• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Waves in the Kitchen logo

  • Food
    • Recipe Index
      • Colors & Seasons
  • Photography
  • Adventure
  • About
    • Shop
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Food
    • Recipe Index
      • Colors & Seasons
  • Adventure
  • About
    • Shop
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    You are here: Home / Food / All Red Okra Things

    All Red Okra Things

    Dec 7, 2020 · 4 Comments

    81 shares
    • Share
    • Tweet

    A relative newcomer to the green okra game, red okra is completely edible and absolutely positively stunning and completely edible! 

    Learn about these ravishing red beauties! 

    Red Okra in a silver little skillet on a white background; overhead shot.

    What is Red Okra & Where does it come from?

    Red okra refers to all the okra varieties whose pods are… RED!
    Okra, the seed pod of a flowering plant in the mallow family (which includes cotton, hibiscus and hollyhock), is native to Ethiopia. 
    These edible pods, filled with tiny white seeds, have generally been green. 
    Until the 80’s that is! 
    When ‘red burgundy’ was bred by Leon Robbins at Clemson University in South Carolina, in 1983. It remains the most prevalent red variety. 
    Their color comes from anthocyanins – a natural plant pigment. 
    Red okra is sometimes called magenta or purple okra.Other names for okra include ladies’ fingers or ochro. 

    Red Okra Varieties 

    Red okra varieties include:

    • Red Velvet
    • Royal Burgundy 
    • Little Lucy
    • Aunt Hettie’s Red 
    • Hill Country Red 
    Big plan pan filled with red okra; Daniela Gerson's hands in frame holding pan; overhead shot.

    Cooking with Red Okra

    The one downside to ravishing red okra: 

    it loses its color when cooked! The lovely reds and magentas fade to a brownish-green. Just as delicious but not quite as colorful. 

    Fun Fact: Okra is actually a fruit though it’s eaten as a vegetable!

    The green pods are popular in Africa, the Middle East, Greece, Turkey, India, the Caribbean, South America and the Southern U.S. Green okra, first introduced to US kitchen in the 18th century, have become a cornerstone in southern cuisine such as gumbo. 
    Red okra can be cooked in all the same ways as their green counterparts and easily interchanged in any recipe as well. 

    If the dish can be made with green okra, red will work too! And vice versa.

    Prepping the pods: rinse and pat dry; leave whole or cut or slice into rounds, lengthwise or diagonally. 
    Cooking options: blanching, boiling, frying, deep-frying, grilling, sautéing, pickling and pan-roasting.

    So many options… note that okra gets softer and more tender the longer it’s cooked. For that perfect crisp-soft, crunchy texture, cook it quickly!
    Or take advantage of its sliminess to thicken thickener for stews, soup and gumbo.

    What’s Up with Okra Sliminess? 

    When the pods are cut, they exude a thick and slimy substance called mucilage. This mucilaginous juice acts as a thickener for stews, soup and gumbo. 
    If you’re not into slimy sticky substances, avoid cutting an okra pods as it’s a part of the okra package. The right cooking methods can reduce it, but none can entirely get rid of it
    When preparing, remember that the more the okra is cut, the slimier it will become.

    Does Red kind of Okra Really Taste Different from the Green?

    Nope… not really. The flavor is generally mild and the greatest variation between varieties is pod length. 

    There’s not much different between red and green okra other than color! 

    That said, every single okra variety will have a *slightly* different albeit very nuanced, flavor. If you can actually taste the difference depends on have developed your okra palette is. 

    Fresh red okra pods in a black pan held by Daniela Gerson; overhead shot on a black background.
    1 lone green okra in a seed of red!

    Buying & Storing Red Okra

    Season: late spring – Summer 
    Okra thrives in warm, humid weather. The leading okra-growing states in the US are Texas, Georgia, California and Florida. 

    Choosing Fresh Okra: it should feel firm but not hard 

    Buying: Head to your local farmers market to look for red okra! Grocery stores will carry green okra throughout the summer months (and may import it in the winter ones).

    Storing: Okra can be stored in the fridge’s crisper, in paper bags or loosely wrapped in plastic, up to 4 days. Or blanched okra can freeze for up to a year. 

    Tip: to avoid any additional okra sliminess, don’t wash until ready to use it. 

    Though quite similar to their green okra counterparts, hope this post inspired ya to get your ravishing red okra game on! 

    Just try to not be too disappointed when the lovely reds and magentas fade to a brownish-green when cooked! Still delicious… just no longer red. 

    Stoked on the colors of produce?!

    Check out these hot Pink Apples, Rainbow Apples, Pink Lemons and Rainbow Tomatoes!

    Have ya tried this recipe? I’d love to hear about it and see it too! Please leave a comment below and take a pic and tag it on Instagram with @DanielaGerson. You can also follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest to see more colorfully delicious food and all sorts of awesome adventures!

    Let's make waves in the kitchen!

    « Fresh Cranberry Pork Chops
    Cranberry Chicken »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. June babin says

      June 30, 2021 at 8:59 am

      We’re trying to grow them this year. Beautiful color! Wish they would stay that color when cooked.

      Reply
      • Daniela Gerson says

        September 11, 2021 at 1:37 pm

        Likewise. +thank you! Mine always turn brown with the heat. That's so rad you're growing them!

        Reply
    2. Sarah Deo says

      September 20, 2022 at 8:49 pm

      Informative article. Thank you.

      In India, to prevent/reduce sliminess that occurs when okra is cooked, okra is always cooked alongwith a souring agent such as dry mango powder ('amchur') , tamarind, Garcinia indica ('kokum').

      Reply
      • Daniela Gerson says

        September 25, 2022 at 10:54 am

        Wowie Sarah really love ya sharing how you cook okra in India! I'd love to go and eat it there sometime! Thanks so much for the sweet feedback :).

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Meet Daniela

    VEGGIES ARE SEXY 

    Hi, I'm Daniela - a Los Angeles based food photographer and creative director. I began my career as a chef with a passion for sourcing colorful produce from local markets. I love emphasizing the beauty of real food with my images. I’m also a food stylist and recipe developer with a gorgeous prop-filled studio in Venice, California.

    Daniela Gerson Photography

    Subscribe to the Newsletter

    PDN First Place Taste

    Popular Fall Recipes

    Beet Hummus with Parsley, Lemon Zest, Za'atar & Flaky Sea Salt, in a white bowl.

    Beet Hummus

    Finished tart with tahini swirl, side angle shot.

    Chocolate Tahini Tart

    Cranberry Gingersnap Pie. Topped with sugared cranberries and sugared thyme. Side Ange shot. Up close. On a black background.

    Cranberry Gingersnap Pie

    Citrus & Fresh Herb Roasted Salmon. Pre Oven with blood oranges, lemons, Meyer lemons, limes, kumquats, red onions, garlic, parsley, and dill on the salmon.

    Citrus & Fresh Herb Roasted Salmon

    Mascarpone Cheesecake with balsamic roasted long stemmed strawberries, out of the spring form pan, 45 degree angle shot.

    Amaretto & Mascarpone Cheesecake

    Pomegranate Chicken topped with pomegranate arils and parsley, in cast iron skillet on a white background; overhead shot.

    Pomegranate Chicken

    Popular Posts

    Beet Hummus with Parsley, Lemon Zest, Za'atar & Flaky Sea Salt, in a white bowl.

    Beet Hummus

    Raw chicken thighs topped with cherries and rosemary in a skillet; overhead shot.

    Cherry Chicken

    Finished tart with tahini swirl, side angle shot.

    Chocolate Tahini Tart

    Cranberry Gingersnap Pie. Topped with sugared cranberries and sugared thyme. Side Ange shot. Up close. On a black background.

    Cranberry Gingersnap Pie

    Easy to make No-Bake delicious Cheesecake topped with fresh strawberries, date syrup, and flaky salt; side angle shot on a grey background.

    No-Bake Cheesecake

    Citrus & Fresh Herb Roasted Salmon. Pre Oven with blood oranges, lemons, Meyer lemons, limes, kumquats, red onions, garlic, parsley, and dill on the salmon.

    Citrus & Fresh Herb Roasted Salmon

    Sites that have featured Waves in the Kitchen

    Copyright © 2023 Waves in the Kitchen • Privacy Policy • Disclosure

    81 shares