Fried Pickles

Prep 20 minutes
Cook 4 minutes
Servings 4 servings

These Fried Pickles are light and airy with a slight tang and satisfying crunch. A truly addicting snack or appetizer you’ll want to make again and again. If you love pickles, you’ll certainly love fried pickles!

Overhead view of fried pickles with a bowl of ranch

Pin this now to find it later

Pin It

This post may contain affiliate links. If you click on one and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products we genuinely love.

We’re enormous pickle lovers, so naturally we’ve tried pickles a million different ways. Fried pickles are always a favorite at the fair or at restaurants, but you can make them at home, too!

These fried pickles come out light and airy with a slight tang and lovely crunchy texture. This recipe is a little on the tedious side since you have to batter a lot of pickles and you canโ€™t fry too many at a time or they will stick together, but in the end it is so worth the effort!

Helpful Tips

  • Pickles. I like to use classic dill pickles but use whatever pickle variety you like.
  • Seasonings. Many different seasoning blends that would be good include creole, blackened, old bay, bbq, or lemon pepper.
  • Deep fryer. Any deep fryer or dutch oven that holds up to 3 inches of oil will work.

Fried Pickles

Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 4 minutes
Total: 24 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
These Fried Pickles are light and airy with a slight tang and satisfying crunch. A truly addicting snack or appetizer you'll want to make again and again. If you love pickles, you'll certainly love fried pickles!

Ingredients 

  • canola or soy bean oil, , for frying
  • 2 cups hamburger dill pickles, , drained
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
  • 3/4 teaspoon creole seasoning
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon reserved pickle juice
  • ranch dip, , for serving

Instructions 

  • Add oil to a deep fryer or a dutch oven 3-inches deep. Heat the oil to 350ยฐF.
  • Place paper towels on a sheet tray. Place the pickles on the paper towels, not touching. Take more paper towels or a clean kitchen towel and press out as much of the liquid from the pickles as you can. They need to be completely dry.
    hamburger pickle chips draining on paper towel
  • In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the flour, cornmeal, and creole seasoning.
    creole seasoning being whisked in bowl
  • Add the water and pickle juice, stir to combine until smooth.
    fried pickles batter being mixed in bowl
  • Once the oil is up to temp, add handfuls of the dried pickles to the batter.
    dill pickle hamburger chips dunked in batter
  • Using a slotted spoon or your hands, separate the pickles making sure they are not sticking.
  • Carefully drop them into the hot oil one at a time. (If using a deep fryer, I like to shake the basket around to make sure they donโ€™t stick to the bottom.)
  • Fry until crispy and lightly golden brown, about 4 minutes. Stir them around every so often to make sure they are browning evenly.
  • Take the fried pickles and place them on a paper-towel-lined plate to absorb any excess oil. Immediately place the pickles onto a wire rack over a sheet tray to catch any drips. Repeat with the remaining pickles.
    fried pickles being drained on wire rack
  • Serve with ranch for dipping.
    fried pickles on plate with dipping sauce

Notes

Air Fryer. These fried pickles can also be made in the air fryer in batches. Follow all of the directions above then place in a single layer in the air fryer and cook for 8 to 10 minutes at 400F. Make sure the air fryer is preheated ahead of time for the best results.

Nutrition

Calories: 87kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 635mg | Potassium: 120mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 287IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.

Save this recipe!
Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from us every week!
Did you make this? Leave a rating below!
Overhead view of a big pile of deep fried pickles

Serving Suggestions

Fried pickles make a great side for burgers, hot dogs, and fried chicken but we love eating these as a snack too. Just like potato chips, you won’t be able to eat just one!

Half of the fun of eating these pickles is the dipping sauce! While ranch dip is the standard option, and one I love, why stop there? Experiment with dipping your fried pickles in a variety of sauces to see which you like best. A few possibilities are honey mustard, comeback sauce, remoulade, chick-fil-a sauce, garlic aioli, blooming onion sauce, and BBQ sauce.

How to Store, Reheat, & Freeze

Like all fried foods, these are best eaten immediately out of the fryer while the coating is hot and crispy, but you can store leftovers.

  • Storing leftovers. They should be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
  • Reheat. To reheat, place them back into a heated fryer until hot. I do not suggest microwaving or placing them in the oven to reheat as the coating may become soggy.
  • To freeze. Fried pickles can also be frozen for up to 3 months. I recommend flash-freezing them on a baking sheet first, then transferring them to an airtight container. Reheat in the deep fryer or air fryer.

More Pickle Recipes:

I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe โ€“ be sure to give it a review below! Also donโ€™t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!

A hand dipping a fried pickle into ranch dressing

Share this post

About Amy Flanigan

Well, hey there! Amy here, founder and COO at BellyFull. If youโ€™re looking for tried and true, fuss-free, budget-friendly, delicious, every day recipes, youโ€™ve come to the right place.

You May Also Like

Tried this recipe? Tell me how it turned out, or ask a question below!

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Don't forget to click the โญ star rating below