Home » Appetizer » Best Fried Pickles Recipe
To me, the most important step when making a deep-fried pickles recipe is the breading process. The pickles have to be extra crispy on the outside. In this fried pickle recipe, I will show you exactly how to achieve that, and what is the best breading method and ingredients to use. So keep reading and follow these simple steps for the best-fried pickles recipe ever.
Ingredients You’ll Need:
- Pickle spears. You can also use rounds, but I think using spears is easier and faster than using rounds
- All-purpose flour. It helps the egg and bread crumbs still to the pickles
- Eggs will help bind the bread crumbs to the spears
- Panko bread crumbs are essential in this recipe. I think they produce the crispiest breading. They are way better than regular breadcrumbs
- Vegetable oil for frying
- Garlic and onion salt to flavor the breading
- Ranch dressing for serving or your favorite sauce.
How To Make Fried Pickles?
- Cut the spears in half if you think they are too thick. Prepare your dredging station by placing the flour in one shallow dish, the beaten eggs in another, and the panko bread crumbs in a third one.
- Season the flour with salt, pepper, garlic, and onion powder. Dredge the pickle spears in the flour until completely coated, shaking any excess. Next, dip them into the beaten eggs until completely covered, and lastly, cover them evenly with the panko bread crumbs.
- Let them rest for about 5-10 mins, this will harden the breading a little bit and prevent it from falling while frying them.
- Heat the oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat and fry the pickles in batches until golden brown. Transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel to absorb any excess oil and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
Dips and Sauces for Fried Dill Pickles
My favorite sauces for this amazing fried pickles recipe are:
- Ranch dressing
- Fry sauce (ketchup and mayo)
- Buffalo sauce
- Mayo with chopped dill, onions, relish, ketchup, and vinegar
- Thousand Island dressing.
Tips For Crispy Pickles:
- Pat dry the pickle spears before breading them so the breading can stick to them.
- Shake any excess flour from the spears. We want a thin coat.
- Make sure the spears are fully covered with egg before dipping them into the bread crumbs. The egg is what will make the crumbs stick to the spears.
- Use Panko bread crumbs instead of regular bread crumbs. They are way crispier.
- Let the pickles rest for 5-10 mins before frying them so the breading can harden a little and not fall off into the skillet.
Make sure the oil is hot before placing the pickles into the skillet. If the oil is not hot enough, the pickles will come out soggy instead of crispy. To test it, throw a little piece of breading into the oil. If it sizzles, it’s ready.
Freeze Fried Pickles?
You can, but I recommend placing them on a baking sheet or plate in a single layer and into the freezer until they are hard. Then transfer them to a freezer bag or airtight container and freeze them for up to 3 months.
Can You Reheat Fried Pickles?
You can reheat them in the toaster oven, or by pan-frying them in a little bit of oil. Remember to let the oil get hot before placing the pickles into the pan.
Best Fried Pickles Recipe
This fried pickles recipe makes the crispiest fried pickles you’ve ever tried!
Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 15 minutes mins
Total Time 35 minutes mins
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Servings 12 Servings
Calories 78.7 kcal
Ingredients
- 12 large pickle spears, drained and patted dry
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 2 cups Panko bread crumbs
- Vegetable oil
- Ranch dressing or fry sauce for dipping
Instructions
Slice any large spears in half to make them thinner. Prepare your dredging station by placing the flour, eggs and panko bread crumbs in three different shallow dishes. Season the flour with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
Dredge the pickles first in the flour (shake any excess), then into the eggs (make sure they are fully covered in egg), and lastly into the panko bread crumbs. I like to use two forks to do this so I won't get my fingers dirty.
Let the breaded spears rest for 5-10 mins and pour about ½ inch of oil into a medium-sized skillet. Heat the oil over medium-heat until hot, and fry the spears in batches until golden brown. To test if the oil is hot enough, drop a few bread crumbs into it and if they sizzle, it’s ready. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
Nutrition
Calories: 78.7kcalCarbohydrates: 13.3gProtein: 2.8gFat: 1g
FAQs
The best way to keep your pickles crisp is by taking an extra moment to remove the blossom from the end of the cucumber. By adding this extra cut, you have a crisper pickle. Other ways to ensure a crisp pickle is by adding grape leaves to your jar. I tend to cut off both ends of the cucumber as I quickly process them.
How to get breading to stick to fried pickles? ›
Dry the pickles well.
This is probably the most important step. Pickles live in liquid and they need to be very dry before frying if you want the breading to stick well.
How do you make fried pickles crispy again? ›
Reheat leftover deep-fried dill pickles in an air fryer or place them under the broiler until they get crispy again.
What can I add to pickles to make them taste better? ›
Spicing Up Store Bought Pickles
- Heat – whole dried peppers, red pepper flakes, cayenne, black pepper corns, prepared horseradish, or hot sauce.
- Garlic – jarred minced garlic or garlic powder, stay away from fresh garlic because of the bacteria issues they can cause.
Grape leaves contain tannins to inhibit the enzyme that makes pickles soft. Cutting off the blossom end 1/16th of an inch has the same effect as grape leaves. Alum is a compound used in old recipes to make pickles crisp.
How do chefs pickle so quickly? ›
The technique—a version of vinegar pickling that doesn't require a full canning process—produces briny, crunchy pickled vegetables in just a couple hours. Heat the brine until sugar and salt dissolve, then pour it over the vegetables and let them cool in the jar—voila, pickles.
How do you keep batter from falling off fried pickles? ›
Thoroughly drying the pickles is essential to the batter sticking properly, so don't skip that step. Simply remove the pickle slices from the jar, and drain them on a paper towel. Then, use another paper towel to pat each side of the pickles dry before dropping them into the buttermilk mixture.
What is fried pickle batter made of? ›
Ingredients ½ 1x 2x
- 1 ½ cups dill pickle chips, pressed dry with paper towels ( I use Mt. Olive mini stuffers)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour.
- 1½ teaspoons Cajun seasoning.
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika.
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning.
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder.
- ½ teaspoon onion powder.
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper.
It's important to dry food before applying the breading because a high moisture content prevents dry ingredients from correctly reacting with hot oil. If improperly prepared, the batter on your pickles will soak up all that grease instead of frying to perfection.
Why aren't my fried pickles crispy? ›
While you're prepping your pickles and batter, you need to get the oil hot, really hot. About 375 degrees Fahrenheit is great. This is an important step, because if your oil isn't hot enough your pickles won't fry in a way that achieves that perfect super crispy texture.
I tend to find fried food a bit heavy, yet fried pickles are a tangy, crisp treat made just a tad more decadent with the crunchy breading. The acidity of the pickle stands up well to the breading and frying unlike some foods such as vegetables, which I feel often lose their flavor and snap once they've been fried.
What brand of pickles does Hooters use? ›
After a little sleuthing, I discovered that Hooters uses Mrs. Klein's crinkle-cut pickles, but that particular brand can be hard to find in most stores.
What seasoning is good with pickles? ›
Use as many or as few of the spices below to create your own signature spice blend. I recommend using mustard seeds, black peppercorns, or red pepper flakes, and at least one of the sweet spices (allspice, cinnamon, or cloves), and then as many of the other spices as you like.
What makes pickles taste so good? ›
The process of fermentation gives pickle its distinctive flavor that serves as the perfect balance of spicy, sour and bitter to have along with a meal. The diversity of flavors in a single bite is what makes the dish truly complete.
What goes well with fried pickles? ›
Serve immediately with a side of Dill Pickle Ranch Dressing. Keep Them Warm: Add them to a paper-towel lined plate to remove excess oil.
What leaves keep pickles crunchy? ›
One of the secrets to getting crunchy pickles is to add leaves, such as grape, oak, raspberry, blackberry, or cherry leaves that have tannins in them.
Why are kosher pickles so crunchy? ›
The traditional Jewish method for making kosher pickles requires soaking cucumbers in a brine composed of water, vinegar, salt, garlic, and dill. After that, the pickles are placed in jars and allowed to ferment for a few weeks. They get their distinctive crunchy texture and sour flavor as a result of this process.
Does alum keep pickles crisp? ›
If good quality ingredients are used and up-to-date methods are followed, firming agents are not needed. Alum has little crispness affect on quick-process pickles. Alum will increase firmness of fermented pickles when used at levels up to ¼ teaspoon per pint, but greater amounts will decrease firmness.
Does citric acid make pickles crispy? ›
Alum and Citric Acid does not improve the firmness of quick-process pickles. Instead, you can use a product called Pickle Crisp from Ball. It is granules of calcium chloride.
