Crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, Fried Green Tomatoes are a classic Southern dish that is both delicious and easy to make.
Our recipe features tangy green tomatoes coated in a crispy cornmeal crust and served with a zesty dipping sauce. Perfect as an appetizer, snack, or side dish, these Fried Green Tomatoes will satisfy your cravings and impress your guests.
Recipe Notes:
- Make sure that the oil in the pan is at least 1-2 inches deep so that the tomato slices are really submerged in the hot oil. Maintain the oil temperature consistently for best results. The tomatoes will absorb too much oil if the oil is not hot enough, although they may burn if you make the oil too hot.
- The oil temperature will drop quickly if you add too many tomatoes at once to the oil. Be sure to avoid over crowding the pan and check the temperature regularly to keep the heat consistent.
- Coat your tomato slices well with the flour and buttermilk mixture so that you don’t see any green color peeking through.
- For a gluten-free coating, simply make use of a gluten-free flour instead of all-purpose flour.
I love to use my Copycat Outback Blooming Sauce recipe to dip these in.
No, I don’t recommend freezing these fried green tomatoes. Tomatoes already contain a high level of liquid which means that they are likely to affect the fried flour coating after freezing and thawing.
CAN I MAKE THESE FRIED GREEN TOMATOES IN AN AIR FRYER INSTEAD?
Yes, definitely! Air fryers are a great healthy alternative cooking method for many foods including these fried green tomatoes should you prefer. Air fry these fried green tomatoes by following steps one to three in my recipe directions and then continue with the following steps below:
- Coat the entire air fryer basket with some cooking oil (or cooking spray).
- Heat the air fryer to a maximum of 400℉ for five minutes.
- Evenly arrange the basket with a single layer of tomatoes once they’ve been dipped in the flour and buttermilk mixture. Do not crowd the basket but work in batches instead.
- Allow the tomatoes to fry for 8 minutes or until you see the coating starting to turn crispy.
- Flip the tomatoes over and fry for another 5 mins.
- Remove the tomatoes from the air fryer and serve!
Note: The temperature and time to cook may differ depending on the model of the air fryer you are using.
Fried Green Tomatoes
- Whisk together the buttermilk, egg, and hot sauce in a shallow bowl.
- In a second bowl, stir together 1⁄2 cup of flour and 1⁄2 tablespoon cajun seasoning.
- Combine the other 1⁄2 cup of flour, 1⁄2 tablespoon of cajun seasoning, and the cornmeal in a third bowl.
- Begin heating the cooking oil in a heavy stockpot or Dutch oven. Heat the oil to precisely 375°F (this will take 15 minutes or so).
- While the oil is heating, slice the tomatoes into 1⁄2” thick slices. Place on a couple layers of paper towels and press down on each side with more paper towels to soak up as much moisture as you can.
- Dip each tomato slice in the flour mixture, then into the buttermilk mixture, and then into the flour/cornmeal mixture.
- Set coated tomato slices in a single layer and repeat step 6 to batter all of the tomato slices.
- When the oil is hot, carefully place each tomato slice into the oil. Fry on each side until golden brown (about 2-3 minutes on each side).
- Lift fried tomatoes from the oil with a slotted spoon and place on a couple layers of paper towels to soak up any excess oil.
- Continue frying the tomatoes in batches until they are all cooked.
- Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce.
Don’t forget to pack up leftovers for a fun lunch the next day! We love these snack boxes!
More Tomato-Based Recipes I Know You’ll Love
Looking for more free recipes? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Fried Green Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce we like Cholula
- 1 cup all-purpose flour divided
- 1 tablespoon cajun/creole seasoning divided
- 1/2 cup cornmeal
- 5-6 medium green tomatoes
- 2-3 cups vegetable oil or vegetable shortening for frying
Instructions
- Whisk together the buttermilk, egg, and hot sauce in a shallow bowl.
- In a second bowl, stir together 1⁄2 cup of flour and 1⁄2 tablespoon cajun seasoning.
- Combine the other 1⁄2 cup of flour, 1⁄2 tablespoon of cajun seasoning, and the cornmeal in a third bowl.
- Begin heating the cooking oil in a heavy stockpot or Dutch oven. Heat the oil to precisely 375°F (this will take 15 minutes or so).
- While the oil is heating, slice the tomatoes into 1⁄2” thick slices. Place on a couple layers of paper towels and press down on each side with more paper towels to soak up as much moisture as you can.
- Dip each tomato slice in the flour mixture, then into the buttermilk mixture, and then into the flour/cornmeal mixture.
- Set coated tomato slices in a single layer and repeat step 6 to batter all of the tomato slices.
- When the oil is hot, carefully place each tomato slice into the oil. Fry on each side until golden brown (about 2-3 minutes on each side).
- Lift fried tomatoes from the oil with a slotted spoon and place on a couple layers of paper towels to soak up any excess oil.
- Continue frying the tomatoes in batches until they are all cooked.
- Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce.
Save this recipe for later! Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your recipe box!
Nutrition Information:
Nutrition Disclaimer
Family Fresh Meals is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
Leave a Comment