This post contains affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
22 Baked Popcorn Okra. Okra / Bhindi coated in chickpea flour batter, tossed in spiced breadcrumbs and baked until crunchy crisp. Vegan Recipe, can be gluten-free and oil-free. Pin this Recipe.
You know what tastes amazing breaded and crisped. I think everything! Lets bread some okra today.
Chop up some okra in bite size pieces. Make a batter of chickpea flour and water or use other flour of choice. Make the breading with chipotle pepper, cumin, nutritional yeast or use other blends like cajun, garam masala, southern fried spice or blackening spice blend. Dip the okra in the batter, remove using a slotted spoon, coat in breadcrumb mixture and bake. Done! I think I just might start to like okra when all crisped up this way. I think green beans might be fun to bread too. Have you tried breading brussels sprouts?
More okra and some breaded recipes from the blog
- Okra in tamarind coconut sauce
- Bhindi Zunka – Okra crusted with chickpea flour and spices.
- Okra and Onion Stir fry
- Breaded Tofu Strips
- Crispy spicy Cauliflower.
Prepare your breading station. Make the chickpea batter. in another bowl, mix the breadcrumbs and spices.
Toss in chickpea batter then toss in breadcrumb mixture.
Place on baking sheet and bake until crisp.
Cool slightly and serve with ketchup, chutneys, ranch or other sauce of choice. 
Baked Popcorn Okra
Ingredients
- 1.5 to 2 cups chopped okra
Batter:
- 1/3 cup chickpea flour, you might need an additional tbsp if using besan
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 tsp garlic
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp oil
Breading:
- 1 cup breadcrumbs, use gf breadcrumbs or cornmeal to make glunte-free
- 1.5 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp chipotle pepper powder
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp turmeric, optional
- 1/2 tsp garlic
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Chop the okra. In a bowl mix the batter ingredients. It should be the consistency of thick buttermilk. Add a few tsp more water or flour if needed.
- In another bowl, mix all the breading ingredients well. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F / 220ºc.
- Add chopped okra, a half cup at a time into the batter bowl, remove using slotted spoon, tap to drop the excess batter, Transfer to breading bowl. Move the pieces around to coat, transfer to baking sheet. I put a lid on the breading bowl and move it around. This works if you ensure that there is not too much excess batter on the okra pieces. Repeat for all the okra.
- Spray oil on the breaded okra(optional). Bake at 425 degrees F / 220ºc for 20 to 23 minutes or until golden.Serve warm with chutneys, ketchup or sauces of choice! or add to salads or dal bowls.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I love this idea so much. Chickpea flour will probably work so well for lending an awesome crunch and flavor!
Can’t find nutritional yeast in India. Do you have any suggestions for a substitute? Or better yet, do you know of any place where I can get nutritional yeast in India? 😛
in this recipe, you can omit it, since there is enough flavor going on. Nutritional yeast is available in some selective shops in Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi.
I love okra and this sounds delicious! I’ll have to try it.
Looks yummy! When you say garlic, do you mean fresh or powdered?
powder
Thanks!
Apiecalypse, a vegan eatery in Toronto ,makes a fantastic version of jalapeno poppers.I might replicate that at home, using this recipe.
Thank you!
Omigosh, Popcorn Okra is one of the best ideas I’ve ever heard of… like ever! It’s really awesome that you made these baked too–less guilt and all of that. I’ve never tried breading brussels sprouts, but I’ve done cauliflower, tofu, oreos… well, this list could be long and embarrassing. Haha. Thanks for sharing this delightfully crispy recipe. Now I’m off to get a gallon or two of dip…
😀 yes i have breaded cauliflower and tofu too. oreos, ha, now that would be fun 🙂
Can I use a different flour if I don’t have chickpea flour?
Yes you can use white or whole wheat flour.
What is the difference between chickpea flour & basen? Thanks.
Chickpea flour in the US is generally ground white chickpeas, while Besan is ground Brown chickpeas (Kala chana or chana dal). Besan is also ground finer than chickpea flour. Because of these differences, chickpea flour generally makes a thicker batter and needs more water to achieve the similar consistency as besan batter if the recipe was written with besan. The reverse applies to recipes written with chickpea flour. In general this does not matter much and both can be used interchangeably in recipes. However, if used in baking keep this in mind to adjust the liquid.
Can you use frozen okra? I rarely find fresh. If so, any changes to the recipe? Do I thaw it first? Does it change the bake time? Thanks, it looks amazing.
Hi Jane, you might need to add 2-3 mins to the bake time as the frozen okra will have a bit more moisture. Thaw the okra slightly and then use, so the moisture on the okra will get used in the coating and not release later during baking. Let me know how it turns out, since i haven’t tried this particular recipe with frozen.