The secret to making the best Southern-fried green tomatoes is all in the technique! And these turn out crispy and golden on the outside and tender on the inside with the perfect flavor. Let me show you how to fry up my favorite summertime treat at home.
And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll love my southern okra and tomatoes, too!
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❤️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
Simple to Make - You don't need any fancy tools to make the best fried green tomato recipe in the world right at home. No deep fryer or mandolin needed--just a cutting board, knife, and cast iron skillet. Follow my step-by-step instructions and peep the pro tips for great results on your very first try!
Easy Ingredients - The beauty of classic southern recipes often lies in their simplicity, and this easy recipe for fried green tomatoes, southern style, is no exception! Just a handful of ingredients come together beautifully, and you probably have most of them in your kitchen already.
👉🏾 Like any good southern girl, I know how to throw together a comforting snack in no time. Like my baked mac & cheese bites, quick banana fritters, deviled egg dip, or praline baked brie!
What You'll Need for this Recipe
Green Tomatoes, which are really just underripe red tomatoes, are key because they have a firmer--in my opinion, meatier--texture. They also have less water than fully ripe tomatoes. These two traits make them well-suited to frying without turning into mush.
Spices like smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic, and onion powder season the batter so there's depth of flavor in every bite.
Grapeseed Oil is my preference for deep frying, but it can get pricey, so feel free to use the frying oil of your choice, including bacon grease and lard. Be sure to grab an oil with a smoke point of at least 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
Substitutions & Variations
How to cut tomatoes for fried green tomatoes? You can slice the tomatoes vertically or horizontally depending on what you like. Horizontally green tomato slices will be more perfectly round with a balance of juicy flesh and firm skin and core. This is for those of you who crave uniformity!
And vertical green tomato slices will provide a variety of shapes and sizes. Just note that some pieces will be juicier than others, which means they are more pone to separation during frying. Vertical slices are for those of you who like to mix it up.
In the photo above, the tomato slices on the right side of the cutting board were sliced with the tomatoes upright (vertical), and the tomato slices on the left side of the cutting board were sliced with the tomato laying on its side (horizontal).
New Orleans Style - Use Creole Cajun spice blend in your frying batter and serve with hot sauce and the best remoulade sauce.
Vegan - This recipe is already vegetarian, but if you want to make vegan fried green tomatoes, use non-dairy, plant-based milk and egg products.
How to Make Pan-Fried Green Tomatoes Easy
- Step 1: Slice the tomatoes, then pat them dry and set aside.
- Step 2: Dip each tomato slice in flour, egg and buttermilk mixture, then seasoned cornmeal.
Pro Tip #1
Make sure to pat down the tomatoes to remove moisture from the surface of each slice. This will not only help the batter coating to stick better, it will also reduce popping and crackling while frying, which can cause injury or just make a mess.
- Step 3: Allow the slices to rest while you heat up the oil for frying.
- Step 4: Fry tomatoes in hot oil until golden brown on each side.
Pro Tip #2
Resting helps the tomatoes get really cozy with their coating so that they'll stick together when they hit the hot oil. Don't skip this step!
- Step 5: Lay the fried tomato slices on paper towels to soak up excess oil, then enjoy warm.
Frequently Asked Questions
Fried green tomatoes are best when eaten fresh so I don't recommend making them in advance. You can, however, prep your ingredients up to two days ahead to make frying quicker and easier on the day of.
Store your fried green tomato slices in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will keep for up to three days this way. Reheat in the oven or air fryer to make them a lil crispy again.
Cooked fried green tomatoes can be frozen but will not come anywhere close to the traditional texture so it's not recommend. You can, however, freeze battered tomatoes for up to a year! Slice, pat, batter, and rest the tomatoes per this recipe, then flash freeze them on the parchment-lined sheet pan for about three hours then transfer to an airtight, freezer-safe container or freezer-bag. Keeps for up to one year.
How to Serve
Fried green tomatoes are best enjoyed warm, in my opinion, but do whatever feels right. One thing that's not up for debate, though, that Louisiana-style remoulade is the best sauce for them--so here's my remoulade recipe for fried green tomatoes!
These are a great snack all by themselves or you can do them up a little for a nice appetizer. Show your southern hospitality with a snack platter of fried green tomatoes, pickled shrimp, and pimento cheese or goat cheese.
And nobody will turn homemade fried green tomatoes down at the family cookout or summer picnic. We personally love to add them to shareable BLT sandwiches!
More Favorite Fried Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
I hope you'll enjoy this quick, easy recipe for fried green tomatoes soon and very soon. And sharing is caring so be sure to pin this recipe for later and follow me over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
📖 Recipe
Best Southern Fried Green Tomatoes
Equipment
- paper towels
- 1 knife
- 3 bowls
- 1 large cast iron skillet or deep frying pan
- 1 kitchen tongs or slotted spoon
Ingredients
- 4 green tomatoes at room temperature
- 2 cups cornmeal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 ½ teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 quart grape seed oil or frying oil of your choice
Instructions
- Prep the Ingredients: Line two sheet pans, one with parchment paper and one with paper towels, then set aside. Slice tomatoes about ¼ inch thick, discarding the ends. Pat each slice dry then set aside.4 green tomatoes
- Add flour to a shallow dish. Whisk together the eggs and buttermilk in another dish. And mix together the cornmeal and seasonings in a third dish.2 cups cornmeal, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 2 eggs, ½ cup buttermilk, 1 ½ teaspoon coarse salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Batter the Tomatoes: Dip each tomato slice first in the flour then the egg mixture then the cornmeal mixture and lay onto parchment-lined pan to rest. This resting step helps ensure the coating will stick to the tomatoes.
- Heat the Frying Oil: Meanwhile, fill the cast iron skillet with about two inches of oil and warm it over medium-high heat. Once the oil reaches 350 to 375 degrees F (with a shimmering/moving appearance), drop a bit of cornmeal or flour in. If it sizzles, the oil is hot enough.1 quart grape seed oil
- Fry the Tomatoes: Add a batch of four to six tomato slices,depending on size of your skillet, and cook until golden brown (about 3-5 minutes), being careful not to crowd the pan so the tomatoes cook evenly and don't stick together. They should float freely in the oil without overlapping each other.Flip over and repeat until other side is golden, then remove and place on paper towel-lined pan to soak up any excess oil.Repeat this process until all slices are fried. Serve warm with remoulade or your favorite dipping sauce.
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