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It's almost Mother's Day and it makes me nostalgic for the time I spent in the kitchen cooking with my Mawmaw. She (along with my mom and Grandpa) taught me to cook, and now I have the privilege of living in her home and cooking in her kitchen almost every day. She's been gone a few years now, but there are certain foods I can't help but make and think of her. Crunchy air fryer fried okra is one of those foods.

I've seen this meme running around about grandma looking down with disdain on air fryer cooking and while there are some old school recipes that are INCREDIBLE, modern convenience versions have their place too. My Mawmaw introduced me to the steam and mash potatoes which I use in my Salmon Potato Croquettes. She also discovered the crock-pot late in life and was amazed at how awesome it is. While, I think we'd still truly FRY our okra for special occasions, like my Dad's birthday, I know she'd love to get into the kitchen with me and experiment with the powers of the air fryer.

How to make crunchy air fryer fried okra

Preparing traditional fried okra is pretty simple, cornmeal and salt are all you need. This crunchy air fryer fried okra isn't much different, it just requires a bit of corn starch to help it really stick and get crunchy.

Combine corn meal, Cajun seasoning, salt, and corn starch in a gallon food storage bag. Close the bag and shake to mix thoroughly. Next, add in the thawed frozen okra, close the bag again, and shake. Scoop out the okra and place it into the basket of the air fryer (there will be a good amount of the cornmeal mixture remaining in the bag). Spray generously with canola oil spray and cook in the air fryer for 8 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove from the air fryer, shake and add more canola oil spray, then cook for an additional 5 minutes.

These can be made in the oven if you do not have an air fryer. Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees, stir, spray, and then bake for another 15 minutes.

Tips and Tricks

Corn Starch

Corn starch is a really important part of this recipe. I have tried to make okra in the air fryer using just cornmeal, but it doesn't stick as well without being fried in oil. Corn starch also helps the okra crisp up a bit better than it otherwise would. Tapioca starch is a great substitute.

Cajun seasoning

You can substitute seasoned salt if you don't have any Cajun seasoning on hand. I really like the zing that this seasoning adds to the flavor.

Frozen Okra

You can use fresh okra, but the moisture of thawed okra lends itself very well to this recipe. It helps the breading stick that much better.

The Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp corn starch
12 oz frozen sliced okra
canola oil spray

1. Put cornmeal, seasoning, salt, and corn starch into a gallon food storage bag.
2. Close and shake to combine.
3. Add in thawed okra, close, and shake.
4. Remove okra to air fryer and spray generously with oil.
5. Air fry for 8 minutes at 400 degrees.
6. Remove from fryer, shake and add more spray. Cook for an additional 5 minutes.