If you didn’t grow up in the South, you might have never tried fried pickles. Trust me – you need this Keto Fried Pickle recipe in your life! It is a fun, and unique appetizer and also is fabulous with a burger. I like to make them in my air fryer, but you can fry them or bake them too. Whatever you do, don’t skip the sauce. I like to serve them with my Keto Ranch Dressing or my Keto Blue Cheese.
Fried Pickles On Keto? Yes, Please!
Growing up in the South, it never occurred to me that frying pickles wasn’t a thing everywhere.
Mind you, it wasn’t a dish I ate all the time, and it isn’t something that my Mom ever made. I had them at restaurants from time to time, and it seemed about as normal to me as french fries.
When I went off to college, I had a good friend that was from the Northeast. One night we were talking and somehow – don’t ask me how – the topic of fried pickles came up. Her eyes got huge, and she insisted that there was no such thing and that we were messing with her. (She was sweet but, and we had a habit of teasing her in good fun.)
We assured her it was, in fact, a thing and ended up hopping in the car to take her to the nearest place that had them.
It ended up a rest of the semester habit!
These days, I’m reliving that habit with these Keto Fried Pickles! I like to make them in my air fryer (I am not fond of how frying makes my house smell) – but they can also be deep fried.
Whichever method you choose, I think you are going to love this recipe just as much as I do!
How to Make Fried Pickles on Keto
1 Gather your ingredients. You will need dill pickles, eggs, heavy cream, almond flour, Parmesan cheese, cajun seasoning, cayenne, salt, pepper, and avocado oil.
2 Slice the pickles length-wise. In one bowl whisk together the eggs and heavy cream. In another, combine the almond flour, Parmesan, cajun seasoning, cayenne, salt, pepper, and avocado oil.
3 Dip a pickle slice in the egg wash.
4 Next coat it in the Parmesan cheese mixture.
5 Cook in your air fryer, oven, or stove top.
Variation for this Recipe:
- If you like, you can use ground up pork rinds in place of the almond flour.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Are pickles carb free?
Yes! Pickles have almost no carbs in them and can be considered a “free” food when following a keto or low carb diet. The brand I use is Bubbies. (Make sure you read labels – some pickles have sugar in them.)
What Do I Need to Make Low Carb Fried Pickles?
- Dill pickles
- Eggs
- Heavy cream
- Almond flour
- Parmesan cheese
- Cajun seasoning
- Cayenne
- Salt
- Pepper
- Avocado oil
What do you dip pickles in?
I especially like them with my Keto Ranch Dressing, but they are also good with this Keto Blue Cheese Dressing.
What are the best pickles to use in this recipe?
You can use most any dill pickle, but the brand I like the best is bubbies.
What is the deal with drinking pickle juice on Keto?
It is actually a thing! So don’t toss that juice! As weird as it sounds, drinking pickle juice can help to keep your electrolytes in balance. (And there is some evidence that it may help to balance blood sugar levels.)
Keto Appetizers to Try:
Keto Fried Pickles – Air Fryer, Stove Top, or Oven
Once you try fried pickles keto style, you will find yourself hopelessly addicted. Briny pickles pair perfectly with Cajun seasoning and get a kick from cayenne pepper. If heat isn’t your thing, you can skip the cayenne and Cajun seasoning and use smoked paprika instead. Either way – make sure you go easy on the salt. Both pickles and Parmesan cheese are salty enough on their own.
Keto Fried Pickles
Equipment
- Skillet or
- Baking Sheet
- Shallow bowls (for breading)
Ingredients
- 16 ounces dill pickles I like bubbies
- 2 eggs beaten
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper more or less to taste
- Salt and Pepper to Taste (see note)
- Avocado Oil for brushing or frying
- Keto Ranch Dressing for dipping
Instructions
- Cut the pickles in half lengthwise, and then cut into quarters.
- Combine the eggs and heavy cream in a shallow dish.
- In a separate dish, combine the almond flour, Parmesan cheese, cajun seasoning, cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper.
- Dip the pickle slices in the eggs, and then coat with the almond flour mixture.
- Freeze for 10 minutes.
Air Fryer Instructions
- Heat the air fryer to 400 degrees.
- Spray the pickles with oil and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Oven Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 425 degrees.
- Spray the pickles with oil and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until golden brown.
Stove Top Instructions
- Heat oil in a large skillet to about a 1-inch depth. Fry until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Other Low Carb Recipes that Use Pickles:
- Dill Pickle Fat Bombs from Officially Gluten Free
- Keto Pickle Poppers from Keto Daily
- Salami and Dill Pickle Rolls from Carb Manager
I’m a huge pickle fan. I love that there are so many options for low carb and keto recipes now. I’ll have to try this!
wow, I never thought that you can do fried pickles! It is so interesting and I shall give it a go.
I love this recipe so much! Every single ingredient sounds amazing, I’ll definitely be adding this to my list of things to try!
i love pickles ! i have never tried the fried version ! but i will now as they look so delicious ! kind regards Pati Robins at style squeeze blog
Oh my gosh, I’m obsessed with fried pickles. I am SO glad I rand across this recipe for a keto version. So excited!
I’m always looking for ways to spice up old favorites. Thank you for this keto dish. Some friends love fried pickles. Might surprise them with this.
Had no clue you could make such delicious snacks out of pickles! You are a genius!
This is a great recipe; however, the batter came off in the airfryer. I think this would work well by coating with arrowroot starch first before the egg wash. Next time, I will definitely try that beforehand.
Breading in air fryers can be challenging – especially with some models because the fans can literally blow the breading off. I have the Phillips XXL and the Breville Smart Air, and didn’t have an issue with this recipe in either of those. But I know it can be an issue because I had issues with regular chicken (with flour) that I made for my kids. You can definitely try the arrowroot if that is something you use. Also, a big key this this is to make sure that you press the coating into the pickles. Another thing to try is freezing a bit longer. Hope this helps!
My wife and I will try to do this tomorrow. I’m so excited! Thanks a lot for sharing this recipe!
Do you cut the “half” pickle into quarters, as stated, (i.e. 1/8 of whole pickle) or just cut “half” pickle in half (i.e. 1/4 of whole pickle).
Hi – sorry if it isn’t clear. You cut the pickle into quarters. You can also cut them into disks if you like – but the pickles I use are kind of small to do this with.