Air Fryer Pickle Spears have an extraordinary crunch and a crispy tangy taste. You'll love these air fryer deep fried pickles because they are made with so less oil & under 15 mins. Just dredge the dill pickles and air fry until crispy & golden.
Check out our air fryer recipes & Instant pot recipes for more ideas!
Air Fryer Fried Pickles
Fried pickles in air fryer is a great healthy alternative to deep fried pickle spears. You can make a batch easily with just 3 main ingredients & seasonings of your choice! We chose the simple route and made our air fryer dill pickles with pickle spears, a crispy panko coating and a few simple seasonings.
The result is an ultimate crispy air fryer pickles with so much flavor, so much crunch that's hard to resist!
Swap the seasoning with our homemade salt-free Cajun seasoning or salt-free fajita seasoning to add some extra layers of flavor. No matter what the occasion, you're going to be obsessed with making these Air Fryer Fried Pickles.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Find the Ingredients with actual measurements at the bottom of the post. The list below is just a reference.
You can cut the extra calories, grease and fat count of traditional deep fried pickles by making fried pickles in an air fryer. They are so much better & healthy. A great party or game day appetizer and a great food for snacking.
- Pickles: We used Dill pickles. You can choose either dill pickle spears or dill pickle slices. If you prefer slices choose thicker ones (in pickle bottles) or cut your own dill pickles into thick slices.
- Flour: We used all purpose flour and seasoned it with simple spices. If you are following a keto diet you can swap the flour with almond flour.
- Eggs: Whisk the eggs well so that they coat the dill pickles spears nicely. If you are allergic to egg do swap them with a simple flour slurry. Dip the dill pickles into the flour slurry instead of the whisked eggs. Use gluten free flour slurry if you are on a gluten free diet.
- Panko Breadcrumbs: Panko adds a great crunch and crispy texture to this easy air fryer fried pickles. You can also swap the panko with seasoned breadcrumbs, if that's what you have on hand.
- Seasonings: Paprika, ground black pepper and salt. You can also use about 1 teaspoon of our homemade salt-free Cajun seasoning or salt-free fajita seasoning.
- Cooking Oil Spray: We prefer avocado cooking oil spray.
Tips for Success
- Best Pickle: Use dill pickle spears for more tangy pickle in every bite. They are also the juiciest and have the most pickle flavor. If you prefer more coating to pickle ratio than do use dill pickle slices. For best result and for more control cut your own whole dill pickles into thicker slices.
- Pat dry pickles: Dab the pickle spears dry with the help of kitchen towels. This will help the coating stick well and also prevent the pickles from getting soggy.
- Extra crispy: You can make extra crispy air fried pickles spears by cooking them in small batches rather than cooking a large batch. This will allow the pickles to crisp up nicely.
- Uniform golden crispy panko coating: To achieve a gorgeous crispy golden panko coating do toast the panko breadcrumbs on the skillet over medium heat until the crumbs turn a gorgeous golden color. Use them to coat the pickle spears. This way the air fryer dill pickles will achieve a gorgeous crispy golden coating just like their deep fried version.
How to make fried pickles in air fryer?
Find the detailed step by step recipe along with measurements + Video at the bottom of the post.
Step 1 # Prep pickle spears
- Prep pickles: Drain the pickle spears. Pat pickles dry with paper towel. Put flour in one bowl, egg mixture in another bowl, & toasted Panko mixture in a third bowl.
Step #2 Dredge pickle spears
- Dredge pickles: Dredge each pickle in flour first, then egg mixture, then toasted panko, pressing the breadcrumbs into the coated pickles.
Step #3 Air fry & serve
- Air fry Dill pickles: Spray each pickle with cooking oil spray & place in air fryer. Air fry at 400 F for 8-10 mins. You may flip sides, however it's not mandatory.
What to serve with fried pickles air fryer recipe?
Serve this healthy fried pickles appetizer with Air fryer frozen chicken thighs, air fryer sausage and potatoes, air fryer Cajun shrimp, air fryer salmon patties. Air fryer pickles are a fantastic healthy appetizer for parties, potlucks, gatherings, gameday or just any occasion.
What do you dip fried pickles in?
- Bang Bang Sauce recipe with mayo. - a sauce with a slight kick, very versatile!
- Yum yum sauce recipe without tomato paste. - ready in 5 mins & tastes amazing!
- Best Tzatziki sauce recipe. - creamy, bright and so yummy!
Leftovers & storage
Air fryer pickles are best served fresh and hot right out of the air fryer! The crunch factor is at its peak!
However, you can store any leftovers in the fridge in air tight container or wrapped up in aluminum foil for 3 days. Reheat in the air fryer as suggested below for maximum crispness. They won't be as crispy as the fresh ones.
How to reheat
Air Fryer: Reheat fried pickles in air fryer at 400 F for 3 mins. They will turn crispy.
Microwave Oven: You can reheat these air fryer fried pickle spears in the microwave oven on high for 30 seconds or1 min or until warm or hot. Serve them immediately.
FAQs
Fried pickles can become soggy if the pickles are not dabbed dry with the help of kitchen towels before coating them with the wet-dry batter/coating. They can also become soggy if you stack a large group of hot fried pickles on a plate before serving.
Air fry frozen fried pickles for about 10-12 mins in a 400 F pre-heated air fryer flipping half way through. They should turn nice, crispy and golden in color.
You can make fried pickles crispy by dabbing the pickles dry completely with the help of kitchen towels before coating them with the wet-dry batter/coating. Using panko breadcrumbs instead of regular breadcrumbs as the coating will also make your fried pickles more crispy. Do not stack the hot air fried pickles together on a plate. Instead space them out and lay them on a platter/large plate and than serve than immediately for maximum crispy texture.
Yes, you can put breaded pickle in air fryer or bacon wrapped pickle in the air fryer in a single layer. This will ensure even cooking and make the fried pickles in air fryer crispy.
Pre-heat the air fryer at 400 F and arrange the farm rich fried pickles in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Air fry at 400 F for 7-8 mins flipping sides half way through or until crispy.
Yes, you can air fry pickles without flour. Use almond flour instead of all-purpose flour in the recipe.
Yes, you can air fry pickles without breading by either coating the pickles in coconut flakes instead of breadcrumbs or by coating them with almond flour.
Coat the pickles lightly in tapioca flour or almond flour and than dip them in eggs. Than, coat them well in almond flour or toasted coconut flakes. Spray them well with cooking oil spray and air fry them in a 400 F pre-heated air fryer for 8-10 mins. You can flip sides if you want to but it's not mandatory.
More air fryer recipes you might love
- Instant pot bang bang chicken
- Air fryer frozen chicken thighs.
- Air fryer Brownies.
- Air fryer Cajun shrimp.
- Air fryer sausage and potatoes.
Recommended
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Air Fryer Pickle Spears
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Ingredients
- 10 pickle spears (**we used dill pickle spears.)
- ⅓ cups All-Purpose Flour (**you can sub it with whole wheat flour or even almond flour.)
- 2 small Eggs (**whisked. Or use 1 large or extra large egg.)
- 1 cup Panko Bread crumbs. (**lightly toasted on a skillet on the stove top until lightly golden.)
Seasonings
- ½ tsp Garlic Powder
- ½ tsp Paprika (**smoked paprika.)
- ½ tsp Ground Black Pepper
- ⅛ tsp Salt (**optional.)
Equipment Used
Instructions
Prep Dill Pickles
- Drain the pickles in a colander or strainer and lay them flat on a kitchen towel for few mins. This will help drain out the excess mositure from the pickles. Than, pat them dry with the help of kitchen towels.
Dredge pickle spears
- Make a temporary assembly station on the table or kitchen counter in the following order. Put flour in a plate, add all the seasonings mentioned above in the "Seasonings" section of the ingredients list and whisk to mix well. Whisk eggs in another bowl. Place toatsted panko breadcrumbs in a separate plate.
- Dredge pickles in the flour, dip in the egg mixture, and then into the toasted panko breadcrumbs, pressing the crumbs to adhere well. Make sure that the pickles are well coated with the panko on all sides. There should not be any blank spots. Repeat this step until you are done coating all the pickle spears with panko. Place them on a plate.
Air fry pickles
- Pre-heat the air fryer at 400 F for 2-3 mins. Place the panko coated pickles into the air fryer basket in a single layer. Make sure there's enough space inbetween the pickles, do not overcrowd or stack them. Now, spray the pickle spears generously with cooking oil spray.
- Air fry at 400 F for 10-12 mins. You can flip sides half way thorugh, spray more oil and than continue cooking. We didn't flip sides. They were perfectly cooked through and turned out so crispy and delicious. Serve the air fryer pickles right awat with your favorite dipping sauce and enjoy! We have tested this recipe in our Bella air fryer, Insta Vortex and using the instant pot air fryer lid. You can find more tips, variations, ideas & step by step photos if you scroll up this post!
Notes
- Pat dry pickles: Drain the pickles and pat them dry with kitchen towels for an ultimate crispy, crunchy finish. Maximum coating will stick to the pickles if you dry them well.
- Gorgeous golden coating: For that gorgeous golden crispy coating which is restaurant quality good do toast the panko in a skillet on the stove top until lightly golden. Use this toasted panko to coat the pickles spears for an uniform golden coating.
- Choosing pickles: You can buy whole dill pickles and cut them into thick spears or slices. You can also buy dill pickle spears. We used store bought dill pickle spears.
- Air fry in batches: For best result air fry pickles in batches and do not over crowd them inside the air fryer basket. Always lay them in a single layer with enough space between each pickle spear.
- Crispy fried pickles: Spray oil generously on the panko coated pickle spears before air frying them. Cook them until golden and crispy.
- Serving tip: Reheat the air fryer pickles in a 400 F pre-heated air fryer for 1-2 mins just before serving. This will reward you with an ultimate crispy air fryer fried pickles.
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