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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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 in the air fryer or pan
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 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 organic canola 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 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
Nutrition
Content, recipe, and photos updated April 8, 2021. Originally posted February 1, 2018.
Nicole
These should be served at restaurants!
Janis Ware
These were so easy to make and VERY delicious! What a fun and different appetizer to serve to my guests!
Cadry
Yay! I’m so glad to hear that, Janis. Thank you for letting me know!
Ellen
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.
Cadry
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!
Denise
Your air fryer recipes look amazing Cadry. 👍🏼
What kind of air fryers do you use and recommend? Thanks!
Cadry
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.
Denise
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
Cadry
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!
Denise
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
Cadry
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. 😀