Air Fryer Okra Recipe

Air fryer okra is so good! Breaded crispy with Panko breadcrumbs, no cornmeal, coating on the outside with tender flavorful air fryer vegetables on the inside. Great crispy side dish or low carb snack.

Okra in Air Fryer

If you are looking for a great vegetable Ninja Foodi recipe, you can make it in that handy machine too. Most hot air machines work the same and give you that deep fried texture without all the added calories or fat.

in Ninja

If you are going to make this as one of our Ninja Foodi recipes you will use the lid that is attached, the air crisp button and the basket with the holes in the bottom that rests inside. The biggest thing to remember is that you don’t want the pieces to overlap.

Ingredients

1. Sliced fresh okra, the thinner they are the more tender they will become
2. Eggs whisked in a bowl for the breading to stick
3. Panko breadcrumbs – Some are gluten free if you need that
4. Salt and pepper

With just 3 ingredients + some salt and pepper you too can make this for under 10 bucks. With a light breadcrumb coating this veggie goes from good to delicious in no time at all. Forgetful?

with Frozen Okra

You would not be able to bread these if this is the case. We do have directions for cooking frozen okra in air fryer though without breading that is still delish but definitely different.

Tips

I suggest using bite size pieces vs. the whole thing with air fried okra. This way you get more breading and flavor wrapped around each bite and it is easier to eat right out of the machine too.

Just make an assembly line of sorts so things are easier when preparing. Depending on how much you’re making, it may take a bit of time for prep, but cook time is quick!

How to make air fryer okra

• Put breadcrumbs and seasonings in one bowl
  • you could easily add garlic powder or onion powder with your salt and pepper
  • I love adding Old Bay to all the things too if I have any left in the cupboard
• Whisk your egg wash in a separate bowl
• Wash, slice and dry your okra pieces
• Preheat your air fryer at this time
• Dip pieces into egg
• Then move them into the Panko mix and coat well
• Place breaded okra into your air fryer basket in a single layer and cook

Of course if you want them crispier then set for a few more minutes after checking them at this point. 

There is no shaking or flipping required for this okra recipe. It actually won’t work as well if you do because the outside coating is likely to fall off and you want all that goodness to stay in tact.

Leave them as is with a bit of non stick spray on the bottom. Brown as long as you would like. If you want the outside very very brown you could spray a bit of olive oil on the top during the last few minutes.

If you’re new to this method of cooking I promise you that it tastes as crispy as deep frying foods. BUT you need no vegetable or olive oil to submerge it in. I imagine you may be able to use a sort of cornmeal mixture instead if you prefer.

Other Air Fryer Vegetables you’ll love

1. You can try our air fryer red potatoes that are a great side dish to any meal. Just set your air fryer to 400 degrees for a few minutes and they’re done! It is possible to heat air fryer frozen vegetables this way too
   1. Air fryer baked potatoes can be an easy side dish or main meal stuffed with 5 ingredient chili or broccoli and cheese.
   2. Our air fryer cauliflower is a winner at dinner too.

Do you need to boil okra before frying them?

This is not necessary except if you think that this vegetable is on the bitter side you could. If you do you’ll need about twice as long, plus time to cool down before rolling in the breadcrumbs. Trick is after boiling you need to really dry off the outside on paper towels or the breadcrumbs won’t stick. To boil them first you need to;