This easy fried green tomatoes recipe turns firm, unripe garden tomatoes into a crispy, golden side dish with a tangy center. These Southern fried green tomatoes come together with a simple cornmeal coating and a quick pan-fry for that classic crunchy texture. It’s one of the best green tomato recipes to make when your garden is still loaded with tomatoes that haven’t ripened yet. Serve them hot on their own, with a dipping sauce, or alongside your favorite summer dinner.
If your Garden is overflowing with fresh tomatoes, try my Best Tomato Pie Recipe | Easy Savory Southern Dish for a classic Southern tomato pie recipe. Make lemons of out those tomatoes with my Yellow Tomato Pasta Sauce | Easy Homemade Recipe and bonus, you can use red or yellow tomatoes from the Garden. Any tomatoes will do! Another classic tomato dish that uses up those classic summer veggies is my How to Make Ratatouille (Easy Baked Ratatouille Recipe) recipe. A French classic that's super easy to make. They’re all delicious ways to use fresh garden tomatoes and make the most of tomato season.
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Why You'll Love Fried Green Tomatoes Ya'll
- 🍅 Garden-Fresh Favorite – The perfect way to use up firm, unripe green tomatoes straight from the garden.
- ✨ Crispy & Golden – A crunchy cornmeal coating gives every slice that irresistible Southern-style texture.
- 🥣 Simple Ingredients – Made with basic pantry staples, so there’s nothing complicated or fussy here.
- 😋 Perfect for Dipping – Crispy, tangy, and ridiculously good dipped in cool, creamy ranch.
What You'll Need For Southern Fried Green Tomatoes
- 🍅 Green tomatoes – Use firm, unripe tomatoes because they hold their shape during frying and have that signature tangy flavor.
- 🫒 Extra-virgin olive oil – Used for frying the tomato slices until the coating is golden and crisp.
- 🧂 Sea salt – Seasons the tomatoes and helps bring out their natural flavor.
- 🌶️ Black pepper – Adds a little savory bite and balances the tanginess of the green tomatoes.
- 🥛 Buttermilk – Adds tangy flavor and combines with the eggs to help the crispy coating stick to the green tomato slices for this old fashioned southern fried green tomatoes recipe
- 🥚 Eggs – Help the flour, cornmeal, and breadcrumb coating stick to each tomato slice.
- 🌾 Flour – Creates the first dry layer so the egg mixture has something to cling to.
- 🌽 Cornmeal – Gives the coating that classic Southern-style crunch and makes this a healthy fried green tomatoes recipe.
- 🍞 Breadcrumbs – Mixed with the cornmeal for an extra-crispy crust with a little more texture.
You'll love these simple fried green tomatoes recipe!
How to Make Southern Fried Green Tomatoes Recipe
Step 1
Step 1: Slice the green tomatoes into thick, even slices and arrange them on a cutting board. Season both sides with sea salt and black pepper.
Step 2
Step 2: Set up your breading station with three shallow bowls: one with flour, one with eggs and buttermilk whisked together, and one with the cornmeal and breadcrumb mixture.
Step 3
Step 3: Dip each tomato slice into the flour, then the egg and buttermilk mixture, and finally the cornmeal and breadcrumb mixture.
Step 4
Step 4: Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet, then add the breaded green tomato slices. Fry until golden brown and crispy on the bottom before flipping.
Step 5
Step 5: Transfer the fried green tomatoes to a wire rack set over a baking sheet and let the excess oil drain while they cool slightly.
Step 6
Step 6: Serve the fried green tomatoes warm with ranch dipping sauce and enjoy that crispy coating and tangy green tomato center. 🍅
The secret to the best fried green tomatoes recipe is starting with firm, unripe green tomatoes and using a crispy cornmeal and breadcrumb coating. Letting the finished tomatoes drain on a wire rack also helps keep the coating crisp instead of soggy.
The best way to cook green tomatoes is to coat each slice in flour, dip it into an egg and buttermilk mixture, and then coat it with cornmeal and breadcrumbs. Frying green tomatoes in hot oil until golden brown creates a crispy exterior with a tender, tangy center.
For this Southern fried green tomatoes recipe, the tomatoes are breaded rather than covered in a traditional wet batter. Each slice is coated in flour, dipped in eggs and buttermilk, and then coated in a cornmeal and breadcrumb mixture before frying until golden and crispy.
More Easy Summer Recipes
About Genevieve
Thank you for stopping by Fitty Foodlicious, a website dedicated to sharing lasting, family recipes, anxiety tips and tricks, and healthy spirited mental wellness. Genevieve's recipes have been featured on MSN.com, NewsBreak, Food Talk Daily, Food Gawker, Trivet Recipes, Bartender.com, Health Magazine, Kitchen Aid AU NZ, and has a published Cookbook titled The 5-Ingredient Paleo Cookbook which can be purchased at all major bookstores and on Amazon.
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📖 Recipe
Easy Fried Green Tomatoes Recipe | Crispy Southern-Style
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds Green Tomatoes Sliced ¼-inch thick
- 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
- 2 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1 cup Buttermilk
- 1 cup Cornmeal
- 1 cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, for frying
- Ranch Dressing for dipping sauce and serving
Instructions
- Slice the tomatoes. Slice the green tomatoes into even rounds, about ¼-inch thick.
- Season the tomatoes. Arrange the tomato slices on a cutting board or baking sheet and season both sides with the sea salt and black pepper.
- Set up the breading station. Add the flour to one shallow bowl. In a second bowl, whisk together the eggs and buttermilk. In a third bowl, combine the cornmeal and breadcrumbs.
- Bread the tomato slices. Working one slice at a time, coat each tomato in flour and shake off the excess. Dip it into the egg and buttermilk mixture, then coat both sides thoroughly in the cornmeal and breadcrumb mixture.
- Heat the oil. Add the extra-virgin olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium heat until hot.
- Fry the green tomatoes. Working in batches so you don’t overcrowd the skillet, add the breaded tomato slices to the hot oil. Fry until golden brown and crispy on the first side, then flip and cook until the second side is golden and crisp.
- Drain. Transfer the fried green tomatoes to a wire rack set over a baking sheet and allow the excess oil to drain. Repeat with the remaining tomato slices, adding a little more oil if needed.
- Serve. Serve the fried green tomatoes warm with ranch dressing for dipping.
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