Did you know you can make amazing fried green tomatoes in an air fryer? Delightfully crispy, crunchy, tangy air fryer fried green tomatoes taste like old-school fried tomatoes but are better for you!
Air Fryer Fried Green Tomatoes
Fried green tomatoes taste like summer to me. While tomatoes are in season, there are almost always green tomatoes to be found. And when they’re around, I’m making fried green tomatoes in my air fryer!
While I grew up eating fried green tomatoes, I always thought of them as a bit of a production. Slice, dip in flour, dip in egg and milk, dip in cornmeal and bread crumbs, then pan fry.
They were delicious, but the mess they made being breaded was nothing compared to the splattering oil when they fried. And cleaning up the sludgy oil afterward kept me from making them as often as I’d like to eat them, too.
Thankfully, air fryers were invented! Air fryer fried green tomatoes eliminate the worst part of the mess and have the added bonus of making fried green tomatoes better for you!
Aside from eating them on their own, I love to tuck air fried fried green tomatoes and Pork Belly Bites into tacos and sandwiches and onto salads. They don’t really need a dip, but if you’re inclined, they’re incredible with Burger Sauce, Easy Bleu Cheese Dip or Dressing, Hot Buffalo Chicken Dip, and Bacon Cheddar Chive Dip.
Fried Green Tomatoes Air Fryer
To make these fried green tomatoes, you’ll need to know how to choose the right tomatoes.
Not all green tomatoes are suitable for fried green tomatoes. For the ultimate result, you want to pick green tomatoes that are just starting to show a little blush in spots or have gone yellow.
They should have a little give to them but still be under-ripe. Do not choose ones that are rock hard and fully green and opaque.
Fried Green Tomatoes In an Air Fryer
I know the market is flooded with air fryers. It can be difficult to know where to start when shopping. I’m a big fan and long time user of the Cosori air fyer.
It is also important to remember to preheat your air fryer. This seemingly insignificant step is actually crucial!
You want it to be hot before the breaded tomatoes are added to ensure optimal crisping! If you add the tomatoes into a cold air fryer and then heat it up, you don’t get the blast of instant heat that sets the crust.
Air Fryer Fried Green Tomatoes
Rate RecipeEquipment
- 1 air fryer
- 3 pie plates or wide but shallow bowls
- 3 forks
- 1 sharp knife
- 1 spatula
Ingredients
- 2-3 large tomatoes sliced ¼-inch thick
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon granulated garlic
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
- ¾ teaspoon paprika or smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon granulated onion
- 2 large eggs beaten
- ½ cup milk
- 1 cup plain panko bread crumbs
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal NOT self-rising
- Olive oil or spray olive oil
Instructions
- In one pie plate or bowl, use a fork to combine the flour, salt, garlic, black pepper, paprika, and granulated onion until it is even in colour. Set this aside.
- In a second pie plate or bowl, use a fork or a whisk to combine the eggs and milk until they’re evenly blended. Set this aside as well.
- In a third pie plate or bowl, use a fork to toss together the panko bread crumbs and yellow cornmeal.
- Arrange these in the order you made them (flour, egg/milk, bread crumbs/cornmeal) with a clean plate or sheet pan to the right.
- Working with one slice at a time, dredge the tomato first through the flour on both sides and tap off any excess. You want a very thin coat that you can actually see tomato flesh through.
- Ease that slice into the egg and milk mixture, turning once to make sure the whole thing is coated. Let any excess drip away before laying it in the bread crumb/cornmeal combination. Use your hand to scoop the mixture generously over the top of the tomato.
- Press lightly to get the crumbs to adhere to the tomato, flip it over and repeat. Lift the tomato gently with two fingers or a slotted spatula and let the excess fall away back into the bowl.
- Lay breaded tomato slices onto the prepared plate or pan in a single layer and repeat until all of the tomato slices are coated.
- Brush the preheated air fryer basket with olive oil. Position as many tomato slices as you can in a single layer without the edges touching. Drizzle or brush a little olive oil (no more than ½ a teaspoon) or spritz with olive oil spray over the top of the tomato.
- Air fry for 10 minutes, gently flip with tongs or a slotted spatula, then drizzle or brush or spritz again with the olive oil. Continue cooking for 4-7 minutes, or until the tomatoes are golden brown and crisp.
- Transfer the crispy air fried green tomatoes to a paper towel lined plate and place them in a warm oven to stay heated. Repeat with the remaining crumb coated tomato slices.
- Salt to taste and serve with dip, as a side dish to grilled meats or vegetables, or in a sandwich or tacos!
TO REHEAT:
- Lay the tomatoes in a single layer in a preheated 350ºF air fryer in the air fryer basket. You can mist again with olive oil if you’d like. Cook for 2 minutes, or until heated all the way through and re-crisped.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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