Shatteringly crunchy is the only way to describe these air fryer pickles — triple-coated in almond flour, egg wash, and crushed pork rinds, just 0.3g net carbs. They're my favorite low carb appetizer with ranch or alongside a bunless burger.
I’ve been making keto air fryer pickles for years, and I’ve tried every breading method out there. Almond flour alone? Too flat. Pork rinds alone? Falls right off. The three-bowl dredge is what finally worked, and it’s the reason these come out with a coating that actually stays put and crunches when you bite through it.
The trick I landed on is adding pickle juice to the egg wash. Most recipes just use beaten eggs, but that splash of brine does two things: it thins the wash so it coats more evenly, and it reinforces the pickle flavor through the entire breading. I tested this side by side (eggs only vs. eggs plus pickle juice) and the difference was obvious. The brine version had more flavor in every bite, not just the center.
The breading itself is a combination of almond flour in the first bowl and ground pork rinds in the third. The almond flour gives the egg wash something to grip, and the pork rinds deliver that deep, salty crunch you’d normally only get from deep frying. I grind my pork rinds in a food processor until they’re about the texture of panko. Too fine and they compress; too chunky and they won’t stick. Panko-sized is the sweet spot.
The cajun seasoning in the almond flour bowl is optional, but I almost always use it. It adds a background warmth that rounds out the garlic and cayenne in the pork rind coat. Without it the pickles still taste great, but with it there’s this extra savory depth that makes people ask what’s in the breading. I use about a teaspoon, which keeps the heat subtle enough for everyone.
At 400 degrees for about 12 minutes total (6 per side), the coating sets up golden and crispy without any oil pooling in the basket. I spray them lightly with avocado oil before they go in, just enough to help browning. If you already make fried jalapenos or avocado fries this way, you know how well breaded foods turn out. These pickles are right in that same wheelhouse.
For dipping, I go with ranch most nights, but a chili ranch (ranch plus a few dashes of hot sauce) is my favorite when I’m serving these as an appetizer. They sit nicely on a spread alongside keto mozzarella sticks, pickle wraps, and caprese bites for game day. At only 0.3g net carbs per serving, these are one of the most snackable low carb appetizers I make.
One thing I always do: pat the pickle chips dry before you start dredging. Pickles are soaked in brine, and if you skip this step, the almond flour turns into paste instead of a dry coating. Two paper towels, press gently, move on. That 30 seconds makes or breaks the whole batch.
These crispy pickle chips make a bite sized game day snack, and I like to serve them next to a bunless burger.
After the almond flour coat, each pickle chip takes a dip in the egg and pickle juice wash before it goes into the pork rind mixture.
For a homemade dip, my tangy keto BBQ sauce adds a nice kick to these pickle chips.
Frying Them on the Stove Top
If you have no air fryer and do not want to use the oven, fry the breaded pickles in a skillet. Pour in enough avocado oil to cover the bottom of the pan by 1/4 inch and heat it over medium to medium high. Fry the pickles for a couple of minutes on each side, then pull them out when the breading starts to brown.
Place pickles between two paper towels to allow for most of the excess liquid to be absorbed.
2
The dipping bowls
Prepare the dipping bowls. For bowl 1, mix together almond flour, cajun seasoning (if using), and salt. For bowl 2, whisk together eggs and pickle juice. For bowl 3, mix together ground pork rinds, garlic powder and cayenne pepper.
3
Dip in almond flour
Dip a pickle chip into the almond flour mixture to fully coat.
4
Dip in egg wash
Dip almond flour coated pickle slice into the egg wash to coat.
5
Dip in pork rinds
Then dip into the pork rind mixture. Repeat with remaining pickle slices.
6
Air fry the pickles
Place a layer of breaded pickles on the basket in the air fryer. Spray breaded pickles with avocado oil or olive oil. Air fry at 400 degrees for 6 minutes. Flip over each pickle and continue to air fry for an additional 6 minutes. Remove from the basket and repeat with remaining breaded pickles.
Nutrition
Per serving: 1/30 of recipe
Calories
29
Fat
2.2g
Protein
2.1g
Total carbs
0.5g
Net carbs
0.3g
Nutrition is an estimate calculated from the ingredients listed. Brands vary, so check labels if you track closely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I bake these in the oven instead of an air fryer?
I've done these in the oven at 400 degrees on a parchment-lined baking sheet. About 12 minutes, flip, then another 8-10 minutes. They come out good, not quite as crispy as when I use the basket method, but still solid. I spray them with avocado oil before baking, same as the original recipe. The edges won't get that same crackle, but the breading still sets up and holds.
What's the best dipping sauce for keto fried pickles?
I keep coming back to ranch, honestly. But my favorite variation is what I call chili ranch: just ranch mixed with a few shakes of hot sauce until it's slightly pink. That little bit of heat plays off the pickle brine flavor really well. I've also done a garlic aioli (mayo, minced garlic, lemon juice) when I want something different. Both pair great with these, and they also go well with homemade guacamole if you want to skip the dairy.
Can I use pickle spears instead of chips?
I've tried spears, and they work, but the breading-to-pickle ratio changes a lot. With chips, every bite has a crunchy shell around it. With spears, you get crunch on the outside and a big burst of pickle in the middle, which some people actually prefer. I cut my spears in half lengthwise so they aren't too thick, and I add an extra minute or two per side since the center is denser.
Can I use coconut flour instead of almond flour?
I've tested this side by side. Coconut flour absorbs way more liquid, so you need about a third of the amount you'd use for almond flour. I used roughly 2-3 tablespoons where the recipe calls for half a cup. The coating comes out a bit lighter in color and slightly more delicate, but it still holds together. If you're out of almond flour, it's a solid swap.
How do I store leftover fried pickles?
I put any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge, and they keep for about 3 days. The breading softens up overnight, but I reheat them in the air fryer at 375 for 3-4 minutes and they crisp right back up. I don't recommend the microwave for reheating. It turns the coating soggy and there's no saving it after that.
How many net carbs are in each serving?
Each serving comes out to about 0.3g net carbs, which is one of the reasons I make these so often. The pork rind breading is essentially zero carb, and the small amount of almond flour in the first dredge keeps the total low. I track my macros pretty carefully, and a full plate of these barely makes a dent. If you need more low carb snack ideas, my keto trail mix is another one I keep in regular rotation.
Can I make these spicier?
I bump up the cayenne to a full teaspoon and add a couple dashes of hot sauce directly into the egg wash. That way the heat gets baked into every layer, not just the outside. My husband likes them even hotter, so I sometimes dust them with extra cayenne right when they come out while the oil is still tacky. If you like heat in your appetizers, my spicy maple pork belly bites are in the same family. Start with what the recipe says and work up from there.
Will pickles knock me out of ketosis?
No. Dill pickles are just cucumbers in a vinegar brine, and each serving of these fried pickles comes out to 0.3g net carbs. The breading is almond flour and ground pork rinds, so there is no wheat flour or sugar in the coating. The pickles to watch are sweet varieties like bread and butter chips, which are brined with sugar. I stick with plain dill chips and never think twice about it.
What are the best pickles for a keto diet?
Dill pickle chips are what I use. They are naturally low in carbs because the brine is vinegar, salt, and spices with no sugar. This recipe uses 1 (16 oz) jar of dill pickle chips, and each serving lands at 0.3g net carbs. Skip sweet pickles and bread and butter chips, since those are packed in a sugar brine. Check the label: the carb count on a true dill pickle should be near zero.
Ok Annie, these are the ones. I hadn’t had a fried pickle in about three years and was not ready for how good they’d be. Your site has been my whole dinner plan lately.
Lighter on the almond flour helps, thick coat traps moisture before the pork rind layer sets. I used smoked paprika instead of cajun, tones down the sweetness and lets the pickle brine come through. Brought these to a cookout and they still had snap after an hour out, which I genuinely didn’t expect.
That calorie count plus a kid hiding food from his sister is two very different kinds of proof. Morgan, I made these for a gathering last year and was back in the kitchen for a second batch before anyone even asked. The pork rinds do something weird at that temperature where they get almost airy-crunchy, not heavy like regular fried breading. Hard to stop at one.
2g net carbs hit different when fried pickles have been off the table for a year. I’d filed bar snacks under ‘gone’ and kind of made peace with it. The triple coat actually does what it promises, that pork rind crunch is real. Mine weren’t perfectly even (a few chips had soft spots from overlapping) but a second pass fixed that and I’ll blame the arrangement.
Overlapping, the one thing that gets you every time. Single layer matters more than with most air fryer stuff, the breading needs direct airflow to set. I still overcrowd the basket when I’m rushing and end up with the same soft spots. Two batches for a full jar. Takes longer but every chip comes out even.
I do a full jar at once for snack prep and split them into small containers with a paper towel on the bottom. Keeps moisture off the crust. Still good on day three.
Never made fried pickles before this, and I was lowkey skeptical the pork rind coating would actually stick (kept picturing a crumbled mess in my air fryer basket). But it comes together way easier than it looks, and when I pulled that first batch out the crunch was just… I wasn’t ready for that. Made these on a Sunday with a pool day crowd and went through the whole jar. Double batch next time, obviously.
Pool crowd going through a whole jar, that’s the response I love to hear. For the double batch, crush all the pork rinds before you start dredging, I always end up short mid-batch.
I batch these every Sunday as part of my weekly snack prep, and the triple coat method is what makes it work. Before air frying, I lay the coated pickles on a wire rack for 5 minutes so the pork rinds set properly (they grip better and the crust comes out more even). After they cool, they last 3-4 days in the fridge with no sogginess, and two minutes at 375 brings them right back. Never found a fried pickle recipe that held up to meal prep until this one.
My daughter is normally suspicious of anything I make that’s ‘supposed to taste like something else,’ but she didn’t even ask what the coating was, she just kept eating. That’s kind of a big deal in our house. Only thing I’d say is give yourself extra time to set up the dipping stations the first time around.
Never used pork rinds before and the triple coating had me nervous, but it all stuck and the crunch was legit. Would these still be crispy if I made them an hour ahead for a party?
