Fried Okra Recipe
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Fried Okra is a Southern staple. So simple to make, it makes the perfect side dish. Get this heirloom family fried okra recipe that you’ll love.
Fried okra is one of my favorite foods in all the land – if it’s done right. This is the best fried okra recipe and a family favorite for generations!
And by done right, I mean cooked with the perfect amount of crispy coating on the outside while being smooth and tender on the inside. You’d think that would be easy enough, but when I was first married I wasn’t exactly sure how to make it. I managed to have more burnt crisps of okra because I couldn’t figure out the perfect balance of how to make it just right.
Finally, like every good Southern girl, I called my Mama. She knew just what I was doing wrong and set me straight in my fried okra making ways.
Fried Okra Recipe
I had been trying to get the perfect fried okra on the stove top alone. The secret, as Mama told me, was the combination of the stove top AND the oven! It’s how her Mama taught her and her Mama before her.
Hallelujah! It was if I could hear the angels singing when she told me how to make it.
How to Make
To make this fried okra, start by preheating oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Then, mix together the okra, corn meal, flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Make sure the okra is well-coated.
In the meantime, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Then add okra to skillet once oil has reached the point where if a drop of water is added to the oil, it will sizzle.
Allow okra to brown on one side, which will take about 3 minutes, before gently stirring. Once both sides of okra have browned, about 3 more minutes, place into preheated oven.
Cook until fork tender, about 10 minutes. Then serve and enjoy!
We love to eat this delicious okra with so many other favorite dishes, such as Easy Mashed Potatoes, Pinto Beans and Southern Cornbread.
Since my Mama shared cooking tip with me, I’ve been making it perfectly for over 20 years.
I’m so thankful for her tips! The world just wouldn’t be the same without good fried okra.
Here’s my family’s Fried Okra recipe. It’s a tradition.
Fried Okra Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds okra, sliced
- 3/4 cup corn meal
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup Canola or vegetable oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F.
- Mix together okra, corn meal, flour, and salt in a large mixing bowl, making sure well-coated.
- In the meantime, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add okra to skillet once oil has reached the point where if a drop of water is added it will sizzle.
- Allow okra to brown on one side, about 3 minutes, before gently stirring. Once both sides of okra have browned, about 3 more minutes, place into preheated oven. Cook until fork tender, about 10 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
YES!!!! I haven’t even cooked it yet, but THIS is the way fried okra is supposed to look!!!! Not that deep-fried coating mess 🙂 Cannot WAIT to cook this – looks just like my mothers 🙂
Hi Pam,
Hope you enjoy the fried okra. This is exactly the way my mother and grandmother always made theirs. Thanks!
Hi! I’m going try this tonight…looks the way it’s supposed to. The last conversation I ever had with my mom was about fried okra but mine is never as good as hers was.Thats been thirty years….fingers crossed.
Hope you enjoy the okra, Liz!
This is also the way my grandmother in Kentucky made fried okra, but she did not slice her okra. She fried small, tender okra whole and called them “okra fish” and they were delicious! She always had a vegetable garden and okra was plentiful and easy to pick the small ones.
Hi Susan,
Don’t you just love how recipes can bring back such sweet memories of our mothers and grandmothers? I never cook fried okra without thinking of watching my mother and grandmother making this recipe.
I love this recipe! This was the first time I did not burn the okra!!
I put the okra in an iron skillet when I put it in the oven.
Glad you enjoyed it, Bonnie! So good isn’t it?! Thanks!
Ooops! Need to add a P.S. to my comment. The gravy she served was hamburger gravy. Yum!
I’m 81 years old and have cooked okra this way all my life, and learned it from my mom before me. My mom used to cook for field hands in Oklahoma and my favorite dinner (noon meal) was fried okra, sliced red tomatoes, steamed greens, chunk potatoes, and biscuits and gravy. The field hands always asked for repeats of it too! Thank you Robyn, for your thoughtfulness and caring spirit. Blessings!
Aww, thank you so much, Dori! Your sweet comment just took me back to those delicious meals at the table with my grandmother! This does make some tender, tasty okra, doesn’t it?!
Thanks so much Dori! I’m so happy to hear from you. Blessings to you too!
Hi!
I have throughly enjoyed the comments on frying okra! I am headed to the kitchen now to try your recipe! I honestly believe this will work well! I have never used the oven, but my spirit tells me this is the answer to fried okra with less slime! Be blessed!
Vessex -Marion, AL
Enjoy the okra, Velma! Thanks!
Loved this recipe!! Tried it for the first time in the oven this way. It was delicious. What a difference. I’ve always made it on top of the oven and sometimes if I wasn’t careful it would get a little too crisp. Thank you so much for sharing your family recipe. I’ve been frying okra for at least 60 years the way my mom and grandmother always did. But I love this oven thing!! Marion from California
I’m so glad you gave this a try and like it Marion! I love this so much and glad you do too! Thanks! xo
So excited to discover this new way to prepare fried okra. Both my mom and my mother in law are no longer here to ask, so this is a huge help. I loved my mom’s own little version of making this delightfully popular dish go even further. Like Mary, she added pototoes and fresh squash, but when available she also cut up eggplant, onions, and bell pepper to add to the fried mixture. Off hand I can’t recall what other items she may have included. At our home, nothing was ever wasted. Oh, and sometimes she used the egg white method as well that Pat shared above.
Robyn, you’ve inspired several of us! Many thanks for sharing!😊❤️
Connie Allen Romager,
Alabama Gal
I am really touched by your comment, Connie! This fried okra is so delicious and always was a hit when Grandmother made it and still is when I make it as well. I hope you enjoy it as much as we all do!
I’m so happy to have you here and love hearing from you. Take care! xo
Robyn you are the nicest person ever. Even with some negative comments on here. Never heard of the oven part but cool!
Thank you so much! 🙂