Green tomatoes have a tangy taste, but also a hint of sweetness. Find them during the summer months, just before tomatoes peak. We love serving them with our homemade ranch, which can be made several days before!
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🍶 The Ingredients
The simple ingredients come together beautifully to create a slightly sweet and slightly tangy appetizer that delights the palate with every bite.
🍅 Substitutions and Variations
- Tomatoes – Green tomatoes are plentiful in the spring and early summer. You want under-ripened tomatoes. If you can’t find green, look for any tomato that is not fully ripened. This recipe will also work for pickles, zucchini, or squash.
- Cream – Buttermilk is traditional, however, whole milk or half and half will work great, too. For extra crispy, dredge them in the buttermilk and breading twice.
- Flavor Enhancers – There is a lot of flavor in the green tomatoes, but you’ll want to bump up the flavor of the breading. Regular paprika can be substituted for smoked. Cayenne pepper gives a little ‘zip’ to the breading, but not much. For no heat at all, simply omit the cayenne.
- Breading – We find that a combination of Panko breadcrumbs and fine cornmeal delivers the best breading for texture, flavor, and crunch. Regular breadcrumbs can be substituted for Panko. We don’t recommend coarse cornmeal (it’s just too coarse).
Expert Tip
When in season, many types of fresh tomatoes are available at markets, vegetable stands, and possibly even in your garden! You can find tomatoes that are green in color and fully ripened. Although extremely delicious, these aren’t the ones we want for this dish. Under-ripe is best!
👩🏼🍳 How To Make Fried Green Tomatoes
- Step 1: Slice the green tomatoes.
- Step 2: Dredge in flour.
- Step 3: Dip into buttermilk and shake off excess.
- Step 4: Dredge in cornmeal mixed with breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper.
- Step 5: Fry in hot oil until golden
- Step 6: Serve hot with Ranch dressing.
🔥Methods for Cooking Fried Green Tomatoes
- Fry – Pour enough vegetable oil in a sturdy skillet, such as cast-iron so it’s about ½-inch to 1 inch in depth. Heat the oil over medium-high heat and use a candy thermometer (if possible) to get the oil to 350°F. Fry the breaded tomatoes in batches, 2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels
- Bake – Preheat your oven to 375°F and place the breaded tomatoes on a baking sheet. Cook for 15 minutes, then carefully flip them, and then cook for another 15 minutes, or until golden and crispy.
- Air-Fry – Preheat your air-fryer to 400°F. Lightly spray the basket and breaded tomatoes with oil. Working in batches, air-fry them for 5 minutes, open the basket and flip them, then fry another 3 minutes.
🍽️ When And How To Serve
- We love serving these as an appetizer for guests on a warm summer afternoon. Serve them piping hot. Since they cook so quickly, you can prep them an hour before serving and then fry them right up as guests arrive.
- They are beautiful on a platter with a bowl of our easy homemade ranch dressing or Cajun remoulade.
- These are wonderful served with classic summer favorites like best-grilled chicken, Southern baked beans, and finished off with banana pudding trifle.
🙋🏽♂️ Frequently Asked Questions
Typically, green tomatoes are in season in spring and early summer, before tomatoes are fully ripened. You can find them in the produce section of many supermarkets, vegetable markets, or farmstands.
Since they fry very quickly in the oil, they are not overly saturated with the oil. For an even healthier version, you can bake them or fry them in your air fryer.
Yes. Preheat your air fryer to 400°F. Lightly spray the basket and breaded tomatoes with oil. Working in batches, air-fry them for 5 minutes, open the basket and flip them, then fry another 3 minutes. Or, simply reheat them on the skillet in a little oil until crispy.
😎 Other Spring or Summer Appetizer Recipes
Ready to make the best summer dish this side of the Whistle Stop Café (Google it)? Go for it!
And when you do, be sure to take a picture of it, post it on Instagram, and tag @HowToFeedaLoon and hashtag #HowToFeedaLoon!
Fried Green Tomatoes
Video
Equipment
- Large, sturdy skillet (ie, cast-iron)
Ingredients
- vegetable oil for frying
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ½ cup cornmeal finely ground, heaping
- ½ cup breadcrumbs heaping
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 3 medium green tomatoes sliced about ¼" to ½", usually 3 slices each
- Ranch dressing for dipping
Instructions
- Add enough of the oil to a large sturdy skillet (ie, cast-iron) to fill it to about ½-inch to 1-inch in depth. Heat over medium-high heat to 350°F.vegetable oil
- Meanwhile, set up a dredging station with three small to medium-sized baking pans or bowls. Place the flour in the first pan, buttermilk in the second, and mix in the third pan the cornmeal, breadcrumbs, paprika, cayenne, salt, and pepper.1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup buttermilk, ½ cup cornmeal, ½ cup breadcrumbs, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Place the sliced tomatoes first in the flour, flipping to coat and cover. Shake off excess and then lower into the buttermilk. Shake off excess and then add to the cornmeal/breadcrumb mixture. Use your fingers to help the breading adhere to the tomato. It's okay if the tomato is not 100% coated with the breading.3 medium green tomatoes
- Working in batches, carefully add the tomatoes to the hot oil. Cook them for about 2 minutes, and then use a fork and metal spatula or tongs to carefully flip the tomatoes over. Fry for another couple of minutes, or until they are golden brown. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat with remaining tomatoes.
- Serve at once with homemade ranch dressing (or your favorite dipping sauce).Ranch dressing
Mary L OConnor says
Kris and Wes–Just made these for dinner–absolutely delicious! I’ve made fried green tomatoes several times, and this is the best recipe I’ve tried. Thank you!
Kris Longwell says
Hi Mary!! That is so wonderful to hear! They really are quintessential summer deliciousness, right? Thank you so much for letting us know!! We appreciate that very much!! Best, Kris & Wesley
Stephen McAnally says
These are also great with Tzatziki sauce.
Kris Longwell says
Oh, yes indeed, Steve!! Sounds wonderful!!! We need to whip up a batch with our next round of FGTs! Thanks for the tip!
Clem says
I just saw this recipe arrive into my Inbox, and I had to say something. My wife and I love green fried tomatoes. The first time I tried them was in August of 2001 at a couple’s house we went to visit in Ohio. Since childhood, I always ate green tomatoes in salads. We lived in NYC, and my mother told my uncle that if he went to New Jersey, to look for green tomatoes because they were difficult to find in NYC. This older couple new that I like eating green tomatoes. Since I was the guest of honor. Roberta made green fried tomatoes for us. After getting back home from the visit, Claire (my wife) tired making them with some tomatoes a friend of hers gave her from her garden. That was the last time we had green fried tomatoes. In the Fall of 2019, we moved down to North Carolina (Durham/Chapel Hill border). Now we can find green tomatoes everywhere; and I can even plant tomatoes in my gardens. There will be no shortage of green tomatoes now! When I saw the email, I told Claire that: “There is a recipe for green fried tomatoes from the guy of the Chicken Francese, and the Fried Mozzarella recipes.” (That is how she knows who you are.) “Get it!”, she said. So I did! Thank you for so many wonderful recipes. One quick question…is there a recipe for the sauce somewhere on your site?
Kris Longwell says
Hi Clem! Just realized we didn’t respond to this wonderful comment! So so sorry about that! We LOVE that your wife knows who we are by our recipes! That’s awesome! Fried green tomatoes are not only delicious, but they bring back so many wonderful many memories for so many people. We really hope you both love this recipe as much as we do! Please let us know if you make them (or have made them) and what you think of them! I think you’re asking about the Homemade Ranch Dressing…click the link for the full recipe! Best, Kris & Wesley
Clem says
Hi Kris. That is quite alright! Thank you for the link to the Homemade Ranch Dressing!!!
Vivian says
I am not a big fan of these but my husband LOVES them so I will make them for him. However; I do love ranch dressing, so thank you for the addition of that recipe!