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Our air fryer recipe for Air Fried Okra gives you a healthier way to cook a southern fried favorite – plus it’s fast, easy, and eliminates the chore of cleaning up messy grease spatter!
This Air Fried Okra is a great recipe for air fryer skeptics. If you like old-fashioned deep fried okra, get ready for a very pleasant surprise because this healthier version actually tastes better!
Are air fryers perfect? No, there are a few things that simply don’t work. An example is hot water cornbread. Despite numerous tests, I still haven’t figured out a way to get good results. (If you have, please add a comment below and share your ideas!)
How to Get The Best Results From Your Air Fryer
On balance, air fryers do an excellent job on the vast majority of foods. One huge key to success is to get a good cookbook. This Air Fried Okra recipe is from The Air Fryer Bible cookbook by Elizabeth Hickman and yours truly. It has over 200 recipes that cover all the standard favorites plus lots of tasty new ideas.
However, this isn’t meant to be a sales pitch. If you don’t want to buy our cookbook please see all the other recommendations in our Air Fryer Cookbook Guide. A word of caution – unfortunately there’s a lot of scamming going on with air fryer cookbooks. Avoid any that claim to have 550 recipes or some other ridiculous number. Rather, look for reputable authors such as Linda Larsen and Meredith Laurence.
About Air Frying Okra
Now, let’s cook up some delicious crispy fried okra!
An interesting thing about this recipe is that crowding is okay. More often than not, you have to avoid stacking food in air fryers and cook single layers in different batches.
Of course there are exceptions, and this is one of them. When cooking okra this way you can pile it all into the basket at once. As long as you stop a couple of times during cooking to shake the basket, you’ll get good results. Give it a try and see for yourself – enjoy!
It’s okay to crowd this okra in your air fryer.
My amateur pics don’t do it justice!
Air Fried Okra
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cooking Time: 12 to 17 min
- Total Time: 27-32 min
- Yield: 4 servings
Recipe from The Air Fryer Bible – © 2017 Susan LaBorde and Elizabeth Hickman. All rights reserved.
INGREDIENTS:
- 7-8 ounces fresh okra
- 1 egg
- 1 cup skim milk
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- oil for misting or cooking spray
DIRECTIONS:
- Remove stem ends from okra and cut in 1/2 inch slices.
- In a medium bowl, beat together egg and milk. Add okra slices and stir to coat.
- In a sealable plastic bag or container with lid, mix together the breadcrumbs and salt.
- Remove okra from egg mixture, letting excess drip off, and transfer into bag with breadcrumbs. Be sure okra is well drained before placing it in the breadcrumbs. You may want to use a slotted spoon to lift a little okra at a time and let plenty of the egg wash drip off before putting it into breadcrumbs.
- Shake okra in crumbs to coat well.
- Place all of the coated okra into air fryer basket and mist with oil or cooking spray. Okra does not have to be in a single later, and it isn’t necessary to spray all sides at this point. A good spritz on top will do.
- Cook at 390 F for 5 minutes. Shake basket to redistribute and give it another oil spritz as you shake.
- Cook 5 more minutes. Shake and spray again. Cook for 2 to 5 minutes longer or until golden brown and crispy.
Tip: Make sure okra is well drained before placing it in the breadcrumbs. Use a slotted spoon to lift a little okra at a time and let plenty of the egg wash drip off before putting it into the breadcrumb mixture.
More Air Fryer Recipes
When you buy an air fryer you quickly discover it’s capable of way more than French fries. The best way to get the most from your appliance is to experiment on your own, and to keep trying new recipes. For lots of ideas and inspiration, be sure to check out these great recipes and recipe collections:
- Air Fryer Recipes for Beginners – Our 20 Fast, Easy Favorites
- Air Fryer Breakfast Recipes
- Air Fried Steak
- Air Fryer Chicken Legs
- Air Fried Chicken No Breading
- Air Fryer Chicken Wings – 15 Mouthwatering Recipes
- Air Fryer Grilled Chicken Recipe
- Air Fried PB&J Recipe
- 50+ Air Fryer Recipes from Around the Web
- 50 More Air Fryer Recipes from Around the Web
- Air Fryer Indian Recipes
- Air Fryer Recipes for Onion Rings
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Jamey says
Hi. I always bread my okra before freezing it as I harvest it during the summer. Having gluten issues, I simply use cornmeal to coat the okra. I just recently was gifted an air fryer, and I am curious to know if I would be able to air fry my frozen okra as I do in the skillet. Any thoughts or ideas on this? I have not yet familiarized myself with my new handy appliance, so my first stab at it will likely be fried okra. Thanks for your input!
Susan says
Hi Jamey,
I suggest that you thaw a little of your okra and experiment. In my air fryer experience, cornmeal is a challenge because it just doesn’t cook or brown as well as bread crumbs. That’s not to say it won’t work. Try misting with oil, and also try spraying with cooking spray to see which works better for you. If you find that your okra is done and still not brown, try preheating your air fryer and don’t thaw your okra – toss it in the basket frozen.
I’m not going to promise air fryers are perfect at everything, but they do extremely well on most things. Honestly, once you try a few things and get the hang of it, I’m pretty sure you’re gonna love it!
Hope that helps,
Susan
Fay says
I have done the frozen okra in the Air Fryer with cornmeal, which is the true southern way. It was wonderful and browned perfectly, sometimes I add in green tomatoes cut about the same size as the okra.
Susan LaBorde says
Hi Fay,
Thanks for sharing and what a great idea! We did include a recipe for fried green tomatoes in The Air Fryer Bible, but your way is an interesting twist on the traditional stewed okra and tomatoes (another southern favorite). I look forward to trying that!
Best,
Susan
Carolyn Wallace says
Hi Jamey, I have tried frozen okra in my new air fryer. I used it frozen with oil sprayed over it and tossed lightly. It browned up nicely and was delicious.
Enjoy Carolyn
tammie harvell says
Mix scant amount of cornmeal with bread crumbs and parmesan.
Susan LaBorde says
This could work for you (Jamey) if you use gluten free bread crumbs.
Eleanor says
I just buy frozen breaded okra! Very good in oven fryer!
Kathy says
How long do you cook it and what temp?
Rhonda Varkey says
I have an egg allergy do you have this recipe without eggs? I have tried it the way I usually fry it and it fell apart and was awful.
Susan LaBorde says
Hi Rhonda,
Please take a look at our vegan air fryer cookbook! It has air fried okra plus 149 other recipes, and since it’s vegan, they are all egg-free. You can see it on Amazon here: The Complete Vegan Air Fryer Cookbook: 150 Plant-Based Recipes for Your Favorite Foods.
Hope that helps,
Susan
Mallory says
Fried okra is my favorite food and has been my whole life! I can’t wait to try this way!
Mary says
Susan,
Are you finding your air fryer recipes are translating just as well when using an air fryer oven, as opposed to the traditional air fryer? I want to try this okra recipe, but was not sure it would work the same.
Thanks, Mary
Susan LaBorde says
Hi Mary,
I don’t own an air fryer oven, so I can only guess. I “think” the recipes should work, but I certainly wouldn’t expect the exact same results. Air fryer ovens are multi-function appliances. Have you ever heard the expression “Jack of all trades, master of none”? I know I’m old school, but I’ve just never had good luck with any kind of multiple use appliances. This is only my opinion, but it seems to me that you can build an appliance to do one thing well, or you can build it to do a lot of things mediocre. I’m sure others will disagree with me, and I’m sure there are exceptions. All I can tell you is that when I cook this okra in my Philips air fryer it is wonderfully crispy and delicious, but I can’t promise it will turn out that well when cooked in an air fryer oven.
Let’s hope some other air fryer over owners will comment here and let us know if they are happy with their results (and with their appliances in general)!
Thanks for your comment and good luck with your cooking!
Susan
Karen says
This is a game changer! No mess, no grease splatter and no heavy calories. The only negative was the salt didn’t stick after frying. I’ll add more salt to the breading next time. I didn’t have enough breadcrumbs so I used some cornmeal. This recipe is a keeper!
Susan LaBorde says
Hi Karen,
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I grew up eating deep fried okra and loved it, and I honestly think the air fried version tastes better. Thanks so much for your comment.
Susan
Jerie Rich says
Who has any fried okra left to keep longer. My family eats it all no matter how much I seem to cook. I just received a air fryer as a gift and can not wait to fry okra. I make a okra salad. Cut up fresh tomatoes and onions and toss it with the fried okra. Only the three ingredients and no need for any kind of dressing. This recipe was given to me by my mother in law Ruby Rich and it is yummy
Jen says
Fresh bread crumbs or dried?
Susan LaBorde says
Dried will give you crispier results.
Tisha says
I have the kind of air fryer that has the trays no basket. How would I make the okra in it? Can any of your recipes be used with the tray air fryer?
Susan LaBorde says
Hi Tisha,
I’m sorry but my only experience is with air fryers. I suggest that you look for a forum or Facebook group of people who own the appliance that you have. They would be the best ones to help you. Of course, you would think the appliance manufacturer would provide instructions that answer such questions!
Hope that helps,
Susan