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These crispy fried sage leaves are a gorgeous garnish for pastas, salads, meats, fish, cheese boards and more! They’re also a delicious snack all on their own. They have a wonderfully mild, herbal flavor with a crunchy texture. I’ll show you how easy they are to make, and you only need three ingredients!
Ingredients:
- Fresh sage leaves: You can use as many sage leaves as you’d like in this easy recipe. While fresh sage leaves have a strong flavor, when fried they turn mellow and nutty.
- Oil: I prefer to use vegetable oil, such as grapeseed or safflower oil, which imparts a neutral, clean flavor. However, you can use olive oil if you prefer.
- Salt: The crunchy fried leaves are seasoned with salt (I prefer to use kosher salt or fine sea salt).
How to make crispy fried sage leaves:
- Pour ¼-inch of neutral vegetable oil into the bottom of a skillet and place it over medium-high heat. Let the oil pre-heat until it's shimmering. To test if the oil is hot enough, dip a corner of a sage leaf into the oil—it should start to bubble immediately.
- Add the sage leaves to the hot oil in a single layer, there should be a bit of space between each.Cook, stirring and flipping with tongs, until the leaves shrink down and turn a dark green color, about 1-2 minutes total—you’ll know they’re ready when the oil stops bubbling and quiets down.
- Using tongs or a slotted spoon, immediately transfer the leaves to a paper towel-lined plate, and season them with a generous pinch of salt. The leaves will crisp up as they cool.
Serving suggestions
These crunchy sage leaves are delicious all on their own as a pre-dinner nibble with a glass of wine or cold beer. For an easy but elegant appetizer, serve them with cheeses, nuts and fig jam. The leaves are also the perfect topping for a variety of dishes, lending color and crunch. Try them on:
- Butternut Squash Salad with Apples and Goat Cheese
- Savory Squash Galette
- Pork Tenderloin Medallions
- Butternut Squash Pasta (one of my favorite fall dishes, pictured below)
Recipe tips:
- This is more of a technique than a strict recipe. You can fry as many or as few sage leaves as you desire. Just be sure to use a pan that's large enough, and pour in enough oil so that's it's ¼-inch deep.
- Larger sage leaves will be easier to fry (save smaller leaves for seasoning your dishes).
- Tongs make it easy to flip the sage leaves in the oil.
- You can re-use the cooking oil! Pour it through a strainer into a jar and store it at room temperature. Use the oil to fry sage leaves again, or to sauté meats, fish and vegetables.
FAQs
Can I make fried sage leaves ahead?
You can make the fried sage leaves several hours in advance. Store them at room temperature, uncovered.
What can I do with sage leaves?
While you can use sage as a flavoring in pastas, braises, risotto and more, the leaves are also delicious when fried whole, turning crispy and mild.
What does cooked sage taste like?
Fried sage leaves have an herbal, slightly nutty flavor and are a great complement to winter squash, potatoes, pork, white fish, risotto, pasta and more.
How do you make sage crumble?
Crumple up the crispy fried sage leaves and sprinkle them over your favorite dishes as a crumble.
More recipes to try:
- Gluten Free Cornbread Stuffing Recipe (aka Cornbread Dressing)
Stay connected:
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Crispy Fried Sage Leaves
These crispy fried sage leaves are delicious all on their own (I pair them with roasted nuts, cheese and Fig Jam for an appetizer!), but they’re also a gorgeous garnish to salads, pasta, meat dishes, stews and more. Try them on Butternut Squash Pasta, Butternut Squash Salad, Pork Tenderloin Medallions and a Savory Squash Galette. This is more of a technique than a recipe—you can fry as many sage leaves as you need. If you’re using them as a garnish, an 8-inch skillet works great. For larger batches use a 10- to 12-inch skillet. You can reuse the cooking oil (strain it into a jar and store it at room temperature).
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: crispy sage leaves, fried sage leaves
Author: Nicki Sizemore
Ingredients
- Neutral vegetable oil (such as grapeseed or safflower)
- Fresh sage leaves
- Salt
Instructions
Heat ¼-inch of neutral vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat until shimmering. To test if the oil is hot enough, dip a corner of a sage leaf into the oil—it should start to bubble immediately. Add the sage leaves in a single layer, there should be a bit of space between each.
Cook, stirring and flipping with tongs, until the leaves shrink down and turn a dark green color, about 1-2 minutes total—you’ll know they’re ready when the oil stops bubbling and quiets down. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, immediately transfer the leaves to a paper towel-lined plate, and season them with salt. The leaves will crisp up as they cool.
Notes
Do Ahead: Store the crispy fried sage leaves at room temperature, uncovered, for up to 3 hours.
Tips:
- This is more of a technique than a strict recipe. You can fry as many or as few sage leaves as you desire. Just be sure to use a pan that's large enough, and pour in enough oil so that's it's ¼-inch deep.
- Larger sage leaves will be easier to fry (save smaller leaves for seasoning your dishes).
- Tongs make it easy to flip the sage leaves in the oil.
- You can re-use the cooking oil! Pour it through a strainer into a jar and store it at room temperature. Use the oil to fry sage leaves again, or to sauté meats, fish and vegetables.
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Reader Interactions
Comments
DeAnn says
The sage technique sounds delicious. Once the leaves have cooled, can they successfully be dehydrated or frozen?
Reply
Nicki Sizemore says
Hi there! These fried sage leaves are best eaten within a few hours of making (they will lose their crispiness if frozen). I hope you enjoy!
Reply
