Crispy Baked Okra Chips
Crispy, salty, low-carb, and delicious, these homemade Baked Okra Chips are roasted until light and crunchy. Skip the dehydrator and go straight to the oven for this great alternative to potato chips.
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Some of you may be scratching your head at the idea of okra chips. But, let me tell you they are delicious! If you aren’t a fan of okra due to what some people call the “slime” factor, I can almost guarantee your mind will be changed after trying these chips.
There’s a grocery store in our area that I visit once, maybe twice, a year. It’s a special treat when I go because I’m a pretty frugal shopper and this store is most definitely high-end. For me, it’s hard to even call it a grocery store really. It’s more like a deli with a bit of grocery around the outside edges.
They have a wonderful bakery, very expensive meats, more cheese selections than I can count, and a fantastic prepared food section. It’s a food lover’s delight, and the prices reflect that big time.
One of the things I always buy when I go is a bag of their okra chips. It purely hurts my feelings to pay what they charge for them, but they’re just so darned good I can’t resist. Or I couldn’t until the last two times I bought them.
Both times they had a really bad off-taste. Like the oil they’d been cooked in had gone rancid. Yuck! It just broke my heart that my expensive treat went into the garbage bin.
So, instead of throwing away any more money, I decided to try to make them myself. It couldn’t be that hard. Or could it?
I searched the internet for recipes for baked okra chips and came up pretty much empty-handed. Most of the recipes I found were really for simple roasted okra. Which I do love, but roasted okra is still moist and tender. I wanted a crisp, tasty chip. Something that would crunch when I bit into it.
Then, I found something that looked promising. A recipe for chili-lime okra chips. Okay…I don’t want the chili-lime part, but the chip…oh, yeah. I switched up the seasoning to suit myself and the result was so amazing! Just one word of warning…if you like okra, you won’t be able to stop munching on these.
❤️ Why We Love This Crispy Okra Chip Recipe
- It’s a low-carb healthy alternative to potato chips.
- Okra chips satisfy that craving for something salty and crunchy.
- Kids love them and don’t complain about eating veggies!
🛒 Ingredient Notes
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- Fresh Okra – Choose pods that are bright green, firm, and without visible damage. The okra should not be too mature or tough. Young, tender pods are best.
- White Vinegar – A brief soak in a water and vinegar mix removes most of the mucilage, or “slime.”
- Olive Oil – There’s no need for expensive oil in this recipe. Plain olive oil is fine.
- Kosher Salt – I use Morton brand kosher salt for all my recipes unless stated otherwise.
- Garlic Powder – My choice of seasoning for the chips.
You’ll find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe at the bottom of this post.
🔪 How to Make Homemade Baked Okra Chips
- Start by preheating the oven to 500 degrees.
- Rinse the okra and slice each pod lengthwise.
- Place the sliced okra in a large bowl with enough water to completely cover. Add the vinegar and mix well. Let stand for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.
- Drain and rinse the sliced okra. Pat dry with paper towels.
- Place the prepared okra in a large bowl and drizzle over the olive oil. Sprinkle in the salt and garlic powder. Toss until all pods are coated evenly with the oil and seasonings.
👉 PRO TIP: Keep in mind that whatever seasonings you use will be greatly amplified during the cooking process. There is a lot of shrinkage of the okra which really concentrates any added flavors.
- Put the seasoned okra on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, turning the okra halfway through the cooking time.
👉 PRO TIP: After 20 minutes of cooking time, the above is what the okra will look like. Still tender but roasted. You can always stop here and serve it as a side dish if you like. For chips…keep going :-)
- Remove the pan from the oven and re-set the temperature to 170 degrees. When the oven has cooled to 170, return the pan to the oven and prop the door slightly open.
👉 PRO TIP: Metal tongs or a wooden spoon work well to hold the oven door open just slightly.
- Continue to bake for 2-3 hours or until crisp.
The final cooking time will depend on lots of factors – how small the okra is (smaller, young pods work best), how humid it is the day you’re cooking, etc. Try one after two hours and continue cooking if needed. I usually cook mine for about 3 hours, but it could take even 4 hours or more if it’s an especially humid day.
You can see in the photo above how much shrinkage there is during the cooking process! That one pound of okra becomes just a handful of chips, but it is so worth it! If you’re an okra lover, you’re going to really enjoy this recipe.
Be sure to let the chips cool completely before storing them. You can keep them in a sealed container for 2-3 days at room temperature.
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
Of course, okra chips make a great snack but they also complement any sandwich. If you’re having guests over for lunch and would like to serve something a little more elevated than the usual potato chips and sandwich, these are a great way to add a little interest to the meal!
I have some delicious sandwich recipes that would be just perfect like my Georgia BLT with Fried Green Tomatoes, Roasted Tomato Sandwich, Oven Baked Tuna Melt Sandwich on Ciabatta, or my Caprese Grilled Cheese Sandwich.
❓ Questions About Okra Chips in the Oven
Be sure to let the chips cool completely before storing them. You can keep them in a tightly sealed container for 2 days at room temperature.
Yes! The whole pod is edible. Many people tend to toss the tops when eating pickled okra especially because they are a little more fibrous. But, when you make okra chips you don’t have to worry. The tops will be perfectly crispy and crunchy right along with the rest of the okra pod.
Unfortunately, no. Freezing changes the cellular structure of okra, and most other vegetables as well, making it much less firm and more watery. You’ll need fresh okra for making crispy chips.
Possibly. However, I haven’t tested this recipe in either a dehydrator or air fryer.
More Questions? I’m happy to help!
If you have more questions about the recipe, or if you’ve made it and would like to leave a comment, scroll down to leave your thoughts, questions, and/or rating!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
📖 Recipe
Okra Chips
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh okra
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
- Rinse the okra and slice each pod lengthwise.
- Place the sliced okra in a large bowl with enough water to completely cover. Add the vinegar and mix well. Let stand for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.
- Drain and rinse the sliced okra. Pat dry with paper towels.
- Place the prepared okra in a large bowl and drizzle over the olive oil. Sprinkle in the salt and garlic powder. Toss until all pods are coated evenly with the oil and seasonings.
- Put the seasoned okra on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, turning the okra halfway through the cooking time.
- Remove the pan from the oven and re-set the temperature to 170 degrees. When the oven has cooled to 170, return the pan to the oven and prop the door slightly open.
- Continue to bake for 2-3 hours or until crisp.
Notes
- The final cooking time will depend on lots of factors – how small the okra is (smaller, young pods work best), how humid it is the day you’re cooking, etc. Try one after two hours and continue cooking if needed. I usually cook mine for about 3 hours, but it could take even hours 4 or more if it’s an especially humid day.
- Be sure to let the chips cool completely before storing them. You can keep them in a sealed container for 2-3 days at room temperature.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
— This post was originally published on June 25, 2013. It has been updated with additional information.
Have you tried them on a smoker.
I think I will see if I can use your recipe and do them on a smoker.
I haven’t tried this on a smoker.
I made this as a basic recipe and then experimented. I made three flavors like sriracha, honey soy sauce and ranch with a seasoning packet. Amazing. I am going to experiment with other flavors but this is the bomb.
Those sound like very interesting flavors! I might try the ranch option myself.
Lana,
I can’t wait to try this recipe in the next few days. I’m getting about 2 lbs of okra per day from my garden. I’ll be using your canned okra recipe tomorrow!
Question: Would it be possible to use an air fryer for the okra chips?
I haven’t tested this recipe in the air fryer.
Lana, could you also cut the okra across for “stars”? Do you think this would work if I adjusted the cooking time? Thank you!
Hi Diana. I haven’t tried cutting the okra crosswise for this recipe. My guess is that it would be so tiny it would cook down to nothing. But I could be wrong!
From the recipe—- Bake for 20 minutes, turning halfway through the cooking time. Turn the baking sheet or the okra?
You’ll turn the okra over halfway through.
Do I have to prop the door open when baking at 170? What happens if I dont?
Propping the door open helps the moisture to escape. Your chips won’t get as crisp or will take a lot longer with the door closed.
What is the purpose of the vinegar?
Vinegar reduces the sliminess of the cut okra.
HAVE you tried leaving them whole?
I haven’t. It would take much, much longer for them to crisp up if they were left whole.
Your recipe is the absolute best!
Love how you are descriptive in the perfect amount – have tried this three X & finally perfected the “crisp”!!!
Thank you so much <3
Love this preparation idea. I have a dehydrator, so I am going that way — just as soon as I finish off drying all these tomatoes from the garden
i have a dehydrator. I will try next time to dehydrate after the roasting. I am also going to try just roasting for a side dish. Sounds yum. Thanks for all the tips everyone. I will post back after I try with a dehydrator post roasting.
I switched them over to the dehydrator mid cooking because we needed the oven for other things. I left them in there for several more hours. They are crispy, but a bit tough to crunch. I think I will stick with the roasted because they smelled so good at that point because it is a sweet, short process. :-D
Would this work with frozenpods? They’re so cost effective at Kroger. Thanks for the recipe, too!
Personally, I wouldn’t try that. Freezing okra changes the texture so that you’d be starting out with a too soft product.
Janna, I thought about that too. So here’s what I’m gonna try. Defrost the okra, then, smush them all together, use gloves. Roll into balls, flatten them, salt and leave out till dry on paper towels Use the spices, cook in oven. I’m gonna do a small batch just to see if it works, I’ll let you know.
This is fantastic! I’m going to have to try this myself and post the results
I’m curious how well this would work if you put them in the dehydrator after roasting them instead of leaving them in the oven on low?
Wish I had an answer for you, but I don’t have a dehydrator. Maybe someone else who has tried that could give you an idea.
What about the slime? We’re going through a roll of paper towels trying to wipe it off.
I don’t wipe anything off when I make the chips. First of all, the “slime” doesn’t bother me and secondly it evaporates during cooking.
I Made these today and it turned out amazing. Recipe is simple to follow and even though the dehydrating time is long (3.5 hours for me today) it’s not like you’re actually stuck to the stove.
If you plan to make these for a certain meal I’d suggest to make the day before or plan out your time well with some extra.
Overall Delicious and easy to make!
What would happen if did not cut them in half and just use pods about 3inches long?
I haven’t tried that so I can’t say for sure, but I would imagine it would take a lot (A LOT!) longer for them to dry. You’d be better off using a dehydrator to dry whole pods, I think.
We bought them in a grocery store and went nuts! So delicious and crunchy!!!! And they were not cut. I imagine a pro dehydrator takes an important role to get the final shape and probably in less time. Soggy nooooo….
Hi I am baking my okra chips at 170 with the door cracked with a tong. I have been baking for 4 hours and the okra is not even warm. Is that normal? … Jerry
Yes, that’s correct. What you’re basically doing is dehydrating the okra and that is done at a low temperature. Any higher temp and they would cook rather than dehydrate.
Thanks Lana. When you said remove them from the oven and let them cool it seemed to me they were already cool.i guess that’s why I thought my oven was not hot enough. I was thinking about dusting them lightly with corn meal and flour during the 500 degree baking and see how they tasted at that stage. What do you think ?
Hmmm. I’m not sure. If you decide to give it a try, let me know you get on.
My okra were burnt after 20 minutes. However, I did fail to turn them over. Could that be the problem?
Thank you Lana! I was looking for online for some way to get okra chips cheaper since I had just tasted them for the first time at my local SProuts store and went NUTZ when I saw your site on how to make them. Making them is WAY better than buying them in my book. I can’t wait to try out your recipe! I am on my way to the sore right now!!
You’re welcome! Just remember – they do have to cook a LONG time. Probably a lot longer than you think. And maybe even longer depending on the humidity.
I am attempting to make these right now. Can hardly wait! They have been cooking about four hours — still not crispy. Curious: Why the propped open door?
That’s to help vent out the moisture. If you left the door shut, moisture would tend to circulate inside the oven.
I love this okra and like you I didn’t feel like paying almost $5 for a small canister at my local Walmart. I have tried to make this in the past and they still came out moist. After reading your post I understand why, I never would have cooked them that long. I think running my oven for 2 hours will be so expensive. Maybe if I had a dehydrator? I’m going to look for recipes using a dehydrator and see if that works better. I love your site. : )
I’ve got several trays in the oven now!
After rinsing, I salted & gave em a good whirl in my salad spinner to pull out some moisture.
Now if I can just stop eating them at the half dry stage maybe I’ll end up with some chips ;)
Oh, Lana! I’m about to be indebted to you for life. I first tried these okra chips from a market in Charleston and my husband about died–we loved them so much! So I thought how hard can it be? We went out and bought a dehydrator but I just couldn’t get the time figured out and they never turned out how we wanted. So I’m very excited to try this recipe! And I’ll trade you one–I have a recipe on my site for Hans Reuffert’s Honey Cumin Okra that is really fast and delicious :)
We didn’t get past the roasting part before the family inhaled them. Delicious like that. Maybe I can complete the whole process while the kids are at school. ;)
Is the vinegar mandatory? Is it got flavor or another purpose?
Do you cook them on 170 with the oven door propped open a little? That’s how it reads to me. Just making sure I read that right.
Yes, that’s correct.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I just tried some of these from my grocery store last night! They are, of course, gone! I loved them! I love okra, have since I was a kid and it doesn’t matter how it is prepared. But these are the BOMB! Thanks for the recipe. Will be trying this VERY soon! :-)
Debbie – just remember that the cooking time can vary greatly depending on how fresh the okra is, how humid the weather is, and many other things. Just keep cooking them until they get to the crispiness you like.
Love making homemade chips! Would you believe I’ve never had okra? Can’t wait to try this. And thanks for the link love!
Did you slice the okra just once per pod? I misread the recipe and sliced in three thin slice. It was a mess to wash and dry so I’m thinking only sliced in half may work better. Would love to know what others did.
Denise – I washed and dried it first then sliced each pod in half.
followed directions, okra been in the 170 oven degree for4 hours now and still chewy, not crispy?????
Hi Susan – the cooking time will depend on many factors. One – how humid it is in your area the day you’re cooking; and two – how fresh the okra is. Fresher okra will have a higher moisture content requiring longer cooking time to dry. If you’re cooking the okra chips on a day with high humidity that will also add to the cooking time. I’d encourage you to give them another couple of hours and test them again.
Yes, they were very fresh! I will try again, but hey, okra jerky is good too! :)
Okra jerky!!!! Maybe that’s what we are! Okra jerkies!
So excited to find this recipe. Cooking fresh cut from our garden right now for supper. Can’t wait to taste it! Thanks!
I tasted these for the first time today and I almost fell over! I am a big fan of raw okra. My dad would chase me out of his garden as a child saying who needs animals when they have a Ronda…. (ha ha) I noticed the dark green color which I noticed. ( I now following in Daddy’s footsteps and grow a garden and can) This means there was some cooking involved as okra turns dark green when cooked. Then the light flavor of raw okra. That says they are not cooked long. Now for the crisp, has to be dehydrated. You have managed to take all three things I observed and make it into a recipe!!! I thank you!!!!! My okra is just getting ready to harvest soon and I am afraid I have a new side dish for that fresh tomato sandwich…… Finally a chip I will eat!
Sorry for the errors in grammar. Finding this has me all excited I can’t type right!
They look great, can’t wait to give them a try.
Wow… these are fantastic… and yes, we have a couple of those type of stores here too, I like how you did not plug them…
I’m with you Lana, I like chili-lime, but I dunno ’bout with okra…
WOW! These chips look fabulous, Lana! Am like you…love okra any way I can get it!!! Must be a South Georgia thang, huh? LOL
Must be because I love it every way I’ve ever had it! I could eat it every day.
Now this is just a fantastic idea! I can’t wait to make these!
When you make them, I’d love to know how you like them!
I’ve never cooked with okra before, but these look way too good not to! Perfect snack :)
They’re a perfect afternoon snack! Of course, I have mine with a glass of sweet tea :-)
I think I can count on 2 fingers the number of times I’ve had okra. Not that I don’t like it, it’s just not a “thing” around here. These chips look fabulous!
I love okra, Brenda, in every way you can imagine. I’m kinda like the Forrest Gump of okra – roasted okra, boiled okra, fried okra, okra with peas, okra chips…
Can you tell me how to make ground Okra for soups. Can’t find a recipe or instructions online.
Hi Kimberly, unfortunately I don’t have any information on ground okra. Sorry I can’t help.
Interesting, kind of roasted then dehydrated…makes a lot of sense. I’ve never been a huge fan of okra, my husband’s mother deep fried them, but that sort of takes away the advantage of eating vegetables…but I like this and will try it.
Gotta love the internet for inspiration!
Yes, exactly! It is roasted for a bit and then allowed to dry at a low temperature until crispy. It creates a really intensified flavor.