Our air fryer fried green tomatoes recipe only takes 10 minutes to prepare and cook! Tangy green tomatoes coated in a crispy breading – hard to resist!
The first time I ever heard of fried green tomatoes was from the movie that has the same name. That movie came out when I was a kid, and I had never eaten them as a kid so I thought it was like joke food. Not something people actually ate.
Then, after getting married, my in-laws were making fried green tomatoes on the stove one day. They insisted I try them and wow! I love them now and we make them at home often.
Of course, no one wants to heat a pot of oil, stand over it frying tomatoes, and then dispose of it afterward while making your house stink of fried food! These days we make fried green tomatoes in the air fryer. They turn out nice and crispy and it’s so much easier!
Be sure to check out the recipe for our sauce for fried green tomatoes too! It’s a must, in my opinion!
Ingredient Notes:
Tomatoes – We need two large green tomatoes. You want your tomatoes firm, but not hard. This is the reason we pick them before they ripen. We don’t want them soft and juicy to fry them. We want to bite off pieces instead of having the tomato break apart in our hands.
Seasoning ingredients- Flour, eggs, buttermilk, corn meal, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper. We add a tiny amount of hot sauce in ours as well – not enough to make things spicy, just enough to give it some flavor.
How to Make Fried Green Tomatoes in the Air Fryer:
Prep the tomatoes- Slice them into slices around or just under 1/4″ thick.
Flour – Dip the sliced tomatoes into flour to coat.
Wet Ingredients – Next, dip your floured tomato slices into a mixture of eggs, buttermilk, and hot sauce.
Bread Crumbs – Finally, take the wet tomatoes and coat them in a mixture of cornmeal, breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper. Press the tomatoes slightly into the breadcrumb mix to be sure it is fully coated in the breading.
Air fry the tomatoes – Spritz your air fryer basket with oil and arrange the tomato slices in a single layer in your basket. Cook in batches if your air fryer basket isn’t large enough to fit all your tomato slices. Spritz the tomatoes with oil as well. Air fry for 5 minutes at 390 degrees F.
FAQ:
Yes, green tomatoes are picked from the vine before ripening and turning red. They’re firm and a bit tangy before ripening and they hold up well to breading and frying.
It is possible your tomatoes were too ripe. Select a good firm tomato for frying. Also, be sure you are fully covering your slices in the flour, egg, and bread crumbs. The slices should be fully coated in each of these stages.
Look for tomatoes that have reached their mature size and are green and firm, but not hard.
They usually go best with other fried foods. Fried chicken and fried fish are good choices. You can also make a BLT sandwich with fried green tomatoes instead of ripe red tomatoes!
Recipe Tips
Fried green tomatoes are best served with a dipping sauce!
We used a homemade dipping sauce specially made for fried green tomatoes. Other options are ranch dressing or thousand island.
More air fryer recipes you might like:
Let us know your opinion!
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Air Fryer Fried Green Tomatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 large green tomatoes
- ½ cup flour
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- ¾ cup cornmeal
- ¾ cup plain breadcrumbs
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon cracked pepper
Instructions
- Slice the green tomatoes in ¼ inch thick slices.
- Add the flour to a shallow dish.
- Add the eggs, buttermilk, and hot sauce to a second shallow dish and whisk until smooth.
- Add the cornmeal, breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper to a third shallow dish and stir to combine.
- Dip the tomato slices one by one into first the flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs. Press the tomato into the breadcrumbs to be sure the coating sticks.
- Spritz an air fryer basket with non-stick spray and arrange the breaded tomatoes in a single layer. You may need to work in batches. Spritz tomatoes liberally with non-stick spray.
- Air fry at 390 degrees for 5-6 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Subsequent batches will cook a bit faster as the air fryer will be hot.
Notes
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
Annie says
These were so good! I had to make a substitution, I used regular milk because I didn’t have any buttermilk. And I did not add hot sauce to the egg mixture. I used yum yum sauce on them instead. I will definitely make them again. Thank you!
Karly says
So glad you enjoyed these, Annie!