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 do you keep batter from falling off fried pickles? ›
How do you keep batter from falling off fried pickles? Dredging the pickles in flour prior to adding them to the batter will help the coating stick. The flour will help soak up excess moisture and help the batter adhere.
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.
And if your leftover pickles appear too dry, a quick spritz of cooking oil can be beneficial. Air fry the pickles for three to four minutes, but always be attentive as the size and thickness of your pickles and varying air fryer models can alter the ideal reheating time.
What ingredient makes pickles crisp? ›
Use Calcium Chloride
Calcium chloride (CaCl2), sometimes known as “pickle crisp”, is a type of salt that helps preserve the crunchiness of food. It is used in the food industry to help preserve the texture of canned fruit and vegetables. Sea salt is sodium chloride. In this case, we're talking about calcium chloride!
What is the crisping agent for pickles? ›
Calcium chloride is mainly used in canning to make crunchy pickles. It can also be used in lacto-fermentation! Fermentation tends to soften vegetables, so using calcium chloride helps keep the vegetables crunchy.
Why are my homemade pickles not crunchy? ›
Using too weak a salt brine or vinegar solution may cause soft or slippery pickles, as can using moldy garlic or storing the pickles at too warm a temperature.
Why won't my batter stick to 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 to prevent breading from falling off when frying? ›
Place the breaded chicken on a cooling rack (or a platter) and chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. This cooling time will help the layers of breading ingredients solidify and adhere better after the chicken cooks. Once you start cooking the chicken, be patient and don't flip it over too early.
How unhealthy are deep fried pickles? ›
While pickles are a high-sodium food item, the deep-fried pickle is significantly higher. One deep-fried pickle spear contains 1,220 milligrams of sodium, versus 210 milligrams in a regular spear. One deep-fried pickle gives you more than half of the daily recommended intake, which is 2,300 milligrams a day.
Use An Ice Water Bath
One of the best ways to prepare crispy pickles is to soak your cucumbers in an ice water bath for nearly five hours before starting the pickling process. Place water and ice in a large container and add the clean pickling cucumbers into it, letting them soak.
What country invented fried pickles? ›
Why are my fried pickles soggy? ›
Naturally juicy, pickles have a lot of moisture that can alter the dry ingredients in breading mixes and make the frying process result in a soggy mess.
Can you prep fried pickles ahead of time? ›
You can prep the dredge ingredients 1-2 days in advance. You can dredge the pickles up to 30 minutes before frying and place them in the fridge to help the dredge set. You can fry them and keep them warm in the oven for about 15 minutes, but not longer as they will lose their crispiness.
What gives flavor to pickles and makes the product crisp? ›
Very simply, tannins are chemical compounds in the leaves that will make your pickles crunchy. Seriously, don't skip this step. Nobody likes soggy pickles. If you have no oak leaves, you could also use horseradish leaves or grape leaves.
What makes pickles crunchy vs soft? ›
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.
Why are my pickles not crunchy? ›
As much as we'd like, it's not possible to prevent pickles from going soft, especially if you didn't pay attention during the canning process. If left in jars for extended periods, your pickles will eventually begin to get mushy. That's why it's important to get the canning process right and leave the cans airtight.
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? ›
Cucumbers are soaked in a saltwater brine solution to generate fermented pickles, which then ferment naturally with lactic acid-producing bacteria. The sour flavor and crunchy texture of fermented pickles are a result of this process.
