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
My Aunt Pearl added
evaporated milk to the flour, salt, pepper and cornmeal. It was the best!
Thanks, Sally. I haven’t seen fried okra made this way.
I added egg mixed before putting the okra in the corn meal and flour. Came out perfect for my first try. Thank You!!
Lisa, I’m glad the okra came out perfect for you. I have never tried it with egg.
Can package cornbread mix be used. In place of cornmeal, salt and pepper??
I haven’t use cornbread mix for this fried okra, Barbara, but it should work. Just make sure the cornbread mix does not have sugar added. You may want to add a little more salt.
I love this okra recipe!!! I worried with my own recipe for YEARS and found yours that puts it in the oven at the end. It saved my sanity and now I look forward to making fried okra! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
My family has made Fried Okra now going back 5 generations like this. The only difference is we always cook it completely in the oven in a cast iron skillet. For fresh okra, wash it first then slice into pieces. Coat with corn meal, salt and pepper. Heat oil in the cast iron pan and add okra when a drop of water sizzles. Bake at 450 turning it every 30 minutes until golden brown on all sides. Frozen unbreaded works fine too. I let it thaw some and then toss it in the corn meal mixture.
This okra was easy to make and so tasty and crispy. Even our 6 year old grandson loved it!
Thanks, Missy. I’m glad everyone loved it, especially your grandson.
Wonderful recipe!
Thanks, David.
Thank you for sharing your recipe I have tried to make my okra like my mom’s but I miss every time so I will try your way may I won’t burn it or cook it to hard to eat
Has anybody ever used frozen okra for their recipe? I haven’t been able to find fresh okra in the supermarket for weeks now and my husband brought home 2 bags of frozen okra instead when he went shopping yesterday. Not sure how to get the coating on it while it is frozen, but afraid that defrosting it first would make it slimy. Any suggestions or tips?
Grace, don’t thaw the okra. Just use the frozen okra and follow the steps in the recipe. Hope this helps.
I am so thankful you shared this method. I grew up in the South and since moving the Midwest and marrying and raising a family, I have managed to convince my family that fried okra is one of the best vegetables around. Apparently I’ve done a pretty good job of convincing them, because we almost never have leftovers, even though I have so often served it burnt! In fact, I think they’ve come to equate that flavor with fried okra, unfortunately. But now that I make it the way you suggested, it is more like what I had growing up and has solved my frustration of having burnt okra so many times in order to make sure it was crispy on the outside and still done inside! Thanks again for sharing this!
Thank you, Rhoda. This is the way my grandmother and mother always made their fried okra.