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These fried pickles are light, crispy, tangy, salty, and so pop-able! Especially when served with our Sriracha Dill Dipping Sauce, I could eat these all day!
Betcha Can’t Eat Just One
Whenever fried pickles are on the menu, I can’t pass them up. They are hands-down one of my favorite restaurant appetizers! When I make them at home, I love serving them with a big, juicy Hamburger. I know this sounds weird but I also love throwing them on top of a salad or over our Buffalo Chicken Salad. It seems like it would be a weird combo but it is sooo good, especially with Buttermilk Ranch Dressing over the top. Just try it, you can thank me later. 😊
🩷 Erica
Key Ingredients
- Pickles – Any kind of dill chip will work great in this recipe, just use your favorite! I have found the ones with ridges will hold the batter better but smooth ones will work fine too as long as you pat them really dry.
- Batter – The batter for these pickles is a mixture of flour, club soda, and a variety of spices and seasonings including salt, pepper, paprika, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and a touch of cayenne.
- Oil for frying – Any high heat oil works well for this recipe. My go-tos are usually vegetable oil, canola oil, avocado oil, or peanut oil.
- Dipping sauce – The Sriracha Dill dipping sauce in the recipe below is the perfect pairing for this recipe, especially if you like a little kick (don’t worry it’s not too spicy). My next favorite dipping sauce for this is ranch dressing (our restaurant-style buttermilk ranch dressing is seriously the best ranch you will ever have).
How to Make Fried Pickles
- Pour about 3 inches of oil into a deep pot and heat to 375°F. Drain pickle chips, place on paper towels, and pat dry to remove excess moisture.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup flour, salt, pepper, seasonings, and club soda. Let rest for 5 minutes.
- Lightly dredge each pickle slice in the remaining ¼ cup flour, shaking off any excess.
- Dip pickles in batter, let excess drip off, then fry 8–10 at a time until golden brown, about 3–5 minutes. Drain on a wire rack or paper towels.
- Whisk together Sriracha Dill sauce ingredients until smooth and well combined.
- Serve fried pickles hot with Srirahca Dill Sauce and/or ranch dressing.
Expert Tips for Frying Pickles
Use cold batter – Keep the club soda very cold. Cold batter hitting hot oil creates a crisp, airy crust.
Don’t crowd the pot or deep fryer – Fry the pickles in small batches (8–10 slices at a time) so the oil temperature stays consistent. Overcrowding will create greasy pickles.
Keep the oil temp consistent – This is easy if you are using a deep fryer. Just set the temp and you should be good. Keep oil around 375°F. If you are using a thick-walled pot for the oil, be sure to use an oil-safe thermometer to gauge the temperature. If it’s too low, the coating soaks up oil. Too high, and it burns before the pickles cook through.
Frequently Asked Questions
Dry the pickles thoroughly before coating. Also keep your oil hot (around 375°F) and fry in small batches so the oil temperature doesn’t drop.
Use an oven or air fryer. Place them on a rack inside a baking sheet and heat around 350–375°F until warmed and crisp again. Avoid using the microwave (they will definitely get soggy).
I honestly have not had great luck air frying using this type of batter. If you are wanting to air fry, use the same batter method as our Air Fryer Green Beans (a coating of egg and then dipped in breadcrumbs). The crumb coating seems to work better than a batter coating.
More Bite-Sized Fried Favorites
Have you tried these Crispy Fried Pickles? Drop a comment below and let me know how you liked them and how you served them (tell me your favorite dipping sauce!). Don’t forget to take a pic and tag us on Instagram @favoritefamilyrecipes! 📸🥒
Fried Pickles
Equipment
- deep fryer (optional)
Ingredients
- oil for frying
- 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour , separated
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 10 ounces club soda
- dill pickle chips (of your choice)
Sriracha Dill Dipping Sauce
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/3 cup mayo
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- salt and pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Heat 3 inches of oil in a deep pot to 375ºF. Drain pickle chips and place on paper towels to remove additional moisture. Pat dry.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the 1 cup of flour, salt, pepper, seasonings and club soda. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.
- Dredge each pickle slice in the remaining ¼ cup flour, shaking off any excess.
- Place each pickle slice in batter, letting the excess batter drip back into the bowl. Fry 8-10 pickle slices at a time until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes.
- Serve with sriracha dill dipping sauce or ranch dressing
Sriracha Dill Dipping Sauce
- Combine all ingredients and stir until smooth and well combined. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
