Food and Recipes 40 Okra Recipes That Prove It's Not Just for Gumbo By Southern Living Editors Southern Living Editors Since 1966, the editors of Southern Living have been carrying out the mission of the brand: to bring enjoyment, fulfillment, and inspiration to our readers by celebrating life in the South. We inspire creativity in their homes, their kitchens, their gardens, and their personal style. We are a friend they can trust, a guide to the seasons, a helping hand during the holidays, and a relentless champion of the Southern way of life. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on October 14, 2022 Fact checked by Elizabeth Berry Fact checked by Elizabeth Berry Elizabeth Berry is a fact checker and writer with over three years of professional experience in the field. She has fact checked lifestyle topics ranging from destination wedding venues to gift guide round-ups for a variety of publications including Brides, The Spruce, and TripSavvy. In addition to her fact checking background, she also has over six years experience of reporting, writing, and copy editing articles for digital magazines including Woman's Day and The Knot. Elizabeth also has a strong background in e-commerce content as both a fact checker and writer. brand's fact checking process Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Whether fried, pickled, or grilled, no other vegetable tastes quite like okra. Every Southerner has their favorite okra dish, and we've rounded up the best okra recipes we could find to showcase this traditional Southern veggie. Try pickled okra for an addictive, tangy treat you can add to a cheese board or in your favorite Bloody Mary recipe. Add another popular Southern ingredient and you have our Pan-Fried Okra with Cornmeal, which uses cornmeal to make a crisp outer coating. Get out the grill and make an easy and delicious appetizer with our recipe for Stuffed Okra Poppers. From main dishes to sides, our best okra recipes offer creative, tasty options for every day of the week. With the help of these okra ideas—and a few inspired flavors—we think you'll find a new family-favorite recipe to share at your table this summer. In addition to these recipes, we've included some expert advice on cooking okra to perfection. 01 of 40 Pan-Fried Okra with Cornmeal Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Pan-Fried Okra with Cornmeal Cooking in two skillets, or two batches, will allow the okra to get extra crispy. 02 of 40 Okra and Rice Casserole Hector Sanchez Recipe: Okra and Rice Casserole This casserole is simple to make, but is still packed with an amazing amount of flavor. 03 of 40 Pimiento Cheese-Stuffed Pickled Okra Hector Sanchez Recipe: Pimiento Cheese-Stuffed Pickled Okra Two Southern classics come together to create one delicious dish. 04 of 40 Field Peas, Corn, and Okra in Country-Ham Cream Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Field Peas, Corn, and Okra in Country-Ham Cream Serve these fresh summer veggies alongside skillet cornbread for a meal to remember. 05 of 40 Classic Okra and Tomatoes Southern Living Recipe: Classic Okra and Tomatoes This essential summer side is the perfect pair. 06 of 40 Shrimp-Okra-and-Sausage Kebabs Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Tina Stamos Recipe: Shrimp-Okra-and-Sausage Kebabs A mixture of lemon juice, hot sauce, and melted butter pack these kebabs with flavor. 07 of 40 Okra and Chickpeas in Fresh Tomato Sauce Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Okra and Chickpeas in Fresh Tomato Sauce A tangy tomato sauce lightly covers the fresh ingredients in this recipe. 08 of 40 Shrimp and Okra Gumbo Southern Living Recipe: Shrimp and Okra Gumbo Even though this dinner is made in one pot, it makes 12 servings. 09 of 40 Smashed Fried Okra Hector Sanchez Recipe: Smashed Fried Okra What a revelation! Use a meat mallet to smash okra and create more surface area for crispy-brown goodness. Try this at home. 10 of 40 Grilled Creole Chicken and Okra Photo: Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Grilled Creole Chicken and Okra Use your grill to elevate the flavor of these fresh ingredients. 11 of 40 Okra Creole Recipe: Okra Creole Serve flavorful Okra Creole with bacon, veggies, and spices as a side or over rice for an easy entrée. 12 of 40 Hearty Beef and Freezer Veggie Soup Greg DuPree Recipe: Hearty Beef and Freezer Veggie Soup Okra can be enjoyed year-round. 13 of 40 Best-Ever Succotash Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Recipe: Best-Ever Succotash The ultimate summer side: succotash. 14 of 40 Cajun Chicken Cassoulet Photo: Iain Bagwell Recipe: Cajun Chicken Cassoulet Your family will love this one-pot, spiced-up version of the French meal. 15 of 40 Kardea Brown's Okra Soup with Shrimp Johnny Autry; Prop and Food Styling: Charlotte L. Autry Recipe: Kardea Brown's Okra Soup with Shrimp Honor South Carolina Gullah cuisine with this colorful soup from Food Network star Kardea Brown. 16 of 40 Bourbon-Brined Pickled Peppered Okra Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Bourbon-Brined Pickled Peppered Okra Two Southern staples—bourbon and okra—are an unlikely pair that were actually meant to be. 17 of 40 Maque Choux with Sausage Johnny Autry; Prop and Food Styling: Charlotte L. Autry Recipe: Maque Choux with Sausage This Louisiana classic comes together in just one skillet and 25 minutes. 18 of 40 Curried Okra Shoestring Fries Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Curried Okra Shoestring Fries If you thought the only way to fry okra was diced or whole, this addicting recipe will totally change your mind. 19 of 40 Fried Shrimp-and-Okra Po'Boys Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Fried Shrimp-and-Okra Po'Boys Leave it to Test Kitchen Pro Ann Taylor-Pittman to take one of our favorite Southern sides and put it on one of our favorite Southern sandwiches. 20 of 40 Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo Photo: Iain Bagwell Recipe: Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo Our Test Kitchen deemed this one of the best pots of gumbo they've ever put out. 21 of 40 Deviled Eggs with Pickled Okra Jennifer Causey, Prop Stylist: Lindsey Lower, Food Stylist: Torie Cox Recipe: Deviled Eggs with Pickled Okra Of all the yummy deviled egg recipes we've come up with, this is a new go-to that's perfect for potlucks. 22 of 40 Crunchy Okra-and-Corn Salad with Ranch Dressing Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Crunchy Okra-and-Corn Salad with Ranch Dressing This summer salad is a beautifully delicious and new way to showcase fresh okra. 23 of 40 Cajun Shrimp Casserole Recipe: Cajun Shrimp Casserole This is one of our go-to ways to serve up a flavorful casserole to friends in need. 24 of 40 Air Fryer Okra Caitlin Bensel Recipe: Air Fryer Okra We've found dozens of fun ways to make Southern classics in our new Air Fryers, and this is a Test Kitchen favorite. 25 of 40 Pan-Roasted Okra and Sweet Onions with Lemony Masala Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford Recipe: Pan-Roasted Okra and Sweet Onions with Lemony Masala Raleigh, North Carolina, chef Cheetie Kumar created this incredible okra side dish with her late mother's recipe in mind. 26 of 40 Zesty Pickled Okra Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Zesty Pickled Okra We wouldn't even dare to whip up a batch of bloody Marys without a spear or two of homemade pickled okra. 27 of 40 Charred Okra-Potato Salad Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Charred Okra-Potato Salad This summer, we're swapping our vintage, mayo-laden potato salad for something fresh and straight from the grill. 28 of 40 Hot Sauce Fried Chicken with Pickled Okra Slaw Jennifer Davick; Styling: Buffy Hargett Recipe: Hot Sauce Fried Chicken with Pickled Okra Slaw Pickled okra adds just the right amount of tang to a simple slaw. 29 of 40 Limpin' Susan Peter Frank Edwards Recipe: Limpin' Susan Hoppin' John's secret girlfriend is no secret in our Test Kitchen. 30 of 40 Pickled Shrimp and Vegetables Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Tina Stamos Recipe: Pickled Shrimp and Vegetables Classic pickled shrimp gets a colorful summer makeover in this pretty appetizer. 31 of 40 Fried Okra Southern Living Recipe: Fried Okra You need just four ingredients to serve up this absolute staple of a Southern side dish. 32 of 40 Charred Summer Vegetable Salad Greg Dupree; Styling: Angie Mosier Recipe: Charred Summer Vegetable Salad Grilled chicken or shrimp would pair beautifully with this seasonal salad for an extra protein boost. 33 of 40 Shrimp-and-Andouille Gumbo Dip Brian Woodcock; Styling: Rachael Burrow Recipe: Shrimp-and-Andouille Gumbo Dip Imagine the coziest bowl of gumbo…in dip version. Proceed to heaven! 34 of 40 Simple Roasted Okra Jennifer Causey; Food Styling: Melissa Gray Recipe: Simple Roasted Okra Instead of turning to the deep-fryer, we cook this okra on high heat in the oven. 35 of 40 Grilled Okra-and-Tomato Salad Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Grilled Okra-and-Tomato Salad Instead of your standard green okra, we use purple okra in this pretty monochromatic dish. 36 of 40 Chile-Rubbed Chops with Sweet Potatoes and Grilled Okra Alison Miksch Recipe: Chile-Rubbed Chops with Sweet Potatoes and Grilled Okra This simple and fresh supper is ideal for summer nights on the patio. 37 of 40 Easy Summer Appetizer Board Hector Sanchez; Stylist: Buffy Hargett Recipe: Easy Summer Appetizer Board Pickled okra is an essential component to any Southern charcuterie and cheese board. 38 of 40 Chicken and Shrimp Skillet Rice Hector Sanchez; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham Recipe: Chicken and Shrimp Skillet Rice Flavorful rice suppers are a natural part of any Southern cook's repertoire. 39 of 40 Grilled Okra-and-Pepper Skewers with Dijon Dipping Sauce Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Grilled Okra-and-Pepper Skewers with Dijon Dipping Sauce Okra and peppers bring color to the grill with these veggie-forward skewers. 40 of 40 Stuffed Okra Poppers Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Stuffed Okra Poppers Swap your favorite jalapeño popper recipe for this summer-ready version. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit