You can't let summer go by without making these vegan Fried Green Tomatoes at least once. They are golden and crispy on the outside and they melt in your mouth. This recipe is also gluten-free, nut-free and soy-free.
I wanted to update for you this recipe for my vegan Fried Green Tomatoes, which I first posted almost exactly a decade ago, because it's the perfect time to make these, and also because I've made some tweaks to my recipe to make the process even simpler than it already was.
Our days are already beginning to cool down here in the Northeast, and there's not much time left for the tomato vines to continue producing fruit, and I didn't want to let summer pass me by without making these at least once.
Fried Green Tomatoes are, of course, a southern classic and they are typically not vegan, requiring an assembly line of milk, flour, eggs and cornmeal, coating the slices of tomato in each before they are fried. For my easy vegan version, I use tapioca starch, mixed with spices, herbs and nondairy milk or vegetable stock, and cornmeal to add that final, crunchy coating. It's a really easy dish and probably shouldn't take you more than 20 minutes to get from scratch to done.
In my earlier iteration of this recipe, I used flax in lieu of eggs. While that still works, I like the tapioca starch even more just because it works even better as a binder, sticking to the tomatoes and helping the cornmeal adhere in turn for that crispy coating. You can use either, and I'll include instructions for both below.
These fried green tomatoes are best eaten fresh off the skillet, because they tend to soften a bit as they stand, because of the moisture in the tomatoes. If you do leave them standing around, be sure to crisp them up on the skillet or in the oven before serving.
Here are the ingredients you'll need to make these fried green tomatoes:
- Green, unripe tomatoes. Any large tomato is fine, and it should be firm.
- Tapioca starch (corn starch is a fine substitute)
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder or flakes
- Dry thyme
- Nondairy milk
- Cornmeal
On to the recipe, and if you try these, be sure to let me know in the comments below or tag me @holycowvegan on Instagram!
Looking for more tomato recipes?
Looking for more tasty vegetable sides?
- Curried Carrot Salad
- Vegan Garlic Butter Mushrooms
- Lemony Greek Potatoes
- Golden Beet Carrot Slaw
- Turmeric Roasted Root Vegetables
Vegan Fried Green Tomatoes
Gluten-free | Nut-free | Soy-free
Vegan Fried Green Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 2 large green tomatoes , cut into thick slices. Each tomato should yield roughly 6 slices. Sprinkle the tomato slices with salt and ground black pepper and set aside.
- 3 tablespoon tapioca starch (cornstarch works as well. If you prefer to use flaxmeal instead, use 2 tablespoon of flaxmeal instead of the tapioca starch)
- ⅓ cup non-dairy milk (can use vegetable stock instead)
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ cup cornmeal
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil (for frying)
Instructions
- In a shallow bowl large enough to hold the tomato slices, whisk the nondairy milk, tapioca starch (or flaxmeal), garlic powder, onion powder, thyme and salt and ground black pepper to taste. (If using flax, if the mixture gets too thick, thin out with more milk or stock)
- Place the cornmeal in another shallow bowl.
- Dredge each slice of tomato in the milk-starch mixture to coat it, and then in the cornmeal so the slice is coated on all sides.
- Heat a nonstick or cast-iron skillet and coat the bottom with oil. Fry each slice of tomato for about five minutes on each side over medium-high heat, or until golden-brown. Flip over and cook the other side.
- Remove to a dish lined with paper towels, and sprinkle with some more salt and pepper when hot, if desired. Serve hot.
Nutrition
Molly
This version is really easy I appreciate only having 2 dipping steps instead of 3. I did not have cornmeal and I used garbanzo flour instead. I think the texture could have been a tad better, but its my fault
Yvonne
Delicious! Made exactly as written. I love the ingenuity of the tapioca starch/non-dairy milk batter. The flavor on these was so tasty. My kids dipped in ranch and ketchup and pronounced them "the best". Thank you for a great recipe!
Chanda
Fabulous!!!! Even my non-tomato eating 6 year old loved them. I added a bit
of cayenne and paprika and also double battered.
Wendy
DELISH! It’s that time in the garden when tomatoes are getting big but not ripening quite fast enough and may “go bad” if left on the vine too long...especially if we go out if town for a few days and the garden is left to its own devices! In other words, FRIED GREEN TOMATO TIME! I experimented with my air fryer using this recipe and it was phenomenal! I lightly sprayed the tray with canola oil, loaded the tomatoes and fries about 4-5 mins on one side. Then I lightly sprayed the top side of each tomato, turned them and fried for another 2-3 minutes, checking frequently! So crispy and flavorful! I’m amazed at how sweet green tomatoes taste! Thanks and happy cooking, all?
Wendy
My rating
Lucy
Love !!!