Crispy Oven-Roasted Okra

Crispy, crunchy, and not in the least bit slimy, our easy oven-roasted okra recipe will quickly become your new favorite way to cook this often overlooked and underestimated vegetable.

With a few simple techniques, you can achieve crunchy perfection in your very own oven (no deep frier, air fryer, or finicky batter/breading necessary). Seasoned with olive oil, soy sauce, and togarashi for a flavor-packed and umami rich side dish that’s—dare I say—even more satisfying than French fries.

Okra often gets a bad rap, often stereotyped as slimy and unappetizing.

But perhaps… you’ve just been cooking it wrong.

Roasting the okra high and dry reduces any lingering sliminess (one of the main factors in a person’s dislike of okra, I’ve found). The result is delightfully crispy, and nearly as satisfying as a deep-fried French fry with a fraction of the oil.

While I almost always line my baking pans with parchment, in the case of this recipe, the parchment actually impedes the browning process (not to mention you’re not technically supposed to put parchment in high heat environments, so keep it for the cookies, ok?) Instead, an unlined, light colored aluminum sheet pan produces the crispiest results.

While okra would be perfectly delicious roasted with simply olive oil, salt and pepper, for this recipe we opted to add a sprinkle of togarashi, a Japanese spice blend featuring dried red chili pepper, Sichuan peppercorn, sesame seeds, orange peel, ginger, and nori (dried seaweed). The result is a spicy and savory blend that’s packed with umami-rich flavor.

In lieu of the togarashi, you can use any dried spice or spice blend you wish. For example, a mix of garlic or onion powder, paprika, and some red pepper flakes would make for a lovely flavor combo.

Like our reader favorite crispy oven-roasted broccolini recipe, we’ve also uses a tiny splash of soy sauce for added flavor, salt, and caramelization.

The secret to crispy okra

If you want the crispiest of crispy okra in the oven, stick to these four tips:

Dry dry dry. Make sure your okra is completely dry before cooking it. I like to wash mine and let it sit on paper towels for 20 to 30 minutes, patting dry as needed. If your okra comes from your own garden or a trusted local farm you can probably skip the washing entirely.

Use an unlined sheet pan. In our tests, we found that using an aluminum sheet pan without any lining material (like parchment or foil) resulted in the crispiest okra. A good coating of oil prevents the okra from sticking.

Crank the heat. A high temperature bake will produce crisp-tender okra with basically zero slime remaining. Just keep an eye on the bake, as high temps can burn the okra if you’re not watching it!

Hold the salt. You’ll notice this recipe calls for holding the salt until the very end, only sprinkling the okra with a pinch of fine sea salt once it comes out of the oven. This is because salt draws out moisture, and moisture will prevent the okra from getting crispy. (The more you know!)

Wash okra well. Ideally you want smallish, uniformly sized okra pods so they all cook evenly.After washing, dump onto towels and allow to dry completely.The okra needs to be completely dried or it won’t get as crispy.Trim off stem ends of okra pods; I like to leave a little bit of the cap, and just cut off the extra stem.Cut pods in half lenthwise.In a large bowl, drizzle okra with 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of soy sauce, and toss to coat.Sprinkle oiled okra with dried seasoning. We’ve used togarashi but you can use whatever flavors you like best.Use tongs or your hands to toss okra until evenly coated with oil and seasonings.Generously oil a baking sheet with more olive oil. Using an unlined baking sheet will result in crispier okra.Dump seasoned okra onto oiled baking sheet.Spread out into an even layer, ideally turning all the cut sides down. Don’t overcrowd the pan or it won’t get as crispy.After partially baking, use tongs to flip the okra cut side up to finish baking.

You’ll notice that okra shrinks. A lot. So plan ahead and make more than you think you need!

This recipe as written calls for 12 ounces of fresh okra, which will yield about 2-3 side servings. You can see below just how much volume you loose while baking (don’t worry, that volume loss is pretty much all slime).

If you want to double this recipe, I recommend using two separate baking sheets, as overcrowding the baking sheets will result in less crispy okra. Ideally you want your halved okra pods to spread out in an even layout without touching one another. 12 ounces was just about spot on for us, but if your pods are larger or smaller, adjust accordingly.

It’s also worth taking the time to flip them cut side down for the initial bake, as it’s that cut edge that’s going to give you the best crunch.

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

Okra: Look for fresh, plump young okra pods on the small side (about 2-3 inches in size). You can use green or purple okra in this recipe! Ideally the pods will be all mostly the same size, otherwise the okra might bake unevenly. Larger pods will take slightly longer to bake.

Unfortunately this recipe only really works with fresh okra; frozen okra will release too much moisture and simply won’t crisp up in the same way. (If you happen to have some frozen okra you’re looking to use, might I suggest our Vadouvan Chicken Curry?)

Togarashi: This Japanese seasoning blend contains dried red chili pepper, Sichuan peppercorn, sesame seeds, orange peel, ginger, and nori (dried seaweed). Feel free to replace this with other dried spices or spice blends as desired.

Olive oil: You can use extra virgin olive oil or any other neutral flavored oil here. A bit of sesame oil (a teaspoon or two max, and the rest vegetable oil) would be delicious as well!

Soy Sauce: A tiny bit of soy sauce adds salt and flavor without too much moisture to prevent browning.

Note: to make this recipe gluten-free, be sure to seek out gluten-free soy sauce (many brands contain wheat). You can also use tamari or coconut aminos.

Fine sea salt: don’t add the salt until after the okra is baked! I used a very fine sea salt so it sticks to all the nooks and crannies in the okra, but you can use a flake salt or other finishing salt as desired.