Pickle Battered Cheese Curds

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These crispy, Pickle Battered Cheese Curds are the perfect combo of crisp and tangy fried cheese curds and fried pickles- with a quick and easy batter and a sriracha dill mayo to serve on the side! This crispy app is on the table and ready to devour in about 30 minutes!

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Looking for more great appetizers?

Why not try my Philly Cheesesteak Jalapeño Poppers,  Italian Egg Roll Mozzarella Sticks with Balsamic dipping sauce, or my Rueben Egg Rolls with Beer & Bacon Sauerkraut!

The lovechild of fried pickles and fried cheese

If you love cheese and pickles- you have come to the right place. This cheese curds recipe is crispy, fried, and delicious! It’s like the perfect marriage of fried pickles and fried cheese. What’s not to love?

Making the pickle batter for the cheese curds recipe

To make the easy pickle-full beer batter for the fried cheese curds, you will need:

• A beer– either a lager or pilsner works best. No need to go fancy- I used a Rolling Rock.
• Some all-purpose flour.
• A bit of cornstarch, to help make the fried curds EXTRA crunchy.
• A bit of finely chopped dill pickles. I love Claussen. You want to use a jarred variety of pickle, because you’ll also be using a bit of the brining liquid to make the batter.
• A few spices– some garlic powder, dry dill, salt and fresh ground black pepper.

All you need to do to make the batter is whisk all those ingredients well until you’ve got a slightly thick, paste-like batter. Then it’s time to fry!

Making the sriracha dill mayo dipping sauce

Before I get started on the batter and frying, I like to quickly whip up the sauce and pop it in the fridge. All you need to do is whisk together some mayonnaise, sriracha, dry dill and apple cider vinegar.

Dip tip

I like to make it in advance to allow time for the dill flavor to really pop, and keep it nice and cold. You could make the sauce up to a day or 2 in advance, or as little as an hour before serving the fried cheese curds.

Frying the cheese curds

Once your dip is chilling and your batter is ready to go, all that’s left to do if fry the cheese curds! Drop them in hot oil until they’re crispy, golden brown and gooey perfection.

I like to ensure that every little curd has a pop of pickle. Because of this, I use what I like to call the “Scoop ‘N Drop” method. To do this, “scoop up” the batter with each cheese curd, then carefully drop them into the hot oil. This ensures you’ll get a nice crust, and pick up some pickle chunks along the way.

Pro tip: work in small batches. This way, the cheese curds cook easily and don’t stick- and fry them for just 1-2 minutes a side- they are fast!

If you make my Pickle Battered Cheese Curds recipe, please be sure to leave me a comment! I would love to hear from you, and value your feedback! Lastly, if you make the recipe and love it, please tag me on Instagram! I love to see your photos!

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Print Recipe

Pickle Battered Cheese Curds

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time35 mins

Course: Appetizer

Keyword: beer batter, cheese curds, pickles

Ingredients

• 12 oz white cheddar cheese curds
• canola oil, for frying

Beer Batter

• 1 12 oz beer, lager or pilsner
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp cornstarch 
• 1/4 cup finely chopped dill pickles
• 2 tbsp pickle brine/jar liquid
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp dry dill
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Sriracha Dill Mayonaise  

• 3/4 cup mayonaise
• 2 tsp dry dill
• 1 1/2 tbsp sriracha sauce
• 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Instructions

• Make the mayo. Add all mayo ingredients to a small bowl or container, and whisk until smooth and well combined. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use. Can be made in a day in advance. The dill flavor becomes more pronounced as it sits, so it is best to make this mayo at least an hour in advance.

  2. Make the beer batter for the cheese curds. Combine the beer, flour, cornstarch chopped pickles, pickle brine/jar liquid, garlic powder, salt, pepper and dry dill in a medium bowl, and whisk until well combined and a thick batter forms.

  3. Before frying, set a cooling rack over a sheet pan near your work station.

  4. Heat 2” of canola oil (or other high smoke point neutral oil) in a large, deep frying pan over medium-high heat until shimmering, about 4-5 minutes. Test with a small pinch of batter- if it float to the top and sizzles on contact, the oil is ready to fry.

  5. Working in small batches, careful not to overcrowd the pan, dip the cheese curds one by one into the batter- you want to essentially scoop the batter with each curd and immediately (and carefully) drop the battered curds into the hot oil. I like to call this the “Scoop 'N Drop” method- and it ensures you’ll get a nice crust, and pick up some pickle chunks on each curd. Fry the curds very briefly- 1-2 mins a side until light golden brown. Using a slotted spoon, carefully transfer to a cooling rack to drain. Repeat until all curds are fried.

  6. Serve hot with Sriracha Dill Mayonnaise.

© Jawns I Cooked. All images & content are the sole property of Jawns I Cooked. Please ask permission prior to using my photos. If you would like to share one of my recipes, please link back to this post and re-write the instructions in your own words.