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Air Fryer Fried Pickles are super crispy and make a great game day or party snack! Fried Pickles made in the Air Fryer are lighter because they are made with a lot less oil and have a crunchy panko breadcrumbs coating that makes them taste even better than the deep-fried original.
Love deep-fried pickles? Then you have to try this Air Fryer version, you will love it even more! They make a perfect appetizer or snack and are so flavorful, salty, and crunchy. The Air Fryer is the perfect tool to make crispy fried pickles in your own kitchen that have less than a 1/4 of the calories of the deep-fried version and are as crunchy and flavorful as the real deal.
Dill Pickle spears are dredged in a spiced batter, coated with panko breadcrumbs and then air fried to crispy, golden perfection. Using a batter and panko breadcrumbs gives the pickles a deliciously crunchy crust that adds flavor and makes them taste very similar to pickles that are battered and deep-fried.
We love our Air Fryer for making extra crispy snacks, like our Air Fryer Onion Rings, Air Fryer Chicken Wings, and Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks!
Why our recipe
- Extra crunchy because of the panko crust
- The Air Fryer makes them lighter and crunchier
- Using a batter makes the crust stick better
Ingredient Notes
- Pickles: You need dill pickles for this recipe. Cut them into spears and make sure to pat them dry so they crisp up better. You can also use pickle chips, they will cook a bit faster.
- Flour: I recommend using all-purpose flour. We haven’t tested this recipe with gluten-free flour or almond flour.
- Buttermilk: You need buttermilk for the batter, it’s easy to make your own if you have milk and lemons at home.
- Bread crumbs: Panko bread crumbs work best and give you the best crunch.
- Oil: I like to use avocado oil spray.
Julia’s Tips and Tricks
- This recipe can be made with pickle spears and pickle chips.
- Pat the pickle spears dry with paper towels so the batter and coating will stick better!
- You can buy pickle spears or cut normal large dill pickles into spears
- Instead of pickle spears, you can also use pickle slices
- If you don’t have buttermilk, you can easily make your own by adding 1 Tbsp of vinegar or lemon/lime juice to a ½ cup of milk.
- If you like it extra spicy, add a few dashes of hot sauce to the buttermilk mixture
- Using panko breadcrumbs makes these Fried Pickles extra crispy, but you could also use normal breadcrumbs
- Divide the panko breadcrumbs mixture in two so you can switch to the fresh breadcrumbs when the first batch gets clumpy
- Different models of Air Fryers cook food differently, so always keep an eye on the food
- If your Air Fryer doesn’t go as high as 400F, fry them at the highest temperature
Frequently asked questions
Fried pickles go well with many different sauces and dips. You can serve them with ranch dressing, Aioli sauce, spicy mayo, or your favorite condiments.
You can use any pickles for this recipe. I recommend using your favorite pickles for this recipe. But dill pickles, spicy dill pickles, bread and butter pickles, or precut pickle coins or spears work for this recipe.
Depending on your Air Fryer, the pickles might be more prone to sticking to the basket. In this case, I recommend spraying the basket with oil spray before adding the pickles.
Serving and Storage
These Air Fryer Fried Pickles are best served immediately after air frying. Serve them with your favorite dipping sauce.
But, if you need to store leftovers, put them in an airtight container for up to 2 days. To reheat the fried pickles in the air fryer, set it to 350 degrees F and fry them for about 2 minutes. Spraying them with oil will help them to crisp up again.
More Air Fryer Snacks
Air Fryer
Air Fryer Chickpeas
Air Fryer
Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Air Fryer
Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp
Air Fryer
Air Fryer Churros
Air Fryer Pickles
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3-4 large dill pickles, cut into spears
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp salt, divided
- 1/2 cup buttermilk, see tips above for making your own
- 1 egg
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- Oil Spray, optional
Instructions
- Dry the pickles with paper towels.
- You need three shallow bowls or deep plates. In the first one, combine flour, paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and 1/2 tsp salt.
- In the second, combine buttermilk (or milk and vinegar/lemon juice) and egg, then add ¼ cup of the flour mixture from the first bowl.
- In the third, combine panko breadcrumbs, remaining 1/2 tsp salt and olive oil with a fork until the oil is evenly distributed.
- Dredge the pickle spears in the flour mixture, drop them in the buttermilk egg mixture, and then dredge them in the panko mixture until coated evenly.
- Place pickle spears in a single layer in the Air Fryer basket. Use a rack to make a second layer if needed.
- Cook at 400°F until golden brown and crispy, about 8–10 minutes. Spray with some oil spray after about 6 minutes for a more golden finish. Repeat with remaining pickles spears.
At first, the steps in this recipe had me a bit concerned. I have tried many air fryer recipes for pickles and this one is the best. The coating stays on and the pickles are nice and crispy. Didn’t notice they weren’t fried. I definitely will be making these again!
These were super delicious! Most of the coating fell off, but I did cut them with a knife and fork to eat. Very easy to make.
can you make these ahead? say 1-2 days prior to cooking?
Thanks!
I don’t recommend making these ahead.
Omg yum! Ate all the pickles in the house and need to buy more!
I used regular speared dill pickles from a jar and had some batter leftover so I finished it off on my jar of sweet gherkin pickles! They were both AWESOME!!! Ate a plate FULL (I’m pregnant lol) and finished them off. I cooked them all in the air fryer at the same time, with the gherkins on the rack insert.
I did NOT have milk or buttermilk, so I used plain yogurt (no sugar added…the more sour tasting kind) and that was fine! I think it obviously made it more clumpy when shaking around in the panko, but the taste was great! Next time I’m adding more cayenne or hot sauce!
Really, really recommend the sweet gherkins!! Would make for an easy appetizer as they don’t have to be cut or pat dry.
Holy yum! Wow! These turned out amazing! I used Vlassic Dill Spears but thinking about upgrading to a spicy garlic deli pickles next time! This recipe is perfect if you have the munchies and want to keep your snacks on the healthier side. Not to mention you can whip these up in 5min.
Planning on trying this recipe today – could you please update how it is with the spicy pickles? Would love to try that next. Thank you!
good
I made these with my mom and we both loved them!!! We even did banana peppers!! I really recommend this recipe.
I had some odd pickles this time around and found that double dipping them in the flour and egg then moving onto the panko mixture helped, but I really feel my pickles were to blame that on, the flavor and crispness were AMAZING. Saving this recipe for all my deep fried things! Can’t wait to try okra, and I’m even gonna try it on mushrooms!
Quick and simple. Loved it all.
I wasn’t able to use an egg due to allergies, so I simply added more butter milk.
No cayenne in the house so I used smoked paprika and onion powder, white pepper instead of black pepper too.
Love this recipe! Great pickles.