Confession: The real reason I’ve had fried okra on my mind is because on the drive home from Nashville (from visiting Elsie) a few weeks ago, Trey and I stopped at a combination gas station/fried chicken place for lunch.
I didn’t get fried chicken BUT I had some delicious fried okra pods and a pretty great cookie. So, of course I realized I had to get my air fryer out and see if I could make air-fried okra asap!
Related: Check out our Snacks and Appetizers archive and Favorite Things to Make in My Air Fryer for more recipes.
I don’t pull out my air frier every night, but whenever I do, I am always happy. I absolutely LOVE air fried french fries. They are seriously the best.
And I am happy to report that although air fried okra is just a little bit more time consuming to make (It’s still easy! It’s just more time consuming than French fries), it’s 100% worth it. So good!
More Air Fryer Recipes
- Air Fried Brussels Sprouts
- Crispy Air Fried Wings
- Crispy Air Fried Chickpeas
- Air Fried Tofu
- Air Fried Salmon
- Air Fryer Toast
The key is, you want to bread the okra, air fry, then toss in just a tiny bit of oil, then air fry for a few more minutes. If you get lazy and can’t be bothered for the second round of frying, they are still really good simply breaded and fried.
But friends, I’m telling you, just a couple more minutes for a second fry and you’ll be so impressed with this air fried okra!
And it still takes very little oil (so not overly fatty like deep fried okra) and I’m also sure you could find and use gluten-free breadcrumbs if you wanted to go that route, too.
These are delicious alongside a grilled sandwich, baked fish, or even on top of a salad (and they look really cute in a paper cone or a holder to feel like you’re at a proper restaurant).
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Ingredients
- 6 ounces okra (fresh )
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon water
- 1 tablespoon flour
- ¼ cup bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (or coconut oil)
Equipment
- 1 Air Fryer
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and 1 teaspoon of water, set aside.
- Rinse the okra and cut off the tops and bottoms. Slice into pieces around 1/4 inch thick. Toss the okra in the flour. Then dip each piece in the egg mixture, then in the bread crumbs.
- Air fry at 356°F for 6 minutes. Depending on the size of your air frier you will likely need to do this in two batches.
- Toss the breaded okra in the oil (melting the coconut oil to a liquid if needed). Then air fry for an additional 2-3 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
Great okra
Love it!
Wow, this came out so good! I tried another air fryer recipe before and didn’t work out too well. This is seriously addictive! I’m going to try using this recipe for zucchini fries next I think. Thank you for sharing!
Sound good?looking for vegan recipes and it is the best eat to have it.
This was my first use of my air fryer (just got it today). I love okra, have loads from the garden, and I am so excited to have a new way to cook it. It was crispy, delicious, and my house doesn’t stink. Excellent. I ate a few without the oil and they were good but that extra step of adding the bit of oil really is worth it.
I did add extra seasoning which is a personal preference. I also soak my okra slices in egg for about ten minutes before beginning everything to soak out some of the slime.
Please feel free to send any excess okra to me if you’re having trouble getting rid of it. I live in the Seattle area and it is major work to find fresh okra anywhere, and sometimes I can’t find it at all, and when I do, it’s pathetic-looking okra. I grew up in Oklahoma where it was cheap and plentiful, and I get these cravings . . . .
These come out BEAUTIFUL, and they are really good! I think they need a tiny bit of seasoning.. Maybe a light dusting of cayenne?
Okra and fresh veggies go together. To eat it you cover the bottom of your plate with a layer or two of fried okra, next a layer of peas or beans (speckled butter beans are the best), now a layer of boiled okra, and topped of with final layer of fried okra, with a deep fried thick cut pork chop on the side and cornbread!!
Recently bought a Ninja that grills, air fries and roasts. I thought it had a pressure CV cooker too but it doesnt. You can get one but not with the grill feature. I have made french fries and I loved them until I realized my catsup expired in 2014. I threw it away and tomorrow I’m trying okra. I really enjoyed reading all the comments. I’ve eaten okra all my life but never air fried. Cant wait to try it.
I’m not exactly a southerner, I’m a Texan, but we cook pretty much alike. I’ve eaten okra all my life. It is good boiled but I prefer it fried. My mom always fried it in bacon grease but we don’t do that any more so I’ve been oven baking it for a long time now. I just recently got a new air fryer and am going to make air fried okra today.
For those who don’t know okra, I believe it came from Africa, and it is used in gumbo and vegetable soup as well as being fried. When I make gumbo I spray a skillet with olive oil and stir fry the okra until it starts getting brown before adding it to the other ingredients.. That takes away the slime. mmmgood!
This was very good! A lot of work compared to other alternatives so I probably won’t make it too often but it gets crispier than with just cornmeal. Thanks for sharing!
Try grilling it whole. Crispy with the only oil being a quick spray of avocado oil before I put it on the grate.
I’m from the south and okra is even better if you dice up some onion and tomatoes in with it when you fry it. I cover them with cornmeal mix that has some flour in it too.
Can I use prebreaded frozen okra in air fryer?
Probably. It might take a little longer if it’s frozen when you put it in. Also, in my experience usually prebreaded items tend to have more breading than homemade so that may also increase the cook time slightly. But without knowing the brand you’re using this is really just a guess. The great thing about air fryers is they heat so fast, so even if you need to check on things it’s not like opening an oven so that the heat inside plummets and it takes a while before it heats back up.
Thanks, I was mostly just looking for time and temp. I’m from the cornmeal school of okra frying. this is my go to introduction method. so many people hate the slime factor but frying helps. We also mix the okra with potatoes.
I slice my okra, spread on baking sheet for 15 minutes in 250* oven to take slime out. Cook with onions and potatoes. Going to try that air fried tonight.
We love okra..I have recipe for fried/baked okra using almond flour n parmesan cheese…can I use this in my air fryer?.need answer ASAP so I can fix tonight..
My daughter gave me an air fryer but without instructions so I really appreciate the directions . Thank you
I’ve had good luck with making crispy okra in my oven with the convection fan on. I’ll have to give this recipe a try, the seasoning mix sounds delicious!
Ellen I am looking for a recipe for crispy okra in my oven with the convection fan. Please share what you season your okra with.
Oh I love this. One of my fondest childhood memories is visiting my Aunt Pauline in Atlanta, where she always fried up plate upon plate of okra. There were never leftovers. I have never attempted it myself–too scared–but I think I will give this a whirl!
looks so delicious. yumi-yumi
Your air fried okras look so good, Emma! I had my first fresh okras this year and totally fell in love with them 🙂 What a great veg! Have to give your recipe a try. But first, I have to ask you something: was that combination gas station / fried chicken place still in Tennessee? That would be really really funny and so wonderfully Tennessean (I live in East TN since two years and the people here love their food fried).
And another question: what kind of air fryer are you using. I heard great things about them but haven’t had the chance to cook with one yet.
www.gingerbychoice.de/en/
Thanks for the great recipe and those lovely pictures,
Eva
Ginger by Choice I food & lifestyle blog
Oh yes, it was in Tennessee. 🙂
I’ve never heard of air frying before… What’s the difference between air frying and deep frying? Looks delicious!
It’s not really frying. More like baking in a convection oven. Great to cut out fats if you have a weight or heart problem or don’t want one.
I am from the South and I love fried okra. I tried the Air Fried Okra and it was very very good. I used frozen okra and cornmeal a teaspoon of jiffy mix and pancake mix in instead of flour. I toss in corn oil. I will do it again. Thank you New Jersey.