Air Fryer Eggplant made with a crispy herb and spice seasoning is an easy and versatile side dish to enjoy with your dinner. My family doesn't typically love egg plant but when it's cooked in the air fryer and can become a little more crispy than normal, I don't get many complaints!
This unique recipe is made with a partial breading of fresh or dried herbs and dried seasonings, plus crispy panko bread crumbs. Whether you love eggplant on the soft and tender side or simply want to find a way to make this watery vegetable a little more "crunchy", the panko bread crumbs and your air fryer help to do just that!
I won't lie- you are unlikely to come across a recipe or secret method that actually turns water-filled eggplant into something crisp like cauliflower, asparagus or broccoli. It's just not the way of eggplant, much like it's cousin zucchini.
So instead of trying to hard and ending up frustrated at the way eggplant naturally works, I make mine with a light, crispy breading! This gives it that little crunch that we're hoping to get from our air fryer when we roast vegetables.
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Ingredients
- Eggplant, cut into 1-2 inch pieces
- Salt
- Extra virgin olive oil: or any other neutral cooking oil
- Panko bread crumbs
- Herbs: fresh or dried oregano, thyme and parsley
- Spices: black pepper, red pepper flakes, cumin
How To Prepare Eggplant For Cooking
Preparing eggplant for cooking involves a few simple steps. Because eggplant is made of mostly water, you'll want to draw as much moisture out of the eggplant before cooking as possible. This will help the eggplant cook more firmly rather than turn mushy or soggy.
- Rinse the eggplant under running water.
- Trim the ends. Cut off the stem and blossom end of the eggplant.
- Peel (optional): If desired, you can peel the eggplant with a vegetable peeler.
- Cut the eggplant into 1-2 inch chunks (for this recipe) or other shapes for other recipes.
- Salt the eggplant to draw out water. Put the eggplant in a colander in the sink or over a large bowl. Sprinkle the eggplant chunks with a generous amount of salt and let them sit for at least 60 minutes or up to 2 hours. Don't worry about how much salt you use here, as you're going to rinse it off. The important thing is to make sure each eggplant piece has been salted and the water is allowed to drain for at least 1 hour.
- Rinse the salt off and pat the eggplant completely dry with a paper towel.
Do You Need To Peel An Eggplant Before Cooking?
Peeling an eggplant before cooking it is optional. The deep purple skin of an eggplant contains nasunin, a unique antioxidant that is believed to to preserve and protect cell membranes from free radicals, according to WebMD. So I say keep the skin and enjoy the extra benefits of it! The skin is easy to chew and should not be tough after its air fried.
How To Air Fry Eggplant
- Place 1 lb eggplant chunks or slices in a colander. Sprinkle with 3-4 tablespoon salt. Toss to coat all pieces in the salt and put the colander in the sink or a large bowl for 1-2 hours to allow moisture to be drawn out of the eggplant. Rinse the salt off the eggplant and thoroughly dry with paper towels.
- Toss the eggplant chunks with 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 6 tablespoon panko bread crumbs, 2 tablespoon dried oregano, 1 tablespoon dried thyme, 1 tablespoon dried parsley, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes and ¼ teaspoon cumin. Mix well to coat. You can also use an Italian seasoning blend in place of the herbs.
- Arrange the eggplant chunks in the air fryer basket or tray in a single layer and not touching. Air fry at 400℉ for 12-15 minutes, until the eggplant breading is crispy and golden brown. Work in batches if needed.
- Remove the eggplant from the air fryer immediately. Taste and season with salt if desired. Enjoy!
What To Serve With Eggplant
If you need ideas for serving this delicious vegetable, here are some good ideas:
- With air fried chicken teriyaki or barbecue cheddar meatloaf
- Mixed with air fried kielbasa
- As a side with air fried ribeye steak or some air fried hot dogs
- Along with air fryer salmon
Kristina's Tips
- Don't let the eggplant pieces touch in the air fryer basket.
- Always air fry eggplant in a single layer, working in batches if necessary.
- Remove cooked eggplant from the basket immediately and don't keep in the warm air fryer. If kept in a warm air fryer, it will steam and turn mushy.
- Leftover eggplant will lose much of its firmness in the fridge. It will still taste good, but you probably want to reheat it in the oven or air fryer rather than a microwave.
How To Use Fresh Herbs
If you want to use fresh herbs, use three times the amount as you would dried. So for this recipe you should use 6 tablespoons fresh oregano and 3 tablespoons each of fresh parsley and thyme. The stems on parsley contain a lot of flavor and can be eaten, but those on oregano and thyme should not be used.
Do I Need To Flip The Eggplant?
It's not necessary to flip the eggplant halfway through for this recipe. In fact, doing so will cause some of the seasonings to fall off as you rotate it.
How To Store Air Fried Eggplant
Store air fried eggplant in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat in the oven or in the air fryer until warmed through. For optimal quality, do not freeze.
Recipe
Air Fryer Eggplant with Crispy Herb Seasoning
Ingredients
- 1 lb eggplant cut into 1-2 inch chunks
- 3-4 tablespoon salt
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 6 tablespoon panko bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
Instructions
- Place 1 lb eggplant pieces in a colander. Sprinkle with 3-4 tablespoon salt. Toss to coat all pieces in the salt and put the colander in the sink or a large bowl for 1-2 hours to allow moisture to be drawn out of the eggplant.
- Rinse the salt off the eggplant and thoroughly dry with paper towels.
- Toss the eggplant chunks with 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 6 tablespoon panko bread crumbs, 2 tablespoon dried oregano, 1 tablespoon dried thyme, 1 tablespoon dried parsley, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes and ¼ teaspoon cumin. Mix well to coat.
- Place eggplant chunks in the air fryer basket or tray in a single layer and not touching. Air fry at 400℉ for 12-15 minutes, until the eggplant breading is crispy and golden brown. Work in batches if needed.
- Remove the eggplant from the air fryer immediately. Taste and season with salt if desired.
Notes
- Don't let the eggplant pieces touch in the air fryer basket.
- Always air fry eggplant in a single layer, working in batches if necessary.
- Remove cooked eggplant from the basket immediately and don't keep in the warm air fryer. If kept in a warm air fryer, it will steam and turn mushy.
- Leftover eggplant will lose much of its firmness in the fridge. It will still taste good, but you probably want to reheat it in the oven or air fryer rather than a microwave.
Nutrition
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Anonymous says
Just saying but leftover eggplant in the fridge has such a good taste without reheating. If you end up with leftovers consider tasting them cold to see if they're your thing before reheating. I prefer them that way, with a side of bread, juice...etc that contrasts their savory/salty taste
Ramona says
Oh my goodness, I'm such an aubergine fan and this looks absolutely insane, I must try this immediately. Beautiful recipe thank you so much for sharing!