There's a good reason why fried green tomatoes are so popular in the South. Air fried green tomatoes are crunchy on the outside and tangy and juicy in the middle. Preparing them in an air fryer is a great way to reduce extra fat and calories. Serve with ranch dressing or Sriracha Aioli!
It's October and I still have green tomatoes that I had to pull early from my garden to avoid frost damage. I've already made plenty of pickled green tomatoes and green tomato salsa, so I decided to make fried green tomatoes in an air fryer.
For a lot of us who don't live in the South, our first introduction to fried green tomatoes was from watching the movie Fried Green Tomatoes starring Jessica Tandy and Kathy Bates. I don't know about you, but after watching that movie I really wanted to try some.
So what do fried green tomatoes taste like? A friend told me they reminded her of fried pickles, but I've never had fried pickles so I can't compare the two flavors. I will say they're tender and juicy in the middle and light and crispy on the outside.
I'm really getting into Southern recipes lately, including a new favorite, chow chow relish!
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😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Air fried green tomatoes are much healthier than being fried in oil or bacon grease.
- The breaded tomato slices can be frozen, then air fried when you want to have some.
- Prepping and freezing sliced green tomatoes is ideal since green tomatoes are only available for a short season, so stock up now!
- With a few minor adjustments, you can make this recipe gluten-free, keto, or vegan.
🛒 What You Need For This Recipe
🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Tomatoes: You'll need ¾ pound of firm green tomatoes.
- Flour, bread crumbs, & cornmeal: You'll need all-purpose flour, seasoned bread crumbs, and cornmeal. You can substitute panko bread crumbs if necessary.
- Egg: Two large eggs
- Buttermilk: If you don't have buttermilk, you can use whole milk or whole milk mixed with ½ teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice.
- Spices: Sea salt, black pepper, sugar, and cayenne pepper. If you prefer, you can substitute cajun seasoning.
- Oil: You can use regular cooking spray or for a healthier option, add olive oil to something like this Puzmug Oil Sprayer (paid link) to make your own olive oil spray.
🍅 How to Make Air Fried Green Tomatoes
Step 1: Wash firm green tomatoes and dry, then remove both ends. Use a sharp knife to slice tomatoes into ¼" slices.
Pro Tip: If your tomatoes are juicier than expected, pat them with paper towel before dipping them in the seasoned flour.
Step 2: Add flour, sugar, salt, cayenne pepper, and black pepper to a small bowl. Whisk to combine.
Step 3: Whisk eggs and buttermilk into a second bowl. If you don't have buttermilk, you can make some by mixing ½ teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar with ½ cup whole milk.
Step 4: Add seasoned bread crumbs, cornmeal, garlic powder, salt, chipotle pepper, and black pepper to a third bowl. Whisk to combine.
Step 5: Dredge one sliced green tomato at a time into flour mixture, then dip it into egg and buttermilk mixture. Make sure it's fully coated before dredging it into bread crumb mixture to coat both sides. Set aside on a platter until all the tomato slices are breaded.
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Pro Tip: It's helpful to only use one hand when breading the sliced green tomatoes so that you have one clean hand to work with.
Step 6: Preheat air fryer to 400°F for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, spray both sides of the breaded tomatoes with cooking spray. Add tomato slices to air fryer basket in one layer. Air fry for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, or until they're golden and crispy.
Pro Tip: Don't grip the breaded tomato slices too tightly with tongs because you can accidentally remove the breading.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
Air fried green tomatoes are delectable on their own, but I like to serve them with a dipping sauce. Although ranch dressing is a popular option, you may want to try something different. Why not try this black truffle aioli, my lemon garlic aioli, or this creamy cilantro lime sauce? You can also try them with your favorite hot sauce!
Air fried green tomatoes are also great in sandwiches! Add them to a BLT sandwich or a gourmet grilled cheese sandwich. You can even add them to a chopped cheese sandwich instead of red tomatoes!
🍳 Fried Green Tomatoes
I encourage you to compare the taste of green tomatoes fried in an air fryer to green tomatoes fried in oil. To do so, heat avocado oil in a skillet until the oil reaches 350 to 375 degrees F, then fry the slices until golden brown and crispy on both sides. Drain on paper towels, then enjoy!
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
Green tomatoes are not a type of tomato but rather a tomato that has not ripened yet. All tomatoes start out green, then mature and ripen. To make fried green tomatoes, you need to pick the green tomatoes while still firm and green so that they can hold up to being fried.
Can you slice and freeze green tomatoes to fry later?
Yes, green tomatoes can be sliced and frozen in ziplock freezer bags to be prepared at a later date. They can even be sliced and canned for later use!
Green tomatoes are best for frying because red tomatoes are not as firm and won't hold up to being fried. They are also tangier and taste better when fried.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- If you don't have a garden, you can sometimes find green tomatoes at a farmer's market.
- To reheat fried green tomatoes, just pop them in an air fryer set to 375 degrees F for a few minutes on either side.
- Store leftover air fried green tomatoes in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Battered green tomatoes can be frozen on a tray or plate in a single layer, and then stored in freezer bags in the freezer to be fried later.
- If you use a flax egg (ground flax seeds mixed with water) and gluten-free panko, you can make vegan and gluten-free air fried green tomatoes!
- To make them more keto-friendly, use crushed pork rinds instead of bread crumbs to coat the green tomatoes.
🥗 More Air Fryer Recipes
If you enjoyed this fried green tomatoes in an air fryer recipe, check out these other air fryer recipes!
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📖 Recipe
Fried Green Tomatoes In An Air Fryer
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¾ lb green tomatoes
Flour Mixture
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Egg Mixture
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup buttermilk (or milk)
Breading Mixture
- ¾ cup seasoned bread crumbs
- ¼ cup cornmeal
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon season salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon chipotle pepper (or cayenne pepper)
Other Ingredients
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Wash firm green tomatoes and dry, then remove both ends. Use a sharp knife to slice tomatoes into ¼" slices.
- Add flour, sugar, salt, cayenne pepper, and black pepper to a small bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Whisk eggs and buttermilk into a second bowl. If you don't have buttermilk, you can make some by mixing ½ teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar with ½ cup whole milk.
- Add seasoned bread crumbs, cornmeal, garlic powder, salt, chipotle pepper, and black pepper to a third bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Dredge one sliced green tomato at a time into flour mixture, then dip into egg and buttermilk mixture. Make sure it's fully coated before dredging into bread crumb mixture to coat both sides. Set aside on a platter until all the tomato slices are breaded.
- Preheat air fryer at 400°F for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, spray both sides of the breaded tomatoes with cooking spray. Add tomato slices to air fryer basket in one layer. Air fry for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, or until they're golden and crispy.
Notes
- If you don't have a garden, you can sometimes find green tomatoes at a farmer's market.
- If your green tomatoes are juicier than expected, pat with paper towel before dipping them in the seasoned flour.
- It's helpful to only use one hand when breading the sliced green tomatoes so that you have one clean hand to work with.
- Don't grip the breaded tomato slices too tightly with tongs because you can accidentally remove the breading.
- To reheat fried green tomatoes, just pop them in an air fryer set to 375 degrees F for a few minutes on either side.
- Store leftover air fried green tomatoes in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Battered green tomatoes can be frozen on a tray or plate in a single layer, then stored in freezer bags in the freezer to be fried later.
- If you use a flax egg (ground flax seeds mixed with water) and gluten free panko, you can make vegan and gluten-free air fried green tomatoes!
- To make them more keto-friendly, use crushed pork rinds instead of bread crumbs to coat the green tomatoes.
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