Hot, crispy, and delicious for toppings or eating on their own, our Gluten-free Air Fryer Fried Pickles—made vegan, gluten-free and at home—are salty, sour, crispy on the outside, and juicy on the inside.
With this recipe, you can choose your own (foodie) adventure! Slice crosswise into rounds for a chip-like snack experience. Slice into spears for a french fry-like gluten-free appetizer. Or slice lengthwise to use as a crispy fried pickle topper to put the finishing touch on your best burger or sky-high sandwich. Covered in gluten-free breading and air fried to golden perfection, these fried pickles are crunchy and delicious no matter how you slice them!
Check out the tips below for some key information to help you make the most out of this dill-icious gluten-free air fryer pickle recipe!
Instructions:
- Preheat your air fryer to 400 ℉. (If baking, preheat your oven to 375℉).
- Line a baking sheet with 2 layers of paper towel. Lay the pickle chips on top of the paper towels and press down gently on top with more paper towel to soak up some excess liquid. Let it sit for 10 minutes (you want your pickle slices or spears as dry as possible).
- In a bowl, mix the ground chia or ground flaxseed and plant milk with 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Let your vegan egg wash/dip thicken slightly for 5 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the cornstarch, dill, granulated garlic, 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, paprika and the optional cayenne (if using).
- In a third bowl mix the gluten-free breadcrumbs with 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.
- Dredge the dried sliced pickles through the seasoned cornstarch until evenly coated. Tap off excess. (Work in small batches of a couple at a time to get a good dusting).
- Dunk the starched pickles into the vegan egg wash, coating all surfaces.
- Roll the pickles in the gluten-free breadcrumbs, pressing lightly to ensure each slice or spear is coated evenly. Gently transfer coated pickles to a staging plate or baking sheet until all your pickles are breaded.
For the gluten-free air fried pickles:
- When air fryer is heated, give the basket a light spray with vegetable oil.
- Gently transfer breaded pickles to the air fryer basket, arranging in a single layer so no pickles overlap. Give the tops of the breaded pickles a light spray of oil.
- Air fry for 5 – 6 minutes. Pause your fryer and use tongs to flip your pickles. If you chose spears, use care when flipping so you don’t knock any of the gluten-free breading off the sides as you pick them up.
- Spray second side of your breaded pickles lightly with oil and return basket to your air fryer.
- Air fry second side for up to 4 more minutes. As air fryer cook times vary from model to model, check at the 2-minute mark. Air fried pickles are done when both sides are crisp and golden. (Tip: second and third batches may cook faster than your first, so be sure to check at the 2-minute mark even if your first batch needed the full 4 minutes to reach golden perfection!)
- Transfer your Gluten-free Air Fried Pickles to a wire rack set over a cookie sheet and set aside. Repeat in batches until all your air fried pickles are done. (If your air fryer is small and you need to do several batches, keep finished pickles in the oven set to warm so they don’t get cold!)
To bake in the oven:
- Line a baking sheet with parchment and a wire cooling rack. Arrange the gluten-free breadcrumbed pickles on the rack.
- Bake 20 – 25 minutes, flipping once after 10 minutes, until pickles are golden brown and crispy on both sides.
To serve:
- Use our homemade vegan burger sauce from our gluten-free cheeseburger pizza recipe or serve these gluten-free air fried pickles with your favourite plant-based gluten-free dips or sauces. (Ketchup, pesto Vegenaise, vegan ranch dressing, and mustard are all tasty options!)
- Although it’s tempting, resist the urge to sample these gluten-free air fried pickles the moment they come out of your air fryer—they’re molten in the middle! The roof of your mouth will thank you for letting them rest a couple minutes before you dive in!
Serves 2 – 6 people
Tips
- For closer to instant gratification, make the breadcrumbs in advance (store in an airtight container for up to a month). Our Perfect Gluten-free Breadcrumbs recipe makes enough for two full batches of Gluten-free Air Fried Pickles!
- For spears: If your pickles are large and you want spears, cut them into quarters, then slice quarters in half again for optimal crispy-coating-to-pickle ratio.
- For rounds or slices: Cut into to 1/4-inch to 5/8-inch (.75 cm to 1 cm) thick slices so there’s sufficient pickle to support the deliciously crispy gluten-free crust.
- The flavour’s in the dredge! The secret to this recipe is in the well-seasoned cornstarch dredge—don’t skip the dill, granulated garlic, and paprika! That’s what sets this air-fried pickle recipe apart from every other recipe we’ve tried.
- If you like things a little less spicy, use 1 ½ teaspoons of ground pepper divided equally between the dredge, chia/flax egg wash dip, and breadcrumbs and skip the cayenne.
- If you have some, pie plates are perfect for the three-part dredge-dip-and-crumb process.
- Use a fork or tongs to transfer your pickles from vegan egg wash/dip to your breadcrumbs or use one hand for dipping and the other for the dry crumb coat to avoid having batter-covered fingers!
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