Our favorite Fried Pickles with perfectly crispy, and well-seasoned breading are quick and simple to make. Serve them with a bowl of ranch for dipping, and watch them disappear!
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Why I Love This Fried Pickles Recipe
Fried pickles are a southern favorite, and everyone in this household is a big fan. This is a special appetizer that’s fun to eat, and always gets “oohs” and “aahs” whenever I serve them. If you’re thinking that deep frying pickles sounds too complicated, stay with me! Even if you have never fried anything before, you can do this! And the crispy, crunchy, salty reward is so worth it. Check out what makes these such a huge hit:
- Really crispy: No soggy pickles here! This recipe makes a crispy, crunchy treat. You won’t be able to stop eating them.
- Seasoned to perfection: When you are deep frying food, it’s important to get the seasoned breading just right. You want it to be zesty and flavorful, and this recipe delivers.
- Easy to make: Say goodbye to your fear of deep frying! This simple tutorial takes all the mystery out of deep frying your very own crunchy pickles.
- Great for game day: These easy fried pickles always fly off the plate on SuperBowl Sunday. Consider making a double batch!
If you love pickles, check out this dill pickle cheese ball recipe and my dill pickle pasta salad! Still not sold on deep frying? This air fryer fried pickles recipe might be just what you’re looking for.
Key Ingredients
Below you will find helpful notes for key ingredients used to make this recipe for classic fried pickles. Scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and exact amounts!
- Pickles: Drain a jar of your favorite sliced pickles – any kind you like!
- Oil: Vegetable oil, or another neutral high-heat oil for frying.
- Flour: All-purpose flour works best.
- Seasonings: Salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika create the best combo. However, there’s some wiggle room for creativity here!
- Baking Powder: This is my not-so-secret ingredient that makes the pickles crispy as can be.
- Milk: Whole milk is my go-to, but low fat milk would also be fine.
How to Make Fried Pickles
This quick and easy recipe delivers all the delights of a restaurant-style appetizer in your own kitchen! Below is a quick recipe overview, but please scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full instructions and to watch the step-by-step video.
- Dry the pickles. Lay the drained, sliced pickles out on a baking sheet lined with paper towels, and pat the tops dry with another paper towel. Set the baking sheet aside.
- Heat the oil: Next, pour about 2 inches of oil into a deep skillet, and turn the heat to medium-high. Allow the oil to heat until it reaches 350°F on a thermometer.
- Make the seasoned flour. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and baking powder.
- Make the egg mixture. In a separate mixing bowl, beat the milk and eggs together.
- Bread a few pickles: Working in batches of five or six pickles at a time, dip the pickles into the flour mixture, the egg mixture, and then the flour again.
- Fry the pickles in the hot oil. Gently lower the pickles into the hot oil, and let them cook for 1 – 2 minutes, or until they are golden brown. Flip them over halfway through the cooking time so they brown evenly.
- Drain. Use a slotted spoon to lift the fried pickles out of the oil, and place them on a clean, paper towel-lined plate to drain any excess oil.
- Repeat. Continue breading, frying, and draining the remaining pickles until they are all done.
- Enjoy! Serve your homemade fried pickles with freshly chopped parsley and ranch, if desired.
Chef’s Tips & Variations
- Use your favorite pickles: You don’t have to use any particular kind of pickles – as long as you dry them, almost any pickles will work. Dill chips are the most common, but you could use sandwich slices for really big fried pickles, or even pickle spears! Sweet pickles also work, although they’re much less common.
- Dry the pickles: I can’t stress this enough – drying the pickles is essential to getting a really crispy crunch. If your pickles are still damp when you bread them, the breading will be a bit soggy and won’t stick very well.
- Heating the oil: The other big thing to remember is to heat your oil to the right temperature, and keep it there. I highly recommend using a thermometer that clips onto your frying pan (I use this candy thermometer when frying. If your oil gets too hot, it can burn the pickles. If the oil is not hot enough, the pickles will take too long to fry and will become oily!
- Baked pickles: Yes, you can make these in the oven, too! They will not turn out quite as crispy, but they’ll still be tasty. Just prepare them as instructed, but then lay them on a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet, and bake at 450°F for about 15 – 20 minutes, or until they’re golden-brown and crisped up.
What To Serve With Fried Pickles
- Cilantro Lime Dressing: This cilantro lime dressing recipe is a bit like ranch, but with a twist thanks to plenty of fresh green cilantro and mouth-puckering lime. It’s ultra-refreshing and perfect for dipping.
- Tzatziki: Another creamy contender, homemade tzatziki sauce is a Greek classic that is very light and simple, adding just the right richness to a platter of homemade fried pickles.
- Sweet Chili Sauce: This delicious sweet chili sauce is so good, you’ll want to eat it on everything. Try it with fried pickles to give them even more crazy-good flavor.
Yield: 6 Servings
Fried Pickles
Our favorite Fried Pickles with perfectly crispy, and well-seasoned breading. Serve them with a bowl of ranch for dipping, and watch them disappear!
Ingredients
- 1 16-oz jar sliced pickles, drained
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup milk
- 2 large eggs
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Instructions
- Lay the pickles on a baking sheet with a paper towel, pat the tops dry with another paper towel and set aside.
- In a deep skillet, preheat about 2 inches of vegetable oil over medium-high heat until it reaches 350°F on a thermometer. (I like to use a clip on pot thermometer to monitor the oil tempruatre while frying.)
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and baking powder.
- In another mixing bowl, beat the milk and eggs until combined.
- Dip 5-6 pickle slices in the dry ingredients then into the wet ingredients, then coat them a final time in the dry ingredients.
- Fry the pickles in the hot oil for about 1-2 minutes, or until they are golden brown, flipping them over halfway.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the pickles from the oil and place them on a paper towel-lined plate to drain any excess oil.
- Repeat this process with the remaining pickles.
- Serve with freshly chopped parsley and ranch, if desired.
Notes
- Storing: Keep the fried pickles in your refrigerator, preferably sealed in an airtight container or storage bag. I like to add a clean, dry paper towel in there to absorb any moisture and keep them from getting too soggy.
- Reheating: Reheating fried pickles is easiest in the air fryer. Just add them to the basket, and air-fry at 450°F until heated through. You can also do this in the oven.
- Pickle Options: You don’t have to use any particular kind of pickles – as long as you dry them, almost any pickles will work. Dill chips are the most common, but you could use sandwich slices for really big fried pickles, or even pickle spears! Sweet pickles also work, although they’re much less common.
- Drying the Pickles: I can’t stress this enough – drying the pickles is essential to getting a really crispy crunch. If your pickles are still damp when you bread them, the breading will be a bit soggy and won’t stick very well.
- Heating the Oil: The other big thing to remember is to heat your oil to the right temperature, and keep it there. I highly recommend using a thermometer that clips onto your frying pan (I use this candy thermometer) when frying. If your oil gets too hot, it can burn the pickles. If the oil is not hot enough, the pickles will take too long to fry and will become oily!
- Baked Pickles: Yes, you can make these in the oven, too! They may not turn out quite as crispy, but they’ll still be great. Just prepare them as instructed, but then lay them on a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet, and bake at 450°F for about 15 – 20 minutes, or until they’re golden-brown and crisped up.
Nutrition
Serving: 1, Calories: 143kcal, Carbohydrates: 19g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 65mg, Sodium: 464mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g
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More of the Best Game Day Appetizers
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Before I comment on the fried pickles recipe you posted I have to tell you a quick funny story. My husband is from Scotland. Well, I had yet made a trip to the grocery store and the pantry was quite empty. He went messing around in the kitchen and made fried pickles. He said, “I’m a pretty good chef! I just invented a new thing….fried pickles!” I had to burst his bubble. I said, “Honey, this is Texas. That’s like a Southern staple here for as long as anyone can remember.” He was very disappointed, poor thing! lol….Ok, that story aside, your recipe was great! Although, as I was getting my dry ingredients together I discovered I didn’t have paprika or onion powder as we just moved and I threw some older spices away. I did, however, have Cajun seasoning. They turned out great! Thank you for the recipe post!
Too funny, thank you for sharing!! So glad you enjoyed them!
We made these so delicious!!!
I made the pickles with really good dill pickles and the recipe came out great!!
I just made these for the superbowl, holy cow so freaking good! Bought dill pickles from Trader Joe’s and had all the other ingredients at home. Used avocado oil since that’s all I had, but these taste like restaurant quality. So crispy!
I am not a fan of dill pickles except the ones at Hooters. But I have people so for them tried this recipe. I had whole pickles only so I cut those and placed on paper towels two times. It was well received and not a pickle left. I was happy. Thanks!