• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Sides
    • Snacks
    • Dessert
    • Condiments
    • Reviews
  • About
    • Privacy Policy
  • Work With Me!

Midwexican

menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Work With Me!
×

Home » Appetizers

Published: Mar 30, 2021 · Modified: Apr 12, 2022 by Tino Marie · This post may contain affiliate links · 2 Comments

Air Fryer Pickle Spears

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email
  • LinkedIn

These Air Fryer Pickle Spears are a way to enjoy a dill-icious snack without the fat and guilt of deep-fried versions.

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Want fried pickle spears without a heaping side of guilt? Deep-fried pickles are no doubt an amazing snack, but if you’d like to indulge in a lower fat alternative, these Air Fryer Pickle Spears are the golden ticket. You can subtract the greasiness and the guilt without sacrificing that crisp exterior. 

Air Fryer Pickle Spears
Cracker coated air-fried dill pickle spears

Granted this next suggestion adds calories, but I highly recommend pairing these air fried dill pickle spears with a Chipotle Ranch sauce. Just two ingredients - whatever Ranch you have on hand and chipotle en adobo peppers + sauce - makes one creamy, bold, and slightly fiery condiment.

What ingredients do I need to make Air Fried Pickles?

To make the pictured Air Fryer Pickle Spears you will need the following ingredients:

INGREDIENTS  

  • 1 sleeve Ritz crackers
  • ½ tablespoon dill weed
  • 5-6 dashes of cayenne pepper
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 large egg
  • 9-10 pickle spears (I used spicy Claussen pickle spears)
  • Cooking spray
Air Fried Pickle Spears

How to make Air Fried Pickle Spears

Crack a large egg into a bowl and whisk.

Add roughly 1 cup of flour to a plate.

Add Riz crackers, dill weed, and cayenne pepper to a food processor and pulse until you achieve fine crumbs. 

Lay the pickle spears out on paper towels to remove excess moisture. 

Coat a pickle spear in flour, making sure to cover the entire surface. 

Then dip the flour-coated pickle spear in egg wash, making sure to cover all of the flour.

Roll the egg-washed pickle spear in the seasoned Ritz cracker crumbs.

Add the pickle spear to the air fryer. Repeat these steps with the remaining pickle spears. You will have enough ingredients to make 9-10. 

Once all of the pickle spears have been coated, spray them all with a light coat of cooking spray.

Air fry the pickle spears at 370 degrees Fahrenheit for 13-15minutes, until nice and crisp. No need to flip halfway through.

Serve with Chipotle Ranch sauce.

Air Fried Pickle Spears
Air Fried Pickle Spears with Chipotle Ranch

What to Serve Air Fried Pickles With

Of course, Air Fried pickles are amazing on their own, but they are even better when paired with the perfect sauce! Try:

  • No Mayo Spinach Dip
  • Zesty Green Onion Sauce
  • Chipotle Mayo Sauce

OR try the super quick Chipotle Ranch Sauce below!

Quick Chipotle Ranch Sauce

If you have these two ingredients you can easily whip up some Chipotle Ranch sauce while these pickle spears air fry:

  • ½ cup ranch dressing (I used Hidden Valley Ranch)
  • 1 chipotle en adobo pepper plus 1 tablespoon chipotle en adobo sauce

Add both ingredients to a food processor and process for 20-30 seconds, until well combined. It’s okay if there are a few smaller chunks. 

Note: If you’d like a completely smooth sauce, just add 2 tablespoons of chipotle en adobo sauce instead, leaving the pepper out. 

Tips for Air Frying Pickles

  • Lay the pickles out on paper towels to remove excess moisture; this helps the coating stick.
  • Spray the cracker-coated pickles with cooking spray before putting them in the air fryer. This will help the coating get crisper.
  • Don’t overcrowd your pickles. Arrange them in a single layer, leaving space between each as they cook. The air in the air fryer needs to be able to circulate all around the pickles so they cook evenly and get crispy.

Equipment - A Note on Air Frying

I have tried this recipe using two different air fryer setups: 1) an Air Fryer Lid that is compatible with my Instant Pot, and 2) a Ninja Foodi 10-in-1 Smart XL Air Fry Oven. The air fryer lid does not require preheating, but the Ninja Foodi does have an automatic preheat.

Air Fried Pickle Spears

Variation and substitutions

  • Crackers - Try Club or Saltines, or pretty much whatever neutral-flavored cracker you wish.
  • Seasonings - Onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, etc., would make great additions to the cracker crumb coating.
  • Pickles - I insist they be dill pickle spears for this recipe; I like Clausen but use your preferred brand.

What else can I make in my air fryer?

Try these other tasty air fried recipes:

  • Air Fryer Adobo Chicken
  • Air Fryer Walleye
  • Smoky Air Fryer Chickpeas
  • Crispy Air Fryer Tacos
  • Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Wings

Air Fryer Pickle Spears

Air Fryer Pickle Spears

These Air Fryer Pickle Spears are a way to enjoy a dill-icious snack without the fat and guilt of deep-fried versions.
5 from 3 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Total Time 30 mins
Course Appetizer, Snack
Servings 5 people

Equipment

  • Air Fryer

Ingredients
  

  • 1 sleeve Ritz crackers
  • ½ tablespoon dill weed
  • 5-6 dashes cayenne pepper
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 large egg
  • 9-10 pickle spears I used spicy Claussen pickle spears
  • cooking spray

Instructions
 

  • Crack a large egg into a bowl and whisk.
  • Add roughly 1 cup of flour to a plate.
  • Add Riz crackers, dill weed, and cayenne pepper to a food processor and pulse until you achieve fine crumbs. 
  • Lay the pickle spears out on paper towels to remove excess moisture. 
  • Coat a pickle spear in flour, making sure to cover the entire surface. 
  • Then dip the flour-coated pickle spear in egg wash, making sure to cover all of the flour.
  • Roll the egg-washed pickle spear in the seasoned Ritz cracker crumbs.
  • Add the pickle spear to the air fryer. Repeat these steps with the remaining pickle spears. You will have enough ingredients to make 9-10. 
  • Once all of the pickle spears have been coated, spray them all with a light coat of cooking spray.
  • Air fry the pickle spears at 370 degrees Fahrenheit for 13-15minutes, until nice and crisp. No need to flip halfway through.
  • Serve with Chipotle Ranch sauce.
Keyword air fried pickle spears, air fryer pickle spears
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
« Air Fryer Adobo Chicken
Adobo Chicken Tacos »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Krista Anderson says

    March 30, 2021 at 11:46 am

    These look so delicious! Making them tonight!

    Reply
  2. spiceoflife says

    March 31, 2022 at 5:44 am

    https://spiceoflifecumbernauld.co.uk/
    An excellent resource for a foodie like me. I love exploring new cultures, making new recipes, trying out new cuisine.
    Now more than ever while stuck at home, I am appreciating this helpful list so much more. Thanks.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Follow me!

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
Christina from Midwexican

About Christina

I'm a Minnesota native who can't get enough of south-of-the-border flavors. My recipes combine comforting Midwestern eats with bold Mexican and Tex-Mex flavors. If you love comforting food, bold flavors, and - most importantly - tacos! then you'll love what I'm cooking!

Learn more about me →

Cinco de Mayo Eats!

  • Cucumber Pico de Gallo
  • Chorizo Street Tacos
  • Crispy Air Fryer Tacos
  • Doritos Taco Salad Board
  • Instant Pot Spanish Rice
  • Taco Gnocchi Skillet
  • Easy Refried Beans (from Canned Pinto Beans)
  • Roasted Garlic Guacamole

    Footer

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy

    Work With Me!

    • Let's Collaborate!

    Contact

    • Contact

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 Midwexican