These air fryer green tomatoes provide a crunchy texture with a juicy inside. You’re about to take a bite into the perfect summer snacking food you never knew you were missing!
You can use these fried green tomatoes in an air fryer for a nice snack or top them on an Air Fryer Hamburger for some amplified summer flavor.
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This recipe includes how to make the best air fryer fried green tomatoes, how to make them without cornmeal if that’s not your thing, how to freeze them after being cooked, and how to cook them from frozen when you’re ready to eat them.
I mean who doesn’t love a taste of summer in the middle of winter?!
What is a Green Tomato?
You might be asking yourself what exactly is a green tomato? Are they just an unripe tomato or are they a special kind you must buy?
Green tomatoes are just that… green unripe tomatoes. Unripe tomatoes still provide a lot of sweetness and flavor but are much firmer to work with. That means you can cut them into slices, coat them, and fry them without them falling apart.
While there are heirloom green tomatoes that stay green, you only need unripened tomatoes, which are typically cheaper, for this recipe.
If you were to try this recipe with ripened red tomatoes, the juices would cause them to just fall apart by the time you coat them in flour.
Where Can I Buy Green Tomatoes?
It can depend on the season, but you typically can find green tomatoes at:
- Your local supermarket
- A farmer’s market
- A local farm
- Your own garden in your backyard
What to Look for in a Green Tomato?
- Look for firm green tomatoes with a tight skin. These will work best when cutting them up to fry.
- They shouldn’t be as hard as a rock. I know I just said choose firm tomatoes, but you want them to have a slight give while still being nice and firm. This means the juices are there for flavor.
- Make sure the tomato is completely green. If the tomato is starting to turn yellow or red, the juices will make it hard to air fry up the fruit (or vegetable) exactly how you want it.
*Green tomatoes that have hints of yellow or red on them will completely ripen to red by keeping them on the counter.
What Do Air Fryer Fried Green Tomatoes Taste Like?
Fried green tomatoes have a unique flavor. I would best compare them to taking a nice bite out of an extra crispy breaded eggplant parmesan slice without any bitterness. The texture is also juicier than eggplant.
Not an eggplant fan? You will still love these! My husband despises eggplant and avoids it and all costs, but still loves fried green tomatoes in an air fryer!
How to Make Air Fryer Green Tomatoes
A full printable version of this recipe with ingredient measurements is available at the bottom of this post.
- Slice the green tomatoes and generously coat them with salt. Let them sit for at least 5 minutes. This will allow any moisture to come out and brings out the flavor.
- Set up your breading station with flour in one bowl, egg in the second bowl, and the cornmeal, breadcrumbs, salt, paprika, and cayenne pepper (if using) mixed in the third bowl.
- Pat the green tomato slices dry. This step is essential to keep them firm while air frying them. Otherwise, they could fall apart as a ripened red tomato would.
- Preheat your air fryer to 380 degrees.
- Dip the green tomato slice into the flour, then egg, then cornmeal mixture, making sure to coat all sides each time. Set to the side and repeat with all the remaining tomato slices.
- Place the fried green tomato slices into the air fryer in a single layer, cooking for 8-9 minutes. Open the air fryer halfway through cooking, spritz the top with oil, flip, then spritz the other side with oil. Close the air fryer to continue cooking.
This helps keep the air fryer green tomatoes juicy and the secret to getting them to taste like they were just deep-fried.
- Remove the slices from the air fryer and serve with desired sauce!
These air fryer fried green tomatoes are best eaten when just out of the air fryer but do keep crispy as they cool.
They can also be frozen up to 3 months and reheated with the directions down below.
How Can I Make Fried Green Tomatoes Without Cornmeal?
While the cornmeal provides a nice crispy crunch that attaches to the green tomato, you can still make this recipe without it.
Simply replace the cornmeal with more Italian breadcrumbs or even panko and follow the directions as listed.
They will still come out nice and crispy, just like this Air Fryer Zucchini recipe does!
How to Freeze Cooked Fried Green Tomatoes
I love freezing different foods to eat later. It makes life easier down the line.
Freezing these tomatoes can be as easy as sticking them in a freezer bag for use later or using the following method so you can pull just a slice or two out at a time.
- Let the air fryer green tomatoes cool completely.
- Place the slices in a single layer not touching on a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Freeze the baking sheet for 1 hour.
- Remove the slices and place them in a freezer bag.
This method also works great for when you want to make Air Fryer Hot Dogs from frozen with just one or two at a time.
How to Air Fry Fried Green Tomatoes from Frozen
These directions are super simple and as easy as pulling them out of the freezer and heating them up.
- Preheat your air fryer to 350 degrees.
- Cook the fried green tomatoes for 4 to 5 minutes until heated thoroughly.
- Remove them from the air fryer and enjoy!
Tools Used in This Recipe
Optional:
- Wire Rack — to add second layer to cook more at one time
Other Air Fryer Recipes You’ll Love:
- Air Fryer Baby Carrots
- Air Fryer Tomatoes
- Air Fried Sweet Potato Fries
- Air Fryer Blooming Onion
- Air Fryer Kale Chips
- The Best Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Legs
Air Fryer Fried Green Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 3-4 green tomatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup flour
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup cornmeal
- 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/8 teaspoon paprika
Optional
- pinch of cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Slice the green tomatoes into 1/4-inch slices and generously coat with salt. Let sit for at least 5 minutes.
- Set up a breading station by putting the flour in one bowl, egg (whisked) in the second bowl, and the cornmeal, breadcrumbs, paprika, and cayenne pepper in the third bowl.
- Pat green tomato slices dry with a paper towel.
- Preheat air fryer to 380 degrees.
- Dip each slice of tomato into the flour, then the egg, then finally the cornmeal mixture, making sure to coat the tomato slices fully.
- Place in the air fryer in a single layer and cook for 7-9 minutes, flipping and spritzing them with oil halfway through.
- Remove from the air fryer and serve with your choice of dipping sauce or let cool completely then freeze for up to 3 months.
I made this recipe exactly as written. Quick and easy. They were crunchy and delicious without the use of oil. I will make again and again as fried green tomatoes are one of my favorite foods. They reheat well also. Thank you!
Hi…I made these for my father in law in my air fryer and put some in the freezer for him for later. He doesn’t have a air fryer. What would be the best way for him to eat these after he takes them out from the freezer?
Hi Deb, I would place them in the toaster oven or use an actual oven. You could also thaw them and fry them in a pan.
Jessica – make these gluten free by subbing corn starch for flour! We enjoyed them both ways.
Thanks
planning to try this coming week~ quick question: what is your preferred dip for these?
For my dipping sauce with this recipe, I usually opt for a simple aioli that I put together quickly. Creating the aioli is straightforward – just blend some mayo with your preferred herbs and seasonings, maybe a splash of lemon juice, and, naturally, season with salt and pepper to suit your taste.
Delicious. 😋