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    Home » Appetizers

    Fried artichoke hearts in pan or air fryer

    Updated: Apr 16, 2025 · Published: Apr 8, 2021 by Cadry Nelson · This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · 22 Comments

    Jump to recipe
    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.

    Breaded artichoke hearts on plate by dipping sauce.

    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.

    In this post:

    Jump to:
    • Why readers love this recipe
    • Ingredients
    • Step by step instructions
    • Storage instructions
    • Serving ideas
    • 📖 Recipe

    Why readers love this recipe

    5 stars

    “These should be served at restaurants!” – Nicole

    Ingredients

    Here are the ingredients you will need to make this recipe.

    Labeled ingredients for fried artichoke hearts.

    Artichoke hearts: Water-packed artichoke hearts from a jar or can are a must. Drain & dry the artichoke hearts before breading for best results.

    (Oil-packed artichokes don’t work for breading, because the oil keeps the batter from sticking.)

    Pantry staples: All-purpose flour and baking powder.

    Panko breadcrumbs: For the best flaky and crunchy exterior use panko (Japanese-style breadcrumbs), as opposed to the general variety.

    Seasonings: Salt, dried basil, dried oregano, paprika, granulated garlic, and granulated onion.

    Oil: Avocado oil is my go-to, but feel free to use any neutral-flavored high heat cooking oil. To air fry, use oil spray.

    Vegan mayo: Vegenaise is my preferred option, but use whatever eggless mayo you enjoy.

    Garlic: I recommend using a garlic press or zester grater, so that the garlic is very fine in the aioli.

    Lemon juice: Freshly squeezed is best.

    Step by step instructions

    This section shows how to make this recipe at a glance with process photos of the steps. For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.

    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.

    Remember: Every air fryer runs differently. Times given are a general recommendation and should be tested in your own air fryer. Adjust as needed.

    Breaded artichoke hearts frying in skillet.

    To pan fry, bring a skillet to a medium high heat with about a half inch of avocado 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.

    Storage instructions

    Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.

    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.

    Serving ideas

    Bite taken out of breaded artichoke heart.

    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.

    If you try this recipe and love it, let me know! Leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comment section below. It truly makes my day and is such a help!

    📖 Recipe

    Pile of fried artichoke hearts on platter.

    Fried artichoke hearts in the air fryer or pan

    Author: Cadry Nelson
    5 from 13 votes
    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 + ¾ cup lemon garlic aioli
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 6 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 16 minutes minutes
    Servings: 7 people
    Course: Appetizer
    Cuisine: Italian, Vegan
    Keyword: air fryer, finger food, party food

    Ingredients

    For air fried artichoke hearts

    • 8 to 14 artichoke hearts from water-packed jar or can
    • ½ cup all-purpose flour
    • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
    • Pinch of salt
    • 6 to 8 Tablespoons water
    • 6 Tablespoons panko bread crumbs
    • ¼ teaspoon dried basil
    • ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
    • ¼ teaspoon paprika
    • ¼ teaspoon granulated garlic
    • Spritz of avocado oil or more if pan frying

    For vegan lemon garlic aioli

    • ¾ cup vegan mayonnaise
    • 1 clove garlic minced
    • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
    • ⅛ teaspoon granulated onion
    • Pinch of 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 avocado 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, fried zucchini, 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.
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    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

    Content, recipe, and photos updated May 30, 2024. Originally posted February 1, 2018.

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    About Cadry Nelson

    Cadry Nelson is the writer, recipe creator, and photographer behind Cadry’s Kitchen, and the author of Living Vegan For Dummies, 2nd Edition. Since launching her blog in 2009, Cadry has been making plant-based cooking approachable, and reimagining classic comfort foods. Her work has been featured in NBC News, Buzzfeed, Yahoo, Parade, VegNews, and more. She regularly appears on local TV shows, demonstrating to a broad audience how easy vegan cooking can be.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      5 from 13 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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    1. Shell

      April 15, 2024 at 9:06 am

      5 stars
      Easy to make and delicious!

      Reply
      • Cadry Nelson

        April 15, 2024 at 12:06 pm

        I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipe! Thanks for the wonderful feedback!

        Reply
    2. Frank

      June 16, 2022 at 8:19 pm

      5 stars
      Ended up perfect. Modified the dipping sauce. Add touch of siracha and extra garlic and lemon

      Reply
      • Cadry Nelson

        June 18, 2022 at 2:13 pm

        So glad you enjoyed them, Frank! Your dipping sauce sounds delicious. It sounds similar to my sriracha mayo.

        Reply
    3. William Elerding

      February 04, 2022 at 12:29 am

      5 stars
      I tried your recipe using frozen artichoke hearts (quartered). I made modifications due to personal taste.

      Used Tempura Batter first, with spices added to the batter (Italian seasoning, garlic, onion powder, cayenne and smoked paprika). I put the bowl of batter in a larger bowl with an ice-water bath to keep the batter thicker for better adhearance. After dipping the artichokes into the batter I moved to the next plate that had plain Panko crumbs. The hearts turned out great, though I’ll want to play with the spices a bit more. Your temperature and time were spot on. Thanks for your recipe!

      Reply
      • Cadry Nelson

        February 04, 2022 at 3:25 pm

        Thanks for the update! Your version sounds delicious.

        Reply
    4. Bill Elerding

      January 21, 2022 at 10:08 pm

      How about using frozen artichoke hearts? They are readily available and seem to have a cleaner taste and texture.

      Reply
      • Cadry Nelson

        January 26, 2022 at 9:19 am

        Give it a shot! I haven’t tried making this recipe with frozen artichoke hearts yet, but it’s on my to do list. (I have a package of artichoke hearts in the freezer now.) Let me know if you give it a whirl.

        Reply
    5. Mike

      December 11, 2021 at 7:27 pm

      5 stars
      Worked out well; was very tasty. Good batter and good coating (will probably use with other dishes). Made only two modifications. First, cooked pieces for 10 min in my Air Fryer to get a bit more browning. Second, although I used only one can of artichoke hearts, I ran out of the breadcrumb coating about 2/3rd of the way through the can. Wasn’t a problem though; just put together some more breadcrumb mixture.

      Reply
      • Cadry Nelson

        December 13, 2021 at 11:54 am

        Thanks for your feedback, Mike! I’m delighted that you enjoyed the fried artichoke hearts. It’s normal that a person might have to cook a little longer or shorter, depending on the air fryer, or even batch to batch. And the amount of breadcrumbs a person uses will also vary a little. I’m glad it all worked out for you!

        Reply
    6. Denise

      April 26, 2021 at 7:44 am

      Your air fryer recipes look amazing Cadry. 👍🏼
      What kind of air fryers do you use and recommend? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        April 26, 2021 at 8:32 pm

        Thank you, Denise! That’s nice to hear. I have 2 air fryers, and they’re both from GoWise. I have a 7-quart & a 3.7 quart. The larger one is good if you have plenty of counter space, because you can fit a lot into it. The smaller one is good for a family of two, and/or if you’ve got less space. I’ve also heard good things about Phillips air fryers & Cosori. If you’d prefer a toaster oven-style air fryer, I’ve also heard good things about Cuisinart. Let me know if you have any other questions! I’m happy to help.

        Reply
        • Denise

          April 27, 2021 at 10:31 am

          Hi Cadry,
          Thank you so much for your quick reply!
          I’d been doing some research on air fryers and last week purchased the 4 quart Ninja. (I haven’t used it yet because I wonder if I made a good choice 🤷🏼‍♀️). It doesn’t have a basket to take out, but rather a ‘crisper plate’ that the food goes on.
          I like the look and size of the GoWise 5.8, even though it’s just my husband and me. I’ve read that the GoWise basket non stick surface peels off. Have you found that to be true?
          The Cosori air fryer also looks nice.
          I was just remembering that it took me 2 months to use my instant pot (which I love!!). Thought it was going to blow up!
          Have you heard anything (good/bad) about the Ninja that I have?
          Thank you so much for your help Cadry!
          The sooner I fire up an air fryer, the sooner I can try your delicious looking recipes!
          Peace, love & prayers to you and yours,
          Denise

          Reply
          • Cadry

            April 27, 2021 at 11:39 am

            Hi, Denise! I haven’t heard anything either way about Ninja. However, I just did a quick search of reviews, and it seems to be really popular. They all basically use the same technology. So if I were you, I’d open up the box, and give it a whirl. (Is this the one you have? It has loads of positive reviews.)

            I love the 7 quart size for me & my husband. It’s really convenient to have that much room to spread out for more food & better air frying. My first air fryer was a 3.7 quart. It died after 4 years of service, and I replaced it with the the 7 quart. The only thing that was a problem for me with the larger model is that it runs about 25 degrees hotter & cooks faster. If I wasn’t a food blogger, that wouldn’t matter. I’d just adjust & go on. But for the sake of recipe consistency, I wanted all of the directions to match. So I re-purchased the smaller sized one again to have for recipe testing. At least a couple times a week I pull it out for regular meals too when we have a lot to air fry.

            I haven’t had a problem with the non-stick coating peeling off. The coating does get a little sticky with oil build-up over time, but I’ve heard that’s a problem across the board unless you want to go with a stainless steel model, which of course, is more prone to sticking in general.

            I know what you mean about the Instant Pot. I used mine a grand total of once, and it’s been in the basement ever since. Sometimes you just don’t know what will work for your cooking style until you give it a go. But really, I should probably bring it back upstairs at some point. Haha!

            Good luck & keep me posted!

            Reply
            • Denise

              May 10, 2021 at 3:57 pm

              Hi Cadry,
              I wanted to come back and share that because of your gentle nudge, I’ve become well acquainted with my air fryer.
              I really love this appliance and it definitely deserves a space in our small kitchen. I’ve made fries a few times (of course!) and crispy cheezy tofu. Looking forward to trying some of your recipes in it 🥰
              The 4 quart is fine for the two of us, but I can see that a bigger one would be ideal when you want leftovers.
              (Who doesn’t like leftovers? 🤷🏼‍♀️😉)
              Nice to read that you’re a cat lover .. I am as well. Our precious Puff Angel girl sends love to your furries!
              Thanks for the push!!
              Wishing you and those you love a peaceful evening.
              Denise

              Reply
              • Cadry

                May 11, 2021 at 8:35 am

                Oh, that’s great to hear, Denise! I’m so glad you dove into air frying & are liking it. Fries are a perfect place to start, and crispy cheesy tofu sounds delicious. Avon & Cally send their best to your Puff Angel. 😀

                Reply
    7. Ellen

      February 04, 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

        February 09, 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
    8. Janis Ware

      September 05, 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

        September 07, 2018 at 9:27 am

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

        Reply
    9. Nicole

      February 02, 2018 at 11:53 am

      5 stars
      These should be served at restaurants!

      Reply
      • D. Monroe

        September 21, 2023 at 9:37 am

        5 stars
        They are. Except they come frozen from Sysco.
        These are fantastic.

        Reply

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