Cooking Okra Tempura- Pan Fried or Air Fryer?

 

The other day was my 5th Okra Harvest. I feel I should try cooking okra tempura. However, I can not decide whether to pan fry it or use my air fryer. Here are videos showing cooking by pan frying versus Air frying.

There are Pros and Cons between the two cooking methods. Air Frying is healthy but may not be as tasty or crispy as Pan Frying. Here's an article on Okra tempura Air Frying. https://platedcravings.com/air-fryer-okra/

How to make Air Fryer Okra

Start with washing and cutting the fresh Okra. Chop off the stems and ends, then cut into 1/2″ slices.

1. Combine all the breading ingredients with a fork and combine the egg and milk in a shallow bowl.
2. Toss okra into the egg mixture, then transfer in batches to the flour cornmeal mixture. Lightly shake off excess flour and transfer to Air Fryer Basket.
3. Spray with oil. We use light olive oil spray, avocado oil spray, or coconut oil spray.
4. Air fry for 10-12 minutes until golden, shaking the basket two times during cooking. Spray with more oil as needed so all the floury spots are covered.

Tips for making Air Fried Okra

• Traditional southern Okra recipes use a cornmeal-flour mixture but you can also only use flour if you don’t have cornmeal on hand.
• The cornmeal adds some more texture and flavor to the fried Okra
• Add extra seasoning to the breading mixture like cayenne pepper, paprika, or garlic powder for extra flavor or heat.
• Instead of egg and milk, you can also use 1/4 cup buttermilk.
• Use a high smoke point oil spray that is flavor neutral like avocado oil, light olive oil, or coconut oil.
• Shake the basket gently so the breading doesn’t fall off.
• Depending on your Air Fryer you might have to air fry in batches. The cooking time can also vary depending on the model you have.
• Fried Okra tastes best served right away with a sprinkle of salt

Can you air fry frozen breaded okra?

If you don’t have time to make fried okra from scratch, try making breaded frozen okra in your Air Fryer! Using an Air Fryer instead of pan-frying or deep-frying frozen breaded okra saves time and calories. Put the frozen okra in the Air Fryer Basket and air fry at 400 F for about 15 minutes until crispy, shaking the basket once or twice during cooking.

Air Fried Okra

Air Fryer Okra made with a cornmeal and flour breading is crispy, delicious, and air fried to perfection in only 15 minutes!

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Calories: 144kcal

Author: Julia Foerster

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 pound okra, caps and tips cut off and sliced (about 20)
• ▢ 1 egg
• ▢ 1/4 cup milk
• ▢ 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1/2 cup cornmeal
• ▢ 1/2 tsp salt
• ▢ 1/4 tsp pepper
• ▢ Oil spray

Instructions

• Preheat air fryer to 400 F (200 C).
• In a shallow bowl combine egg and milk.
• In another bowl combine flour, cornmeal, salt, and pepper.
• Toss okra into the egg mixture, then transfer in batches to flour mixture. Lightly shake off excess flour and transfer to Air Fryer Basket. Depending on your Air Fryer you might have to fry in batches.
• Spray okra with oil spray and air fry for 10-12 minutes until golden, shaking the basket two times during cooking. Spray with more oil as needed so all the floury spots are covered.
• Remove okra and sprinkle with salt to taste. Serve hot.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 144kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 216mg | Potassium: 303mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 597IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 78mg | Iron: 1mg