Okra Green Tomato Fritters

I made Okra Green Tomato Fritters last Tuesday and honestly I’m still thinking about them. The combination sounds weird until you taste how the tartness cuts through all that fried cornmeal. I’ve been frying them twice a week since because they’re fast and I always have okra around.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Ready in 30 minutes from start to finish
• The buttermilk keeps everything tender inside while the cornmeal gets seriously crispy on the outside
• You don’t need a deep fryer, just a regular skillet
• Green tomatoes add this sharp acidic bite that okra fritters usually lack
• They stay crunchy for like 20 minutes after frying which is longer than I expected
• 147 calories per fritter so you can eat four and not feel terrible about it

The Story Behind This Recipe

I had a bag of okra that was going soft and three green tomatoes from my neighbor’s garden that I didn’t know what to do with. I’ve made okra fritters before but they always tasted kind of one-note, so I chopped up the tomatoes and threw them in. The acidity from the green tomatoes completely changed the flavor and made them less heavy. Now I don’t make cornmeal batter fritters any other way because this version actually tastes bright instead of just fried. My neighbor asked for the recipe two days later which never happens.

What You Need

You’re grabbing 1 cup all-purpose flour and 1 cup cornmeal because that’s the base for everything. The cornmeal gives you that gritty texture on the outside that actually crisps up instead of getting soggy. Don’t use the fine-ground cornmeal or it’ll just taste like fried mush.

You’ll need 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder mixed right into the dry stuff. The garlic powder is barely there but without it these cornmeal batter fritters taste flat and you’ll keep reaching for hot sauce to compensate.

For the vegetables you’re chopping 1 cup okra, 1 cup green tomato, and 1 cup onion. The okra needs to be in pieces about the size of a pea or it won’t cook through before the outside burns. Green tomatoes have to be firm or they’ll turn to mush in the batter and make everything watery which ruins the whole texture.

The wet ingredients are 1 egg and 1 cup buttermilk beaten together. Real buttermilk, not the milk-and-vinegar trick because buttermilk has thickness that holds the batter together when it hits the oil. You’ll also need vegetable oil for frying, enough to fill your skillet about half an inch deep.

How to Make Okra Green Tomato Fritters

Start by mixing your flour, cornmeal, salt, black pepper and garlic powder in a big bowl. I use a whisk for this part because otherwise you get pockets of garlic powder that taste too strong in random bites.

Toss in your chopped okra, green tomato and onion and fold them around until every piece has some of the dry mixture sticking to it. This step matters more than I thought because if the vegetables are coated first they don’t clump together in wet pockets later.

Beat your egg in a small bowl until it’s not stringy anymore, then pour in the buttermilk and stir it smooth. When you add this to the vegetable mixture, stir maybe eight times total until you see everything’s wet but still lumpy. I learned the hard way that if you keep stirring past that point the fritters get chewy instead of light inside.

Heat your oil in a big skillet over medium heat until it shimmers but doesn’t smoke yet. If you drop a tiny bit of batter in and it sizzles right away without burning instantly, you’re ready. Use a heaping tablespoon to drop the batter in — I can fit about four fritters at a time without crowding.

Don’t touch them for 4 to 5 minutes. They need to set up on the bottom first or they’ll fall apart when you flip. You’ll see the edges start turning this toasted brown color and the tops will look less shiny and wet.

Flip each one and press down a little with your spatula so they flatten out and cook evenly through the middle. The pressing part isn’t in most okra fritters recipes but it’s the only way I’ve found to keep the centers from staying raw while the outside gets too dark. They need another 4 to 5 minutes on this side.

The oil level drops as you cook so add more between batches if it gets too shallow. Pull them out when both sides are deep gold and drain them on paper towels. They’re best right when they come out but they stay crunchy for maybe 20 minutes if you don’t stack them.

What I Did Wrong the First Time

First batch I made last Tuesday I didn’t chop the okra small enough. I left some pieces almost a whole pod and they were still slimy and barely cooked in the middle while the outside was already dark brown. Had to throw out three fritters because biting into undercooked okra in the center was honestly gross and slimy in a way that made me not want to keep eating.

I also flipped them too early because I got impatient. They broke apart in the oil and I ended up with these sad irregular chunks instead of actual round fritters.

Okra Green Tomato Fritters

By Emma

Prep:

10 min

Cook:

20 min

Total:

30 min

Servings:

12 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 cup chopped okra
• 1 cup chopped green tomato
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 egg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• Vegetable oil for frying

Method

1. 1 In a large bowl, mix the flour, cornmeal, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder thoroughly.
2. 2 Add the chopped okra, green tomato, and onion to the dry mixture and fold them in gently but evenly.
3. 3 In a separate small bowl, beat the egg lightly, then stir in the buttermilk until combined smoothly.
4. 4 Pour the wet ingredients into the vegetable and dry mixture. Stir just until everything is moistened; do not overmix to avoid tough fritters.
5. 5 Heat about a half inch of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. The oil should shimmer but not smoke.
6. 6 Using a heaping tablespoon, drop the batter carefully into the hot oil. Let each fritter sizzle gently and cook for 4 to 5 minutes without moving them until the bottoms firm and turn golden brown with crisp edges.
7. 7 Flip each fritter and press down lightly with the spatula to flatten and ensure even cooking. Listen for the steady sizzle and watch for deep golden color, about another 4 to 5 minutes.
8. 8 Work in batches, adding more oil if it starts to thin out or smoke. Drain cooked fritters on paper towels. Serve immediately while hot and crisp.

Nutritional information

Calories

147

Protein

3g

Carbs

18g

Fat

7g

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Tips for the Best Okra Green Tomato Fritters

Don’t stack your fritters on the paper towel when they come out of the oil. I did that with my second batch and the steam from the bottom ones made everything soggy within like five minutes. Lay them out in a single layer instead.

The oil temperature drops every time you add new batter so wait 30 seconds between batches for it to come back up. If you don’t wait the fritters absorb too much oil and taste greasy instead of crispy.

Your batter will thicken as it sits because the cornmeal keeps soaking up the buttermilk. I noticed this after frying half the batch — the last few fritters were coming out denser than the first ones. Stir in a tablespoon of buttermilk if it gets too stiff to scoop easily.

Use a metal spatula not a plastic one for flipping because you need to scrape under the fritter fast before it sticks to the pan. The plastic ones I have bend too much and I ended up tearing two fritters before I switched.

If you taste one and it’s bland you can’t really fix the batch but you can sprinkle salt on them right when they come out of the oil while they’re still wet with grease. It sticks better than waiting until they’re drained.

Serving Ideas

I’ve been eating these green tomato fritters with ranch dressing which sounds boring but the buttermilk in the batter and the buttermilk in the ranch actually work together instead of being redundant.

Hot sauce mixed with sour cream is better if you want something with more bite. Like equal parts and it cools down the heat just enough that you can taste the okra instead of just burning.

My neighbor puts them on top of a salad which I thought was weird until I tried it. The warm fritters wilt the lettuce a little and the dressing soaks into the cornmeal crust. You need a sturdy green like romaine though or it just collapses.

They’re also good in a sandwich with tomato slices and mayo on white bread but that’s pretty heavy for lunch.

Variations

You can swap jalapeño for half the onion if you want these spicy. I did that Thursday night and used about half a cup of diced jalapeño — it gave the whole thing a kick without making it so hot you can’t taste anything else.

Corn kernels instead of okra works but you lose that slightly vegetal flavor that makes okra fritters interesting. I’d only do this if I literally had no okra because the texture isn’t as good either since corn just pops in your mouth instead of having some chew.

Zucchini could replace the green tomato but you have to squeeze out all the water first or your batter turns into soup. I tried this once and didn’t squeeze hard enough and the fritters wouldn’t hold together at all in the pan.

Yellow cornmeal instead of white doesn’t change the taste but makes them look more golden which I guess matters if you’re serving them to people. I use whatever’s in my pantry.

FAQ

Can I use regular tomatoes instead of green tomatoes? No, regular ripe tomatoes are too soft and watery. They’ll make your batter loose and the fritters fall apart when you try to flip them. Green tomatoes stay firm and add that sharp acidic taste that balances the fried cornmeal.

What if I don’t have buttermilk? You really need actual buttermilk for this because it’s thick enough to hold everything together. The milk-and-vinegar substitute is too thin and these will spread out flat in the oil instead of staying in a fritter shape.

How do I know when the oil is hot enough? Drop a tiny bit of batter in and if it sizzles immediately and floats but doesn’t turn black right away you’re good. If it just sinks to the bottom the oil’s too cold and your fritters will be greasy.

Can I bake these instead of frying? I haven’t tried it but I don’t think the texture would be right. The whole point is that crispy fried crust and baking would just dry them out without giving you that crunch.

Why are my fritters falling apart in the oil? You’re either flipping too early before the bottom sets up or your batter is too wet. Let them sit for the full 4 to 5 minutes before you touch them and make sure you didn’t add extra buttermilk.

Can I make the batter ahead of time? Not really because the cornmeal keeps absorbing liquid and it’ll be too thick by the time you’re ready to fry. Just mix it right before you start cooking.

Do I have to use fresh okra or can I use frozen? Fresh is better because frozen okra releases too much water when it thaws. If you do use frozen squeeze out as much liquid as you can after it thaws or your batter will be soupy.

How small should I chop the vegetables? Pea-sized for the okra and green tomato, maybe a little bigger for the onion. If they’re too big they won’t cook through before the outside burns.

Can I use a different oil for frying? Vegetable oil, canola or peanut oil all work fine. Don’t use olive oil because it smokes at too low a temperature and makes everything taste bitter.

Why do my fritters taste flat even though I followed the recipe? You probably forgot the garlic powder or didn’t add enough salt. Taste your batter before you start frying and add a pinch more salt if it tastes bland.

How do I keep fritters warm if I’m making a big batch? Put them on a wire rack on a baking sheet in a 200°F oven. Don’t cover them or they’ll steam and get soggy.

What’s the best way to reheat leftover fritters? I put them in a 375°F oven for about 8 minutes and they crisp back up pretty well. Microwave makes them chewy and gross.

Can I freeze these after cooking? Yeah, let them cool completely then freeze in a single layer on a baking sheet before transferring to a bag. Reheat from frozen in the oven at 375°F for like 12 minutes.

Why are some of my fritters darker than others? Your oil temperature is fluctuating too much between batches. Adjust your heat and wait between batches for the temperature to stabilize.

Do I really need to press them down with the spatula? Yes, otherwise the middle stays raw while the outside gets too dark. Just a light press when you flip them flattens them enough to cook evenly.

How much oil should be in the pan? About half an inch deep. Too shallow and the fritters don’t fry evenly, too deep and they’re swimming instead of frying.

Can I add cheese to this batter? I guess you could add shredded cheddar but I haven’t tried it. It might make them greasier since cheese releases fat when it melts.

Why did my first batch come out better than the rest? Your oil probably got too hot as you kept cooking. Turn the heat down slightly after the first batch and monitor the temperature.

What kind of onion should I use? Yellow onion is what I use but white or red would work too. Sweet onion might make them taste a little too sweet but it wouldn’t ruin them.

Can I make these gluten-free? You’d have to swap the all-purpose flour for a gluten-free blend and I don’t know if the texture would be the same since I haven’t tested it that way.