Southern-Style Fried Okra Recipe
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A staple side dish in the South, this fried okra recipe is simple, quick, and oh-so-delicious.
Back when I first started Southern Plate, I had an email from a reader asking if I could share a fried okra recipe. Well, y’all know I’ll eventually get to everything and here it is!
Southern fried okra is a truly delicious side dish. It seems no matter the time of year, no matter if you use frozen or fresh okra, it always adds that “fresh from the garden” taste to any meal. However, I’m definitely on the team of making fried okra from frozen, as it makes this recipe even easier (if that was possible).
Around these parts, you can find okra pre-breaded in the freezer section and some places even sell cups of it hot alongside chicken nuggets and such at lunch. Although I have no complaint if I am getting okra (no matter how it is prepared), my all-time favorite form of okra is prepared at home with this recipe. With a nickname like Southern popcorn, you won’t be able to stop after popping one piece in your mouth! Yep, fried okra’s crunchy and crispy exterior is totally addictive – ask anyone!
Recipe Ingredients
- Eggs
- Cornmeal (self-rising or plain, either is fine)
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Fresh or frozen okra (I am using frozen okra). If using fresh okra, go ahead and slice it up into bite-sized pieces and well.
- Vegetable oil
How to Make Fried Okra From Frozen
Add eggs to a medium-sized bowl.
Add buttermilk to the eggs.
Mix them up real good.
Combine dry ingredients (salt, pepper, cornmeal) in another medium-sized bowl and mix that up.
Coat the frozen okra pieces with the egg/buttermilk combo.
Then transfer to the cornmeal mixture and coat until covered.
Place about 1/4 cup oil in a cast iron skillet and heat over medium heat for three to five minutes.
Add the vegetable oil to the pan and heat up until you add a piece of okra and get some sizzlin’. Then you know it’s hot enough to add the coated okra slices.
With a slotted spoon add the okra.
Keep the skillet on medium heat (if in a hurry, you can cook this on medium-high heat, just watch it a bit closer).
and stir the pieces occasionally (every two or three minutes) for about twenty or twenty-five minutes or so, until crispy and browned.
Remove pan fried okra with a slotted spoon and place them into a serving bowl.
DEVOUR with some Comeback Dipping Sauce (this is the good stuff!). I also recommend dipping the crispy in .
What’s the Best Way To Store Your Fried Okra?
- Once cooled completely, you can store your fried okra in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days or freezer for up to six months. When it’s time, either reheat them on a baking sheet in the oven (turning to ensure both sides get crunchy) or by pan-frying them again in a small amount of oil. Alternatively, use your air fryer to reheat your fried okra.
Recipe Notes
- When making fried okra from frozen, make sure you thaw your frozen okra completely before frying. Once thawed, drain and pat the pieces completely dry with a paper towel before tossing them in the coating and frying.
- For a spicier fried okra recipe, I recommend adding a quarter or a half-teaspoon of cayenne pepper or cajun seasoning to the cornmeal.
Recipe FAQs
What is okra?
For anyone that isn’t from the South and used to making fried okra you may be wondering what the heck it is. Some people are surprised to hear it’s technically a fruit not a vegetable, like our friend the avocado. Okra is the fruit of the Abelmoschus esculentus plant, which is a member of the Mallow family. Now, isn’t that a mouthful! Native to West Africa, it was introduced to America over 300 years ago. If you are interested in ready more about Okra, here is an overview.
What do you serve with fried okra?
Fried okra is a great vegetarian side dish to serve with other Southern main meals, like fried catfish, pulled pork, fried chicken, and velvet pork chops. Otherwise, you can serve it as a main meal alongside other popular Southern side dishes, including fresh fried corn, mac and cheese, and cornbread.
How do you make fried okra not slimy?
There are three things to do to ensure your fried okra isn’t slimy. First, the thinner the slice, the slimier the okra, so make sure you chop your fresh okra into big pieces. Second, cooking over high heat should stop it from being too slimy too. Third, make sure your okra is completely dry before coating.
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup cornmeal self-rising or plain
- 4 cups okra fresh or frozen, sliced
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
Instructions
- Thaw okra. Combine eggs and buttermilk in one bowl, and combine the salt, pepper, and cornmeal in a separate bowl.2 eggs, 1/2 cup buttermilk, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, 4 cups okra, 1 cup cornmeal
- Coat okra with egg/buttermilk mixture and then transfer to dry mixture and coat.
- Heat approximately 1/4 cup of oil in a skillet until hot. Dip okra from the bowl into the oil with a slotted spoon. (Leave the extra cornmeal in the bowl and throw away).1/4 cup vegetable oil
- Stir occasionally and cook until okra is brown and crisp. Take out of oil with the slotted spoon.
Nutrition
You may also enjoy these Southern recipes:
Southern Biscuits Recipe A Classic With Only 3 Ingredients
Southern Cubed Steak and Milk Gravy
Hoe Cake Recipe Southern Style From Mama
The okra needs to be fried longer. It does not look nearly crispy enough. Also, for a completely different but totally delicious, taste, place a lid on the fried and smother fry it. It will “mush up” more, but just keep turning it and mashing it back down to get the browning all over. OMG–Delicious!!
Beverly I will be sure and pass on to my mother and grandmother that they aren’t doing their okra right (or umm…maybe I won’t. I’m sure you’d understand!). Thank you for the advice and insight!
I’ve always loved their okra though so this is just perfect to me and my family 🙂 . Nobody cooks like your mama, you know!
I’m sure your okra is equally delicious. 🙂
Gratefully,
Christy
I’m sick as a dog but after reading that you put okra in spaghetti sauce, that made me feel a wee bit better because I’m cracking up laughing over here. I do love fried okra though, so thanks for posting this tutorial.
Deborah eek! I am so sorry you aren’t feeling well! I know all too well just how bad “sick as a dog” is! I hope you get to feeling better soon and glad I could give you a giggle at least!!
I love your site. I read it all the time. I’m from kentucky so all your food is like home to me. I never could make chicken and dumplings until your site taught me how. That is how I found your site.I was actually looking for a recipe that didn’t say a little of this and a little of that:-) My daughter worried who would make dumplings for her kids when they arrived. Now me and her can make them! Grandmas and the such always made them before. Now we love ours better than every body elses! What are cracker dumplings?
Lana I am so thrilled to hear that! Makes my heart just about burst.
Stay tuned, I got cracker dumplings coming up, I’ll try to make it soon! It was the only thing Mama let me cook for us after school when she wasn’t home!
Christy, your story reminded me of trying to bake a cake for my mom on her birthday when I was about 13. My mom’s favorite cake is spice cake with the icing drooling down the sides. So I decided to make it for her. I used a boxed mix because I was afraid to try baking one from scratch. But I found a recipe for the icing in my mom’s cookbook. It called for something called Confectioner’s sugar. Now, I thought that was just a brand name for sugar, so I pulled out the sugar canister and for the life of me couldn’t get the icing to work. It was just a great big ball of hard sugar. I called my dad at work (he was the main cook in our family) and he just started laughing hysterically at what I had done. To this day, I can’t make a cake without my family laughing at me. Good times!
Alisha Oh Alisha, that sounds EXACTLY like something I would have done!! How funny! You are right, good times!
Ive never had fried okra before, but I have had it in homemade vegetable soup and I LOVE LOVE LOVE okra smothered with tomatoes. I bug em at work to make it for lunch, and when they do make it, they give me a double helping of it. God that is such good eating
Robert Ooh have you ever cooked okra, onions, a can of tomatoes, and macaroni noodles together? DELICIOUS! I bet you’d love it!!
Yum! I try to avoid fried food, but okra is my weakness. Fast food fries, no problem! But okra, can’t hardly say no!
Sonya oh yes, I am the same way! I often go get a small bag of it from the wal mart hot deli while I am getting groceries and munch on it throughout the store (hey, it takes me a while to get groceries sometime and I need to keep my strength up!).
🙂
Gratefully,
Christy – Who is running around like a chicken with its head cut off until school starts back.
I’ve never had fried okra before, but it really looks delicious!
I remember the days of teenage cooking. Sigh. My sisters and I had some good times in the kitchen in those days, often with humorous results just like yours! Now we still enjoy being in the kitchen, but our efforts usually bring better results than they used to. 🙂
Oh Stephanie! never had fried okra?????? Are there any flights from where you are to Bama tonight?!!!!!!!!
Oh yes, teenage cooking. What was really funny was I did this mess and my poor sister thought I knew what I was doing with every step – and she ATE it all!!!