I love a good fried pickle but the thought of ordering them from a restaurant means they are most likely cooked in health disrupting seed oils so I like to make my own version of Fried pickles with this easy Panko crusted Air Fryer Fried Pickles Recipe. You get all of that fried pickle crunch with none of the guilt in my fried pickles recipe!

Growing up in the South, fried pickles are literally one of my first food memories.

We used to go to this restaurant called “Cock of the Walk” on the reservoir near Jackson, Mississippi and Fried Pickles and Fried Catfish were the star of the show at this Mississippi restaurant so this food group runs deep in my veins. Some of my earlier food memories include my Grandma making fried okra, homemade biscuits and creamed corn, all things my mother never made as a working mom growing up in the “low fat” 90s era. My how things have changed and now we can use our air fryers to make just about everything a healthier version without sacrificing that “fried” crunch we love from fried food.

Why This Air Fryer Fried Pickles Recipe is a Game Changer

This recipe is just so easy, I’ve tried it a million ways including with flour, without flour, with gluten free bread crumbs and I have to tell you- the original way with just pickles in the egg wash dipped in panko is a game changer. You can simplify the recipe by first draining the pickles (and save the juice for later- pickle juice is my number one chicken marinade!), dipping them in egg wash, and then going “shake and bake style” by placing pank in a zip log bag and shaking the pickles in the bag to get them nice and coated on both sides.

 

air fryer fried pickles

A Note about Which Pickles to Use: Avoid Any Pickles with Polysorbate 80

A note about Pickle Juice- make sure to buy pickles without Polysorbate 80! Polysorbate is a preservative often found in pickle juice known to cause colon cancer in Mice but they still allow it in our food and many other things so make sure to buy pickle juice without this preservative. Some great store bought pickles without Polysorbate 80 include the Wholefoods Brand of pickles, The Cleveland Kitchen Pickles, and Grillo’s pickles. It is important to read labels! When I originally developed this recipe, I didn’t know about this and have now stopped buying pickles with this in it. When reading labels, pretend that the FDA doesn’t exist because they allow things that European and other countries ban such as cancer causing preservatives and food dies.

Ingredients for Panko Air Fryer Fried Pickles

  • One small jar dill pickle chips
  • One 8 oz box (organic) panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
  • avocado oil spray- I recommend chosen foods (whatever spray you use, make sure there are no propellants listed in the ingredients- this means those cancer causing ingredients are making it into your food!)

Dipping Sauce:

  • 1/2 cup mayo (look for seed oil free like Better Body foods avocado oil mayo)
  • 2 tblsp pickle juice (from the jar of pickles)
  • 1 tblsp sriracha hot sauce (I’m a big fan of Yellow Bird Sriracha- junk free and so good!)

 

Directions to make these Panko Crusted Air Fryer Fried Pickles

Preheat air fryer to 425 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray generously with a propellant free non-stick spray or lightly coat with a paper towel dipped in coconut or avocado oil. Mix the egg and milk together in a bowl. Drain the pickles from the jar and add them to the egg/milk mixture. Place panko in a large ziploc bag. Add the pickles to the panko and shake vigorously so that all the pickles are well coated in panko.

Spread the pickles out in a thin layer on the baking sheet. Using an oil atomizer or cooking spray without the use of propellants, spray a light coating of oil on the pickles so they brown better in the air fryer and air fry for 20 minutes or until the panko turns golden brown.

For the dipping sauce, combine the mayo, pickle juice and sriracha and place in a bowl for serving with the pickles.

Substitutions Or Variations for this Panko Crusted Air Fryer Fried Pickle Recipe

Sometimes I like to make homemade ranch to pair as a dipping sauce for these instead. Get creative, customize to your tastes and make this recipe your own.

air fryer fried pickles

These panko crusted air fryer fried pickles give all the crunch with none of the guilt!

 

Tips for Making this Panko Crusted Air Fyer Fried Pickle Recipe

Make sure when making these in the air fryer that you don’t crowd the pickles- otherwise you won’t get the browning if the pickles don’t have enough exposed surface area in the tray. It is for this reason that I bought a large toaster oven that is also an air fryer that has more surface area. Here is the professional grade air fryer toaster oven combo I use

In order to get good browning on the crumbs, you will need to spray the bread crumbs with cooking oil spray. First off, avoid any seed oils and also avoid any spray that uses propellant (yes, there are an ingredient that makes it into your food!). I recommend Chosen Foods brand that has no propellant. The other alternative is to buy an oil atomizer – this is the most eco-friendly and economical way to do spray oil.

APPROVED COOKING SPRAY by Chosen Food- NO PROPELLANTS 

 

air fryer fried pickles

AVERAGE COOKING SPRAY from Costco- check out the ingredients- you are getting a nice does of Propellants on your food!

 

 

Air Fryer Fried Pickles FAQ

Q: Can I make these fried pickles in the oven?
A: Yes, you can make these fried pickles in the oven. Follow the same steps but bake them at 425°F for 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Q: What is the best dipping sauce for fried pickles?
A: Ranch dressing or a spicy mayo are popular dipping sauces for fried pickles, but feel free to use your favorite dipping sauce.
Q: Can I use different types of pickles for this recipe?
A: Yes, you can use different types of pickles for this recipe, such as bread and butter pickles, spicy pickles, or whole pickle spears for a unique twist on this classic snack.

 

Alright, let’s make these Air Fryer Fried Pickles!

If you make these, don’t forget to leave a comment or follow and tag me on social – I love getting to know my readers and seeing your creations. I can be found on facebook, instagram and pinterest.

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air fryer fried pickles

Panko Crusted Air Fryer Fried Pickles


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  • Author: Robyn

Description

All the Fried pickle vibes with none of the guilt! This quick and easy “fake” fried pickles recipe gives all the fried pickle feels and is extremely addictive paired with a spicy mayo pickle juice infused dipping sauce!


Ingredients

Scale
  • One small jar dill pickle chips- look for ones with no polysorbate 80!
  • One 8 oz box panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
  • avocado oil spray- I recommend chosen foods (whatever spray you use, make sure there are no propellants listed in the ingredients- this means those cancer causing ingredients are making it into your food!)

 


Instructions

Directions:

Preheat air fryer to 415 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray generously with non-stick spray. Mix the egg and milk together in a bowl. Drain the pickles from the jar and add them to the egg/milk mixture. Place panko in a large ziploc bag. Add the pickles to the panko and shake vigorously so that all the pickles are well coated in panko.

Spread the pickles out in a thin layer on the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until the panko turns golden brown.

For the dipping sauce, combine the mayo, pickle juice and sriracha and place in a bowl for serving with the pickles.

Notes

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