Air Fryer Fried Green Tomatoes

An air fryer is the home cook's secret weapon for crispy, crunchy foods without the cups of oil or calories of deep-frying. These small appliances circulate super-hot air around food, crisping them up and "frying" to golden perfection.

With an air fryer, fried green tomatoes remain tart and fresh on the inside with a delicately crisp crust of cornmeal and flour. In short, the air fryer is the perfect way to cook fried green tomatoes. To finish it off, you can sprinkle a few drops of hot sauce, a homemade comeback sauce, or the caper mayonnaise we include in this recipe.

First, prepare the caper mayonnaise that will go along with your air fryer green tomatoes. Make it by stirring together mayonnaise, parsley, capers, mustard, hot sauce, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a bowl. Cover the bowl, and refrigerate it until ready to serve.

Now, prepare the tomatoes. Start by preheating the air fryer to 400°F. Use paper towels to pat down tomato slices until dry. Then, season them with salt. 

Put flour in one dish and buttermilk in another. In a third dish, stir to combine the cornmeal, breadcrumbs, and Creole seasoning.

Dredge the tomato slices in the flour, shaking off the excess as you go. Dip them next in the buttermilk, allowing any excess to drip off the slices. Last, dredge each slice in the breadcrumbs, making sure to coat each one entirely. As you finish the process, put the tomato slices in a single layer on a plate. 

Move them into the air fryer basket; plan for a single layer in each of two batches. Spray cooking spray lightly over the top. Cook for three minutes.

Now flip the tomatoes, and lightly spray the other side with cooking spray. Cook until the tomatoes are golden brown on both sides, approximately another three minutes. 

Serve air-fried green tomatoes with the caper mayonnaise accompaniment. 

To make air fryer green tomatoes, start with medium-sized green tomatoes. You'll also need kosher salt, all-purpose flour, whole buttermilk, plain yellow cornmeal, plain dry bread crumbs, Creole seasoning, cooking spray, and flat-leaf parsley for garnish.

For the caper mayonnaise accompaniment, gather mayonnaise, flat-leaf parsley, capers, Dijon mustard, hot sauce, and a lemon.

The air fryer is an easy, effective, and quick way to cook tomatoes—and a method that keeps the kitchen cooler in the sweltering summer heat. Arrange them in a single layer, and coat them with oil or cooking spray before cooking.

Green tomatoes cook quickly in the air fryer. This recipe calls for frying slices for about three minutes per side, flipping once in between.

To make fried green tomatoes in an air fryer (or another preparation method), start with unripe tomatoes. These are pale green all over and feel structurally solid. These keep their integrity better than ripe tomatoes, as green tomatoes are firmer and contain less moisture. 

For best results with fried green tomatoes, pick produce at the time it has reached its full size but is still green. Make sure you're picking green tomatoes that are unripe, rather than heirloom varieties of tomatoes that are green when fully ripe.

Editorial contributions by Alesandra Dubin.