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Three thin sliced Southern fried green tomatoes with cornmeal on brown paper with green tomatoes in background.
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4.69 from 44 votes

Best Fried Green Tomatoes (Perfect Every Time)

Simply the best fried green tomatoes recipe, perfect-every-time! No messy, drippy batter needed, making it easy to make them air fryer "fried", too! You'll get crispy, crunchy cornmeal coating on the outside, tangy, tender-but-not-mushy on the inside!
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time12 minutes
Total Time37 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 120kcal
Cost: 3

Equipment

  • 10 inch cast iron or stainless steel skillet with high sides

Ingredients

  • 3 small to medium green tomatoes (unripe tomatoes)
  • Vegetable oil, canola oil or peanut oil (About 2 cups)
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt, divided
  • 1/4 cup buttermilk, whole milk, or 2% milk
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/4 cup cornmeal (I prefer yellow)
  • 1/4 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Rinse the green tomatoes with cool water and pat them dry with paper towels. Slice them into 1/4 inch thick for thin slices and 3/8 inch thick for thick slices. (That's between 1/4 and 1/2" thick).
  • Gather 3 small plates or shallow bowls.
    In one plate, combine the flour and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt.
  • In the second plate, whisk together the milk and egg with a fork.
    In the third plate, the cornmeal, breadcrumbs, black pepper, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt.
  • Working with 2 or 3 tomato slices at a time, press the tomato slice into the flour, coating both sides.
    If the flour doesn't stick to the edge of the tomato, run the edges through the egg/milk mixture, then back in the flour.
  • Dip the flour coated slice into the egg/milk mixture, then gently press it into the cornmeal mixture. 
  • Pour enough oil into a cast iron or stainless steel skillet to reach a depth of 1/4" to 1/2". Heat the oil over medium heat until very hot (360 to 375 degreesF) but not smoking.
    You will know it is ready when you sprinkle a few grains of cornmeal in it and it immediately sizzles.
  • I use tongs or a slotted spoon to lower the tomatoes, one at a time, into the hot oil and to remove them. Cook them about 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown on both sides.
  • If the tomato slices do not sizzle, the oil is probably not hot enough and will absorb too much oil and take too long to get brown on the outside.
    This also causes the tomatoes to overcook and become mushy.
    Drain the tomatoes on paper towels and enjoy when warm but not too hot!

Notes

The digital infrared thermometers are a valuable tool in my kitchen. You can find them at hardware stores as well as online. These are not meant to read temperatures on humans-only surface heat. A candy thermometer can also be used.
You can also use a candy thermometer if the oil is deep enough. I absolutely love using a digital, no contact infrared thermometer. You just point it at the oil and it reads the temp. Amazing. You want the temperature to be between 360 and 375 degrees. Keep a close watch on the oil while dredging the tomatoes.
The trick to getting the coating to stick to the slick green tomato skin is to dredge in flour first, then egg/milk mixture, then press into cornmeal mixture. If any green tomato skin is exposed, brush with the egg mixture, then press into the flour, back into the egg mixture, and lastly press into the cornmeal mixture.
The oil gets too hot for some nonstick skillets so I recommend cast iron or stainless steel skillets.
This recipe can easily be doubled for a larger crowd.

Nutrition

Serving: 2slices | Calories: 120kcal