I’ve estimated that this recipe serves approximately 4 – 6, but feel free to divide it up into as many servings as you’d like.
- We love to serve these pickles with a classic bleu cheese or ranch dressing, honey sriracha mayo, or a cajun remoulade. The sauce pictured is my honey sriracha mayo.
- Pickle spears can be cooked using this method as well, although I haven’t tested it to say what the cooking time would be. If you do some experimenting, I’d love to know how long it took 🙂
Oven Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425°F, and line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
- Bread pickles as directed above, then add to the baking sheet in a single layer.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes, flipping over after about 7 minutes.
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Stephanie says
My husband and I loved these! We doubled the amount of old bay seasoning and left them in the air fryer for closer to 10 minutes so they were extra crispy! We will be making these again. If anybody has a tip on how to pat dry these slices without having to lay them individually on a paper towel, I’d love to hear! It’s the most tedious part.
Erin says
So good! I would love to make this again!
Beti says
These are a healthier alternative to the deep-fried version but still had all the flavor. Perfect for a snack or an appetizer! We loved them!
Katerina Petrovska says
These Air Fryer Fried Pickles turned out to be a fantastic snack! The air fryer made it so easy and less messy than traditional frying. The pickles were crispy on the outside with a tangy crunch inside. Can’t wait to make these again! Thanks!
Sandra says
These fried pickles are amazing! And I love that they’re so easy to make!
Beth says
These are delicious! That coating comes out perfectly crispy in the air fryer, and that’s the most important part.
Janelle says
I was pretty skeptical on these but my kids really wanted to try them. They were actually super tasty!! Thanks!
April says
I love these so much! They’re so crispy and easy to make in the air fryer!
Gina says
We love fried pickles – so we were super excited to see that we were able to make them so easily in the air fryer. SO DELISH!