Oven-Baked Fried Pickles Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Place a clean kitchen hand towel or a few layers of paper towels onto a large plate, cutting board, or clean countertop and place a layer of pickle slices on top. Cover the pickles with another clean kitchen hand towel or a few layers of paper towels and gently press to remove excess liquid.
3. Add the flour mixture ingredients to a large plate or bowl and whisk to combine.
4. Add the wet mixture ingredients to a small bullet blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add the blended wet mixture to a large plate or bowl and whisk to combine.
5. Add the bread crumb mixture ingredients to a large plate or bowl and whisk to combine.
6. Working in small batches, add a handful of pickle slices to the flour mixture and toss to coat all sides. Gently shake off any excess flour.
7. Add the flour-coated pickle slices to the wet mixture and use a fork to turn/coat all sides.
8. Add the wet pickle slices to the bread crumb mixture and toss/flip to coat all sides. Gently shake off any excess bread crumbs.
9. Place the coated pickle slices onto a baking sheet pan that has been lined with parchment paper or silicone parchment.
10. Repeat the dredging process until all pickle slices have been fully coated.
11. Spray or brush oil onto both sides of the pickles.
12. Bake in the oven for 12 – 15 minutes, flipping halfway. Sprinkle with additional salt if needed and serve with dipping sauce of choice.

Air Fryer Fried Pickles Instructions:

1. Place a clean kitchen hand towel or a few layers of paper towels onto a large plate, cutting board, or clean countertop and place a layer of pickle slices on top. Cover the pickles with another clean kitchen hand towel or a few layers of paper towels and gently press to remove excess liquid.
2. Add the flour mixture ingredients to a large plate or bowl and whisk to combine.
3. Add the wet mixture ingredients to a small bullet blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add the blended wet mixture to a large plate or bowl and whisk to combine.
4. Add the bread crumb mixture ingredients to a large plate or bowl and whisk to combine.
5. Working in small batches, add a handful of pickle slices to the flour mixture and toss to coat all sides. Gently shake off any excess flour.
6. Add the flour-coated pickle slices to the wet mixture and use a fork to turn/coat all sides.
7. Add the wet pickle slices to the bread crumb mixture and toss/flip to coat all sides. Gently shake off any excess bread crumbs.
8. Optional Step: Place a piece of parchment paper on the air fryer basket and use a knife to cut a few slits through the paper. I do this to prevent food and grease from sticking to my air fryer basket, but it isn’t required. If you do decide to place parchment paper in your air fryer, you’ll want to cut the slits into the paper to let air go through the paper and make the food crispy.
9. Preheat the air fryer to 395°F. In batches, add the dredged pickles to the air fryer.
10. Spray or brush oil onto both sides of the pickles.
11. Cook the pickle slices for 8 minutes, flipping halfway through. Sprinkle with additional salt if desired and serve with dipping sauce of choice.

Optional Vegan Ranch Instructions:

1. Pour boiling water onto the cashews and soak for 5 minutes.
2. Drain the water and add the cashews to a blender along with the tofu, lemon juice, non-dairy milk,   onion powder, salt, nutritional yeast. Blend until smooth.
3. Taste the ranch and add the remaining optional ingredients if desired for additional taste and texture. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.