Roasted Okra

Here’s how to make the best roasted okra around! Baking it in a hot oven might be the best way to cook this green vegetable.

If you’re an okra lover, you’ve probably already discovered this trick. Here’s one of the best ways to cook this green vegetable: roasted okra! Roasting okra makes it lightly crisp at the edges, tender, and full of spiced flavor. Here’s the best part: there’s no slime. Some methods of cooking okra end up with a slimy mess, but this okra comes out just perfect. It’s easy too: just quick 15 minutes in a very hot oven and you’ve got a fantastic side dish or easy snack. Ready to get roasting? Let’s go.

Ingredients for roasted okra

There’s not too many ingredients that are needed for this roasted okra recipe: and you can pare it down if you’d like, too! Here’s what you need:

• Okra: make sure it’s as fresh as possible
• Olive oil and kosher salt
• Garlic powder
• Smoked paprika or paprika (optional)

How to make roasted okra: a few tips!

There’s not much to roasting okra, so we spiced it up with an interesting way to cut it and some tasty spices. Here’s what to know about how to roast okra:

• Slice the okra in half lengthwise. This is a fun way to cut the okra that makes eating them a little more manageable! It also makes them into beautifully long, lovely shapes: almost like green beans. It’s a unique way to eat this vegetable!
• Mix with olive oil, garlic powder and smoked paprika. We love adding smoked paprika to recipes for the lightly smoky flavor it imparts. If you don’t have it, you can use standard sweet paprika too.
• Roast at 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Like most roasted vegetables, baking them at very high heat is the key! It’s what gets them lightly charred on the outside and tender on the inside. This okra needs only 15 minutes to get tender.

What makes okra slimy?

Fun fact: okra is actually a fruit! But it’s treated in cooking like a vegetable, much like tomatoes and avocados. Okra contains a component called mucilage, which is like a natural thickener when it’s heated. This is perfect for stews like gumbo that need thickening, but not so great if you’re trying to serve okra as a side dish.

The worst way to cook okra? Boiled. Never boil your okra: it becomes a slimy mess! Instead make this roasted okra. It’s full of big flavor and none of the sticky stuff.

Some great dishes to pair

Okra is often used in cuisine from the American South: but of course you can serve it with any style of food! Here are a few main dishes that would be a natural pair:

• Cajun Grilled Shrimp or Grilled Shrimp Skewers Covered in a homemade spice blend, they’re fast and easy to grill.
• Famous Cajun Shrimp and Grits This Cajun shrimp and grits recipe will wow everyone at the table! This recipe really is “world famous” and was blessed by Gordon Ramsey himself.
• Grilled Cod This grilled cod is bursting with flavor from homemade blackened seasoning! Cod is the fish you didn’t know you loved; here’s how to grill it.

More okra recipes

There are so many great ways to cook okra! Here are a few of our favorite okra recipes that make this unique vegetable shine:

• Grilled Okra Full of smoky grilled flavor! It’s beyond easy with just 4 ingredients, and it’s a flavor-filled side dish to any summer meal.
• Pickled Okra The peppercorns, dried chilies, and fresh dill in this pickled okra recipe make it delicious eaten on its own or as an appetizer.
• Easy Okra Recipes Brose more of our favorites!

01

12 Easy Okra Recipes

02

Grilled Okra

03

Pickled Okra Recipe

This roasted okra recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.

Print

More roasted vegetables

Roasting is our top way to cook vegetables! It might take a little longer than sauteing, but the flavor it brings is magnificent. Here are some of our other favorite roasted vegetable recipes:

• Epic Roasted Broccoli or Roasted Broccolini Oven roasting makes these green veggies taste SO GOOD you can’t stop sneaking bites!
• Roasted Bell Peppers or Roasted Peppers and Onions Baking them in the oven brings out a sweet, charred flavor that makes a stellar side dish.
• Roasted Mushrooms Meaty, tender and juicy, they’ll make a mushroom lover out of anyone.
• Roasted Zucchini and Squash Baked until tender with Italian herbs and Parmesan cheese! The perfect summer side dish.
• Perfect Roasted Fennel Baking fennel in a hot oven makes it sweet and caramelized: nothing like its raw flavor.
• Roasted Delicata Squash No need to peel this squash! It comes out sweet and tender every time.
• Roasted Spaghetti Squash This method makes long, luxurious squash noodles.
• Roasted Broccoli and Carrots This pair has the perfect flavor and color contrast, and they come out tender and browned.
• Perfect Roasted Cauliflower So irresistibly good, you can’t stop eating it.