Southern Fried Okra Recipe

This fried okra is crispy, golden, and cornmeal-crusted, soaked in buttermilk and fried until perfectly crunchy, a classic Southern side dish.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Southern

Keyword Fried Okra

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 4

Total Time 19

Servings servings

Calories 138kcal

Cut the okra into ½ inch slices and place them in a large bowl.
1 pound fresh okra pods
Add the buttermilk, garlic salt and pepper, stir to combine.
1 cup buttermilk, 1 teaspoon garlic salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper
In a zip-top gallon-sized bag, add the flour, cornmeal, garlic salt, onion powder, paprika, and pepper. Zip up the top and toss around to mix everything together.
¾ cup all-purpose flour, ¾ cup fine yellow cornmeal, 2 teaspoons garlic salt, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon sweet paprika, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Take about ¼-cup of the okra at a time, let the excess buttermilk drip off, place it into the bag with the flour mixture. Zip the top and toss the okra around so it gets coated.
Place a wire rack over a sheet tray and take the okra pieces out one by one and place them on to the wire rack without touching. This helps any excess flour mixture fall off.
Repeat with the remaining okra until it is all coated.
Add the peanut oil to a deep fryer or to a large dutch oven, enough to go two inches up the side of the pan. Heat the oil to 375°F.
Peanut oil for frying
Place about a dozen pieces of the okra into the oil at a time and fry for 3-4 minutes or until your desired browning. Drain on a paper-towel-lined plate to get rid of any excess oil.
Repeat with the remaining okra. Serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce.

We like to use peanut oil because of the high smoke content, but use any other high smoke content oil.
Use your favorite dipping sauces, some are listed above.
This crispy fried okra recipe can be frozen, see above on how to do that.
Other seasonings can be used, check out my ideas above.
Easily double this recipe to have more on hand or keep for later.

Nutrition is calculated without oil for frying.