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Fried artichoke hearts in pan or air fryer

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Text overlay: Fried artichoke hearts in air fryer or pan. Breaded hearts on plate.

Crispy fried artichoke hearts are a tantalizing appetizer for a romantic evening for two or as a starter to a dinner party. Fry the breaded hearts in a pan or use the air fryer. Serve with lemon garlic aioli for dunking.

Fried artichoke hearts on plate by lemon garlic aioli.

There’s something both elegant and decadent about beautifully fried artichoke hearts.

Briny artichoke hearts get deliciously crisp thanks to a batter & panko coating. They’re seasoned with basil, oregano, and paprika.

Serve with lemon garlic aioli for a dipping sauce. (The vegan aioli is also terrific with fried olives!)

For maximum indulgence, fry the artichoke hearts in a pan. Or if you’d prefer something on the lighter side, use the air fryer, where they can be made with little or no oil.

Breaded artichoke hearts on plate by dipping sauce.

Use water-packed artichoke hearts

For this recipe, water-packed artichoke hearts from a jar or can are a must. Drain & dry the artichoke hearts before breading for best results.

I often enjoy oil-packed artichoke hearts in recipes like artichoke crostini and Israeli couscous salad. However, oil-packed artichokes don’t work for breading, because the oil keeps the batter from sticking.

How to make fried artichoke hearts

Canned artichoke hearts on towel by can.

Remove artichoke hearts from a water-packed jar or can. Give each one a gentle squeeze to remove excess liquid. Dry them on a clean kitchen towel.

Make a breading station.

Batter in bowl by flour, salt, and baking powder.

In a cereal-sized bowl, combine:

  • All-purpose flour
  • Baking powder
  • Salt
  • Water

You want it to be the consistency of pancake batter. Add more water, if needed.

Breading station with spices & breadcrumbs.

On a dinner plate, combine:

  • Panko breadcrumbs
  • Dried basil
  • Dried oregano
  • Paprika
  • Granulated garlic
  • Salt

Dip each artichoke heart into batter to coat it. Tap off excess batter. Then dredge each one in the panko mixture until fully covered.

To cook the artichoke hearts, either pan fry or use an air fryer.

Breaded artichoke hearts in air fryer basket.

To air fry, put the breaded artichoke hearts into the air fryer basket. Spray with oil (optional).

Air fry at 360 degrees for 8 minutes, stopping once to flip & spray again.

Breaded artichoke hearts frying in skillet.

To pan fry, bring a skillet to a medium high heat with about a half inch of canola oil (or other high heat oil).

Fry for 5 to 6 minutes, turning occasionally with tongs for even browning.

Overhead blender with lemon garlic aioli.

Serve with a lemon garlic aioli sauce.

To make the dipping sauce, combine the following in a blender or bowl:

  • Vegan mayonnaise
  • Minced garlic
  • Lemon juice
  • Granulated onion
  • Salt

Hand dipping breaded artichoke heart into aioli.

Hand holding fried artichoke heart dipped in lemon garlic aioli.

Do they reheat well?

Yes! Fried artichoke hearts reheat beautifully in the air fryer. So if you want to make a bunch before a party, you can just reheat them once guests arrive. That makes for some very low stress entertaining!

Air fry the refrigerated leftovers at 360 degrees for 6 to 8 minutes.

Bite taken out of breaded artichoke heart.

What to serve with fried artichoke hearts

Serve fried artichoke hearts as an appetizer along with any of these entrées:

  • Seitan piccata
  • Mediterranean pasta with tomatoes & vegan feta cheese
  • Air fryer stuffed peppers
  • Buttery garlic noodles with red wine mushrooms
  • Vegan zucchini lasagna
  • Roasted gnocchi with vegan almond pesto

Fried artichoke hearts on platter.

Fried artichoke hearts on plate by lemon garlic aioli.

Fried artichoke hearts in the air fryer or pan

These breaded artichoke hearts are seasoned with Italian spices and served with a light & whippy vegan aioli. They can be cooked in either the air fryer or a pan. It's a wonderful appetizer for a romantic date night, dinner party, or used as a topping to pasta. 
Makes 8 to 14 fried artichoke hearts + 3/4 cup lemon garlic aioli
5 from 2 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Italian, Vegan
Keyword: air fryer, finger food, party food
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 6 minutes
Total Time: 16 minutes
Servings: 7 people
Calories: 120kcal
Author: Cadry Nelson

Ingredients

For air fried artichoke hearts

  • 8 to 14 artichoke hearts from water-packed jar or can
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • Pinch salt
  • 6 to 8 Tablespoons water
  • 6 Tablespoons panko bread crumbs
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
  • Spritz organic canola oil or more if pan frying

For vegan lemon garlic aioli

  • 3/4 cup vegan mayonnaise
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1/8 teaspoon granulated onion
  • Pinch salt

Instructions

  • Remove artichoke hearts from water-packed jar or can. Give each one a gentle squeeze to remove excess liquid. Lay the artichoke hearts on a clean towel to gently dry them.
  • Now it's time to make a breading station for the artichoke hearts. In a cereal or soup bowl, use a fork or whisk to combine all-purpose flour, baking powder, pinch of salt, and 6 Tablespoons of water. After the batter is mixed, slowly add 2 more Tablespoons of water, as needed. You want the batter to have the consistency of pancake batter.
  • Then on a dinner plate, combine panko bread crumbs, dried basil, dried oregano, paprika, granulated garlic, and a pinch of salt.
  • One at a time, dip each artichoke heart into the batter and fully coat it. Tap off any excess batter. Then dredge it in the panko bread crumb mixture until it's covered. Continue breading each one until they are finished.
  • TO AIR FRY: Put the artichoke hearts into air fryer basket. Lightly spritz the breaded artichoke hearts with oil (optional).
    Air fry at 360 degrees for 8 minutes, stopping once to flip the artichoke hearts & spray with oil again. Remove from air fryer and serve with vegan aioli.
  • TO PAN FRY: Bring a large non-stick skillet to a medium high heat with about a half inch of organic canola oil (or other high heat oil). Drop a breadcrumb into the oil to see if it's hot enough. If bubbles immediately form around it, it's ready to use.
    Put the breaded artichoke hearts into the oil. Fry for 5 to 6 minutes, occasionally turning the artichoke hearts with tongs as they brown on each side. (Be careful not to move them until they brown.)
    Once they are brown all over, move the artichoke hearts to a towel lined plate to drain excess oil. Serve with vegan aioli for dipping.

To make vegan aioli

  • Combine vegan mayonnaise, minced garlic, lemon juice, granulated onion, and pinch of salt in a blender. You may need to stop once or twice to scrape down the sides until it's fully incorporated. Taste and add more lemon juice or salt, if needed.
    If you don't have a blender or would rather do it by hand, the lemon garlic aioli can be made in a small bowl. Just use a spoon or fork to mix it. However, it is lighter and airier in the blender, and the garlic is more broken down and blended throughout. If you're mixing in a bowl, I recommend using a Microplane zester to make the garlic as fine as possible.
  • The aioli can be eaten right away, but it tastes best after the flavors have melded. If you have the time, move the aioli to a covered container and refrigerate for a day.

Notes

You will likely have batter left over. However, since artichoke hearts vary in size, it's best to err on the side of having more batter than not enough. (You could use leftover batter for a double batch of artichoke hearts or fried pickles. If you're making a double batch of artichoke hearts, you'll need more breadcrumbs.)
This recipe also makes more aioli than you will likely need. However, a smaller amount doesn't blend well in the blender. Use any extra aioli as a sandwich spread.
The nutrition information is for the air fried version of the artichoke hearts. If you're frying in a pan with more oil, the calorie amount will be higher.
If you have leftover fried artichoke hearts, they reheat beautifully in the air fryer. Air fry the refrigerated leftovers at 360 degrees for 6 to 8 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 120kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Sodium: 109mg | Potassium: 40mg | Vitamin A: 35IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 0.9mg
Tried this recipe?Tag @cadryskitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #cadryskitchen!

Content, recipe, and photos updated April 8, 2021. Originally posted February 1, 2018.

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Posted On: April 8, 2021
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About Cadry

Cadry Nelson is the writer, photographer, and recipe creator behind Cadry’s Kitchen, a vegan food & lifestyle blog started in 2009. Through approachable recipes, vegan travel guides, and down-to-earth discussions on the social aspects of being vegan, Cadry shows that living a vegan lifestyle is deliciously uncomplicated. Cadry has been featured on NBC News, Mashable, Today, Reader's Digest, Yahoo, Delish, Shape, and Huffington Post.

Comments

  1. Nicole says

    February 2, 2018 at 11:53 am

    These should be served at restaurants!

    Reply
  2. Janis Ware says

    September 5, 2018 at 6:39 pm

    5 stars
    These were so easy to make and VERY delicious! What a fun and different appetizer to serve to my guests!

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      September 7, 2018 at 9:27 am

      Yay! I’m so glad to hear that, Janis. Thank you for letting me know!

      Reply
  3. Ellen says

    February 4, 2019 at 4:52 pm

    5 stars
    I made this recipe a couple of nights ago, and it was fantastic! I plan to use the air-fried artichokes in fish tacos next week with a mango salsa. I had a little batter left over, so I quartered some mushrooms and tried them, too, and they were almost as good as the artichokes.

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      February 9, 2019 at 11:00 am

      That’s so nice to hear, Ellen! That’s a great idea to use the artichokes in tacos, and for re-purposing the leftover batter for mushrooms. Thanks for letting me know!

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Cadry Nelson. I'm the recipe creator, writer, and photographer behind Cadry's Kitchen.

Cadry's Kitchen is a vegan food blog featuring comfort food classics. Most recipes are ready in about 30 minutes.

Contact me at cadryskitchen@gmail.com.

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