Crunchy Oven-Fried Okra
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The crunchy coating comes from a mix of Panko bread crumbs, corn meal, and parmesan cheese.
Make this delicious and crunchy Oven-Fried Okra just one time and you may never go back to cooking fried okra on the stove! My “fried” okra recipe uses a fraction of the oil used when pan frying which is an added health benefit!
This okra recipe has quickly become one of our favorite summer side dishes to make when okra is in season, but it works equally well with frozen okra. Just thaw before breading and cook as directed in the recipe notes below.
Need suggestions to complete your menu? Check out my veggie pizza appetizer, this popular grilled salmon — it’s so easy and so good! — and these dreamy ricotta-herb scones in place of dinner rolls. Yum!!
Crunchy Oven Fried Okra
What I think is one of the absolutely best summer foods? FRIED OKRA!
Lucky for you, today I’m sharing a recipe I recently discovered at Sing for Your Supper Blog for a healthier, Crunchy Oven-Fried Okra.
Thanks to my father-in-law and his garden, we feasted on this “farm-to-table” delicacy at supper the other night.
Just so you understand… this…just this…WAS our entire supper. Yep, just this beautiful bowl of okra. It was delicious!
Tips for making the BEST okra in the oven:
- Toss sliced okra with raw eggs to coat all the pieces before breading
- Use a resealable plastic bag to shake the okra with the breading (see the video below for a demo)
- Putting the breaded okra in the refrigerator for a few minutes before adding to the pan will help keep the breading on the okra — more breading, more crunch!
- Always preheat the baking sheet with oil before adding the okra.
How can you tell if fresh okra is good?
When choosing okra at the market, avoid any pods that have brown spots or that are shriveled. The larger okra pods can tend to be tough, so stick with small or medium size pods.
Fresh okra will have white seeds when you cut into the pods. Brown seeds indicate the okra is old and will probably be tough.
How do you reheat fried okra in the oven?
To reheat oven-fried okra in the oven, place it on a baking sheet in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes. To reheat pan-fried okra, follow the same method. Some oil may release from the warmed up okra, so be sure to drain it well on paper towels before serving.
“Someone gave us okra the other night and I fixed your recipe. Tom has said how good it was TWICE, so I am making it again tonight. It definitely deserves five stars!” — CAROL
More veggie side dish recipes
- Squash and Zucchini Casserole is a delicious Southern side dish made with yellow squash, zucchini, and corn with a crunchy breadcrumb and Parmesan topping.
- Roasted Okra with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette cooks in a cast-iron skillet on top of the stove until it is tender and slightly charred, then gets topped with an amazing honey-mustard-bacon dressing and more crumbled bacon. Delish!
- Crispy Oven-Baked Onion Rings — Healthier onion rings that are tender on the inside and nicely crisp on the outside without frying!
- Browned Butter Roasted Asparagus — Perfectly roasted asparagus drizzled with a nutty browned butter sauce is an elegant side dish for steak or seafood and requires only 12 minutes baking time!
- Asiago Potato Stacks – These fancy little Asiago Potato Stacks, seasoned with fresh rosemary and sea salt, are cheesy, crispy, and perfectly elegant!
- Hattie B’s Black-Eyed Pea Salad — Hattie B’s Black Eyed Pea Salad is dressed with a bright and perfectly balanced vinaigrette.
- Fresh Herb Potato Salad — The flavor of this classic, creamy potato salad is enhanced by using fresh herbs—tarragon and parsley—in the dressing. You’ll make Grandma proud with this recipe!
Special equipment
- My new favorite cookie sheet is the OXO Good Grips Non-Stick Half Sheet (with a bonus silicone baking mat). One thing I like about this baking sheet is the textured surface that allows the air to flow for more even baking. It also is made with heavy-gauge aluminized steel which promotes even heat distribution.
- Also, I use my glass batter bowl ALL. the. time. It has a wide base for easy mixing and comes with a handy lid. Plus, the bowl and lid are both dishwasher, microwave, and freezer-safe.
Let’s cook!
An added benefit to this oven-fried okra recipe is that there’s no greasy mess to clean up. Placing the okra under a broiler at the end of cooking and stirring frequently will result in extra golden brown crispiness!
Crunchy Oven-Fried Okra
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh-cut okra
- 4 tablespoons cornmeal
- 6 tablespoons Italian-style panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 eggs beaten
- 3-4 tablespoons canola oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Combine the cornmeal, panko, salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese in a gallon-size ziplock bag.
- In a separate bowl, gently toss the okra with the beaten eggs until evenly coated.
- Pour oil onto a rimmed baking sheet (15x10x1) and place in the preheated oven for just a few minutes to warm up the oil–be careful to not let it start to smoke.
- In the meantime, add the wet okra a little at a time to the bag and shake until coated. If needed, you may add additional cornmeal and panko breadcrumbs — if the okra isn’t coated as much as you like. Carefully add the okra to the hot baking sheet.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until tender, turning the okra halfway through baking. To get a nice golden brown, increase oven heat to broil and watch carefully, stirring as needed.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Life Love and Good Food does not claim to be a registered dietician or nutritionist. Nutritional information shared on this site is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
I’m making this tonight w/o the eggs(I don’t have any right now, but I have plenty of okra that I’ve grown). I’m going to coat the okra w/olive oil, coat it w/crumb mixture & air fry it so I don’t heat up the whole house w/my oven!
First time I have cooked Okra in the oven, It was a delicious and will try again using the Air Fryer included in my new oven next time.
At first I was upset because the coating wouldn’t stick to the okra. But in the end I was glad it didn’t. I thought the flavor was lacking and the texture was awful. I definitely won’t be making this recipe again.
Excellent… I’m from the south so fried okra has been a favorite of mine forever but hated the mess of deep frying. This recipe is pretty darned close without the mess. Thanks.
This is wonderful.
I made this tonight and it was so good. It’s not like the pan fried but crispy, healthier and less mess alternative. It will be a regular on the menu!
I love okra! I used 4 T cornmeal and 2 T flour, then added the breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper. I put foil on a cooking sheet and sprayed with Pam, and sprinkled a little olive oil. I also sprinkled olive oil on the top before baking. It was really crunchy and delicious!
Hello,
Question… how about frozen okra? I live in Colorado and we rarely see fresh. What do you advise?
Thank you!
Hi, Morgan. I’m curious if you are able to get frozen okra that is NOT breaded? If so, then I’d suggest that you thaw it overnight in the refrigerator, then drain off any liquid and pat dry with paper towels before proceeding with the recipe instructions. Removing the excess moisture first should help. Please let me know if you try this method. Thanks!
I made this and it came out great—nicely browned and crunchy. To add a bit of zip, I drizzled some salsa on top!
This was excellent! Okra-delicious. Thank you for the idea to both slice and spice when roasting.
I made this okra and it was delicious. Very light and crispy and fresh tasting. I will definitely cook okra in the oven from now on. I forgot the parmesan in the crumbs so I sprinkled it on after baking while hot. It was still good, but next time I’ll put the cheese in with the crumbs.
Made this for the first time today – it was absolutely perfect! Thank you!!
My husband loves fried okra and to be honest I am not a big fan. However, I wanted something that was easier and less calories. Tried this and it is fantastic. Easier and a lot healthier. So glad I found this website
Awesome! I’m so glad to have you as a reader!
I made the oven fried okra with fresh okra from our garden! It was delicious!! Thank you for the recipe!
I am so excited to find an Okra recipe that does not require “frying”. My family loves okra salad and this recipe fits perfectly! Perfect texture and “crunch” !
This was GREAT!! Easy to assemble and cook. The breading’s texture was fantastic and it “fried” in the oven. It is also healthier and fewer calories that traditionally fried okra. I’m going to the store SOON to buy more okra and cook it again. All of my family loved it! Thank you!!
I love these recipes for healthy cooking i had 3 mini strokes. Really had hard time finding healthy recipes l thank you so much. Look forward to more
I USE HALF BISQUICK AND half yellow cornmeal, has more of a soft crunch. In fact I use BISQUICK for the replacement of flour any time l can.
Hey Sheila, someone gave us okra the other night and I fixed your recipe. Tom has said how good it was TWICE, so I am making it again tonight. It definitely deserves five stars!
Carol, that’s awesome to hear! Glad both you and Tom enjoyed the okra 🙂
So good
Delicious! Honestly can’t tell they’re not fried! Definitely agree with adding more spice to kick them up a bit!
This is my go to recipe for cooking okra! Sometimes I use more breadcrumbs or ground tortilla chips instead of cornmeal. I also use coconut or olive oil instead of canola oil. It’s always turned out great and is my favorite way to eat okra.
This recipe was a big hit with the family! Well, a big hit with all but with my pickier eater – we’ll keep working on her. It really turned out well and I love it because it’s healthier too. We even did it in the toaster oven to keep the heat down in the house and it turned out well. Thank you!!
We have a bumper crop of okra from this year’s garden and were looking for a healthier recipe. This did the trick! Our okra tasted fabulous. Perfect crispness too.
The only slight variation is that we freeze our okra sliced with a little cornmeal, so we didn’t put as much in our mixing bag. Thanks for sharing the awesome twist in a Southern classic.
Never made okra until today. When someone gave me okra, I searched for a recipe. Glad to have found this one. The okra turned out really well. Very good.
Davida, I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I’ve never tasted okra (not really a big veggie fan, all round) but I think I’d enjoy these crunchy bites.
Hi Sheila! I found you through the Food Bloggers Helping Each Other FB group and I have to say that I’m loving your site! Your pictures are amazing:) I just harvested a huge crop of okra and, after seeing your recipe, am thinking about baking my first batch tonight. I even have all the ingredients at home already!
Heather, thanks so, so very much! You also have a lovely blog 🙂
If you do try the okra, please do come back here and rate the recipe. I’d love to know how it turns out for you.
I’ll let you know after tonight, Sheila:)
Turned out exactly as you said it would! It only took a few minutes to throw together and now my house smells like Italian seasoning. We’ll be making more this weekend because I have a bumper crop of okra!
Thanks for letting me know! Enjoy all that good okra 😉
Thanks so much for this recipe. It will now be our go-to for okra! I would post a comment on Instagram, but I don’t have an account. I did add a little extra salt (1/4 teaspoon to the okra/egg mixture) as well as that which was called for in the breading mix. It was perfect. I roasted the okra for about 24 minutes and didn’t need to use the broiler. Excellent.
Is there any substitute for the corn meal as that isntnan option for me. Thanks
Patricia, You could try using more panko breadcrumbs if the cornmeal is not an option for you.
I did just that tonight cause I didn’t have cornmeal. Everybody loved the dish! I did add a little more salt and pepper after cooking, otherwise just like the recipe. Great!
Patricia: Another option could be finely crushed tried pork rinds.