A fun and delicious twist on a classic appetizer, these spicy fried pickles are coated in a buffalo-flavored breading and fried to golden perfection. Serve them with ranch for dipping and enjoy! Naturally vegetarian.
Jessica Halverstadt is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
If you have any experience with recipe development, I’m sure you know all too well that things don’t always go as planned. Recipe development/cooking is both an art and a science. To get it right the ingredients must work together in harmony and the ratios must be balanced.
That being said, sometimes a great idea just doesn’t pan out no matter how hard you try. C’est la vie.
I’m thrilled to say that that was NOT the case with this recipe.
The idea came to me to develop a recipe for pickle tacos during my Taco Tuesday series last year but I never got around to it. Recently I was reminded of the intention and felt inspired to manifest it. So I started thinking about what goes with pickles and my mind immediately went to ranch which in turn made me think of buffalo wings. And there you have it. *These pickles turned out so good (and can be eaten as is) I felt they deserved their own post. Taco recipe coming soon.
These pickle slices are coated in a batter containing tangy buttermilk and plenty of zesty peppery Frank’s RedHot to give them that buffalo sauce flavor we all love.
Once fried the juicy pickles are hugged by a crispy yet pillowy shell and are just bursting with flavor. To complement the acidity and cayenne goodness I highly recommend serving them with ranch. But if you’re more of a blue cheese fan, that’ll do too.
I am confident that anyone who enjoys fried pickles and buffalo sauce will adore these. They are not only delectable but super easy to make and I guarantee they will be a hit at your next party. So give them a try and stay tuned for my upcoming buffalo fried pickle tacos recipe. Don’t forget to sign up for my email list so you don’t miss it!
Ingredients (+ notes & substitutions)
- Neutral oil for frying: Vegetable and canola are both good options.
- Sliced dil pickles: For best results choose pickles that are at least 1/4-inch thick. You my purchase them pre-sliced or start with whole pickles and slice them yourself.
- Egg: For the batter.
- Frank’s RedHot: I’ve said it before and I’m sure I’ll say it again, but Frank’s is my go-to choice whenever I’m cooking up something “buffalo”. Its spot-on flavor and accessibility make it an obvious choice.
- Buttermilk
- All-purpose flour
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Cayenne pepper: If you wish to take the heat up a notch, you can add some cayenne to taste.
How to make buffalo fried pickles (+ tips)
- Heat the oil to 375 degrees in a deep fat fryer or a heavy-bottomed pan with oil at least two inches deep.
- Pat the pickles dry and set them aside. **Do not skip this step or you’ll end up with soggy fried pickles.
- In a shallow bowl, whisk together the egg, Frank’s RedHot, buttermilk, 1/2 cup of flour, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper (optional). Add the remaining 1/4 cup of flour to a second shallow bowl.
- In batches, coat the pickles in the flour then dredge them in the buffalo batter.
5. Fry in batches for 1 1/2 minutes or until crispy and golden brown. The Frank’s RedHot does give them a deeper color than traditional fried pickles, so don’t be alarmed. Transfer the fried pickles from the oil using a slotted spoon or mesh strainer to a paper towel-lined surface to absorb excess grease. Fry the remaining pickles allowing the oil to come back to temp between each batch.
6. Serve warm with your choice of dipping sauce such as ranch or blue cheese or take it one step further and make these buffalo fried pickle tacos.
Storage
Unfortunately, these spicy fried pickles do not store well as they quickly become soggy but may be refrigerated for up to four days.
Recommended Products
Don’t forget the ranch dressing!
- Garlic Ranch: Serve it as a dressing or a dip, made from scratch garlic ranch with fresh herbs is super simple to prepare in just five minutes and tastes good on EVERYTHING! Naturally vegetarian and gluten-free.
- Buffalo Ranch: Get your buffalo sauce and ranch dressing fix all in one with this simple, five-minute buffalo ranch. It’s great on salads, chicken, or as a dip for fries, pizza, and more. Naturally vegetarian and gluten-free.
- Dill(icious) Ranch: This herbaceous homemade buttermilk dill ranch is easy to prepare in just five minutes. You can serve it as a dip, as dressing for salad, and moreNaturally gluten-free and vegetarian.
If you make these spicy buffalo fried pickles I’d love your feedback. Please leave a comment and/or a rating below as I greatly value your opinion. Or snap a pic and tag me on Instagram @taoofspiceblog. Love, light, and happy cooking ya’ll ♥
Buffalo Fried Pickles
A fun and delicious twist on a classic appetizer, these spicy fried pickles are coated in a buffalo-flavored breading and fried to golden perfection. Serve them with ranch for dipping and enjoy!
Ingredients
- Vegetable or canola oil for frying
- 24 ounces sliced dill pickles (see notes)
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup Frank's RedHot
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, divided
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- Cayenne pepper, to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the oil to 375 degrees in a deep fat fryer or a heavy-bottomed pan with oil at least two inches deep.
- Pat the pickles dry and set them aside.
- In a shallow bowl, whisk together the egg, Frank's RedHot, buttermilk, 1/2 cup of flour, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper (optional). Add the remaining 1/4 cup of flour to a second shallow bowl.
- In batches, coat the pickles in the flour then dredge them in the buffalo batter.
- Fry in batches for 1 1/2 minutes or until crispy and golden brown. The Frank's RedHot does give them a deeper color than traditional fried pickles, so don't be alarmed. Transfer the fried pickles from the oil using a slotted spoon or mesh strainer to a paper towel-lined surface to absorb excess grease. Fry the remaining pickles allowing the oil to come back to temp between each batch.
- Serve warm with your choice of dipping sauce such as ranch or blue cheese.
Storage: These pickles do not store well but may be refrigerated for up to four days.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 102Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 1499mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 4g
The nutritional information provided is computer generated. It is only an estimate and intended for informational purposes only. Nutrition details may vary depending on various factors such as origin, freshness of ingredients, etc