Air fryer fried pickles are delicious crispy little morsels of crunchy, sour, and soft all wrapped up in one perfect bite.
This air fryer pickles recipe made with seasoned panko, and a buttermilk dredge are all the flavor and crunch with none of the guilt! Serve them with all your favorite game time treats like cream cheese dip, sausage balls, and bacon wrapped chicken bites.
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Air Fryer Fried Pickles
Air Fryer Fried Pickles
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Why you’ll love fried pickles made in the air fryer!
📌 So much healthier than deep frying and no messing with hot oil.
📌 Crispy and delicious with that classic tangy pickle flavor.
📌 Great as a snack or as a party appetizer.
Air Fryer Pickles Ingredients
- Pickles – Dill pickles. We prefer to buy them whole and slice ourselves, but you can also use pre-sliced pickle chips.
- Flour – All purpose flour.
- Buttermilk – You can use regular milk if you don’t have buttermilk, or you can make your own buttermilk substitute with milk + vinegar (see below for full substitution directions).
- Eggs – Large or extra large.
- Worcestershire sauce – You can also substitute soy sauce in a pinch.
- Breadcrumbs – Plain panko breadcrumbs.
- Seasonings – seasoned salt, garlic powder, paprika.
- Sauces – Your choice of sauces for dipping.
Panko, flour, spaces, worcestershire, eggs, buttermilk, pickles.
How do you make crispy fried dill pickles in the air fryer? (step-by-step directions)
⭐ First, slice and pat pickles dry with a clean cloth or paper towel.
⭐ Then, assemble three large shallow bowls. In the first bowl, put the flour. In the second bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, and Worcestershire sauce. In the third bowl, combine the panko breadcrumbs, seasoned salt, garlic powder, and paprika.
⭐ Next, For each slice: coat in flour, dip into the buttermilk mixture, dip it into the panko mixture, being sure to coat both sides and gently pressing the panko onto the pickle.
⭐ Finally, working in batches, add the pickle slices to the air fryer basket cooking until pickles are heated through and the panko coating is crispy and lightly browned.
Scroll down to the printable recipe card toward the bottom of this article for ingredient measurements and detailed cooking instructions.
Coat pickles with flour, buttermilk mixture, then breadcrumbs.
Preparation
What type of pickles for fried pickles?
Flavor
Traditionally fried pickles call for dill pickles, but you can technically make them with any flavor pickle you like. My personal favorites are dill, garlic, and spicy pickles.
Shape
Any shape of pickles will work; spears, halves, slices, and chips – as pictured here! My personal favorites are pickle chips or slices because they are the perfect size for dipping in ranch dressing. Mmmmm.
I strongly suggest you try our refrigerator pickles recipe for making your fried pickles!
Fry until crispy and golden brown.
What can I substitute for buttermilk?
To make a buttermilk substitute, combine 1 cup whole milk (2% will also work) with 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice. Stir, then allow the mixture to sit for about 5 minutes (it will curdle a bit). Use the mixture as a 1:1 ratio for buttermilk.
What spices and seasonings for air fried pickle batter?
We use a combination of Worcestershire sauce, seasoned salt, garlic powder, and paprika.
Other spices that would work well include: fresh cracked black pepper, chipotle powder, steak seasoning, Italian seasoning, or a simple spice rub.
What type of breadcrumbs for air fryer pickles?
Plain panko breadcrumbs work best in this recipe, but you can substitute regular breadcrumbs or even Italian seasoned breadcrumbs if you don’t have panko on hand.
If you find the pickles are cooking unevenly, trip flipping them halfway through.
Storage and leftovers
How long do air fried pickles last?
They’re really best when eaten fresh out of the air fryer, so I always try my best to make exactly what we’ll need for an occasion, but if you happen to end up with some extras go ahead and refrigerate them in an air tight container for up to 3 days.
How do you reheat fried pickles?
Reheat in the air fryer at the same temperature you cooked them originally. Start with about 3 minutes cook time and add 1 – 2 minutes at a time after that until they reach your desired crispiness.
Can you freeze air fried pickles?
We do not recommend freezing this recipe.
Enjoy as-is or with your favorite dipping sauces.
Frequently asked questions
What do fried pickles taste like?
Fried pickles are crunchy on the outside and soft, sour and salty on the inside. They taste like a little crunchy salty slice of heaven.
OK, the taste can depend on the type of pickle you use. I like a nice, sour dill, but some people fry up bread-and-butter pickles or garlic dills. Experiment to see what you love!
How do you make air fryer fried pickles gluten free?
By swapping the all purpose flour for a grain free flour (like corn starch, taro flour, almond, or chickpea flour) and then swapping the breadcrumbs for crushed pork rinds, you can make this both gluten free and keto-friendly.
I’m partial to pickle chips, but spears or slices are good too.
Tips and tricks
✅ Add a dash of chipotle powder to the dry mix and/or a dash of sriracha to the wet mix for spicy air fried pickles.
✅ Put a little powdered sugar in the dry mix for some sweet and sour action reminiscent of our chick-fil-a nuggets recipe.
✅ Try with different shaped pickles and different flavored pickles to see what combo is your favorite!
What to eat with air fried fried pickles (serving suggestions)
Definitely enjoy with your favorite dipping sauces like: bang bang sauce, yum yum sauce, sriracha mayo, ranch dressing recipe, blue cheese dressing, dill sauce, or dill pickle dip (how meta!).
If you’re serving this as a party appetizer, have it along with other favorites like French dip sliders, apple nachos, jalapeno popper dip, and roasted tomato salsa.
I call it: Tower of Delish
More delicious pickle recipes
- Pickled jalapenos
- Refrigerator pickles
- Pickled green tomatoes
- Pickled onions
- Pickle soup recipe
- See all our yummy pickle recipes!
Other awesome air fryer recipes
- Air fryer french fries from scratch
- Air fryer boiled eggs
- Air fryer roasted potatoes
- Air fryer french toast recipe
- Air fryer roasted carrots
- See all our easy air fryer recipes!
😍😍😍
Tools we love
- Digital air fryer – We have (pictured) this Cosori 5.8 quart air fryer. It’s great!
- Kitchen tongs – Every kitchen needs a good pair of tongs.
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How to Make Air Fryer Fried Pickles
Air Fryer Fried Pickles
Ingredients
- 3-4 large whole dill pickles cut into ½" slices
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- ½ tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 2 teaspoons seasoned salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- Pat each pickle slice dry with a clean cloth or paper towel.
- Set up an assembly line with 3 large shallow bowls. In the FIRST bowl, put the flour. In the SECOND bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, and Worcestershire sauce. In the THIRD bowl, mix together the panko breadcrumbs, seasoned salt, garlic powder, and paprika.
- First, coat each pickle slice in flour. Next, dip it into the buttermilk mixture. Last, dip it into the panko mixture, being sure to coat both sides and gently pressing the panko onto the pickle.
- Working in batches, add the pickle slices to the air fryer basket.
- Cook at 400° F for about 8 minutes, until the pickles are heated through and the panko coating is crispy and lightly browned. If desired, flip halfway through cook time.
Notes
Nutrition
Air Fryer Fried Pickles
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Jamie says
We loved these air fryer pickles! So crisp and delicious!!
Kristyn says
These have become a favorite of mine!! Love how crispy they are & they will be perfect for game day!!
Kara says
I love the thick crunchy topping. They are seriously addicting dipped in homemade ranch!