Fried pickles have always been one of my favorite sports bar snacks. Chip-sized dill pickles, battered, and deep-fried into golden savory bites. I can’t think of a better appetizer to accompany a crisp beer on game day… except maybe wings.
Fried Pickle Batter
My homemade fried pickles recipe is made with a simple beer batter. 1 cup all-purpose flour, seasoned with garlic powder, paprika, and a pinch of salt and pepper, whisked into 8 ounces of beer. The choice of beer is up to you, but I’d recommend a blonde ale, pale ale, or IPA. Although the beer flavor is subtle, it’s so much better than using water.
The key to the right batter consistency is to ensure you whisk the batter. A spoon will not get the clumps out sufficiently.
How to Make Fried Pickles
Deep-fried pickles are REALLY easy to make. That’s why these are so exciting! Restuarant-quality apps in your living room. YUP.
You can make a lot of pickles in a small saucepan if you work in small batches. Depending on how many pickles you’re frying, I don’t think it makes sense to use a large pot. It will be an excessive amount of unneeded oil to buy and clean up.
Dry the pickles as best as possible using paper towel by firmly pressing down. Wet pickles = soggy fried pickles.
Dredge the pickles in a bowl with 1/4 cup of flour. Just enough to give them a solid dusting. Dredge in beer batter and transfer directly to the hot oil. You can do with your hands, a large fork, or a slotted spoon. they fry up in about 45 seconds. Make sure you drain on a paper-towel-lined plate so the excess oil comes off.
Fried Pickle Dipping Sauce
I recommend ranch dressing, homemade spicy ranch dressing or chipotle mayonnaise for dipping sauces. Anything in that realm of flavors is going to offer the perfect complement to fried pickles. A little sriracha added to ranch dressing is a simple way to add a touch of spice and smoke.
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Fried pickles have always been one of my favorite sports bar snacks. Chip-sized dill pickles, beer-battered, and deep-fried into golden savory bites. Beer = neccesary.
Ingredients
- 1 16 ounce jar dill chip pickles**
- 1 cup IPA, pale ale, or ale of your choice (citrusy, fruity, hoppy IPAs are best)
- 1 cup flour (plus 1/4 cup for dredging)
- 32 ounces vegetable or canola oil (1–2 inches of oil in saucepan for frying)
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- pinch of paprika
- salt and pepper to taste
Dipping Sauce Ideas
- Ranch dressing
- Ranch + sriracha, to taste
- chipotle mayonnaise
- garlic aioli
Instructions
- Gently pour beer into a medium bowl, whisk in 1 cup flour until smooth. Add garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Whisk and let sit for 10 minutes while prepping the pickles.
- Place 1/4 cup of flour in a small bowl.
- Drain pickles and dry as best as possible using paper towels. Wet pickles render soggy fried pickles.
- In a medium-sized saucepan bring roughly 1 inch of oil to 365° F. If you don’t have a candy thermometer, place on medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes until oil is hot. You can test a single pickle to see how it cooks. It should fry in about 30-45 seconds.
- Meanwhile, dredge pickles in flour until lightly coated, and then submerge in the beer batter. Let excess drip off and then immediately transfer to the oil. Fry pickles for 30-45 seconds or until golden. As the oil gets hotter, pickles will cook quicker.
- Remove with a fork or slotted spoon and place pickles on a paper-towel-lined plate to drain for 2-3 minutes before serving. Serve with dipping sauces.
Notes
Make sure you get dill pickles, not sweet pickles. If you don’t want to use beer, you can substitute with 1 cup of water.
Keywords: fried pickles, beer battered pickles
