Hooters Fried Pickles Copycat Recipe + 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 deep fried pickles are always a hit at game day parties!! Find out how to make this tangy treat!
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!
This is such a fun pickle recipe to make! Fried pickle slices with tangy dipping sauce are a great way to make a fun appetizer for everyone to enjoy.
The tartness of the pickles creates the perfect final product! If you’ve always wanted to enjoy deep-fried pickles, this is my favorite appetizer to make!
Forget about heading to a local restaurant when you can make these coated pickles right at home. You can add a teaspoon cayenne pepper for some heat, or pair with sweet chili sauce for a fun twist!
Table of Contents
Hooters Fried Pickles
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!
Or, if you’re up for a strange but addicting recipe, try my sweet Kool Aid Pickles!
Pro Tips for Fried 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 your Hooters fried pickles 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
Hooters fried pickles 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. Some people do like to pair them with ranch dressing as well.
This deep fried pickles recipe works 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. Copycat recipes like this are the perfect serving of food to share with family and friends!
Hooters Fried Pickles Recipe FAQ
Fried dill pickles 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 this Hooters fried pickles recipe an hour or two before guests arrive if you’ll be serving them for a get-together.
That really comes down to preference based on flavor and size. I prefer dill slices with the ridges for this copycat Hooters fried pickles recipe, and have the best results with either Vlasic or the Walmart Great Value brand. You can also grab a handful of the pickles, try them, and alter the brand. Pickle recipes like this are easy to change!
Yes, but you will need to adjust the cooking 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.
I prefer thin slices for the texture, but you make this pickle recipe just like you want – and come back and tell me what you think of the changes.
Enjoy!
With love, from our simple kitchen to yours.
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Other Appetizer Recipes
Hooters Fried Pickles Copycat Recipe + 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 March 2025
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We’re Donna and Chad, the dream team behind The Slow Roasted Italian. Our focus is on taking complicated OUT of the kitchen. Life is busy enough, making meals should be fast and easy, to help make your life as simple as possible. Read More >>
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.
So yummy and easy to make! I love The Slow Roasted Italian recipes like this one from Donna and Chad. These Hooters Fried Pickles turned out amazing!
Hi Faith!
We’re so glad that you enjoyed.
TSRI Team Member,
Devlyn
Donna’s recipes never disappoint! I followed this one exactly, and the Hooters Fried Pickles were perfect. Tasted just like the restaurant version!
Hi Lily!
We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe!!
TSRI Team Member,
Devlyn
Made these tonight, and they were a hit with my family. Thanks, Donna and Chad, for another fantastic recipe from The Slow Roasted Italian!
Hi Andrew!
We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe!!
TSRI Team Member,
Devlyn