Southern Fried Okra
A delicious southern staple, this Fried Okra is a classic recipe that comes together in less than 20 minutes. The perfect side dish to any southern meal!
A DELICIOUS FRIED SOUTHERN SIDE
In the south, we like to fry vegetables or cook them to death with pork. It’s really the only proper way to eat vegetables – ha! Okra is absolutely amazing, if you give it a chance. If you’ve never tried it, I hope to have you sold on okra when you make it because it really is just that good. This Fried Okra Recipe goes great with any dinner meal that you make, especially if it is of the southern kind. It is also great to just whip up as an appetizer and munch on with some dipping sauce. However you serve it, this Fried Okra is one recipe that you need to add to your must make list.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ’S)
Yes you can! The good part about using frozen is that is all cut up and ready to go but you will want to completely thaw and pat dry before using.
Of course. Use seasoning that you prefer. Some ideas include: Old Bay, blackening seasoning, cajun seasoning, creole seasoning, smoked paprika, chipotle powder, or cayenne.
There are a variety that you can use depending on your flavor preference. Some of my favorites include: ranch dressing, garlic aioli, remoulade, or chipotle mayo. But this is also great on it’s own and really doesn’t need a dipping sauce.
Some of our favorite dishes to serve with this is fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, ribs, pork tenderloin, collard greens, etc. You can really serve it with anything you’d like.
No, peanut oil can get expensive but it great for the high smoke point. Other oils that you can use instead are vegetable, canola or sunflower oil.
Yes, it can. Now, you won’t get the same exact results as you would by frying in oil. It won’t have that thick crunchy coating but it can be done. Spray your air fryer basket with olive oil nonstick spray. Preheat to 375F degrees. Place your breaded okra in the basket. Spray with more olive oil spray. Cook for about 10-12 minutes, flipping once and spray it again.
These are best eaten the same day but if you need to you can store these in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days. They can be reheated in the fryer, air fryer or oven. These can also be frozen before or after frying, place in a freezer container and they will keep for up to 5 months. You do not need to defrost, just place in the fryer they just may need a few extra minutes to cook.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- fresh okra pods – I think fresh works best here, you get a crunchier result but as I said above you could use frozen sliced okra, just thaw it first and make sure you’ve removed as much of the moisture as possible.
- buttermilk – I know folks are gonna be tempted to use regular milk, I get it. But you’re really missing out on so much flavor by substituting. So please try to go with buttermilk but if you absolutely must, you can use milk (but trust me on the buttermilk)!
- garlic salt, onion powder, paprika and black pepper – the seasoning is really up to you, this is just my suggestion. A lot of folks also like to use cajun seasoning or just seasoned salt.
- all-purpose flour – you could technically use self-rising flour here but the breading might puff up a bit too much since self-rising flour has baking powder in it.
- fine yellow cornmeal – you can use white cornmeal if that is all you can find. In a pinch, you could even use breadcrumbs. Just make sure you aren’t purchasing the self-rising cornmeal.
HOW TO MAKE FRIED OKRA
Cut the okra into ½ inch slices and place them in a large bowl.
Add the buttermilk, garlic salt, and pepper, stir to combine.
In a zip-top gallon-sized bag, add the flour, cornmeal, garlic salt, onion powder, paprika, and pepper.
Zip the top and toss it around to mix everything together.
Take about 1⁄4 cup of the okra at a time, let the excess buttermilk drip off, and place it into the bag with the flour mixture. Zip the top and toss the okra around so it gets coated.
Place a wire rack over a sheet tray and take the okra pieces out one by one. I like to use tongs to help and place them without touching the wire rack. This helps any excess flour mixture fall off. Repeat with the remaining okra until it is all coated.
Add peanut oil to a deep fryer or to a dutch oven enough to go two inches up the side of the pan. Heat the oil to 375°F. Place about a dozen pieces of the okra into the oil at a time and fry for 3-4 minutes until your desired browning. Drain on a paper-towel-lined plate to get rid of any excess oil.
Repeat with the remaining okra. Serve immediately with ranch or your favorite dipping sauce.
WANT MORE DELICIOUS RECIPES?
- The Best Southern Fried Chicken (+Video)
- Southern Fried Squash
- Squash Casserole
- Red Beans and Rice
- Chicken Étouffée
- Crock Pot Southern Style Grits
- Southern Black Eyed Peas
- Fried Potatoes
- Shrimp Étouffée
- Succotash
Southern Fried Okra
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh okra pods
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
For the breading:
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup fine yellow cornmeal
- 2 teaspoons garlic salt
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- peanut oil, for frying
Instructions
- Cut the okra into ½ inch slices and place them in a large bowl.
- Add the buttermilk, garlic salt, and pepper, stir to combine.
- In a zip-top gallon-sized bag, add the flour, cornmeal, garlic salt, onion powder, paprika, and pepper.
- Zip the top and toss it around to mix everything together.
- Take about 1⁄4 cup of the okra at a time, let the excess buttermilk drip off, and place it into the bag with the flour mixture. Zip the top and toss the okra around so it gets coated.
- Place a wire rack over a sheet tray and take the okra pieces out one by one. I like to use tongs to help and place them without touching the wire rack. This helps any excess flour mixture fall off.
- Repeat with the remaining okra until it is all coated.
- Add peanut oil to a deep fryer or to a dutch oven enough to go two inches up the side of the pan. Heat the oil to 375°F.
- Place about a dozen pieces of the okra into the oil at a time and fry for 3-4 minutes until your desired browning. Drain on a paper-towel-lined plate to get rid of any excess oil.
- Repeat with the remaining okra. Serve immediately with ranch or your favorite dipping sauce.
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- Frozen okra can be used as well, see my tips above on how to do that.
- The fine cornmeal works the best for this recipe.
- You can double this recipe to serve more people.
- This can be frozen, before or after frying, see my tips above.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Thanks for publishing this recipe; it’s a favorite dish for many southerners. Some of us (me) had forgotten about it after living up north for awhile. I tried this in my air fryer with quite good results with easier cleanup & without having used oil disposal issue.
I followed the recipe and fried in preheated air fryer at 375 for about 10-12 min. Sprayed the okra in the pan generously, flipped it over after about 5 min and sprayed it well again leaving no dry spots of meal. Won’t say it’s as good as okra fried in peanut oil but it is a good alternative to save on calories and oils.
So happy to hear that Pat! That is so true about the air fryer. They are pretty wonderful things but when it comes to frying, we can’t really et that same thick crunch but it does still work without all the oil! You are so sweet to come back and comment – thank you!