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Fried Okra is a tried and true, classic southern recipe! You are ready to dig into this incredible fried veggie with just a few simple ingredients and a cast iron skillet. Crispy, crunchy, and flavorful, this tasty recipe is a perfect summertime side dish.
Okra – you either love it or hate it. I just had to be blunt, because that’s really how people feel. For me, I am confessing right now, as a true southerner, I only like it one way – summertime fresh and fried. Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, here’s a few facts about that green pod that was officially voted “the most hated vegetable ever”…
Okra has some incredible health benefits. It’s low in calories, one cup of raw okra only has around 30 calories. One cup also has a whopping 66% RDA of Vitamin K. Okra is also high is calcium, fiber, vitamin C, protein, folate & magnesium.
I know y’all are so glad that I shared these important tidbits about okra! So now, let’s get to the good stuff…cooking and eating. Even though I said I like my okra fried, that doesn’t mean greasy. It’s actually funny when I say I’m making okra – friends kinda roll their eyes but when it comes time to put the plate on the table, there’s never any left.
Ingredients Needed To Make Fried Okra
- Sliced Fresh Okra
- Buttermilk
- Cornmeal
- Flour
- Salt
- Pepper
- Canola Oil
People Often Ask…
While I definitely encourage you to use fresh okra, just for the texture and flavor of it, I completely understand that it is hard to find fresh in many places.
If you’re unable to get fresh okra, you can absolutely use frozen, just make sure to thaw it out first. For the best results, you’ll want to thaw the okra completely and then pat it with a paper towel to absorb moisture prior to starting the recipe.
I like to use either a heavy bottom cast iron pan, or a Dutch Oven for frying okra. I would recommend using a Dutch Oven if you have one to avoid any splattering oil.
Ingredients
- 3 cups washed and sliced fresh okra
- ½ cup homemade butter milk – ½ cup milk with 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 cup cornmeal
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 tablespoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- Canola oil for frying
Instructions
- Make buttermilk by adding vinegar to milk and let sit for 5 minutes.
- Mix cornmeal, flour, salt and pepper in a bowl.
- Heat oil in cast iron skillet.
- In a large bowl, place okra and buttermilk.
- Strain okra in a mesh colander.
- Gently add okra to dry ingredients, turning to coat.
- When oil is hot (test by dropping a small amount of cornmeal into grease & if it starts to sizzle, oil is ready) shake off excess cornmeal on okra and add to skillet.
- Cook for approximately 12 to 15 minutes on medium heat until brown.
- Place on paper towels to drain and sprinkle with sea salt.
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This is very close to my mom’s recipe, but she used bacon grease. Wonderful memories of all vegetable meals most of summer.
Hey there Peggy!
Using bacon grease is a wonderful idea, especially in a southern classic recipe like this one! I love when recipes stir up those happy memories, thank you so much for sharing!
~Donya
This sounds delightful. Especially with the browb beans on the side. The only thing which could make it better is cornbread!
Can you do this in an air fryer? So enjoy your website.
Hey there Robin!
Thank you so much for your interest in this recipe, if you’re a fan of southern food then you’re definitely going to love this southern classic! I’ve actually never tried to make fried okra in the Air Fryer, so I’m not sure how long you would have to cook it for, but it’s worth experimenting with. If you want to give the air fryer a try, I would start out at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, flipping the okra after 5 minutes. I do have a fantastic Sour Cream Cornbread recipe that would be amazing with fried okra, I’ll add the link below this comment. I hope you enjoy the recipes, I’d love to hear how everything turns out if you give it a try!
https://www.asouthernsoul.com/sour-cream-cornbread/
~Donya
Made the fried okra for supper tonight. Yes, I used frozen, precut okra, as we do not have any fresh out of our garden, as of yet. I defrosted them and let them drain well in a colander and proceeded with your recipe. They turned out beautifully! I had been skeptical about the amt of salt called for in the breader mixture, but as always, you were absolutely correct, lol. Thanks so much for sharing another delicious Southern recipe!
Hey there Cheri!
My goodness! Words cannot express how delighted I am to read this comment, you’re too sweet! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, fried okra sure is a southern specialty. Thank you so much for your fantastic rating and your support, I really appreciate it! Have a great day!
How much oil do I use? Does the okra fry on bottom of pan of float in the pan ?
They Tyra.
Just pour enough oil to cover the bottom of the skillet. You don’t want to okra to float, just enough to help cook them.
Hope this helps.
~Donya
I fry my okra with a couple of small to medium potatoes chopped in it and I add about one tsp of onion powder to my Flour/cornmeal mixture along with salt. I've had people tell me it is the best they have ever ate. For me I have never met any crispy fried okra I didn't like. I can't take credit for my version of fried okra. My husband's Mamaw Pauline taught me this recipe when I married into her family. She was a wonderful old timey southern cook and I still miss her though she has been gone over twenty years.
My husband loved me cooking okra and potatoes together. I cover in corn meal as well
I love fried okra and this is how my people made it. I haven't tried to for so long – can you tell me about how deep the oil is for frying? I want mine to come out just like yours! Thank you for sharing!
I never see okra in my surrounding area grocery stores. I used to love in when I lived in Florida -both fried and pickled. Just not available here ( SE Ohio) and I have no idea why.
I grew up on fried okra living in Oklahoma and Mississippi. I live in Iowa now, but find it frozen and fry it up for my kids. They love it!
Okra is my favorite! I'm just now starting to get some in my garden.
I hated it as a kid but do seriously love it now. I have a big pan full in my fridge now, straight out of the garden.
Thanks for stopping by and linking up at Swap N Share Sunday.
Dawn
Spatulas On Parade
That looks SO GOOD! We love okra, but I have only ever added it to soups, chili and jumbalaya. Your post is so well-timed! Just about 2 weeks ago, my husband was asking me if I knew how to make it just as a side dish by itself, I told him I never tried but I would search for okra recipes. I totally forgot until just now. SO THANK YOU! 🙂
You are welcome Joy! Thanks for stopping – I love getting your comments & hearing what's going on with what you are cooking.
Have a great day!
xo,
~Donya
I love fried okra! As a Northerner(with Southern heritage!), I can't always find fresh okra but have seen frozen. Do you think frozen might work in this recipe?
Hey Tina! Here are my thoughts – if the okra is whole, you could thaw it and then slice it. My only concern would be that it should be dry before you start the recipe so maybe letting it dry on a kitchen towel for a short time might help. I hope you give it a try and let me know! Thanks for stopping by.
~Donya
Thank you! Will give it a try!
Hi! I love fried okra & your recipe looks great, BUT, you really must try adding onion, coating in cornmeal & fry in small amount of bacon grease – devine!
Hey there Charlotte!
Thanks so much for sharing! That sounds absolutely delicious I will have to try it; after all, everything’s better fried in bacon grease. Thank you so much for this recommendation, have a great rest of your day!
~Donya
Due to my mid western rearing where okra is practically non-existent, I didn't love it or hate it, just OK.
Oh well…maybe you'd like it better pickled !
~Donya
Donya,
Okra is one of my favorite veggies. It's almost impossible to get here, but I ask at the store all the time. I have it every chance I can.
This recipes looks delicious.
Pinning and sharing on google+
Wanda Ann @ Memories by the Mile
I wish I could send you some Wanda Ann! These were beautiful and cooked up perfectly. Good luck on your okra search…
xo,
~Donya
On reading the comments on not being t able to buy okra why not grow okra plants in pots.
they don’t take up a lot of room. I have found they do very well growing this way.
My okra plants are over 6 foot. I have to bend the stalk to cut the okra off.
It could start in a pot. But really it needs that outside sun and rain.