When you're craving something tangy, crunchy, and a little sour, there's no better way to satisfy that craving with pickles. Whether you're enjoying them on top of a juicy burger or by itself as a snack, you're in for a treat. Making homemade pickles is a fun way to play around with different spices and ingredients and it's also a great way to use up cucumbers.
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Well, if you haven't had the chance to enjoy fried pickles, you're in for an extra special treat. When I tried them for the first time, I was instantly hooked. They're easy to whip up at home and make the perfect appetizer when guests come over.
Here are some helpful tips to remember when you're frying pickles at home:
1. Dry off your pickles from all the moisture with paper towels before you coat them in the batter. Doing so will help keep them from getting soggy and mushy.
2. Not all recipes mention this, but it's helpful to lightly dust the pickles in cornstarch or all-purpose flour and then to store the pickles in the refrigerator for a few minutes after applying the coating. This will help the coating stick better rather than falling right off in the fryer.
3. If you're deep frying pickles, make sure you heat the oil to the right temperature. If your oil is too cold, the fried pickles won't be crispy. If your oil is too hot, you'll end up with burnt fried pickles. An ideal temperature is around 350 degrees F. I love using my infrared thermometer when I'm deep frying.
Here are some of our favorite fried pickle recipes to make at home.
1. Beer-Battered Fried Pickles
Everything tastes a little better with beer, right? Dill pickle slices are dipped in a seasoned batter with your favorite beer and fried until golden brown and crisp. Try to fry pickles a few at a time in small batches. Overcrowding the fryer or Dutch oven will drop the temperature of the oil, leaving you with soggy fried pickles.
Serve these deep fried pickles along side a homemade spicy ranch dipping sauce for the perfect snack. Here's the recipe.
2. Fried Pickles with Spicy Mayonnaise
These deep fried pickles have an extra crispy crust from the ground Japanese bread crumbs, also known as panko. For this easy recipe, pickle spears are first dredged in flour and then dipped in eggs and the panko breadcrumbs.
The spicy mayo dipping sauce has a nice kick of heat from the cayenne pepper and is perfect when paired with the simple recipe. Find it here.
3. Oven Fried Pickles
If you're looking to skip the deep frying process, but still want to enjoy the crisp and crunch from fried pickles, a healthier option is this recipe for oven fried pickles. It might be hard to believe, but cooking these pickles at a higher temperature in the oven is just as delicious if you were to fry them.
Using panko breadcrumbs for this also helps to give a nice crispy crust and the addition of fresh dill in the coating really compliments the pickles. You don't want to miss this easy recipe. Find it here.
4. Cornmeal-Crusted Fried Pickles
Garlic dill pickle slices are first dredged in tangy buttermilk, which helps the cornmeal mixture stick better to the pickle slices. You'll have this quick recipe ready in minutes and the ingredients are most likely already in your pantry!
It's best to serve these tasty fried pickles right away to enjoy the crispy coating. Here's the recipe.
5. Oven Fried Parmesan Pickles with Buttermilk Ranch Dip
This is another great oven fried recipe if you are looking to ditch the deep fryer. Crunchy and tangy dill pickle spears are coated in a buttermilk, panko and Parmesan mixture that is sure to crisp up in a hot oven.
This recipe recommends pairing these fried dill pickle spears with a homemade buttermilk ranch dip that is definitely a recipe you'll want to store away in your recipe box for the future. The dip has ingredients like: buttermilk, dill, celery salt and the liquid from the pickle brine. Talk about the perfect crowd-pleasing appetizer! Here is the recipe.
6. Southwestern Fried Pickles
Crispy, spicy, and creamy perfectly describes these deep fried pickles. Dill pickle slices are seasoned in a flour, panko breadcrumb, and taco seasoning mixture that is so flavorful and delicious. Enjoy these fried pickles plain or for an extra kick of heat, drizzle your favorite hot sauce on top along with creamy ranch dressing.
7. Fried Pickle Poppers
One of my favorite late night snacks are jalapeño poppers. They're spicy and cheese and have a delicious crunchy coating. These fried pickle poppers are just as good if you're not looking for a ton of spice.
Whole dill pickles are cored (save the pickle core and make relish!) and stuffed with either pimento cheese, cream cheese or any other type of cheese spread and then covered in a wonton wrapper. Fry these babies up and serve with homemade chipotle mayo. There's nothing better! Here's the recipe.
8. Spicy Jalapeño Deep Fried Pickles
This is not your typical fried pickle recipe! It's a little different because diced jalapeños are added into the breadcrumbs. The jalapeños will obviously add in some heat, so if you're all about spicy foods, this recipe is for you!
You can use store bought or homemade sliced dill pickles for this and they only take a few minutes to prepare and fry. The perfect game day appetizer! Here's the recipe.
9. Fried Pickles with Herbed Breadcrumbs
This is a great recipe for you to experiment in the kitchen with because you can use any type of fresh or dried herbs. This deep fried pickle recipe suggests use it a combination of parsley, tarragon and chives, but you can use any herbs you prefer. For extra spice and flavor, add in a little cayenne pepper or smoked paprika to the panko breadcrumbs.
Serve these fried pickles warm with lemon slices or your favorite dipping sauce. Here is the recipe.
10. Ranch Fried Pickles
If you're looking for tangy and flavorful fried pickles, you have to try out this recipe. Dill or bread and butter pickle slices are coated in a sticky batter made with ranch seasoning, flour, milk, and pickle juice, and are deep fried until golden brown and delicious.
These fried pickles make the best appetizer or snack , but you can also try them out on top of your sandwich or burger. Find the recipe here.
