Stuffed Fried Pickles

Fried pickles get a cheesy upgrade

By
Lauryn Bodden
headshot for associate food editor Lauryn Bodden
Lauryn Bodden
Lauryn is Food Editor for The Spruce Eats, creating recipes and cooking guides for all palates and expertise.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 03/1/23
Tested by
Noah Velush-Rogers
Noah Velush-Rogers
Tested by Noah Velush-Rogers
Noah Velush-Rogers works on food prep for several area caterers. He has worked with a team of prep chefs for a private school group. He was an assistant cooking teacher for children and teen group cooking classes. Noah was hired as an intern and was then trained as a recipe tester for Fine Cooking Magazine. 
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 6 mins
Total: 26 mins
Servings: 12 servings
Yield: 12 pickles

Fried pickles are one of the ultimate snacks. Full stop. They’re salty, savory, crisp, and a fixture at just about any tailgate no matter what team is playing. But they're just never quite as crunchy as I want them to be because their high moisture content quickly turns them limp. Not only do these stuffed fried pickles raise the ante with a surprise center of ooey-gooey cheese and a hint of spice, but they’re so crisp your neighbor could hear you take a bite out of them. 

How Do You Make Stuffed Fried Pickles?

The glory of this recipe lies in the layers of texture. We stuff these with a zesty mixture of two cheeses, herbs, pickled jalapeños, and spices, then wrap each in an egg roll wrapper blanket before frying to golden brown deliciousness. Even better, you don’t have to bother with the mess of battering teeny pickle slices. You can simply slice the pickles in half and scoop out some of the insides, or use an apple corer to scoop then stuff them.

Serving Stuffed Fried Pickles

Serve at your Super Bowl party, holiday gathering, or for a midweek pick-me-up. To really gild the lily, serve them with a creamy dip. They come together in no time for fast snacking when you need it. And yes, they are a pretty big dill.

Recipe Tips

  • You can use a variety of tools for scooping the innards out of the pickles, but grapefruit spoons and small melon ballers work best.
  • You can deep fry or shallow fry, but I prefer deep frying to allow the egg roll wrapper to expand and really get that nice crunch to it.
  • You can use any herbs, spices, or other ingredients you have on hand to stuff your pickles. Just don’t skimp on the cheese!
  • It’s OK if the filling oozes out of the pickle when you sandwich it back together. It all gets wrapped up in the egg roll wrapper, so no one will see it and you get even more flavor.
Stuffed fried pickles

The Spruce Eats / Maxwell Cozzi

“Not just your average wimpy little fried pickle slices, these are the whole package stuffed to the brim with the good cheesy stuff. There’s lots of room for personal touches on this one so be brave and experiment with some substitutions to fit your taste.” —Noah Velush-Rogers

Pickles stuffed with cheese and wrapped in egg roll wrappers and fried
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 12 dill pickles

  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature

  • 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives

  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh dill

  • 1 pickled jalapeño, diced

  • 1 tablespoon honey

  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder

  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 12 egg roll wrappers

  • Vegetable oil, for frying

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients to make stuffed fried pickles

    The Spruce Eats / Maxwell Cozzi

  2. Halve the pickles lengthwise, then scoop out the innards and remove to a small bowl. 

    A cutting board with pickles sliced in half with their fillings scooped out

    The Spruce Eats / Maxwell Cozzi

  3. Combine the cream cheese, cheddar, chives, dill, pickled jalapeño, honey, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl and mix until combined.

    A bowl of cream cheese, Cheddar, chives, dill, pickled jalapeño, honey, garlic powder, salt, and pepper

    The Spruce Eats / Maxwell Cozzi

  4. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture into one of the pickle halves (or enough of the mixture to fill the pickle nicely), then enclose with the other half. Repeat with remaining pickles and filling.

    A pickle stuffed with cream cheese-mixture

    The Spruce Eats / Maxwell Cozzi

  5. Place an egg roll wrapper on a clean surface with one corner facing you (it will look like a diamond shape, not a square) and place a stuffed pickle in the center. 

    A wonton wrapper with a stuffed pickle at the bottom corner

    The Spruce Eats / Maxwell Cozzi

  6. Fold up the bottom of the wrapper and tightly fold in the sides. Gently roll, then seal closed with a couple drops of water. Repeat with the remaining pickles.

    A stuffed pickle wrapped in a wonton wrapper

    The Spruce Eats / Maxwell Cozzi

  7. Add enough oil to a large pot to reach 2 inches up the sides. Heat over medium until the oil reaches 350 F. Add about 4 egg rolls at a time being careful to not crowd the pot, then fry until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to cool slightly.

    A pan of stuffed pickles frying in oil

    The Spruce Eats / Maxwell Cozzi

  8. Serve stuffed fried pickles warm on their own or with your favorite dipping sauce.

    A platter of stuffed deep fried pickles and dipping sauce

    The Spruce Eats / Maxwell Cozzi

How to Store

You can keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on a baking sheet in a 400 F oven until heated through, about 5 minutes.

Recipe Variations

  • Fill the hollowed-out pickles with a prepared flavored cheese spread such as Boursin.
  • Feel free to make the filling as spicy as you like, adding chopped fresh chiles, pickled Calabrian chiles, or cayenne pepper to amp up the heat.
  • After frying, roll the still-warm pickles in Trader Joe's dill pickle seasoning for even more pickle flavor.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
367 Calories
22g Fat
32g Carbs
11g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 367
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 22g 28%
Saturated Fat 6g 30%
Cholesterol 33mg 11%
Sodium 1695mg 74%
Total Carbohydrate 32g 12%
Dietary Fiber 4g 14%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 11g
Vitamin C 3mg 17%
Calcium 193mg 15%
Iron 2mg 10%
Potassium 345mg 7%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)