Fried Eggplant - The Plant Based School (2024)

Our fried eggplant recipe is super crunchy outside and tender inside; we make it without eggs, and it’s suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

It’s an easy recipe to make, with six simple ingredients. Serve it with our delicious homemade marinara sauce on top of a delicious Italian salad for a tasty family dinner.

This dish is simple, and we serve it with a pinch of salt on top and homemade marinara sauce.

The combination of crispy, soft, salt, and saucy makes this one of the best ways to enjoy eggplants.

And yes, you’ll have to fry this in oil to make it taste so good. But by following our simple tips, and thanks to our choice of ingredients, the eggplant won’t absorb much oil.

Also, since we substitute chickpea flour for eggs, this recipe is healthier than you might think.

To make it vegan, you can easily substitute the parmesan cheese for a vegan cheese alternative.

Eggplants

We recommend using globe eggplant (the large ones with dark shiny skin) or zebra eggplants (the light purple ones with white stripes). They are easy to work with, and you can cut nice round slices that almost look like cutlets.

Chickpea Flour

Sometimes known as garbanzo bean flour, chickpea flour is incredible! It’s a perfect egg replacement for this recipe, and mixed with water creates the perfect batter to coat the eggplant in.

Chickpea flour is also healthy and nutritious, with virtually no saturated fats and fewer calories than eggs. Also, we find that chickpea flour absorbs less oil and helps develop a super crispy coating.

If you don’t feel ready to try our chickpea flour batter, you can use a large egg beaten in a shallow bowl with a pinch of salt and a touch of black pepper.

Breadcrumbs

Any breadcrumbs will do. You can make them yourself with stale bread in a food processor or get them at the store. Opt for panko breadcrumbs for a super crunchy coating that turns heads. They are crunchier than regular ones because they are pre-baked and absorb less oil.

To make the recipe gluten-free, you can use gluten-free panko crumbs.

Cheese

We mix the cheese with the breadcrumbs to make a tasty breading that sticks together.

You can use grated parmesan cheese or grated pecorino romano for an even tastier coating, or you can easily replace the cheese with a vegan alternative.

Tip for vegans: if you find a finely grated vegan parmesan alternative go for it, it’s going to work great.

If you can’t find that, choose one of those shredded generic vegan cheeses that look like grated mozzarella cheese, they are everywhere these days. Then, put it in a food processor with a pinch of salt and pulse a few times until it looks like it’s been finely grated.

Salt and Pepper

We use sea salt or kosher salt and black pepper to season the batter and to sprinkle on top of the fried eggplant slices once they are fried.

Step 1: Prep the Ingredients

Wash and dry the eggplant, remove the stem, and cut it into 1/5 to 1/4-Inch eggplant slices (0.5 cm). Peeling the eggplant is not necessary.

To a container with low edges, mix together breadcrumbs, grated parmesan cheese (or vegan alternative), a pinch of salt, and a few twists of black pepper.

To a bowl, whisk together the chickpea flour, water, and salt, until you get a smooth, lump-free batter. We use this instead of an egg mixture.

Step 2: Bread the Eggplants

Dip the eggplant slices in the chickpea batter first, let excess batter drip off, then dredge in the breadcrumbs-cheese mixture.

Ensure the eggplant slice is fully coated in breadcrumbs, patting it with your hands to make the mixture stick. Set breaded eggplant slices aside on a platter.

Step 3: Fry the Eggplants

In a large skillet that can fit 3 to 4 eggplant slices, warm up the frying oil to 320°F or 160°C. Use a kitchen thermometer to check oil temperature before and during frying.

Add at least 1 and 1/4 inches of oil (3 cm) to the pan. It’s counterintuitive, but adding more oil will not result in fatter eggplants.

Fry in batches, 3 to 4 slices at a time, for 6 minutes; flipping them once after 3 minutes. They should be crisp and golden brown.

Take the eggplant slices out of the oil and arrange them on a cooling rack lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil. Sprinkle with salt or salt flakes.

You can serve fried eggplant as a starter or side dish on a platter, with finely chopped parsley on top, salt, and lemon wedges.

They are delicious dipped in our vegan mayo or homemade marinara sauce.

To add some greens, we recommend combining them with our simple and crunchy side salad, or if you want to turn them into a light dinner, you can serve them with our Italian salad.

Finally, fried eggplants are also delicious on pasta with plenty of marinara sauce, fresh basil, and a drizzle of olive oil.

This way, they will taste very similar to eggplant parmesan, thanks to the tomato and basil, and they are perfect as a main.

If you are not into deep frying foods, you can make this recipe in the air fryer. To do so, we recommend you replace the chickpea flour batter with unsweetened plant milk.

Then follow the same steps, coating the eggplants with the breadcrumb mixture.

Finally, place the breaded eggplant slices in the air fryer basket without overlapping, drizzle with olive oil, and air fry for about 13 to 15 minutes at 390°F or 200°C.

Check out our full recipe e how to make air fryer eggplants, where we show several air-frying techniques.

Most people salt or soak eggplants out of habit. In the past, eggplants used to be bitter, and putting them under salt would reduce bitterness as the salt pulls out some of their water.

However, in the last couple of decades, eggplants have been bread not to be bitter.

This means that eggplants that you buy today in the supermarkets don’t need to be salted before being cooked. There’s no bitterness to remove.

There is one case, though, when salting eggplants might still make sense. And that’s with fried eggplants.

When deep frying, the water contained in the eggplant is trapped inside by the hot oil, and it won’t escape (as opposed to when you roast, grill, or sautée eggplants).

The water trapped inside can make the eggplant a little moist and juicy; some people might not like that.

We personally love a fried eggplant that is crunchy outside while tender and juicy on the inside; therefore, we do not salt them before frying them.

But if you’d like a firmer, dryer, and less moist fried eggplant, you should probably salt it before frying.

First, cut the eggplant into slices as described in the recipe.

Arrange the eggplant slices on a cooling rack or a baking grid, placing a baking tray underneath to catch the liquid.

Alternatively, you can arrange eggplant slices on a cutting board or baking tray on top of paper towels.

Sprinkle the eggplant slices with coarse salt. The salt must be coarse because fine salt will penetrate the eggplant, making it too salty.

Let the salt do its magic for about 1 to 1.5 hours max. That’s the ideal time. Don’t let the salt sit on the eggplant for more than 1.5 hours, or they’ll get too salty.

As time passes, you’ll see the eggplant release some water.

Next, rinse the eggplants under tap water, then dry each slice well with kitchen paper before proceeding with your recipe.

And that’s how you salt eggplants to remove some of their liquid.

Fried eggplants don’t store well, and you should eat them soon after they are fried because they lose their crunch if stored in the fridge.

If you have any leftovers, keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days, then use them to make a delicious pasta dish.

Warm them up in the microwave for a couple of minutes, then chop them up, and add them to a short pasta cooked al dente (penne, rotini, fusilli, or farfalle), halved cherry tomatoes, chopped fresh parsley and basil, a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and black pepper.

Toss the pasta well and enjoy it as a delicious eggplant pasta salad.

If you love cooking with eggplant, see these aromatic eggplant recipes that can help you decide on your next dinner:

• Chickpea pasta with eggplant and fresh herbs
• Stuffed eggplant with veggies and pesto
• Roasted eggplant to top on focaccia, pizza, or use in parmigiana
• Eggplant pizza, which is a fantastic addition to pizza night
• Pasta alla Norma: a classic Italian pasta dish with soft and aromatic eggplant
• Eggplant soup: is a light and tasty dish with a few fresh ingredients
• Risotto with eggplant with small cubes of tender eggplant
• Eggplant dip with grilled and charred eggplant and a creamy-dreamy texture

Or get even more ideas with our 35 best eggplant recipes, including salads, pasta dishes, and healthy sides.

Chickpea flour is a great way to replace eggs, but there are numerous ways to cook tasty and eggless meals. Check out these family favorites:

• Vegan egg salad with tofu and vegan mayo
• Fried zucchini three ways; with air fryer, deep fried, and baking tips.
• Chickpea frittata muffins with veggies
• Vegan custard with a bright yellow color
• Zucchini frittata with chickpea flour
• Chickpea crepes served with sauteed mushrooms

You can also see our best 25 chickpea recipes and get more inspiration for cooking without eggs.