Air Fried Okra Recipe (All the Taste With None of the Guilt!) (2024)

FAQs

What makes okra taste better? ›

Remember, when it comes to preparing okra, high heat is this veggie's best friend. In a large bowl toss 1 1/2 pounds of fresh okra with 1/4 cup of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Using tongs, transfer okra to a grill rack or grill basket in a covered grill directly over high heat.

Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Place 1/2 the breaded okra slices in the basket of the air fryer and spray with cooking spray. Cook 4 minutes.

The moistened okra adheres to the breading during frying. Breading does not stick to dry okra. And in my opinion, buttermilk makes a breading which is too thick which also causes the breading to fall off.

🤩 Okra is Rich in Nutrients: Okra is a powerhouse of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C, vitamin K, magnesium, and folate. By soaking okra in water, many of these nutrients leach out into the liquid, making them easily absorbable when you drink it.

Pro tip: add a little baking soda to your okra if you want it to “draw” more.

The bottom line

Okra is a nutritious food with many health benefits. It's rich in magnesium, folate, fiber, antioxidants, and vitamin C, K1, and A. Okra may benefit pregnant women, heart health, and blood sugar control. It may even have anticancer properties.

Preheat an air fryer to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place okra, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a large bowl; stir gently to coat. Arrange okra in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Cook in the preheated air fryer for 10 minutes, tossing the basket halfway.

Whether picking it yourself or shopping for it at the store or farmer's market, you want the tender, young okra. Bigger is not better. The larger okra pods have tough husks and are too chewy.

Root-knot nematodes can be a serious problem with okra. If a plant is stunted, yellow, or not producing at full capacity, then pull the plant out of the ground and check for galls on the roots.

How do you eat okra if you don't like it? ›

Roasted. Roasted okra is the best choice if you don't like the slimy texture. Roasting okra dries it out on the inside. Simply toss it with some olive oil and your favorite spices and roast in the oven for about 20 minutes.

If that's not to your liking, okra can be eaten raw, pickled, fried, succotashed, roasted, grilled, crisped to shards, or cooked an infinite number of ways that celebrate all that's special about this vegetable, and it freezes gorgeously to boot. What does okra taste like? That depends on how you cook it.

Does okra need to be soaked before cooking? The short answer is no, you don't have to soak it before cooking, but some recipes suggest soaking the okra in a vinegar mixture to reduce sliminess.

Okra is low in calories but packed full of nutrients. The vitamin C in okra helps support healthy immune function. Okra is also rich in vitamin K, which helps your body clot blood. Antioxidants are natural compounds that help your body fight off molecules called free radicals that can damage cells.