Air-Frying Green Tomatoes: A Quick, Crispy Treat

Air fryer green tomatoes are a delicious, healthier alternative to the traditional fried version. With an air fryer, you can achieve a light and crispy texture without the excess oil. The process is simple: coat the tomatoes in a flour, egg, and breadcrumb mixture, then place them in the air fryer for 5-12 minutes, depending on the desired level of crispiness. The result is a tasty snack or side dish that can be served with a variety of dips or as part of a sandwich.

Preparation tips

Before you start, make sure your tomatoes are firm and completely green, and be sure that they aren't tomatillos! You can slice them into 1/4-inch-thick slices, but the thinner the slice, the quicker they will cook.

For the coating, you will need three separate bowls. In the first, add flour with salt and pepper. In the second, whisk eggs with milk or buttermilk, and add hot sauce to taste if you like it spicy. In the third, mix breadcrumbs, cornmeal, and grated Parmesan cheese. You can also add Italian seasoning, paprika, or garlic powder to this bowl for extra flavour. Panko breadcrumbs will give an extra-crunchy texture, and gluten-free alternatives are available if needed.

Now, dredge each tomato slice first in the flour, then coat in the egg mixture, and finally in the cornmeal mix. Make sure the slices are fully coated at each stage, and shake off any excess flour or egg before moving to the next stage. This will ensure they cook evenly. Press the coated tomato slices into the breadcrumbs to ensure the coating sticks.

Spray your air fryer basket with oil or non-stick spray, or brush with olive oil, and place the tomatoes inside in a single layer, ensuring they do not touch each other. Spray or brush the tops of the tomatoes with oil, and cook in batches if necessary.

Cooking instructions

To cook green tomatoes in an air fryer, start by slicing your tomatoes to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Place the slices on a plate and season with salt and pepper. You can also add other seasonings like Cajun seasoning salt, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, lemon pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, or mustard powder.

Next, prepare three separate mixtures in shallow dishes. In the first dish, add flour. In the second, whisk together eggs and milk or buttermilk. You can also add hot sauce or Tabasco to this mixture if you like your food spicy. In the third dish, mix together cornmeal, breadcrumbs, and seasonings. You can also add Parmesan cheese to this mixture if desired.

Now it's time to coat the tomato slices. First, dredge the slices in the flour, shaking off any excess. Then, dip them into the egg mixture. Finally, coat them in the cornmeal and breadcrumb mixture, pressing gently to ensure the coating sticks.

Spray your air fryer basket with oil or non-stick spray, and place the coated tomato slices inside in a single layer, ensuring they don't touch each other. Spritz the tops of the tomatoes with oil or cooking spray.

Air fry at 390-400 degrees Fahrenheit for 5-6 minutes, then flip the slices over. Spray the other side with oil or cooking spray, and cook for an additional 4-6 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy.

Your air-fried green tomatoes are now ready to be served! They go well with dips like ranch, remoulade, sour cream, salsa, or blue cheese dressing. You can also add them to a BLT sandwich for a Southern-inspired meal.

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. They can also be frozen before cooking and stored for up to a year.

Serving suggestions

Air fryer green tomatoes are a healthier alternative to deep-fried green tomatoes, and they can be served in a variety of ways.

One option is to serve them with a dipping sauce. Suggested dips include ranch dressing, sriracha mayo, sour cream, salsa, thousand island, or a sauce specially made for fried green tomatoes. For a healthier option, you could serve them with a plant-based avocado and horseradish sauce, made with Greek yoghurt.

You can also add spices to your tomatoes or the dip for extra flavour. Cajun seasoning is a popular choice, as is tabasco sauce.

If you want to serve your green tomatoes with another fried food, bacon is an option. You can fry the tomatoes in bacon fat, and serve them with the bacon, or use the bacon as an ingredient in a sauce.

Finally, you can reheat any leftover green tomatoes in the air fryer. They will retain their crispiness and taste just as good as when they were first cooked.

Storage advice

Green tomatoes can be stored to ripen them or to preserve them in their unripe state. If you want to ripen your green tomatoes, the trick is to trap ethylene gas, which encourages and speeds up ripening. To do this, you can layer a wire basket or crate with newspaper and wrap each tomato individually. You could also try placing a banana in with your tomatoes, as this will also increase the amount of ethylene gas and get them to ripen faster. Another method is to uproot the whole plant and hang it upside down in a cool area that gets indirect light. You can then harvest the tomatoes as they ripen.

If you want to preserve your green tomatoes, the key is to store them before the first deep killing freeze. You can store them in cardboard boxes with the tops closed (not taped shut) and they will ripen in around 2-3 weeks. You can also store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze them to eat later.

Health benefits

Air fryers are marketed as a healthier alternative to deep-fat frying, and for good reason. They cook food by circulating hot air around it, creating a crunchy, crispy exterior with minimal fat. This makes them a convenient and lower-fat method for cooking foods like chips and chicken.

Air-fried foods have a significantly lower fat content than deep-fried foods, which means they may be better for your health. Lowering saturated fat intake has many health benefits, such as helping to manage cholesterol levels and decreasing a person's risk of cardiovascular disease. Research has also shown that air frying lowers the amount of acrylamide in fried potatoes by 90%. Acrylamide is a chemical that forms in certain foods during high-heat cooking methods, and it has been linked to an increased chance of getting cancer.

However, some people are concerned about the possible health risks of using this new form of cooking, primarily due to fears of toxicity and cancer. For example, one study showed that air-frying fish raised the amount of "cholesterol oxidation products" (COPs). This issue can be mitigated by adding fresh herbs like parsley and chives, which act as antioxidants to reduce the COPs in air-fried foods.

Another benefit of air fryers is that they are easier to clean than traditional deep fryers. This is because they have non-stick linings, which also enable you to cook using less oil.

Frequently asked questions