Fried Green Tomatoes
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Today I’m gonna teach y’all how to make fried green tomatoes, a traditional Southern side dish. Each slice of crisp tomato is fried to perfection in a crunchy cornmeal coating.
If you’re looking for a classic Southern side dish that’s both crispy and tangy, then you can’t go wrong with this fried green tomato recipe. This timeless recipe has been passed down for generations and it’s easy to see why it remains a staple in Southern cuisine. The dish features slices of unripe green tomatoes that are dipped in a savory batter, fried to a golden-brown crisp, and then served with a zesty dipping sauce.
This recipe is quick, easy, and oh-so-simple. All you need is four ingredients: green tomatoes, cornmeal, flour, and Season All. The instructions are as easy as cutting the green tomatoes, dredging each slice in milk and then the cornmeal batter, and then deep-frying each slice until crispy and golden brown.
Whether you’re looking for a quick appetizer, a tasty side dish, or even a main course, fried green tomatoes are sure to satisfy your cravings. I just know you’ll love the combination of the crisp and juicy tomato slices with the crunchy and flavorful coating. If you have too many green tomatoes to count, you may also want to make fried green tomato Caprese stacks or green tomato relish.
Alright, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and get ready to fry up a batch of these irresistible Southern delights!
Serve these delicious Fried Green Tomatoes with Southern Fried Chicken, Baby Back Ribs, Southern Fried Catfish, Easy Southern Salmon Patties, Pan-Seared Pork Chops, Chicken Fried Steak With Gravy, and Crock Pot Black Eyed Peas With Smoked Turkey Leg.
What You’ll Need to Make Fried Green Tomatoes:
- Flour (self-rising flour or all-purpose flour, it doesn’t matter).
- White cornmeal
- Season All
- Green tomatoes
- Oil for frying
- Milk for dredging
Helpful Kitchen Tools
How to Make Fried Green Tomatoes:
Cut your tomatoes into thick slices.
When cutting tomatoes, we highly recommend using a serrated knife! Here’s a serrated knife that we love that is perfect for getting these green tomato slices.
Combine flour and cornmeal in a small bowl.
The flour acts as sort of a “glue” to help hold it all together.
Next, add Season All to the bowl.
If you don’t have Season All, feel free to season the mixture with salt and black pepper or the seasonings of your choice instead.
Dip both sides of each tomato slice into milk in a shallow dish.
Then dip into your cornmeal mixture.
Press down and coat both sides well.
So it looks something like this.
Next, you want to fill a skillet with enough oil that the slices are about halfway covered (about half an inch).
The key here is hot oil (375 degrees to be exact). That ensures the fried green tomatoes aren’t greasy. Because when you drop the slices into hot oil, it instantly sears. Whereas if the oil isn’t hot enough, the slices will absorb the oil while it continues to heat.
Cook the breaded tomato slices over medium to medium-high heat.
You want to flip them just once so they’re golden brown on both sides (about 3 to 5 minutes on each side).
If you flip the slices more than once, you might find that the delicate coating starts to slip.
Drain your fried green tomato slices on a paper towel-lined plate.
Then you’re ready to go! These are delicious!
They have a twang to them that ripened tomatoes don’t have.
Storage
- While these are best served immediately, you can store leftover fried tomatoes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days. Reheat them in an oiled skillet, oven, or air fryer. Don’t use the microwave as it will just make ’em soggy!
- I don’t recommend freezing fried green tomatoes.
Recipe Notes
- Instead of cornmeal, you can use cracker crumbs, bread crumbs, or panko breadcrumbs. Or use a combination of both!
- Make sure your oil is heated to 375 degrees before adding the green tomato slices.
- Speaking of… peanut oil and canola oil are also good frying oils. For authentic Southern flavor, you can even swap the oil for bacon grease.
- Make sure you don’t overcrowd the pan either!
- Besides Season All, some other seasonings that work include a tablespoon of Cajun seasoning, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, or Creole seasoning, or a teaspoon of paprika with salt and pepper.
- Besides milk, you can add a little flavor by using buttermilk instead.
Recipe FAQs
Which country is famous for fried green tomatoes?
Fried green tomatoes hail from down here in the Southern United States.
Are fried green tomatoes just unripe tomatoes?
Yes, green tomatoes are just unripe regular tomatoes. Because they’re less mature, this means they’re also firmer and tarter in flavor.
Why do we fry green tomatoes and not red?
Green tomatoes are firmer than regular tomatoes, so they’re better to deep-fry in oil.
Can you eat green tomatoes without frying them?
Yes, you can eat green tomatoes as-is, without frying them.
Can fried green tomatoes be reheated?
Yes, you can reheat them in the oven, on the stovetop, or in the air fryer.
What do you eat with fried green tomatoes?
Fried green tomatoes are frequently served with a dipping sauce, like remoulade, honey mustard, hot sauce, comeback sauce, or ranch dressing.
But seeing as this is a popular side dish, here are some main meals that go perfectly with them:
- Southern Fried Chicken
- Baby Back Ribs
- Southern Fried Catfish
- Easy Southern Salmon Patties
- Pan-Seared Pork Chops
- Chicken Fried Steak With Gravy
- Crock Pot Black Eyed Peas With Smoked Turkey Leg
- BLT
Add a vegetable side dish like fresh green beans, turnip greens, or cucumber salad, and you’ve got a winning Southern dinner right there!
Check out these other Southern side dish recipes:
How To Cook Collard Greens With Hot Pepper Sauce
Hush Puppies Recipe, Southern-Style
Southern-Style Fried Okra Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 green tomatoes
- 1.5 cups cornmeal
- 4 tbsp flour (either self-rising or plain flour)
- 2 tbsp Season All
- vegetable oil for frying
- milk for dredging
Instructions
- Cut your tomatoes into thick slices.3 green tomatoes
- Combine flour, cornmeal, and Season All in a small bowl.1.5 cups cornmeal, 4 tbsp flour (either self-rising or plain flour), 2 tbsp Season All
- Dip both sides of each slice into milk and then the cornmeal mix.milk for dredging
- Fill a skillet with enough oil that the slices are about halfway covered (about half an inch).vegetable oil for frying
- Cook slices over medium to medium-high heat, turning halfway so they're golden brown on both sides (about 3 to 5 minutes on each side).
- Drain your tomatoes on a paper towel-lined plate and then serve immediately.
I love that July 1st 2 years later I’m referring back to this post! I’m from Texas and didn’t happen to grow up with fried green tomatoes but I’ve had them at the Dixie Cafe near here and now is the first time I’ve had some of my own green tomatoes growing in the garden to make up a batch. I’m comparing this recipe and the one in Garden and Gun magazine and I think I’ll be able to make some good ones! Thanks Christy!!
My two children picked several of our unripe tomatoes this morning, so I used your recipe so as not to waste them. YUMMY! I have had fried green tomatoes before at a restaurant and they were nasty, but this was DElish!
Oh my dears, you are missing one of the most essential ingredients! SUGAR. Sugar is the thing that brings out the best flavors of tomatoes. If one is diabetic, then the favorite sugar substitute can be used.
After slicing, lightly salt each side and place on a sheet of wax paper. After a few minutes, then generously cover each side of the tomatoes slices with the sugar [or substitute.]
Then dredge these slices in plain corn meal and fry in hot oil till golden brown. Drain on a cookie/fry rack. serve hot or cold.
Being unemployed brings alot of change into one’s life and I used my unemployment to start a few things that I always wanted to do but rarely had the time- until now.
I love home grown everything and tomato tops my list. So starting in early April, I started planting. Now I can do that since I live close to Charleston, SC. I staggered planting two to three weeks apart.
I planted a number of recommended varieties: Celebrity, Better Boy, Sweet 100, Roma, BHN206, others.. you get the picture. Things were going great. Lots of growth, tons of flowers, and moderate to heavy fruit set.
But sadly, Fusarium or Verticillium wilt is causing the Better Boy and Celebrity plants to die prematurely- so today I picked about 2 gallons of green fruit- just starting to turn slight pink- from 5 severly dead/dying plants.
I look forward to using what I’ve found on your site and I will let you know how it goes. My hope is that this wilt doesn’t spread to the other varieties so I can indeed enjoy the taste of vine ripened fruit.
I grow up in the old south Kentucky. When my mom past i could never figure out she made these so good. Well it;s 8 am and i am eating the best green totmato’s. Thank you for posting this!!
Try dipping them in buttermilk instead of reg. milk. They are so crunchy and delicious.
OH Christy, Milk bath huh? Interesting! I am a fried green tomato LOVER! I just can’t seem to get them the way I want them so I can’t wait to get to the store and try this recipe! My grocery list is reading like a taste of Southern Plate, so exciting! My favorite restaurant F.G.T’s are Fatz, served on a bed of cheezy grits and covered in this amazing red sauce. It’s kinda horseradishy but I’ve come close to it with some 57 sauce and mayo with a kick of heat YUMMY! Can’t wait to try THESE!