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    You are here: Home / Sides / Fried Pickles

    Fried Pickles

    January 11, 2019 By Sam 64 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure policy.
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    Fried Pickles

    Today we’re making homemade fried pickles! These are crisp breaded dill pickle slices made with no deep fryer required. I’ve also included a simple zesty dipping sauce in the recipe!

    Today’s recipe is made with simple ingredients and includes a how-to video at the bottom of the post!

    white plate of homemade fried pickles

    Fried Pickles are our first savory recipe of 2019! And our first fried recipe, at that.

    I’ve started to get a bit more comfortable frying things. First I shared my fried donut holes, and last year we did apple fritters and sour cream donuts. These fried pickles are done much the same way with no deep fryer required. All you need is a heavy-bottomed pot (I like using my medium-sized cast iron saucepan), some vegetable oil, and a thermometer.

    I started out this recipe trying to mimic fried pickles from one of my favorite restaurants. They have thinly sliced pickles with a very light and thin coating. I tried a few variations and was moving along happily towards thin, barely breaded, fried pickles, when disaster struck.

    I found a variation I liked even better. Zach and I both agreed that this thicker, crispier, more prominent batter (paired with a more thickly sliced dill pickle, so as not to overwhelm the taste) was actually even better and more addictive than the fried pickles I’d set out to copy. Here’s hoping you enjoy them just as much!

    how to make fried pickles

    How to Make Fried Pickles

    1. Slice your dill pickles. You can start with pre-sliced pickle chips, but I prefer to cut my own from whole kosher dill pickles.
    2. Heat your oil to 375F (this can take 10 minutes or longer) and make your breading (a simple mix of flour, salt and pepper, garlic powder, and other spices)  and dipping mixture
    3. Toss 3-4 pickle slices in your flour-based breading mixture, shake off the excess, dip in a buttermilk/egg mixture, dip in flour mixture again.
    4. (Carefully!) transfer to oil and fry until golden brown. Remove from oil using a strainer or slotted spoon.
    5. Enjoy warm!

    Tips for Making Fried Pickles

    The thickness of your pickle slices matters!

    I found that the thin pickle slices I originally was going for became overwhelmed by this batter. When I tried them this way, it was kind of just like eating deep fried batter (tasty, but not what we want here!). Slices that were just shy of ¼″ thick provided the perfect amount of pickle. This way you can actually taste the pickle and experience that satisfying pickle crunch in every bite. Any thicker and they became awkward, two-bite snacks.

    Use Buttermilk (or my substitute!)

    The tangy flavor of the buttermilk is the perfect complement to dill pickles, and I don’t recommend using regular milk if you can avoid it. If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can use my easy buttermilk substitute, which just requires milk and either a splash of lemon juice or vinegar.

    fried pickles draining on paper towels

    Enjoy!

    Other Recipes You Might Like:

    • Jalapeno Popper Dip
    • Million Dollar Deviled Eggs
    • Buffalo Chicken Dip
    • Dill Dip

    Fried pickles

    Fried Pickles

    Crispy fried pickles with an optional dipping sauce!
    Recipe includes a how-to VIDEO!
    5 from 22 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Appetizer
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 5 minutes
    Total Time: 20 minutes
    Servings: 6 servings
    Calories: 139kcal
    Author: Sam Merritt

    Ingredients

    • Vegetable oil for frying
    • 1 cup all purpose flour (125g)
    • ½ teaspoon Salt
    • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
    • ¼ teaspoon paprika
    • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
    • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
    • ½ cup buttermilk
    • 1 large egg
    • 3 kosher dill pickles cut into slices just shy of ¼” thick and lightly patted dry*

    Dipping Sauce (optional, plain old Ranch dressing also works great for dipping!)

    • 2 Tablespoons Ranch dressing
    • 1 Tablespoon BBQ sauce
    • 1 teaspoon ketchup
    • 1 teaspoon mayonnaise
    • Dash tabasco sauce
    • Dash of ground black pepper
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Fill a Dutch oven or large saucepan 2-3" deep with oil for frying. Fix a candy thermometer to the edge (make sure it is in the oil but not touching the bottom of the pan) and set your heat to medium. Oil will need to reach 375F (190C) before you can begin frying, but this will take 10 minutes or so.
    • Meanwhile, prepare your breading mixture by whisking together flour, salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder. Set aside.
    • In a separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk and egg.
    • Once oil has reached 375F (190C), prepare pickles for frying in batches of 3-4 slices
    • Coat slices in flour mixture, gengly shake off excess, dredge in buttermilk/egg mixture, then coat with flour mixture again.
    • Transfer (carefully!) to oil and fry 3-4 pickle slices at a time for 90 seconds on each side or until golden brown.
    • Use a slotted spoon or strainer to remove from oil and transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Make sure oil returns to 375F (190C) before frying your next batch of pickles.
    • Fried pickles are best enjoyed warm. If desired, serve with dipping sauce, which can be made by stirring together dipping sauce ingredients until combined.

    Notes

    *Alternatively you can use 1 ½ cups of pre-sliced dill pickle chips

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 139kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 607mg | Potassium: 111mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 223IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 1mg

    Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.

    Tried this recipe? Show me on Instagram!Mention @SugarSpun_Sam or tag #sugarspunrun!
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Madison

      May 05, 2022 at 10:38 pm

      THESE WERE SO GOOD!!! I absolutely LOVED this recipe and I WILL be making them again! I even used your buttermilk substitute and it STILL turned out amazing!!!

      Reply
      • Sam

        May 06, 2022 at 8:45 am

        I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Madison! 🙂

        Reply
    2. Blufeather

      April 20, 2021 at 1:58 am

      Would this work in an air fryer?

      Reply
      • Sam

        April 20, 2021 at 12:45 pm

        I honestly have never tried in an air fryer, I’m sorry! If you do try it, would you let me know how it turns out for you?

        Reply
    3. AMJ

      March 25, 2021 at 7:24 pm

      5 stars
      This is my new favorite fried pickle recipe! I looked this one up because I was feeling too lazy to find the one I usually use, and I’m so glad I did! The sauce recipe is amazing too.

      Reply
      • Sam

        March 25, 2021 at 9:31 pm

        I’m so glad you enjoy them so much! 🙂

        Reply
    4. Jessie Torrence

      March 01, 2021 at 9:21 pm

      5 stars
      I made this rn it’s soooo goood!!! 😋
      I didn’t have buttermilk so I did a substitute of milk yogurt and water came out great it called for plain yogurt but I used vanilla 🤷🏻‍♀️ It’s still came out great 👍🏼

      Reply
      • Sam

        March 01, 2021 at 9:27 pm

        I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Jessie! 🙂

        Reply
    5. Wayne

      September 24, 2020 at 2:43 pm

      Dang it Sam!!!
      You’re going to make me fat(ter)

      Reply
      • Sam

        September 24, 2020 at 4:53 pm

        🤣 I’m sorry! 🙂

        Reply
    6. Richard Myers

      August 30, 2020 at 2:05 am

      Impressive flavor, just wonderful, used my favorite pickles too.
      And the lady with the funnel cake idea with the rest of the batter was genius, just sugar or power sugar,very nice.
      Awesome recipe my best ones I ever made at home & it was tonight. Thank you

      Reply
      • Sam

        August 31, 2020 at 12:11 pm

        I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Richard! 🙂

        Reply
    7. dawn s cherne

      August 28, 2020 at 11:38 pm

      I wonder if they can be made ahead and frozen? I know when I do it with some things (like zucchini) it never comes out as good. Wondering if you have tried.

      Reply
      • Sam

        August 29, 2020 at 11:09 pm

        Hi Dawn! I am not sure how it would work. Typically with a fried food they are best when served fresh. 🙂

        Reply
        • Jennifer Castellani

          February 07, 2021 at 5:44 pm

          5 stars
          DELICIOUS! Best fried pickle recipe I have found so far. Wish I could post a pic..

        • Sam

          February 07, 2021 at 9:39 pm

          I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Jennifer! Unfortunately there isn’t a way to post a picture here but you can tag me on Instagram @Sugarspun_Sam or join my Facebook Group. I’d love to see it! 🙂

    8. sebastian

      August 27, 2020 at 2:48 pm

      this was one of the best fried pickles ever. I am so happy I found this recipe. It was great the whole family loved i’m making it again today!!!

      Reply
      • Sam

        August 27, 2020 at 2:55 pm

        Yay! I’m so happy you enjoyed, Sebastian! Thank you for trying my recipe 🙂

        Reply
        • sebastian

          August 27, 2020 at 8:27 pm

          5 stars
          ya np

    9. Teri Cristobal

      August 27, 2020 at 2:57 am

      5 stars
      Our first time making this. Your recipe was unique with ingredients I already had and the dry-wet-dry coating technique. This was easy to make and your instructions were great. We were able to fry up 7pcs at a time and fried up more than 3 pickles with all the batter. They came out delicious (perfectly seasoned with just the right amount of batter to pickle ratio)… and the perfect dipping sauce, too. Will definitely make this again! Thank you for filling our cravings.

      Reply
      • Sam

        August 27, 2020 at 9:10 pm

        I am so glad everyone enjoyed them so much, Teri! Now you can satisfy that craving at any time. 🙂

        Reply
    10. Katherine

      July 07, 2020 at 3:14 pm

      5 stars
      So, yesterday, I got an odd, really intense craving for fried pickles, but most of the restaurants around me are closed. I started browsing reciped and found this one. Let me just say: This was SO GOOD! It was salty, crunchy, and didn’t take too much time. They were everything I had hoped and more, and were absolutely drool-worthy. One tip: if you have some flour and some egg mixture left, stir them together and fry it. It tastes just like a savory funnel cake, and was super tasty!

      Reply
      • Sam

        July 08, 2020 at 5:26 pm

        I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Katherine! I know how it feels to absolutely crave these. 🙂

        Reply
    11. Jessica

      June 28, 2020 at 9:28 pm

      5 stars
      Excellent!! I LOVE FRIED PICKLES!!! I have an addiction to pickles in every form anyway so it is long past time to step up to the fried pickle plate! This was my first time making them in general. This recipe is awesome!!! The seasoning is perfectly blended. Thank you for sharing this!!

      Reply
      • Sugar Spun Run

        June 28, 2020 at 9:42 pm

        I am so glad that you enjoyed them, Jessica! Thank you for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂

        Reply
    12. nandy

      June 13, 2020 at 7:19 pm

      5 stars
      this was so addicting and great, definitely making this again 100% recommenced, the sauce doesn’t taste like the original however i loved it with ranch

      Reply
      • Sam

        June 15, 2020 at 12:00 pm

        I am so glad you enjoyed them so much! 🙂

        Reply
    13. Nancy Cammack

      May 22, 2020 at 12:31 pm

      Delish! The sauce was addictive-soo good. I doubled the spices and the light batter on “Wickle’s dirty dill pickles brand” was to die for. Couldn’t make them fast enough for the family.

      Reply
      • Sugar Spun Run

        May 22, 2020 at 2:16 pm

        I am so glad that they were such a hit, Nancy! Thank you for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂

        Reply
    14. Hannah

      May 05, 2020 at 12:51 pm

      I used this recipe and it was amazing except the spices were not strong enough! I would say half the flour or quadruple all of the spices. Then you can really taste them once they are fried 👌

      Reply
      • Sugar Spun Run

        May 05, 2020 at 2:58 pm

        Thanks for trying my recipe, Hannah! I am glad that you enjoyed them and adjusted the spice levels to your liking. Thanks for commenting. 🙂

        Reply
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    The author (Sam) in blue shirt holding donut Hi, I'm Sam! I'm dedicated to bringing you sweet, simple, and from-scratch dessert recipes. My life may or may not be controlled by my sweet tooth. Send help (or chocolate). Read more about me.

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