Roasted Okra
If you’ve ever wondered if you can roast okra or if one could roast okra, wonder no more. Because roasted okra can be done and more importantly, it should be done.
For real, after I finally tried roasting okra, I forgot why I ever fried it (besides the obvious crispy reasons). Roasted okra becomes chewy and rich, a little bitter from the toasty bits, and — crucial information for some people — loses much, if not all, of its slime!
I’ve never been particularly sensitive to okra slime. Or maybe I just like slimy foods (See: nopalitos, gumbo) but with roasted okra I don’t notice it at all. And along with being yummy as hell, roasted okra is also neat and tidy with no oil splatters on your stove, and I’m not even kidding, but leftover, cold roasted okra is truly wonderful for breakfast.
And fried okra ain’t got nothing on that.
(although I still love fried okra and have been known to — regretfully — eat a half pound of it at one sitting. hahaha lololol #IAlwaysRegretIt but #YOLO)
Tip!
This technique also totally works with frozen sliced okra! Just toss the still-frozen okra chunks with the other ingredients and spread on a baking sheet. It’ll take a while longer but eventually, you’ll end up with crispy, browned caramelized okra that’d put the okra queen to shame.
PrintRoasted Okra
Ingredients
12 ounces fresh okra (or frozen chopped)
4 teaspoons oil
2 tablespoons diced onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
Optional seasoning: 1/2 teaspoon cumin, turmeric; minced serrano chile
Instructions
Of using fresh okra, slice into pieces a little thinner than 1/2 inch. If using frozen okra, do not thaw.
Toss okra (fresh or still-frozen) with onion, oil, salt and any additional seasonings until evenly coated. Spread onto a baking sheet and roast at 425ºF for 15-20 minutes (fresh) 35-45 minutes (frozen) until well-cooked and toasted. Serve hot.
12 Comments
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Yum! Sounds great. I will take okra any way I can get it! Thanks for the great recipe.
Sure hope I was too 3 for your new signed cook book
Love
Brenda from Texas
If not I will have to buy it
If I have whole frozen okra, can I do it the same way or do I need to cut them into smaller pieces first?
I would try them whole, only because I wouldn’t want to cut a bunch of frozen okra. Let them cook longer though
Excellent! I prefer cooking with fresh vegetables, but due to the covid-19 situation, I’ve had to purchase Frozen in order to prevent extra trips to the grocery store. Recipe came out great. I really appreciate that on your recipe you have tips for fresh or frozen options. Thank you for that and thank you for this. Every other recipe where I use frozen okra hasn’t come out right, and I know it’s because I didn’t cook it long enough.
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I’m so glad you liked the roasted okra, Tiffany! I love it cooked this way
It’s wonderful! Nutty, carmelized and delicious. Thanks for the idea and recipe!
Roasted is one of the best ways to cook okra, for sure 🙂
I made this with frozen okra and it was great! I agree with Tiffany- it’s great that you shared instructions for both fresh and frozen okra.
I used salt, cumin and turmeric for the spices. I definitely plan to make this again.
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I’m so glad! I think this is the best way to cook frozen okra 🙂
Great Recipe. You can even make an Indian version of this dish if you add cumin powder, red chili powder and Dry coriander powder( local Asian/Indian store).
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Delicious idea!
Yummy outcome. I did broil for 10 min after 20 min of baking fresh okra. It got that crispy texture and flavor I was looking for
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