With our air fryer frozen okra recipe, you are less than 30-minutes away from this healthy roasted vegetable side! We are utilizing our favorite kitchen gadget, the air fryer, to cook up whole pieces of okra, perfectly seasoned with garlic salt, pepper, and a pinch of cayenne, to give this classic Southern dish with a healthy WHOLE LOTTA YUM twist.
Frozen Okra in Air Fryer
While okra may be a Southern staple, many outside of the region balk at this sweet vegetable. Similar in flavor to a green bean or eggplant, okra is often bypassed by many who aren't quite sure what to do with this stalky green vegetable. Luckily for me, I spent some time in the South, so okra became a staple in my family and the kids love it! Air fryer frozen okra is new to our rotation, but we are quickly falling in love with this new adaptation to a classic.
Traditionally served in soups, stews, or breaded and fried, we are going to create a healthy okra side that works for a variety of eating lifestyles. By air frying and using spice and seasoning, we are able to create air fryer frozen okra that is perfect for gluten-free, low-carb, keto, and even paleo, Whole30, and dairy-free lifestyles.
Air fryer frozen okra is the perfect side dish for any meal you would serve a green vegetable with, but we are super partial to adding it to a plate of air fryer BBQ chicken legs with air fryer baked potatoes to create a seriously amazing dinner in no time!
Why You'll Love This!
- Air fryer frozen okra cooks up in just 20-minutes!
- Seasoned with garlic salt, pepper, and just a pinch of cayenne, our frozen okra in air fryer recipe is perfectly seasoned.
- Made without breading or chemical preservatives, frozen okra cooked in the air fryer is a healthy vegetable side you can feel good about feeding your family.
Our air fryer is proving to be a beast when it comes to creating perfectly roasted frozen vegetables. If you love serving frozen veggies that are never soggy and perfectly seasoned, be sure to check out our air fryer frozen vegetables, air fryer frozen green beans, and our air fryer frozen corn on the cob.
>> Get Our Air Fryer Cooking Times PDF Here<<
Ingredient Notes
Grab your favorite brand of frozen, whole okra and get ready to share this Southern staple with your whole family.
- whole frozen okra
- olive oil
- garlic salt
- ground black pepper
- optional - pinch of cayenne (but very much recommended!)
Variations
- Frozen Okra - You can also use the exact same recipe to air fry frozen breaded okra.
Equipment
An Air Fryer- We have an Omni Plus oven style air fryer and a small 3.2L Farberware basket style air fryer.
Step by Step Instructions
Air fryer frozen okra is such a simple recipe you are going to wonder why you haven't been using your air fryer for this green vegetable before!
Air Fryer Okra Temp
Preheat air fryer 400F for 5 minutes. Just like an oven, your air fryer needs time to come up to temperature to cook your foods, like frozen okra, properly.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the frozen okra, olive oil, garlic salt, and black pepper. Stir well to evenly coat all of your okra.
Air Fryer Okra Cooking Time
Spread the okra in the bottom of the air fryer. It's ok if the pieces overlap slightly but for best results, you don't want to stack the okra. If you are cooking an entire 1lb bag, you may need to cook in batches.
Set the cooking time to 15 minutes.
After 8 minutes of cooking, flip the air fryer frozen okra over. Continue cooking until the air fryer frozen okra is roasted, lightly browned, and heated through. We found this was 15 minutes in our air fryer, but yours may be done in slightly more or less time. Feel free to cook the okra until it is done to your liking (for reference, we like it browned and crispy).
Serve with your favorite air fryer dinner dishes and enjoy!
Air Fryer Frozen Breaded Okra
Are you wondering how long to cook air fryer frozen breaded okra that you purchased pre-seasoned from the grocery store?
The cooking temp will be the same as the roasted version in our recipe, but because breaded okra often comes in bite size pieces, it won't need to be cooked as long as our whole roasted recipe.
Preheat the air fryer to 400F for 5 minutes. Lay the frozen breaded okra in a single layer in the air fryer basket, and cook for a total of 8-10 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking to get even browning. So easy!
Recipe Tips
- Preheating your air fryer for 5 minutes at 400F ensures your frozen okra starts cooking immediately and finishes in 15 minutes.
- For best results, don't stack or crowd your air fryer. While you can fill your basket, so leave some space for the warm air to circulate in your air fryer.
- Keep an eye on your frozen okra during the last few minutes of cooking. Those last few minutes is where it really starts to brown quickly.
- While the cayenne is optional, it adds a dimension of flavor that pairs wonderfully with okra. We highly recommend you try it!
Common Questions
Okra is a green vegetable that pairs well with a variety of dishes, but we love to serve it alongside other Southern-inspired dishes like pulled pork, BBQ chicken, corn on the cob, and coleslaw.
Yes. With just 4 net carbs per serving, and high in fiber, roasted okra is a low-carb and keto vegetable. However, breaded frozen okra is not.
Store any left over okra you may have in a covered container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
More Air Fryer Frozen Vegetables
- Air Fryer Frozen Vegetables
- Air Fryer Frozen Green Beans
- Air Fryer Frozen Corn on the Cob
- Frozen Brussel Sprouts Air Fryer Recipe
- Air fryer asparagus (frozen)
Come connect with us on Instagram! Be sure to tag us (wholelotta.yum) when you make a recipe. You can also find us on Facebook, and Pinterest.
Roasted Air Fryer Frozen Okra
Make healthy air fryer okra from frozen in your air fryer! No need to use fresh okra and soak it, get your favorite Southern side on the table fast when you cook it from frozen.
Ingredients
- 1 lb bag frozen okra, whole
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon garlic
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- pinch of cayenne, optional
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer 400F for 5 minutes.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the frozen okra, the olive oil, garlic salt, and black pepper. Stir well.
- Spread the okra in the bottom of the air fryer, it's ok if the pieces overlap slightly but for best results, you don't want to stack the okra. This could mean you can only air fry a ½ lb bag of frozen okra if you have a small air fryer, and cook the bag in batches.
- Set the cooking time to 15 minutes, flip the air fryer frozen okra over after 8 minutes of cooking. The air fryer okra is done when it's roasted, lightly browned, and heated through, this could take longer than 15 minutes. Cook the okra until it's done to your liking, we like it browned and crispy.
- Serve with your favorite air fryer dinner dishes and enjoy!
Notes
You can double and make 1 lb of frozen okra in an air fryer if you have a large model.
for best results, do not stack the okra in the air fryer and cook them in a single layer. If you have a small air fryer and want to cook the entire 1 lb bag at once, be sure to shake the basket every 5 mins until the okra is cooked to your liking.
Typically with raw okra you have to soak it in water first before cooking, since frozen okra is already partially cooked through you don't need to do this for air fried okra! Yay time-saving hacks!
The same recipe can also be used for breaded frozen okra. Frozen breaded okra often comes in bite size morsels so you won't need to cook it as long. Check after 8-10 minutes of cook time for doneness.
Robin says
I often oven roast whole fresh okra - as a diabetic, it's the closest taste (for me) to fried okra.
It never occured to me to roast frozen okra - I can't wait to try it!
Marilyn in NY says
Tried this recipe and LOVE LOVE LOVE it
WholeLottaYum says
Thanks for your feedback! I'm glad you loved the air fryer frozen okra.