This easy and crispy oven roasted whole okra recipe is roasted / cooked uncovered at 425F on a sheet pan for ~17 minutes in the oven.
Roasting or baking okra whole minimizes the slimy innards that most folks associate with okra.
Man, eat this roasted okra right away - it does not keep well. It's crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. It's not slimy, but it is oozy if that makes sense. Give this roasted okra recipe a try - it screams summer!
How To Roast Okra Whole
This is a basic whole roasted okra recipe. Knock it out by adding your favorite spices and dry herbs. Just mix them in when you toss the raw okra with the olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Preheat oven to 425F.
- Mix whole okra with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Add any favorite spices if you like.
- Spread okra out evenly on baking sheet and don't crowd.
- Roast / bake okra uncovered ~ 9 minutes.
- Flip whole okra over and cook another 8-10 minutes or until crispy and browned.
- Salt to taste.
Spacing out whole okra on the sheet pan before cooking allows them to roast and crisp up properly. The okra will stem instead of become crispy if you crowd the pan.
How to Pick Whole Okra For Baking / Roasting
Pick small okra (~ 3") that are plump (aren't shriveled), smooth, bright green (although there are varieties of okra that range from purple to red), firm yet tender, and don't have a lot of blemishes.
Older okra or okra with dryer stem ends can be fibrous and stringy. Choose younger smaller okra for pickling to avoid toughness. Older okra would be good sliced for stews and recipes that cook for a longer time (like gumbo).
Okra have a natural fuzz on them that is edible. Scrub off any fuzz if it gives ya the creeps 🙂
How To Store Whole Fresh Okra
Okra is really perishable. It doesn't keep long. Store okra in a refrigerator with some loose paper towels around it in a perforated bag or an open shallow container. Try to use immediately, it gets slimy fast in storage.
Crispy Oven Roasted Okra FAQS
You can. It depends on the tenderness. Try it out and see if you like it. I'll sometimes eat the smaller ones and sometimes not. Cut off the stems before roasting if you want to avoid the stems altogether (I don't do that).
Turn your oven up to 450F. Okra too brown or crispy? Lower the time in the oven or lower the temperature to 400F.
Not all ovens cook the same. Some run hot, some run cold, some cook better in the back right, some cook better in the front left.
Doesn't matter. Line it with aluminum or high heat parchment paper if you don't want to clean the sheet pan. Conversely, don't line it and wash the baking sheet.
Nope. The okra are already tossed in enough oil. Careful to not put too much oil or the okra won't crisp up.
Easy Oven Roasted Whole Okra
EatSimpleFood.com
This easy and crispy oven roasted whole okra recipe is cooked uncovered at 425F on a sheet pan for ~17 minutes in the oven.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 Minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Southern
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 lb okra, stems trimmed to ¼"
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- pinch black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F.
- Mix the okra with the olive oil, salt, and pepper in a large bowl or on a baking sheet.
- Place okra spaced out on a baking sheet (lined or unlined depending on if you want to clean the sheet pan 🙂
- Bake ~9 minutes or until one side (probably the bottom) is starting to turn brown and crispy.
- Shake the pan (careful it's hot!) and/or flip the okra around to the other side.
- Bake ~8-10 minutes or until okra is crispy.
- Add salt to taste. Happy eating! Beckie
Notes
- Okra not browning or getting crispy? Turn your oven up to 450F. Okra too brown or crispy? Lower the time in the oven or lower the temperature to 400F.
- Add your favorite spices to the mix by tossing them with the olive oil, salt, and pepper before placing on the baking sheet.
- Spacing out whole okra on the sheet pan allows them to roast and crisp up properly. The okra will stem instead of become crispy if you crowd the pan.
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