Air Fryer Eggplant

Air Fryer Breaded Eggplant is a tasty and delicious dish. This can be a quick side dish, the main course, or a great snack. This is such a great and easy recipe, full of flavor, and soon to be a recipe that your entire family will love!

However you eat this, this is the perfect and crispy way to make homemade breaded eggplant in your air fryer. Crispy and absolutely delicious.

Growing up in an Italian household has its challenges, and one of them was my family could never get enough eggplant. Usually deep-fried in an Italian coating. We would often make a homemade Eggplant Parmesan, but we would always enjoy some leftover fried eggplant with the meal. So, how about some air fryer fried eggplant?

Cooking vegetables in the air fryer is so overlooked. Still, if you are looking for a tasty vegetable side dish, some of my favorites are AIR FRYER CORN ON THE COB, AIR FRYER FRIED CABBAGE, AIR FRYER BROCCOLI, and AIR FRYER BROCCOLI AND CHEESE CASSEROLE.

Eggplant

A lot of people are not familiar with eggplant. It is a vegetable that is found around the world. Although they all have different names, the common names are Eggplant, Aubergine, and Brinjal.

Eggplant is characterized by being a large purple fruit with a large green stem attached. However, it’s typically removed before you see it at the grocery store.

Eaten raw, you will notice that it is very bitter. Although once it’s cooked, it becomes very delicious. Many vegans and vegetarians use it as it’s a dense vegetable when cooked and takes the place of meat.

Air Fryer Breaded Eggplant

I love a great breaded eggplant slice; something is amazing about eating them. It reminds me of my childhood, watching my grandmother and mother make them in the frying pan.

I recently made a batch of breaded eggplant in my air fryer, and my mother was blown away. No oil, but the same great and delicious taste of a deep-fried breaded eggplant slice.

You heard me that hardly any oil is needed to get the same fried taste, saving you calories but never sacrificing your taste.

Typically you would continue with the breading to making Air Fryer Eggplant Parmesan, but if you want that, this is a great side dish and a great appetizer, much like Air Fryer Zucchini Chips.

How To Make Air Fryer Breaded Eggplant Slices

While you really can add a lot of seasoning to the eggplant, I find that you can get a great fast, and delicious Air Fryer Breaded Eggplant with some basic pantry spices.

Ingredients Needed For Air-Fried Eggplant Slices

If you’re looking for a delicious and easy way to prepare eggplant, you should definitely try air frying it. In this blog post, I’ll share with you the ingredients needed to make air fryer breaded eggplant. So, if you’re ready to get started, keep reading! 😉

This is an easy air fryer eggplant recipe, with simple ingredients, you can get the complete recipe and details in the recipe card below, at the end of the page.

• Eggplants: Choose firm eggplants.
• Olive Oil: you can also use coconut oil, avocado oil, or grapeseed oil
• Panko Breadcrumbs; Regular or Gluten-Free
• Grated Parmesan Cheese
• Seasonings: Black Pepper, Kosher Salt, and Parsley, you can also use Garlic Powder, Italian Seasoning, Onion Powder, and Fresh Parsley.
• All-Purpose Flour
• Eggs: Use large, room-temperature eggs.
• Serving: Serve with Tomato Sauce, Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, Pasta Sauce, or Fresh Basil

How To Air Fry Eggplant

Wash the eggplant, pat dry, put on a chopping board, and slice eggplant into half-inch slices, or eggplant rounds.. 

Get a chopping board, or use a baking sheet, and, line it with a paper towel, and place the eggplant discs flat on it. Sprinkle salt on each disc for the excess moisture in the eggplant to draw out for 30 minutes; this will make it extra crispy and cook faster, and the result will be crispy eggplant slices.

Set up your dredging station: Bowl One: Breadcrumb Mixture: In a large bowl place bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, black pepper, 2 Tsp salt, and all-purpose flour. Crack 3 eggs into a shallow bowl and whisk them together. 

After 30 minutes of the salt drawing out of the eggplant, place the eggplant into a sieve, and wash it under running water to get all the salt off. Pat the eggplant dry and get tissue paper to squeeze each eggplant to remove any water further.

Dip eggplant slices into the egg, ensuring all parts are covered. After this, dip the eggplant into the breadcrumbs mixture ensuring all parts are covered, then place it carefully on a chopping board. 

Onto each breaded eggplant, pour or spray on carefully some extra virgin olive oil. Line the air fryer basket with parchment paper. Carefully place the eggplant inside the air fryer. Turn the airfryer on to 180 C / 360 F for 10 minutes.

After 5 minutes, turn the breaded eggplant over with a pair of tongs and cook for a further 5 minutes. Place on a serving dish and top with chopped parsley or fresh basil.

Some Common Questions Asked About Delicious Air Fryer Eggplant

Do you Need To Peel Eggplant Before Air Frying?

No, although some people do peel it, it’s perfectly edible. My mother used to peel it before making eggplant parmesan, so it’s a more tender dish.

If you are making these for a quick snack, easy side dish, or an appetizer, you do not need to peel them, But either way is fine.

Why Do You Rinse Eggplant After Salting?

Yes, otherwise, you would have a very salty eggplant dish. To rinse, place all of the eggplant slices into a large colander, and rinse well.

This will ensure that your dish is perfectly seasoned.

You can either use table salt, kosher salt, or sea salt.

Do I Need To Flip My Eggplant?

This is a yes and no-answer. This answer is really dependent on what type of air fryer you own.

I personally recommend that everyone slips the eggplant halfway during the cooking process so that both sides of the eggplant get crispy.

How To Store

This eggplant crispy air fryer recipe does not stay very well after it’s cooked. After putting it into the refrigerator, it will start to get soggy.

So, for best results, eat it on the same day. But if you do have any leftovers. Let them cool to room temperature, and then place them into an airtight container.

How To Reheat Eggplant In Air Fryer

lace any of the leftover air fryer breaded eggplants into the basket, and then spray generously with some cooking spray.

Set the temperature to 350 degrees F, air fryer setting, for 4-6 minutes, just until warmed through.

How To Serve

If you are making these for a side dish, they really pair well with a lot of food. My favorite is either with a large garden salad or a large plate of pasta.

But they go with anything; they can also be used as vegan or vegetarian burger options. I would slice them thicker, however, if you were using them for that.

Dips For Breaded Eggplant

The most obvious choice for a dip to serve Air Fryer Breaded Eggplant along would be a simple marinara sauce, but it actually pairs so well with so many sauces, some of my favorites (affiliate links included):

• Whole Foods Market Alfredo Sauce with Roasted Garlic, 14.5 oz
• Classico Traditional Pizza Sauce (14 oz Jar)
• Gino Angelini Authentic Italian Artisanal Sauces – LIMONE, Lemon, Cream, & Parmigiano, 15 ounce, Pack of 2

More Air Fryer Recipes

• AIR FRYER ZUCCHINI PIZZA BOATS
• EASY AIR FRYER CORN ON THE COB
• AIR FRYER ROASTED PEAR SALAD
• AIR FRYER BUTTERNUT SQUASH FRIES

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