If you’re hungry for some garden fresh Southern comfort food, try this recipe for light and crispy fried green tomatoes in a cast iron skillet!
Each summer, I think I get more excited about unripe, green tomatoes than the actual ripe, red ones! My mouth started watering in anticipation back in the spring when we put our tomato plants in the ground.
Imagine my thrill when our first green tomato popped out on the vine a couple weeks ago!
Fried green tomatoes are the perfect blend of salty-crispy-tangy goodness. They are delicious straight out of the skillet or dipped in your favorite dipping sauce.
Tools You’ll Need for Fried Green Tomatoes
Cutting board
Sharp knife
2 Mixing bowls
Cast iron skillet
Spatula
Ingredients for Cast Iron Skillet Fried Green Tomatoes
2 large green (unripe) tomatoes
2 eggs, beaten
1 Tbsp milk
1/2 cup flour (I like to use white whole wheat)
1/2 cup corn meal
1 tsp salt, plus more for sprinkling on tomatoes (I like to use sea salt or Himalayan pink salt)
1 tsp garlic powder
fresh cracked pepper, to taste
1-2 Tbsp Oil for frying (I like to use avocado oil)
Instructions for Cast Iron Skillet Fried Green Tomatoes
1. Preheat cast iron skillet(s) over medium heat with enough oil to generously coat the bottom of the skillet (this takes about 1-2 Tbsp for my 10-in skillet).
2. Thinly slice green tomatoes. Optional, sprinkle sliced tomatoes with a little sea salt (there will be salt in the breading, so if you’re trying to reduce sodium you can skip this step).
3. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs and milk with a fork or whisk.
4. In another mixing bowl, use a fork to mix flour, corn meal, salt, garlic powder and pepper.
5. Once the skillets are preheated (hot enough so oil isn’t smoking but tomatoes sizzle when they hit the skillet), dip sliced tomatoes first in egg mixture then in flour mixture to fully coat each side.
6. Place breaded tomatoes in a single layer in skillet with room between to flip them.
7. Allow to cook on one side about 5 minutes or until golden brown, then flip and cook another 5 minutes or until golden brown.
8. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess oil and cool.
9. Optional, sprinkle fried tomato slices with a little sea salt.
10. Serve immediately, plain or with your favorite dipping sauce.
Try These Garden Veggies Using the Same Method
Zucchini
Summer Squash
Okra
Eggplant
Slice veggies thin, salt raw slices if desired, dip in egg mixture, coat with flour mixture, and fry them up in oil in a cast iron skillet. This is a delicious way to use up your garden veggies!
Watch Me Make Fried Green Tomatoes
Recipe for Fried Green Tomatoes in A Cast Iron Skillet
Fried Green Tomatoes In A Cast Iron Skillet Recipe
If you're hungry for some garden fresh Southern comfort food, try this recipe for light and crispy fried green tomatoes in a cast iron skillet!
Ingredients
- 2 large green (unripe) tomatoes
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 Tbsp milk
- 1/2 cup flour (I like to use white whole wheat)
- 1/2 cup corn meal
- 1 tsp salt, plus more for sprinkling on tomatoes (I like to use sea salt or Himalayan pink salt)
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- fresh cracked pepper, to taste
- 1-2 Tbsp Oil for frying (I like to use avocado oil)
Instructions
- Preheat cast iron skillet(s) over medium heat with enough oil to generously coat the bottom of the skillet (this takes about 1-2 Tbsp for my 10-in skillet).
- Thinly slice green tomatoes. Optional, sprinkle sliced tomatoes with a little sea salt (there will be salt in the breading, so if you're trying to reduce sodium you can skip this step).
- In a mixing bowl, beat eggs and milk with a fork or whisk.
- In another mixing bowl, use a fork to mix flour, corn meal, salt, garlic powder and pepper.
- Once the skillets are preheated (hot enough so oil isn't smoking but tomatoes sizzle when they hit the skillet), dip sliced tomatoes first in egg mixture then in flour mixture to fully coat each side.
- Place breaded tomatoes in a single layer in skillet with room between to flip them.
- Allow to cook on one side about 5 minutes or until golden brown, then flip and cook another 5 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess oil and cool.
- Optional, sprinkle fried tomato slices with a little sea salt.
- Serve immediately, plain or with your favorite dipping sauce.
Notes
- I recommend making small batches of these. They don't really make good leftovers. For my family of 5, 2 large green tomatoes is a good amount for a snack or side dish.
- I heat up 2 or 3 skillets at a time to fry these up all at once. It saves a little time on the front end when I have hungry people crowded around me in the kitchen.
- You can definitely use a different kind of skillet. I like using cast iron for these, because it gives them a good crispiness.
- To avoid sticking and losing breading, only flip tomatoes one time.
- These are delicious plain, but they are also really good dipped in a creamy dipping sauce.
More Feast and Fasten Recipes to Love
Healthy Homemade Italian Meatballs
Homemade Breadcrumbs from Scratch
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This is a interesting recipe! I did try fried green tomatoes once and wasn’t impressed. Maybe I need to give them another shot!
Oh yes, give them another try! Maybe add a dipping sauce, like some sriracha mayo or ranch.
My Grandmother used to always make fried green tomatoes! I haven’t had them for a very long time. I can’t wait to try your recipe!
What a fun memory! I, too, ate them with my grandparents growing up. I think the nostalgia makes them taste even better. 🙂
This sounds delicious!!
Thanks Liz, they’re one of my favorite summer treats!
What a great use for green tomatoes! I always feel so bad at the end of the season when we have to take out our plants with green toms still on them. Now I know what to do with them!
Yes, Michelle! I about made myself sick on them at the end of last season. haha. We had an abundance of green tomatoes, because something went wrong with our plants and they just would not turn red! As much as I love green ones, I do hope we get some ripe ones this year. 🙂