Fried Okra Recipe

257 Comments

4.78 from 54 votes
Jump to Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

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 Recipe from addapinch.com

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.

Fried Okra Recipe from addapinch.com

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.

Fried Okra Recipe from addapinch.com

Here’s my family’s Fried Okra recipe. It’s a tradition.

Fried Okra Recipe

4.78 from 54 votes
Fried Okra is a Southern staple. So simple to make, fried okra makes the perfect side dish. Get this heirloom family fried okra recipe that you’ll love.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 16 minutes
Total Time: 21 minutes
Servings: 6

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 350ยบ 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

When slicing okra for cooking, make sure to discard the stem end and the tip. These are too tough, in my opinion, for frying.

Nutrition

Calories: 244kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 205mg | Potassium: 527mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1083IU | Vitamin C: 35mg | Calcium: 127mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Enjoy!
Robyn xo

Welcome to Add A Pinch

About Robyn

Robyn Stone is a cookbook author, wife, mom, and passionate home cook. Her tested and trusted recipes give readers the confidence to cook recipes the whole family will love. Robyn has been featured on Food Network, People, Southern Living, and more.

4.78 from 54 votes (1 rating without comment)

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Review




257 Comments

  1. Christy says:

    I’m southern through and through, this is exactly how I cook my okra, except I add a pinch of sugar as well.

  2. Sue Beard says:

    Looks like my okra when I do it right. I usually add a little sliced onion to my recipe and it’s really good. I’ve never finished it in the oven though. Neither did my mother.

  3. Beth Smith says:

    The picture looks just like my Mom and Grandmother made.I made it for my kids and started adding potatoes in it .Cut them about the size of okra and mix them with okra .dip the potatoes and okra in your mixture.Every time I made this ,it went fast could never make enough.

    1. Carol Joy says:

      A friend at work told me of adding the potatoes to the okra but she also included chopped onion to the skillet. It is wonderful and I have been doing it ever since. I’ve never put mine in the oven but will try it next time. I also always coat my okra with an egg before adding the flour mixture. Nothing better!!

    2. Juanita walker says:

      I use potatoes,onions,squash,peppers,green tomatoes and okra and roll all of this in cornmeal. You cook this the way I have it laid out. Potatoes are harder to cook so they go in skillet first. you may have to experiment with this. But this is a meal.

    3. Martha says:

      We call your recipe Four Square when we use okra, squash, onion and potatoes. Those are main ingredients and can add green peppers if you wish. To make it a complete meal I have added smoked sausage but add it after potatoes start to soften up.

  4. Lisa says:

    Do you drain the oil before placing in oven?

    1. Robyn Stone says:

      There usually is not enough oil left after browning on the stove to drain off before placing in the oven, but if for some reasons yours does have a good bit of oil remaining, I would drain it.

  5. Becky says:

    Sounds easy enough….this may seem like a blonde question, but do you mean you put the whole pan of oil and frying okra in the oven? Or do you transfer it to a cookie sheet or something?

    1. Robyn Stone says:

      I just place the skillet into the oven straight from the stovetop – no transferring of ingredients needed. Hope you enjoy it!

    2. Mike says:

      5 stars
      You might want to remind everybody that you are talking about cooking it in an iron skillet otherwise you will melt the handles on your skillets. I also soak my cut up okra in milk or half &half prior to dredging it in the cornmeal to help the cornmeal stick to the okra better. Thanks for sharing

    3. Tammy says:

      Oh yeah! One less thing to clean!

    4. goMeadow says:

      I had the exact same question. ๐Ÿ™‚ Oh, and I’m a brunette so it wasn’t just you.

  6. Marsha says:

    Do you start with fresh okra or frozen? It looks like my Mamaw’s okra!! Cant wait to try it!

    1. Robyn Stone says:

      I generally start with fresh, but you can absolutely use frozen. Hope you enjoy it!

  7. Janice Bunch says:

    I do everything except putting it in the oven!
    I will do the oven Nxt. Time
    Janice

    1. Robyn Stone says:

      I hope you enjoy it that way! It makes for a crispy outside and tender inside. Goodness, I love it!

    2. Madeline Teague says:

      I add onion slivers, green tomato, jalapeno and red bell pepper to my fried okra. It is great. I usually use fresh okra but have used frozen.

    3. Sandy Cromer says:

      I like to add a green tomato and a pod of hot pepper (sliced/chopped). I’ve never tried using the oven. I brown mine like the recipe and then put a lid on and simmer on low. Don’t think I’ve ever added flour either – just corn meal. Will definitely try this recipe though.

    4. ken says:

      How much oil in the pan? Is it deep frying or just pan frying?

    5. Catherine says:

      5 stars
      Cover the bottom and then some extra. Pan fried, not deep frying. But some cooks here DO deep fry.

  8. William J Roberts says:

    5 stars
    I love fried okra, sounds like the best way to cook it. Thanks so much.

  9. Teresa says:

    Okra- What would you set the Temp of the Oven?

    1. pol says:

      it says 350 degrees in the recipe

  10. Peggy Wampler says:

    I’ m a born & raised Yankee who never ate ocra until I moved to VA and married into a family from TN . My mother-in-law taught me how and ever since I have been the one to make the ocra for family dinners. Like others , I only use the stove top method. I also use corn oil and only self-rising cornmeal, salt and pepper. I cut up stewed tomatoes, cover them with the cornmeal and fry them in with the ocra. I start with enough oil to coat the bottom of the skillet and add more as I need it. I just clear a spot, pour in the oil, and let it heat before moving the ocra to that spot again. Make sure to use lots of salt & pepper. I guess the cornmeal soaks up the slime, cause I’ve never had a problem with it after it’s done.

    1. susieQ says:

      Sounds great, but you know in the long time I have been doing this….I was always taught to add an egg before the cornmeal now they say put in the oven?

    2. Janice says:

      I’m a Georgia girl….been eating okra all of my life and I’ve never heard of putting an egg in it! Wondering how do you cook it with the egg…do you mix the egg with the cornmeal? We always put it in the oven for a few minutes to cook it through and give it a crisp, oh and we don’t use canola, we use vegetable oil….I like Wesson.

    3. Pamelah says:

      You beat the egg well and pour it over the okra before you coat it with the cornmeal. It just makes the cornmeal stick to the okra better for a better crunch. I have tried it with egg or buttermilk. Results are about the same.

    4. Carol says:

      My grandmothER and mother and now I crack an egg in a small bowl, whisk it with a fork and pour it out over orca that’s done and stir it around until it’s done. That’s the only way I cook ocra. Try it!!

    5. Lisa says:

      Okra no c in it.

    6. Joan says:

      Thank you for the correction of the spelling of okra. I saw orca, too, like the whale.

    7. Brenda says:

      Thank you for spelling “Okra” correctly,Southern born and bred!

    8. carol ann says:

      You put it FIRST in beaten egg, then flour, THEN cornmeal. Then it is fried in oil with a touch of bacon drippings. THEN it is topped with homemade tomato relish made with tomatoes, lots on onion, sweet peppers, vinegar and sugar. THAT”s the way it is done. YUM.

    9. Granny Beth says:

      I was taught to slice it ahead of cooking and let it sit for a while until it gets gummy – this will
      help the cornmeal cling to it. Cook in hot bacon grease.

    10. Nana's girl says:

      I was taught to cook okra with corn meal, salt, and then fry on top of stove until done. (Crispy).
      If you put it in the oven, do you put it in the pan tbat you were frying it in on the stove, and for how long?

    11. Mary says:

      You cook it I. An iron skillet if you are cooking it inside the oven

    12. Shirley says:

      Slice the Okra, soak the Okra in Buttermilk, drain, coat the Okra thourghly with Zatarain’s, New Orleans Style, Crispy Southern, Fish Fri seafood breading mix. Fry in Fry Daddy, drain on paper towels, season with sea salt to taste. Turns out great every time.

    13. gail hobelman says:

      Make mine this way except I coat (and sometimes double coat) with self rising flour.(you MUST use SR) makes the coating puff out when deep fried and makes a delicious crunchy coating that turns out great every time. When I take to gatherings it is sometimes literally fought over and I have had numerous people who tell me they do not like okra but after eating mine they can’t get enough.

    14. Phyllis johnston says:

      Cut up okra put in egg then roll around then put in flour and corn meal and fry. It is,battered and batter will stick to it better.

    15. TabithaStalnaker says:

      I too am a stove top plra cooker.
      O ise bacon grease in stead of oil.
      Old family recipe.
      Okra and corn meal.
      Add salt of needed after cooking.
      Bacon greasealways has enough
      salt to make added salt is not needed!
      Always use an iron skellit for the best results.

    16. Lisa says:

      I just deep fry mine so I don’t have t turn it .

    17. Cab says:

      Thanks for all the suggestions of how to cook the Okra. I think I will try Peggy Wamplers style with the added stewed tomatoes and batter it the way Shirley suggests with the Zatarainโ€™s, New Orleans Style, Crispy Southern, Fish Fri seafood breading mix. That just sounds like a yummy twist to and old time favorite. Gumbo style.