If you are searching for an appetizer that checks all the boxes, frozen fried pickles in the air fryer might be for you!
Crispy on the outside, these air fried frozen pickles are even easier to make than our breaded air fryer pickles from scratch but still pack all that pickle goodness and are equally perfect for dipping!
Recipe Tips
Before you make frozen battered pickles in the air fryer, read through our recipe tips so that you acquire all of our knowledge about air fryers and pickles:
- You don’t need to defrost the pickles first. Just place them in the air fryer from frozen.
- You also don’t need to spray them with any oil first. The batter of frozen pickles usually already contains oil that will make them nicely golden brown.
- When you make these pickles from frozen, you might find that the breading splits and a little bit of liquid oozes out. This is just moisture escaping the pickle as it cooks and is completely normal.
- We made pickle spears (pickles cut lengthwise) but you can also make breaded pickles from frozen that are cut as slices (little discs). The cooking method is the same but the pickle slices need slightly less time to cook.
We use this air fryer for our recipes and it has been great.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Stay in this section if you want to see exactly how we made our pickles – with photos at each step.
You can also just skip down to the recipe card at the bottom of this post to quickly get the cooking time and temperature for these air fryer frozen fried pickle spears.
First, preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Then once it is hot, you can add the frozen pickles.
Make sure to leave some space between the spears so that they don’t stick together as the batter thaws.
If you make pickle slices, you can place as many as you can fit in one even layer into your air fryer – don’t overlap them, as this might also cause them to stick together.
Now air fry the pickles at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for a total time of 7-10 minutes. Remember that this can vary depending on the air fryer you use (some cook hotter than others).
Flip the pickles (both spears and slices) halfway through the cooking time – at around 4 minutes – to make sure that they crisp evenly on all sides.
When the fried pickles are crispy on the outside and fully heated, they are done. Remove them from the air fryer and place them on a plate.
Let the pickles stand for 2 minutes (they will be too hot to eat right away anyway!). Then enjoy them with your preferred dipping sauce – but careful, hot! We really like them with ranch or marinara.
Storage Tips
If you have some pickles left over, you can put them in a container and place them in the fridge.
That said, these pickles contain a bit of moisture still, so the longer you wait to eat them the more soggy the batter will get. Then they aren’t as tasty.
You can reheat them in the air fryer to draw some of the moisture back out. Don’t reheat them in the microwave as that will just turn them into a mushy mess.
What to Serve Them With
We like these pickle spears with a little bit of ranch dip. The tangy, smoothness of the dip goes well with the crunch of the pickle and its batter.
You might also pair them with a marinara sauce for a different taste. Of course, you can eat these pickles just as they are or with any other dip of your choice!
Related Recipes
If you are looking for some more tasty air fryer appetizers, try these creations on for size:
- Air Fryer Frozen Bacon-Wrapped Scallops
- Frozen Mozzarella Sticks in the Air Fryer
- Cevapi in the Air Fryer (From Frozen)
- Air Fried Frozen Potato Pancakes
Frozen Fried Pickles in Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 9 frozen fried pickle spears, for slices see notes
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Once the air fryer is preheated, add the frozen pickle spears in one layer. There shouldn't be any overlap.
- Air fry the frozen pickles at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 7-10 minutes total until fully heated and crispy on the outside. Flip the spears halfway through the cooking time (at around the 4 minute mark). Keep in mind that the exact cooking time can vary by air fryer.
- When crispy on the outside, remove the fried pickles from the air fryer and place them on a plate. Let them stand for 2 minutes before consuming. They serve well with ranch or marinara sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you have frozen pickle slices instead of spears, you can make as many as you can fit in one layer without overlap into your air fryer. They will likely be done a little bit quicker than pickle spears since they are thinner so keep a close eye on them. Still flip them halfway through the cooking time.
Nutrition
This nutritional information has been estimated by an online nutrition calculator. It should only be seen as a rough calculation and not a replacement for professional dietary advice.
