Fried Pickles Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Fried pickles have always been one of my favorite bar snacks. Chip-sized dill pickles, beer-battered and deep-fried into crispy golden savory bites.

Prep Time15

Cook Time5

Total Time20

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Author: Shawn Williams

Ingredients

16 ounce jar of dill chip pickles**
1 1/2 cups IPA pale ale, lager, or ale of your choice (citrusy, fruity, hoppy IPAs are best)
1 cup all-purpose flour plus 1/4 cup for dredging
32 ounces of vegetable or canola oil 2 inches of oil in a saucepan for frying
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Dipping Sauce Ideas

Ranch dressing
Ranch + sriracha to taste
chipotle mayonnaise
garlic aioli

Instructions

Add 1 cup flour, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper to a medium-sized bowl. Add beer and whisk until smooth. Let sit for 10 minutes while prepping the pickles. The foam should subside and the batter should be slightly thinner than pancake batter.
Place 1/4 cup of flour in a small bowl. Drain pickles and dry them as best as possible using paper towels. Wet pickles render soggy fried pickles.
Meanwhile, in a medium-sized saucepan, bring roughly 2 inches of oil to 375°F. If you don't have a candy thermometer or digital thermometer, heat over medium-high heat for 5 minutes until the oil is hot. You can test a single pickle to see how it cooks. It should fry in about 30-45 seconds. Once oil is up to temp, turn the heat down to low to maintain a consistent temperature.
Dredge pickles in flour until lightly coated, and then submerge in the beer batter. Let excess drip off and then immediately transfer to the hot oil. Fry pickles for 30-45 seconds or until golden.
Remove with a fork, slotted spoon, or metal spider strainer and place pickles on a paper-towel-lined plate to drain for 2-3 minutes before serving. Season all over with salt and 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. You can make this recipe with pickle spears as well.

If you don't have a thermometer, test the oil with a single pickle to see if the oil is hot enough. The batter should sizzle and bubble rapidly and turn a light golden color in about 30 seconds. Remember, pickles will continue to brown after they're removed from the oil.

A large slotted spoon or Chinese spider strainer works well for removing pickles from the hot oil. Plastic cooking utensils can melt in hot oil so I strongly discourage using them.

Nutrition