Hooters Fried Pickles Copycat + Video
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Hooters Fried Pickles are a perfectly crunchy, tangy, irresistibly dippable fried snack. This copycat recipe takes just 30 minutes to make, and the deep fried pickles are always a hit at game day parties!!
Hooters Fried Pickles
This Southern starter was made famous by Hooters restaurant, but now you can enjoy your favorite fried dill pickles right at home with this easy copycat recipe!
It starts with a handful of simple ingredients that you may already have on hand. Dip the pickle slices in a seasoned buttermilk mixture, dredge them in a tasty coating, and deep fry until perfectly golden brown.
You can even make deep fried pickles in the air fryer with a fraction of the oil!
Fried Dill Pickles Recipe Video
Want to watch the process of frying pickles, from start to finish?! Look for the video in the recipe card, at the bottom of this post.
Pro Tips for Frying Dill Pickles
- Work in batches. This goes for both dredging and frying. Making too many at once will cause them to stick together. Plus, the oil temperature will drop and they won’t crisp up properly.
- Sift out clumps. Stir the flour mixture between batches and pull out any doughy chunks so the slices get evenly coated.
- Kick up the heat. If you want yours extra spicy, increase the amount of hot sauce or cayenne pepper.
- Don’t have buttermilk? Make your own in a snap! Stir 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar into 1 cup of regular milk, then let it sit for about 5 minutes. Once it has thickened, it’s ready to use.
Serving Suggestions
These are traditionally served with a horseradish or spicy ranch sauce, but I say why mess with a good thing? I pop a few in my mouth at a time and enjoy them as they are.
Fried dill pickles are good with lunch, dinner, as a snack, or just because jars are on sale! Serve them up with your game day favorites or alongside sandwiches and hamburgers.
Hooters Fried Pickles Recipe FAQ
Can I make pickle chips ahead of time?
These really are best when freshly made. Once they are refrigerated, they tend to get a bit soft and the batter can peel off. However, you can certainly prepare them an hour or two before guests arrive if you’ll be serving them for a get-together.
Which brand of pickle is best for frying?
That really comes down to preference based on flavor and size. I prefer dill slices with the ridges, and have the best results with either Vlasic or the Walmart Great Value brand.
Can I make this recipe with spears instead?
Yes, but you will need to adjust the cook time to accommodate the larger size and thickness. It might also be a good idea to double dredge them in flour. This way, the balance of pickle to batter will be just right.
Enjoy!
With love, from our simple kitchen to yours.
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Hooters Fried Pickles + Video
Ingredients
- 16 ounces dill pickle slices, drained of juice/brine
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 4 dashes hot sauce
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- neutral flavor cooking oil, (peanut, vegetable, canola, etc)
Instructions
- Heat 2-inches of cooking oil in an 8-quart pot to 350°F. Prepare a tray with a double layer of paper towels. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine buttermilk, egg, and hot sauce. Beat with a fork to combine. Add pickles to buttermilk mixture and stir to combine.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, paprika, garlic powder and cayenne pepper.
- Add a handful of pickle slices to flour mixture. Swirl pickles around to be sure they are well coated. *See NotesShake off excess flour and drop 7 or 8 pickles, one at a time, into hot oil. Avoid frying more than that at one time, so the temperature does not drop too much.
- Fry pickles for 3-5 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon and drain on tray lined with paper towels.
- Serve and enjoy!
Video
Donna’s Notes
- Stir flour mixture between batches and pull out dough chunks to keep coating from getting chunky.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.
Originally published November 2013. Updated and republished November 2021.
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YEP! Must make these!
These look absolutely perfect. My husband would do just about anything to have a basket of these!
Are the pickles sliced? I can't see where it says what type pickle to use, but the picture looks like they are sliced. Hamburger slices, sandwich sliced. ,slice your own from whole?
You can really use whatever pickle you like, but these were created with dill hamburger slices (with the ridges). Enjoy!
I made these tonight, delicious!!!
Was wondering if you have to use buttermilk? Would regular work?
Buttermilk gives it a specific flavor and richness. If you can not get buttermilk then I would use a buttermilk substitute. Here are a few recipes. Enjoy and let us know how it goes. http://www.theslowroasteditalian.com/2013/02/how-to-make-buttermilk-substitute-3-ways.html
This looks really yummy! Thank you for sharing. I have had some great ones in restaurants (and some aweful ones!) – this would be such fun to make at home for parties and BBQs.
What is the sauce you dip them into?
Ranch Dressing makes a great dipping sauce!
What kind of hot sauce do you use?
Donna, what kind of sauce is this red sauce pictured you are dipping your pickles into???
Donna King
Yes, I'd like to know as well. Is it some sort of hot sauce or a sweet and sour sauce.
These are even better than your air-fryer pickles! They are so full of flavor and are awesome dipped in ranch.