• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Biscuits & Burlap logo

  • Home
  • Browse Recipes
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Browse Recipes
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Southern Classics » Fried Squash: A Southern Classic

    Published: Jun 7, 2022 · Modified: Jan 5, 2023 by Pam

    Fried Squash: A Southern Classic

    Thanks for sharing!

    209 shares
    • Share
    • Tweet
    • Yummly
    • Email
    Jump to Recipe
    pin image for 4 ingredient fried squash.

    Just 4 simple ingredients in this classic recipe for southern fried squash. Have the best of summer’s bounty on your table in just minutes!

    plate of southern fried squash.

    You can find recipes for frying squash that involve lots of time, dishes being dirtied and ingredients like eggs, milk and flour. But all of that is really unnecessary, y’all. To let the flavor of the vegetable shine through, we suggest you keep it simple.

    Just 4 ingredients are needed

    • Squash – The classic choice is yellow crookneck squash, also known simply as yellow squash. You’ll find them in every market, grocery store, and most home gardens in the south each summer. Zucchini would work just fine with this recipe as well.
    • Cornmeal – While we do love our “cornmeal mix” and use it all the time (just check out our Southern Cornbread Dressing or Buttermilk Cornbread Muffin recipes) in this case you want to use plain cornmeal. Yellow or white is fine.
    • Salt – Plain old table salt. No need to get fancy here.
    • Vegetable Oil – Our oil of choice is canola, but whatever you have on hand will work just fine.

    (see recipe card below for quantities)

    ingredients for frying squash.

    How to fry squash the quick and easy way

    1. If you can leave your squash sitting on the counter for a while it’s great. Room temperature squash means the heat of the oil won’t take as long to recover as when you add cold squash. If you’re in a hurry – don’t worry about it. Just add the squash more gradually.
    2. Trim both ends off the washed squash and then cut into approximately ¼ inch thick slices.
    3. Mix the cornmeal and salt in a plate or other shallow dish.
    4. Heat the oil. The sweet spot I’ve found is between medium and medium-high on my stovetop.
    5. Dredge each squash slice in the cornmeal/salt mixture. You may have to pat a little to make sure the cornmeal adheres well to the squash, but the moisture from the squash will most likely do the job for you.
    6. Add the squash slices to the hot oil and fry about 1 and a half to 2 minutes per side, or until golden brown.
    7. Drain on paper towels before serving.
    plate of fried squash with some raw squash alongside.

    Tips and Tricks

    This is really a simple and easy method for preparing one of summer’s favorite comfort foods. But – just to make sure you love your fried squash as much as we do keep these tips in mind:

    • Make sure you are using fresh squash that has firm flesh and minimal brown spots.
    • Keep the size of your squash slices as close as possible. We recommend about ¼ inch, but if you go ⅓ or even ½ inch thick you’ll be fine as long as the slices are consistent.
    • Add squash slices to hot oil gradually so the temperature of the oil has time to recover. I usually add my slices from left to right in the skillet so I know which ones have been cooking the longest.
    • Drain briefly on a paper towel lined plate before serving.

    How to serve your squash/what to serve with it:

    This is a traditional southern summer side dish and you can’t go wrong pairing it with other southern classics like country fried steak, fried chicken, and easy buttermilk biscuits.

    If you like to update and have some fun serving your old classics, we suggest trying these Yellow Squash Fritters or pairing your fried squash with something to dip the slices in for extra flavor. Remoulade Sauce is a favorite of ours, but everyone will also love a classic Ranch dressing, just like we serve with our Fried Pickles.

    remoulade sauce for dipping with plate of fried squash.
    white plate with fried squash and yellow napkin.

    Fried Squash: A Southern Classic

    Pam
    Just 4 simple ingredients in this classic recipe for southern fried squash. Have the best of summer's bounty on your table in just minutes!
    5 from 11 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 6 mins
    Cook Time 4 mins
    Course Side Dish
    Cuisine Southern
    Servings 3 people
    Calories 246 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 pound yellow crookneck squash sliced in ¼ inch slices
    • ½ cup cornmeal white or yellow
    • ¾ teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup vegetable oil

    Instructions
     

    • Mix cornmeal and salt in plate or shallow dish.
    • Dredge each squash slice in cornmeal mixture and set aside.
    • Heat oil in skillet until hot. Between medium and medium high on stovetop is recommended.
    • Add squash slices to hot oil being careful to not crowd or overlap.
    • Cook 1½-2 minutes per side or until golden brown.
    • Remove from oil and drain briefly on paper towels before serving.

    Notes

    • Zucchini squash may be used instead of yellow squash
    • Room temperature squash will require less time for oil temperature to recover when adding to skillet. 
    • Don’t crowd squash slices in skillet. It may take 2-3 skilletfuls to cook all squash.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 8slicesCalories: 246kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 4gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 9gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gSodium: 585mgPotassium: 482mgFiber: 4gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 302IUVitamin C: 26mgCalcium: 25mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword classic southern, squash
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    More recipes for southern summers

    vertical image of Mediterranean cucumber salad in a bowl
    Mediterranean Cucumber Salad
    low carb tomato pie with slice out and tomatoes behind
    Crustless Tomato Pie
    ladle of san marzo sauce over pan
    San Marzano Tomato Sauce
    caramelized peaches in skillet
    Caramelized Peaches
    Air fryer okra
    Air Fryer Fried Okra
    jar of pickled okra with another jar behind
    Spicy Pickled Okra

    Categories: Reader Favorites Tags: side dish

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Bea says

      June 10, 2022 at 3:07 pm

      Can’t wait to try it. Just picked some squash. Do you think it would work in the air fryer?

      Reply
      • Pam says

        June 12, 2022 at 5:46 pm

        I feel sure it would Bea, though we have not tested it in the air fryer. Let us know if you try it.

        Reply
    2. Nana says

      June 10, 2022 at 7:13 pm

      Great sounding with the cornmeal. I’ve never tried it for breading before. Why do you recommend canola (Canada) oil? It is almost entirely disguised soybean oil snuck in for higher profit. And of course soybean oil is not safe to eat as it isn’t really food at all. Good EVOO, early harvest, cold pressed,single origin is actually healthy, delicious, and safe to 400 degrees.

      Reply
      • Pam says

        June 12, 2022 at 5:45 pm

        That’s interesting Nana. We’ll check into canola oil not being what it’s marketed as. We do love our good quality EVOO too, but talk about expensive! We will do a little research and check back.

        Reply
        • Pam says

          June 13, 2022 at 10:09 am

          FOLLOW UP: We’ve done the research and find no legitimate basis for the statement that canola oil is “almost entirely disguised soybean oil snuck in for higher profit.” In fact, canola oil is widely recognized by nutritionists as one of, if not the healthiest vegetable oilS available. Therefore, we stand by our recommendation.

          As for the statement “soybean oil is not safe to eat as it isn’t really food at all” we think that most readers realize that is total hogwash. I’d love to send this person a photo of my cousin’s beautiful field of soybeans at his farm.

          We try not to censor comments unless they are offensive, but we also want to be sure y’all are well informed.

          Reply
    3. Mirlene says

      June 15, 2022 at 2:38 pm

      5 stars
      I love this idea! I’ve never thought of using cornmeal and squash together. I usually just roast the squash. I’m going to try this out for sure.

      Reply
    4. Dannii says

      June 15, 2022 at 3:19 pm

      5 stars
      I am always looking for new ways to eat squash and these look amazing.

      Reply
    5. Andrea says

      June 15, 2022 at 3:20 pm

      5 stars
      We love fried squash but had no idea it was this easy to make. Will be making this often while squash is in season!

      Reply
    6. Jacq says

      June 15, 2022 at 3:22 pm

      5 stars
      Family loved this fried squash and so did my son who usually dislikes anything with squash in it…so that was a huge win. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Pam says

        June 16, 2022 at 9:21 am

        Wow! Thanks for letting us know and for the 5 stars!

        Reply
    7. Amy says

      June 15, 2022 at 3:50 pm

      5 stars
      Fried squash is so good! This recipe is so delish and easy to follow!

      Reply

    Tell us what you think! Cancel reply

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

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Hey, y'all!

    Pam and Sara sitting on blanket with picnic.
    Photo cred: Angie Webb Creative

    We’re Pam and Sara, a Southern mother/daughter team on a mission. We’re here to help you keep those precious food memories alive and create new ones, too. 

    Read more-

    Recent Posts

    • Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies with Brown Butter
    • Crustless Breakfast Quiche
    • Southwestern Salad: Entree’ or Side
    • Creamy Gorgonzola Dressing

    Christmas Dishes

    • Key Lime Cookies
    • Brioche French Toast Casserole
    • Vegetable Au Gratin
    • Roasted Carrots and Green Beans

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Us
    • Disclosures and Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact Us
    • Work With Us

    Copyright © 2021 Biscuits & Burlap

    209 shares