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Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Oven-Fried Okra

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Okra has a special place in my heart because I had it a lot growing up in Oklahoma. My grandparents, Nan and Baker, have a wonderful garden and they would always grow okra. My mom would get a few bags from them every summer and she would make us fried okra. YUM!

Oven-Fried Okra

My love for fried okra only increased when I lived in Alabama because it is available in lots of restaurants there. Even though it's not very healthy, I could seriously eat fried okra every day. That's why when I saw a recipe for oven-fried okra on pinterest the other day,  I just knew I had to give it a try. There is no oil, butter or fat in this recipe!

Make sure you read through the whole recipe before starting. It is really easy to make, but there are a few important steps.

Oven-Fried Okra
adapted from family .com
    makes 7-1/2 C servings
16 oz bag frozen sliced okra, thawed {about 3 1/2 cups}
1 tsp Cajun or creole seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 C yellow corn meal
Canola oil spray
1 gallon zip lock bag

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Turn the zip-lock bag inside out and spray with canola oil spray.

Pour the okra in the bag along with the Cajun seasoning and garlic salt. Seal bag and shake vigorously. Let rest for 10 minutes so the juices extract  from the okra.


Add the cornmeal to the bag and shake up again. Let rest 10 more minutes. Give the bag one more good shake. Pour okra over a strainer or colander {either over the sink or over a bowl} so the extra cornmeal will fall off. Spread the okra over a foil covered baking sheet and spread out evenly. Spray okra with canola oil spray.


Bake for 20 minutes, remove from oven, flip okra over, lightly spray again and return to oven for 20 more minutes. And that's it!


Just to give you an idea how delicious this stuff is, Chris and I ate the whole 16oz batch like it was popcorn, out of a bowl, in one setting!

Hopefully I will convince my mom to give me her pan-fried okra recipe soon! :) I'll be sure to share it with you! Also, our friends, Shelly and Dave, gave us their deep fryer before they moved, so I will also be trying fried okra in the deep fryer soon too!

61 comments:

  1. I love fried okra. I love even more that this isn't fried. Sounds amazing!

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  2. Sounds like a great alternative to frying. I love okra - so sorry it gets a bad rap.

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  3. YOU just MADE my day!! Thanks Stephanie! Can't wait to do this at home! I LOVE okra!

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  4. My husband was so excited this weekend when he found okra at the produce stand. He put in a request for fried okra, so I told him I'd gave it a try. Poor guy ... it was a huge flop! I can't wait to try it this way! I love reading your blog. Every recipe is soooo tempting. I have to keep my sweet tooth under control when I read it, but this savory recipe will definitely get a try! K. (Hattey) Ferrell

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    1. Thank you, you are so sweet!! Let me know if you try it! I was pretty impressed how tasty this was for being so healthy!

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    2. I have a daughter who has a rare genetic disorder that does not allow her to have anything fried or high in fat. This was a GREAT alternative and was loved by the rest of the family too! I can't wait to try more of your recipes. Thanks!

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  5. I am so glad to see this. My poor hubby just wasted quite a bit of okra the other day. He just threw some in the trash and told me the breading/batter type stuff he used just did not even stick! Not sure what he did wrong-I did not supervise-ha! I will need to make him some using this recipe. Oven fried does sound like just the ticket and your picture definitely tells me why you ate this like popcorn. Thanks Steph!

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  6. YUM! You really do healthy veggies RIGHT : ) I don't usually buy okra, but it's going to be on the list so I can try these!!

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  7. Hey there! Thanks for hopping on my blog! :) No I didn't get any pics of the funfetti cookies (and by this time, there probably aren't any left to snap pics of!) :)
    I had fried okra for the first time this past summer when I visited KY and TN. As a Pacific NW girl it's not a real big staple out here. :) LOVED. IT.
    Can't wait to try this - and the spraying the inside of the bag - so smart! Never thought of that before!

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  8. Fried okra is one of my all time favorites! I don't know why I never thought to bake it! Great idea!!

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  9. YUM! I'm hoping to grow okra this year and can't wait to start making tasty recipes like this one!

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  10. Wow, I'm with you on that one. I lived in Tuscaloosa for two years, and worked at The Front Porch Restaurant. So okra is in all the food establishments. Hope to talk some more about Alabama. Guess I need to fry me some Okra LOL.

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  11. I have some already battered okra in the freezer. I wonder if this would work with those? Thaw them first (gross)? Does the canola make them crispy? Could I do them without it or do I need a trip to the grocery store?

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    1. I have never tried the oven-fried method with okra that is already battered. If it were me, I don't think I would thaw yours first. I'm just thinking of other frozen food {pizza rolls, tater tots, ect.} that you don't thaw prior to baking.
      The sprayed canola oil helps it to be crispy and helps it not to burn in the oven. If you give that a try, let me know how it turns out. I hope this helped!!!

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  12. I made this last night and forgot to do the flip in the middle part. It was so good, not as crispy as I wanted it but it didn't matter. My hubby loved it. The only problem I had was the cornmeal didn't stick to the sides that well but will definitely try it again. Oh, and I also broiled it for a couple minutes which helped too. Thanks!

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  13. Can't wait to try this. Guess it would work for the green tomatoes also, right? Just LOVE okra.

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  15. Oh.My.Goodness! Tried this tonight for dinner and I am in heaven! I grew up on fried okra and I had to give up fried foods 10 years ago for health reasons. I have really missed my fried okra. *sniff* When I came across your recipe I got excited and made a special trip to the grocery store. It was so easy to make and I did a little happy dance in my kitchen when they came out of the oven and I nibbled my first bite. I will definitely be making this again. The only thing I will do different is maybe cut back a little on the Cajun seasoning....I didn't realize how spicy that can be. haha

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    1. So glad you liked it, and thanks for the feedback!! I really don't make fried food much but I do eat it out a lot and I need to cut back too. :) Good for you!!

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  16. I just tried this and it is delicious! Thanks for the recipe. I think next time I won't cook it the entire 20 minutes after turning the okra, I think it was a tad overcooked. But this is a great alternative to frying!

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    1. Thanks for the feedback, Jen!! I was skeptical of the 20 minutes also, but it did take mine the full time to brown up. So glad you liked it!! And thanks for the comment! :)

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  17. Is there a way to do this (and it still taste good) without the cornmeal? I have a daughter who is allergic. Corn products cause her to lose control of her bladder

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    1. Crissy, I have not tried this any other way, but I imagine that flour would also work. Again, I can't vouch for that, but if I try it, I will let you know.
      Sorry about your daughter, I have never heard about that allergy, that not fun!!

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    2. If not flour how about Panko breadcrumbs? They already have the crisp factor. Not sure how this would change the cooking time, just watch'em. These look great and I can't wait to cook our fresh okra from a friends garden!

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    3. I browned okra last night with no meal or flour in a black pan with a little olive oil, and it was delicious. Not as crisp as when breaded, but still very good.

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    4. Try ground millet. My friend uses ground millet in place of cornmeal a lot. Even in cornbread.

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  18. This recipe didn't work for me. I followed your advice to read very carefully and follow every instruction, but since you didn't say to spray the foil first, I didn't. The entire thing was stuck when I tried to flip it over, and I had to throw it away.

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    1. Oh man, I'm so sorry to hear that :( Did you use non-stick foil? Mine didn't stick at all. I hate that for you!

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  19. Is it slimy? I love love love okra, but can't stand when it's even the slightest bit slimy.

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    1. Kayla, good question! (I don't like slimy okra either!)
      This recipe is not slimy at all. The act of putting it in the ziplock bag and letting the juices extract really helps that cause. Each piece gets fully covered in breading and there is leftover breading to spare. no slimy okra in this house! :)

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  20. What a great looking recipe!!! I make oven-fried foods all the time cuz the deep frying we grew with in Texas just gives me such and upset tummy. I also low carb it all - so it's pretty different from what we grew up with!

    I've been thinking about okra and wondering if it was possible to make it oven-roasted. So thank you for showing that it can be done!!! I can't wait to get a bag at the store! I'll probably sub out my pork rind crumbs and parmesan for the cornmeal.

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    1. Pork rinds and Parmesan??? Ok, now you're just showin' off! :) That sounds so crazy good! If you try that, you have to let me know how it goes.
      Thanks!!

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  21. This sounds great. Have to try. I've been grilling my okra lately with Chinese Five Spice and cumin. I put them whole on a skewer so they don't fall through the grill. They are amazing.

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  22. This was really easy and pretty tasty, but I couldn't get near the 'breading' on mine that you did....and I followed your instructions exactly, except for my okra was fresh and not frozen. But it was much less mess (and healthier than frying)so I will definitely do it agagin! Thanks!

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    1. How many okra pods did you use to get 3 1/2 cups of slices?

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  23. Being from the South I was raised on fried okra. My mom made the best Okra ever by using the secret ingredient...diced green tomatoes! You can't believe how much flavor this adds until you try it, and it's also good when doing fried squash. I don't see why it would not work with oven fried okra and squash as well. By the way, you can oven fry green tomatoes using this recipe as well, just check it often and note how long it takes to get them cooked to your taste as oven times vary.

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  24. My family and I made this the other day and LOVED it! After being on weight watchers for a few months I was hoping to find an easy, healthy version of southern comfort food as a treat. We used a medium grind, organic corn meal due to better nutritional facts (though we all agreed it is probably even better with a super-fine grind) and it came out perfectly! The okra was tasty and perfectly cooked (no slime here!) and it was even better when we heated it back up the next day. I would take this over regular fried okra any day! Thanks again! :)

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    1. Excuse me, you mean to tell me you had leftovers?! How did you have the will power? haha
      So glad you liked it! :)

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  25. Thank you! Thank you!! Thank you!!!!! As a born and raised South-Texas girl now living in the northeast, I never get to eat okra anymore. :( The ONLY place that serves it up here is Cracker Barrel. I always fail at frying so I was SOOOOOOO excited to see a no-fry recipe! And that I can use frozen okra is even better because I rarely can find it fresh up here. Thanks again!!!!!!

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  26. These are in the oven right now...However I followed this recipe and used dill hamburger chip pickles and threw them in the toaster oven on turbo....they only took about 10 minutes are are delicious!!!

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  28. This is a neat recipe and I hope to try it soon myself. However, I want you to know that saying there is no oil or fat in this recipe is misleading. There IS oil and fat in there. Cooking sprays are 100% pure fat. However, they get away with it on the label by portion size. If you read the label you will see that the zero content applies only to a spray lasting 1/3 of a second. One third of a second only, 700 in the can. If the content is less than a half a gram per serving, companies are allowed to round down to the nearest whole integer, which in this case is 0. In practice, however, cooking spray adds 7 calories (and one gram of pure fat) per second of use. So be aware!
    Thanks for the recipe, though. Sounds tasty!

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  29. Perfect! I used fresh okra and this was great. The problem is that I might eat it all before it hits the table.....

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  30. Oh my! I can't wait to try this! I love, love, love fried okra but have a terrible fear of frying (one too many burns from hot oil the last times I tried). I can not wait to try this! My meal for tonight is being planned around this! haha!

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  31. What a great idea. I love fried okra but hate all the deep frying. This would be such a healthier version. Thanks, so much ... I'm bookmarking for future use! :-)

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    1. Thanks! I hope you try it! I enjoy some fried foods but I agree, frying can be SUCH a pain!

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  32. We just planted a boatload of okra this season! Thanks for this recipe so I don't have to just freeze or pickle it all. This looks great!

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    1. Thank you! I really hope you try and like this recipe!

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  33. I am an Oklahoma girl too. This evening I was looking for a new alternative to pan frying some okra for my hubby and girls (1 yr and 3 yrs.) when I came across this recipe. I think perhaps your grandparents are my beloved neighbors here in Stillwater. If so, we enjoy their garden's beauty and little chats with them on our daily walks! They are generous people! I am about to try this baking okra business out. Cheers!

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    1. How cool!! They do have a great garden and I really miss being over there all the time! :( They are the best people in the WORLD and they are both great cooks too!! If you are interested, here's my grandma's yummy seven layer salad recipe: http://cookincowgirl.blogspot.com/2012/04/seven-layer-salad.html

      I hope you and your family enjoyed the okra!

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  34. Just tried this and will certainly have it again. I think we cut the okra too small so we ended up with more corn meal than okra. Live and learn, can't wait to try it again in a few days with larger cuts.

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  35. FYI: This is a Wonderful Recipe, and you do NOT need to thaw frozen breaded okra before cooking!!!!!!!!!! ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!
    XOXOXOXO ;o)

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    1. And, I forgot to mention that I line my Baking Sheet with Heavy-Duty Non-Stick Reynolds Wrap to make clean-up much easier!!!!!!!!!
      XOXOXOXO ;o)

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  36. thanks for this - my folks are from arkansas, and fried okra was alway a summer treat, one of the only vegetables that my sister and i would fight over. i can't really bring myself to cook okra in that much oil, so this is a big help.

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  37. I am glad that you shared this useful piece of information with us! Thank you and keep up the good work!
    Pod Housing

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  38. I thought I could use thawed frozen okra but it did not work well for me. Should I have just used the frozen? Maybe there is another step to using thawed okra? Summer is almost here and I will use this recipe for fresh okra and yellow squash. I am thinking maybe I should have placed the thawed okra on a cookie sheet for a while to allow it to dry out some.

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  39. I have made this recipe several times with rave reviews from my family. Thank you!

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