Air Fryer Fried Pickles
Air fryer fried pickles are pickle slices dredged in flour, egg wash, and a crispy panko-cornmeal coating, then air fried until golden and crunchy and served with a spicy ranch dipping sauce. The panko-cornmeal combo seals in moisture and gets the coating extra crispy without deep frying. Perfect for game day, parties, bar-style appetizers, or when you want crispy fried pickles without the mess. Ready in 13 minutes, serves 6 using simple ingredients.
These air fryer fried pickles are crispy, tangy, and so much easier than deep frying!
When I think of my favorite thing to eat at a bar or pub, there is only one answer – fried pickles! They have a special place in my heart. What does NOT have a place there is the huge mess that comes with all the frying. Amiright?!
The air fryer is the game changer here. Instead of heating up a huge pot of oil and dealing with the splatter, the air fryer gets these pickles extra crispy with zero mess. And there’s a little secret to really GOOD fried pickles – the coating.
Instead of just flour or just panko, I use a combination of panko and cornmeal together. Panko makes the coating super crispy but can leave little gaps because of its larger flakes. The cornmeal fills in those gaps for full coverage that seals in the moisture and gets incredibly crunchy.
Serve with a spicy ranch or your favorite dipping sauce and watch them disappear!
More Air Fryer Appetizers
- Air Fryer Pigs in a Blanket – Two ingredients, 8 minutes
- Air Fryer Blooming Onion – Crispy petals with dipping sauce
- Air Fryer Toasted Ravioli – Italian breaded pasta bites
- Air Fryer Bang Bang Shrimp – Crispy with creamy spicy sauce
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See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and their quantities.
Ingredient Notes
Pickles – Use your favorite pickle – dill, sour, kosher, garlic, or spicy. Chips, slices, or spears all work. I use my homemade beer pickles here for extra flavor and spice!
Flour – Use all purpose flour for this. The first dredge layer helps the egg wash to stick to the pickle. You can use cornstarch as an alternative.
Egg Wash – Beat one egg with pickle juice and steak seasoning. The pickle juice adds extra tang!
Panko – Makes the coating extra crispy. Use gluten-free panko for GF version.
Cornmeal – Fills in the gaps left by panko for full coverage and maximum crunch. Don’t skip this! You can use seasoned breadcrumbs in a pinch.
Seasoning – I use my homemade steak seasoning but you can use any spice mix you like. Cajun seasoning is great too!
Cooking Spray – Lightly spray breaded pickles before air frying for deep golden color.
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How To Make Air Fryer Fried Pickles
- Pull 24 pickles from the jar and dry them very well on paper towels. This step is crucial – wet pickles mean coating that won’t stick!
- Set up three small bowls for dredging: Bowl 1: Flour. Bowl 2: Egg, pickle juice, and steak seasoning whisked together. Bowl 3: Panko and cornmeal combined.
- Dredge each pickle chip in flour first, then egg wash, then panko-cornmeal mixture.
- Set on a baking sheet and continue until all pickles are coated.
- Preheat air fryer to 320°F. Place breaded pickles in air fryer basket in a single layer. Don’t overcrowd or overlap! Lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Air fry for 6-8 minutes, flipping halfway through so they crisp up evenly and don’t burn. Let cool for a minute or two before eating. Serve with Sriracha ranch dip and enjoy!
For the full recipe and detailed instructions, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Storage & Reheating
Best Fresh: These are best eaten immediately while hot and crispy.
Keep Warm: Store on a baking sheet in a warm oven on paper towels to prevent sogginess if you’re serving a crowd.
Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days, but they will lose some crispiness.
Reheat: Pop back in the air fryer at 350°F for 3-4 minutes to crisp back up. Don’t microwave – they’ll get soggy!
Variations
Beer Pickles: Use homemade beer pickles for extra flavor and spice. They make the best fried pickles!
Spicy: Add hot sauce to the egg wash mixture for extra heat.
Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free flour for the first dredge and gluten-free panko with the cornmeal.
Different Pickles: Use garlic pickles, spicy pickles, or bread and butter pickles for different flavor.
Pickle Spears: Use spears instead of chips for bigger bites.
Different Seasoning: Swap steak seasoning for Homemade Cajun Seasoning or Homemade Ranch Seasoning in the egg wash.
Different Dip: Try Homemade Ranch Dip, honey mustard, or Homemade BBQ Sauce instead of Sriracha ranch. I love these with an Alabama White Sauce.
More Pickle Recipes
- Fried Dill Pickle Dip – Creamy party dip
- Bacon Wrapped Pickles – Crispy and smoky
- Dill Pickle Chicken Salad – Tangy and crunchy
- Pickled Carrots – Perfect for tacos
More Air Fryer Appetizers
- Air Fryer Zucchini Chips – Crispy breaded vegetable rounds
- Air Fryer Potato Chips – Homemade crunchy with sea salt
- Air Fryer Pizza Rolls – Crispy with marinara dipping sauce
- Air Fryer Buffalo Wings – Spicy with crispy skin
Frequently Asked Questions
The panko-cornmeal combo is the secret! Panko makes the coating crispy and cornmeal fills in the gaps for full coverage. Drying pickles completely before dredging is equally important.
Eat them immediately! If serving a crowd, keep on paper towels on a baking sheet in a warm oven. Reheat in the air fryer, never the microwave.
Better than deep fried, that’s for sure! No greasy oil bath required. Just a light spray of cooking spray gets them golden and crispy. But I am not counting calories:)
Yes! Use gluten-free flour, or cornstarch, for the first dredge and gluten-free panko combined with cornmeal for the coating.
Beer pickles are my favorite for extra flavor, but any dill, kosher, garlic, or spicy pickle works great. Be sure to get pickle slices that are a little thicker. Super thin slices get dried out when you air fry them and the coating/pickle ratio is off.
The pickles weren’t dry enough. Pat them very well with paper towels before dredging. Wet pickles = coating that falls off.
Start at 320°F but bump it up to 400°F if they aren’t getting crispy enough. All air fryers cook differently.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Dry pickles very well on paper towels before dredging. This is the most important step!
- Use the panko-cornmeal combo, not just one or the other. The combo is what makes these extra crispy.
- Add hot sauce to the egg wash if you want more heat.
- Spray lightly with nonstick spray before air frying for deep golden color.
- Don’t overcrowd the basket. Work in batches for even cooking!
- Flip halfway through so both sides get equally crispy.
- Keep an eye on them – all air fryers cook differently and they can burn quickly!
- Crank up to 400°F if they aren’t getting crispy enough.
- Eat immediately for best crunch. They lose crispiness as they sit.
- Reheat in the air fryer, never the microwave.
This air fryer fried pickles recipe makes crispy, tangy pickles and so much easier than deep frying! Perfect for your next game day spread.
If you love this recipe as much as I do, please leave us a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ five-star review in the comment section below. Thanks!
Air Fryer Fried Pickles
Equipment
Ingredients
- 24 pickles chips
- ½ cup flour all purpose
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon pickle juice
- ½ teaspoon steak seasoning
- ½ cup panko
- ½ cup cornmeal
- cooking spray
- 1 cup Sriracha Ranch Dip for dipping, see notes*
Instructions
- Pull out 24 pickle chips.
- Dry them very well on paper towels.
- Pull out three small mixing bowls to prepare the dredge.
- In the first bowl, mix the eggs, pickle juice, and steak seasoning.
- In the second bowl add the flour.
- In the third bowl, combine the panko and cornmeal.
- To dredge the pickles, dip in the flour, then in the egg wash, and lastly in the cornmeal/panko mixture.
- Place on a baking sheet until all the pickles are coated.
- Set the air fryer to 320F.
- Lightly spray the pickles with a non-stick coconut oil spray.
- Air Fry the pickles for 6 minutes, flipping half way thru or until nice and crispy.
- Let cool for a minute or two before eating. Continue with remaining pickles.
- Serve with a Sriracha Ranch Dip and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- To make the Sriracha ranch dip, combine 1 tablespoon of Sriracha to 1 cup ranch dressing. Add more if you like it extra spicy.
- Dry pickles very well on paper towels before dredging. This is the most important step!
- Use the panko-cornmeal combo, not just one or the other. The combo is what makes these extra crispy.
- Add hot sauce to the egg wash if you want more heat.
- Spray lightly with nonstick spray before air frying for deep golden color.
- Don’t overcrowd the basket. Work in batches for even cooking!
- Flip halfway through so both sides get equally crispy.
- Keep an eye on them – all air fryers cook differently and they can burn quickly!
- Crank up to 400°F if they aren’t getting crispy enough.
- Eat immediately for best crunch. They lose crispiness as they sit.
- Reheat in the air fryer, never the microwave.
Nutrition
{Originally published 08/26/19 – pictures and recipe notes updated 06/02/26}
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These pickles turned out perfectly!! I was skeptical that they would be as good in the air fryer — but I was so happy with how they turned out!
My whole family loves these fried pickles! So so GOOD!
These are our new favorite snack! SO easy and air fried for the win!
The cornbread panko topping makes all the difference in crispiness – these are delicious!!
I could eat these pickles all day long! The texture is perfect with the cornmeal and panko. Key tip to dry the pickles. Thank you~
I love fried pickles! These are my favorite!
I LOVE fried pickles so much! These are THE BEST!
I’m falling in love with my air fryer and can’t wait to give this recipe a try! This one looks like it may be my newest obsession!
These looks amazing!! Need some of these stat!