Fried Pickles
Fried to crispy perfection and with a can’t-have-just-one flavor, these fried pickles are a customizable 7-ingredient snack that are perfect for dipping.
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Table of Contents
About Fried Pickles
Perfect as an appetizer or a quick bite, these deep-fried pickles have a deliciously crisp coating and an addictive flavor that’ll make it impossible to just have one (or just one batch!)
Plus, these fried pickles are easy to customize with your favorite seasonings and dipping sauces, giving you endless ways to enjoy this satisfyingly simple snack.
What’s in fried pickles?
To make a delicious batch of crispy fried pickles, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Sliced pickles and pickle juice – The stars of the show. You can use any type of sliced pickles that you’d like, but hamburger dill chips are recommended.
- Peanut oil – Used for frying. Vegetable to canola oil will also work.
- Flour and yellow cornmeal – Forms the base of the fried coating.
- Water – Helps activate the batter so that it sticks to the pickles.
- Creole seasoning – To give the fried pickles a kick of flavor. Feel free to adjust this or use a different seasoning altogether (such as Old Bay seasoning, BBQ seasoning, lemon pepper seasoning, or blackening seasoning) if you’d like.
What dipping sauces should you use?
This recipe recommends using ranch as a dipping sauce – because ranch goes with everything – but there are plenty of other condiments to enjoy fried pickles with, such as:
- Honey mustard
- Comeback sauce
- BBQ Sauce
- Tzatziki sauce
- Remoulade
- Aioli sauce
- Enchilada sauce
- Blooming onion sauce
- Yum yum sauce
Can you make fried pickles in advance?
For this particular recipe, I can’t recommend making them in advance. The pickles are best when freshly fried, and even the reheating instructions include frying the pickles again. When making your plans, it’s best to account for frying the pickles just before serving.
How long are fried pickles good for?
Once prepared and cooled, fried pickles can be stored in a container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
To reheat, it’s best to deep fry the pickles again; using the microwave or oven may cause the breading to become soggy.
Can you freeze fried pickles?
Yes, you totally can!
Once prepared and cooled, fried pickles can be stored in a sealed container or freezer bag for up to three months.
When ready to eat, allow the pickles to thaw in the refrigerator overnight. For best results, deep frying the pickles again will keep the breading nice and crispy.
Notes & tips for fried pickles
- As mentioned above, this recipe requires about two quarts of peanut oil to get the depth you need for frying pickles. But with that much oil, that also begs the question: Once you’re done frying, what do you do with it? You can either safely dispose of it (check out this article: How to Properly Dispose of Grease and Oil.) or store it for future fried goods (check out this article: How to Deal with Leftover Frying Oil.)
- If you don’t have a candy thermometer, you can dip a piece of wood (like a toothpick or skewer) into the oil to see if it’s ready. If the oil bubbles around the wood then it’s hot enough to fry.
- If you have a deep fryer, feel free to follow the usage instructions that come with the unit as opposed to using a skillet to fry the pickles.
- This recipe uses classic dill pickles but feel free to use whatever type of sliced pickle that you’d like.
- Instead of creole seasoning, you could use Old Bay seasoning, BBQ seasoning, lemon pepper seasoning, or blackening seasoning.
More delicious finger foods
How to make fried pickles
This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. If you’re looking for the full recipe measurements and instructions, scroll down to Recipe Details.
Step 1 – Kick things off by preparing the pickles for frying. Line a large plate or baking sheet with paper towels, then arrange pickles on top. Use more paper towels to press out as much liquid in the pickles as possible. The breading will stick better when the pickles are dry, so remove as much juice as you can without crushing the pickles. Once done, set the pickles aside for now.
Step 2 – Add the peanut oil to a large skillet and heat it up to 350 degrees F. Tip: a candy thermometer will help ensure you’ve reached the right temp.
Step 3 – While the oil warms up, mix the batter by whisking together the flour, cornmeal, and creole seasoning, then whisk in the water and pickle juice until everything is incorporated.
Step 4 – Place the dried pickles into the batter, then toss them to coat. Be sure that the pickles aren’t sticking together and that each pickle is fully coated, front and back.
Step 5 – Drop the coated pickles into the hot oil and fry until a light golden brown. Transfer the finished fried pickles to a plate lined with fresh paper towels.
Step 6 – Serve and enjoy!
Fried Pickles
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tablespoon reserved pickle juice
- ranch dressing, for dipping (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare pickles by arranging them in a single layer, 1 inch apart, on a large plate lined with paper towels. Use more paper towels to press out as much liquid from pickles as you can. They need to be as dry as possible so that breading sticks. Once done, set pickles aside.2 cups hamburger dill chips (sliced pickles)
- Add peanut oil in a wide, deep skillet. Oil should come up at least 3 inches along the side of the pan. Heat oil to 350 degrees F (using a candy thermometer helps!) Line a large plate with more paper towels and set nearby.2 quarts peanut oil
- While oil heats, add four, cornmeal, and creole seasoning to a medium bowl, then mix well.1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal, 3/4 teaspoon creole seasoning
- Add water and pickle juice to bowl, then whisk until batter ingredients are incorporated.1/2 cup water, 1 tablespoon reserved pickle juice
- Add dried pickles to batter, then toss to coat. Ensure that pickles are not sticking together and are completely coated, front and back.
- Carefully drop coated pickles into hot oil, one at a time. If needed, use a pair of tongs or a long skewer to ensure pickles stay separated and are not sticking to the bottom of pan. Fry pickles until crispy and light golden brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer fried pickles to prepared paper-towel-lined plate. Repeat this step until all pickles are fried.
- Serve immediately with ranch dressing for dipping (optional).ranch dressing
Nutrition
I do my best to provide nutrition information, but please keep in mind that I’m not a certified nutritionist. Any nutritional information discussed or disclosed in this post should only be seen as my best amateur estimates of the correct values.
