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Crispy, crunchy, and so poppable, these Air Fryer Pickles will be a huge hit! Perfect as a quick appetizer or a tasty game-day snack, fried pickles in the air fryer are sure to become a crowd favorite.
You’re going to LOVE these air fryer pickles!
They’re so crunchy, packed with flavor, and are such a fun appetizer. They have a great homestyle flavor but without all the oil of the deep-fried version.
No air fryer? Check out the recipe notes for baking instructions. Let’s do this!
Ingredients For Air Fried Pickles
This recipe is rocking:
- Pickles! (Surprised?!) I used store-bought dill pickle chips.
- Breading squad: all-purpose flour, panko, regular bread crumbs, baking powder, and cornmeal
- Seasonings: Tony Chachere’s (get the low-sodium!) and dried dill
- Egg and olive oil (via my Misto)
Use leftover Tony’s for making Air Fryer Green Tomatoes.
How to Make Air Fryer Pickles
*I’ll walk you through it here with some photos and tips, and you’ll also find a printable recipe card at the bottom of the post with exact measurements, etc. You can also click “jump to recipe” to skip down.
You’ll start by draining the pickle chips and blotting them dry with a clean kitchen towel or a paper towel.
Set up a breading station with three bowls and a clean plate or baking dish.
- Bowl one: all-purpose flour and baking powder
- Bowl two: beaten egg
- Bowl three: cornmeal, salt, dill, panko, and creole seasoning
Dredge a few pickles chips through the all-purpose flour and shake off the excess. Drop them in a bowl with the beaten egg. Make sure you fully coat the pickle chips with the egg.
Remove the pickles from the egg bowl and drop them into the breadcrumb bowl. Flip them over to make sure you fully coat them with breadcrumbs.
Place the breaded pickle chips on a plate and spray them with olive oil. I use my Misto for this. You want to REALLY coat them with the olive oil spray, flipping them so you’re able to spray both sides. Let them sit for a few minutes so the breading soaks up all that lovely olive oil.
Brush your air fryer basket with olive oil and then place the breaded pickles in there.
Cook at 390˚F for 5 minutes, and then carefully flip (I like to use a fork as opposed to tongs) and cook for another 3 minutes.
Then start dipping to your heart’s content. Our favorites are chipotle southwest sauce or yogurt ranch dressing.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- After spraying the olive oil on the breading, allow the pickles to sit for 2-3 minutes. This will allow the panko to soak up the oil, creating the crunchiest coating.
- You can use pickle spears, sandwich slices, or cut your own whole pickles. I prefer chips because I think the crinkle-cut helps hold the batter better.
- You can use buttermilk in place of the egg.
Air Fryer Pickles
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups pickle chips
- 1 egg {beaten}
- 3 tbsp panko
- 3 tbsp bread crumbs
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp cornmeal
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp Tony's Chachere's {low sodium}{or other "Cajun" seasoning}
- 1/4 tsp dill {dried}
- 2 tsp olive oil
Instructions
- Drain the pickle chips and blot well with a clean kitchen cloth or paper towel.1.5 cups pickle chips
- Set up an empty plate or baking sheet.
- In one bowl combine: flour mixed with baking powder in another.3 tbsp all-purpose flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder
- In a second bowl add the beaten egg.1 egg
- In a third bowl combine: panko, breadcrumbs, cornmeal, Tony's, and dill.3 tbsp panko, 3 tbsp bread crumbs, 1 tbsp cornmeal, 2 tsp Tony's Chachere's, 1/4 tsp dill
- With your left hand, dredge three pickles through the flour and shake the excess off. Pro tip: It's easiest to work in batches of 2-3 slices at a time.
- Still using your left hand, drop the floured pickles into the egg mixture, stirring/flipping to coat.
- Use your right hand and drop them into the breadcrumb bowl. Place your breaded pickles onto a plate.
- Once you've finished breading all of the pickles, spray them with olive oil spray while they're still on the plate. Really coat them well and then let them sit for 2-3 minutes.2 tsp olive oil
- Brush the basket of the air fryer with olive oil or use a piece of air fryer parchment, and gently place the pickles in the basket. Don't overcrowd.
- Cook for 5 minutes at 390˚F degrees. Flip (easiest to use the tines of a fork). Spray the tops with additional olive oil spray if they need it.
- Cook for an additional 3 minutes and then serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
Notes
- After spraying the olive oil on the breading, allow it to sit for 2-3 minutes. This will allow the panko to soak up the oil, creating the crunchiest coating.
- You can use buttermilk in place of the egg.
Oven Baking Instructions
- Follow steps 1-5 above.
- Place parchment on a rimmed baking sheet, and place a baking rack on the sheet. Spray the rack liberally with olive oil.
- Place the pickles on the baking rack and spray them liberally with olive oil.
- Bake at 425˚F for 25 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
It shows 3 grams of Fat but only list 1 gram as saturated. Where are the other two
Niki, the recipe card we use automatically generates the nutrition facts for us. All values are estimates only. If you need more detailed data, we’d recommend you use something like MyFitnessPal.
I’d never heard of Tony’s so I Googled and made a sort of Cajun seasoning with what was in my spice cupboard. I used sweet hots and some Spanish pimento stuffed olives. Omg. I heard “oh yeah!!!” from husband in the other room. I didn’t expect them to be so crispy! Yum!!
Yahoo! Fried pickles for the win. So glad they were a hit and nice work on that DIY seasoning!
Made these today for my husband. One of our favorite things is fried pickles and I recently got a ninja foodi for Christmas. I dropped a plate of them off in front of him an walked to the other room to grab something and all I heard was “OH MY GOSH!!” these were a hit and will definitely be making them again.
Awwww, I love that, thank you for sharing! Also, now I want fried pickles.
Man these were a hit! Super crispy and they didn’t stick to the basket either (I made them in my Breville Air Fryer). They did come out super salty but I’m blaming that on me. Pretty sure the pickles I used were a bit salty, didn’t have the low salt seasoning so used the regular, AND I used buttermilk (cause I needed to use it up – freezer is full).
Next time I’ll adjust but I’m totally making it again. And I’m really glad to be able to make this at home vs order the greasy ones in a restaurant. Thanks.
I found out the hard way that the original Tony’s seasoning is quite salty! I’ve since switched to low sodium for that very reason.
Regardless, I’m thrilled you enjoyed them so much! I will admit to loving the greasy ones in restaurants but they do NOT travel well for takeout.
We won an air fryer last night at my husband’s company party and this was the first thing we made. So easy and good!
Best.win.ever!