Grandma's Southern Fried Green Tomatoes Recipe

This Fried Green Tomatoes recipe is the perfect summer appetizer. This southern classic is super crispy and ready in about 20 minutes.

Summer is here, ah summer is finally here! Grill season is well under way, and my tomato plants are about to explode. That means it is finally time to enjoy my Grandma's Southern Style Fried Green Tomatoes recipe. These tomatoes are super crispy, and quick and easy to make.

My grandma has been making these since she was a little girl and the recipe has been passed down and enjoyed every summer. The tomatoes are sliced thin and coated in only flour and spices for a super thin and crispy chip-like result. Trust me you will never go back to the thick and heavily breaded version again.

Ingredients

• Green Tomatoes
• All Purpose Flour
• Spices: I use a simple combination of sea salt, black pepper, Lawry's Seasoned Salt and cayenne pepper. If you are not a fan of even a touch of spice you can leave the cayenne out. Really though I promise these aren't spicy and my one year old eats them.
• Hot Mayo Sauce: This sauce is a must for dipping the southern fried green tomatoes in. I make mine with simple spice, mayo, hot sauce and horseradish. If you prefer something mild you can adjust the hot sauce to taste or buy a store bought flavored mayo.
• Oil for Frying

Kitchen Tools

• A Large Deep Skillet: Personally, I like using a skillet that is at least 2 inches deep so I can get a an inch of oil in the pan. If you have a smaller pan that is fine, but you may have to fry the tomatoes in several batches.
• A Large Plate or Baking Sheet
• Paper Towels
• A Mandoline (Optional): This is one of my favorite odd kitchen gadgets that I have. It gets the tomatoes the perfect thickness and all uniform. If you do not have one, no problem you can use a sharp knife and cutting board for slicing the green tomatoes. Just try your best to make the cut even.

How to Make Fried Green Tomatoes

1. In a large shallow bowl combine flour and spices. Whisk or stir to combine and set aside.
2. Use a mandoline slicer or a sharp knife and cutting board to slice each tomato into 1/4 inch pieces (no larger).
3. Lay the sliced green tomatoes out on a large cookie sheet or plate and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Next dredge each slice in the flour mixture until coated shaking off the excess. Return to the cookie sheet (or plate) and let sit for 5 minutes.
4. After 5ish minutes the tomatoes with begin to soak up some of the flour mixture. Once this happens dredge the tomatoes through the flour mixture a second time shaking off the excess. This will help the tomatoes get a nice, even crispy outer layer.
5. Add vegetable oil to a large deep skillet and heat over medium heat. You want the oil about an inch deep. Once the oil is shimmering, add your green tomatoes in and fry for 3-5 minutes per side until they are brown and crispy.
6. Once golden brown remove from the oil and place on a paper towel lined plate and continue to fry in batches until all the tomatoes are fried.
7. Serve warm with hot mayo dip and enjoy!

Fried Tomatoes in an Air Fryer

Fried green tomatoes can absolutely be made in an air fryer instead of fried in oil. This is great if you are avoiding fried foods, but the air fried green tomatoes will not be as crispy as the traditional pan fried ones. To make these fried tomatoes in an air fryer follow all the prep steps then pick up with the follow steps for air frying.

1. Spray the basket of an air fryer with cooking spray then place the coated green tomatoes in the basket and spraying again.
2. Press START then TEMP and set at 400 degrees F. Next, set the TIME for 12 minutes. Open the air fryer halfway through and flip the tomatoes and spray again.
3. Continue to cook the tomatoes until browned and crispy. Remove from the basket with tongs and serve warm with hot mayo.

Note: These instructions and settings are for the Ninja Foodi and depending on your air fryer settings the cook time may be different. Be sure to check them every couple minutes and see how they are cooking and monitor the browness.

Pro Tips

The Perfect Slice: For the perfect crispy fried green tomato it is important to slice the tomato thin and evenly. I recommend using a mandoline to do this step, but you can do it with a sharp knife and cutting board as well. Avoid slicing the green tomatoes larger than 1/4 of an inch. Any larger and the fried tomatoes will not get crispy and chip-like.

Breading: Flour and spice is all you need. Seriously, it is that simple. No need for bread crumbs, eggs or any sort of wet dry combo. To achieve the crispy chip-like texture flour does the trick perfectly.

Double Coat: I like to double flour mine to ensure that a nice crispy coating is formed when the tomatoes are fried. This trick will also eliminate any patchy spots and ensure the breading is even. Simple dread once and let the tomatoes sit at room temperature for 5 minutes. You will notice the tomatoes will suck up some of the flour. This is when you want to run them through the flour a second time right before frying in oil.

More Summer Appetizers

Grilled Chicken Wings Recipe
Honey Grilled Peaches
Pineapple Strawberry Salsa
Avocado Mango Salsa
Mini Avocado Toast

Common Questions

These Southern Style Fried Green Tomatoes have been a summer must in our family for generations, and I hope your family loves them just as much. Leave me a comment below letting me know what you think!

Happy Eating!

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