Air Fryer Eggplant

These air fryer eggplants replace the stir-fried eggplant for the sides. This is a low oil/ no oil eggplant recipe that is vegan too. Make these eggplants in just 15 minutes.

Eggplant is not a much-loved vegetable. Many people don't like them, maybe because of their bland taste. But it's also true that eggplant absorbs the flavors of the spices we cook it with and becomes flavorful. I love my Indian eggplant recipes, which are extraordinarily tasty, maybe because of the spices used in Indian cuisine. Read here my low-carb air-fried eggplant pizza & eggplant meatballs recipe.

But no doubt, eggplant is a healthy vegetable. This belongs to nightshade families, which like zucchini and tomatoes. If you don't know, like tomato, eggplant is also a fruit (has seeds), but in cooking, this is being treated as a vegetable. This is a low-carb and low-calorie vegetable. This is keto-friendly and used as a carb substitute in many keto recipes. Read more about eggplant health benefits.

Air Fryer Eggplant

If you own an air fryer, it's like magic. I'm amazed to see how quickly it makes vegetables with a perfect crisp. You can make quick appetizers like potato wedges, tater tots, hash browns, or onion rings. You can easily make roasted vegetables like green beans, broccoli and cauliflower.

The air fryer acts like that of a convection oven. It contains a fan that circulates the heat evenly, thus allowing the food to be cooked. But in the case of an air fryer, it rotates faster.

While making eggplant in the air fryer, you can also shape it into finger or fries and coat them with panko crumbs for that crunchy texture. When you want a healthy appetizer, you can make those eggplant fries. But if you wish for a stir-fried-like eggplant, this recipe is for you.

Why this air fryer eggplant is healthy?

Eggplant is a spongy vegetable. When we fry the eggplant, it soaks up a lot of oil, making the dish delish but, at the same time, more fatty. But this way, you can reduce the oil to just a fraction or even skip it totally. So, low oil or no oil, low carb, low-fat eggplant is too yummy to satisfy any cravings when you are on some diet.

How to cut eggplant?

I have chopped the eggplant into bite-sized pieces for this recipe, unlike the finger shape for the eggplant fries. You can make slices like fingers or even discs.

Which eggplant is best for this recipe?

Take the large eggplant globe. These are my favorite ones for any eggplant recipe. These don't discolor for long if you cut and keep them open. These are new-age eggplants and don't need salt treatment before use. Also, keeping the eggplant coated with salt decreases the oil absorption. But here we are, anyway, making them oil-free.

Do I need to marinate eggplant with salt before air frying?

No. It's not compulsory. These are new-age eggplants and don't need salt treatment before use.

How to make the eggplant in an air fryer?

Ingredients

This easy and quick vegan eggplant recipe requires only a few ingredients. The basic seasonings I use for any vegetable are onion powder, garlic pepper, cayenne pepper, and salt. You can add any favorite spice mix to this roasted eggplant dish. Also, some dried herbs work well with this. Here, you can also add 1 tsp oil to the eggplant. But that is optional, too.

Instructions to make air fry the eggplant

Prep the eggplant. Dice into bite-sized pieces. Place them in a mixing bowl. Add all seasonings and gently stir them. Be careful; eggplant is fleshy and soft and may break if used rough. And I don't want the fleshy part to be apart from the skinny layer.

Now, transfer the seasoned eggplant to the air fryer basket. Start the air fryer at 350 F (180 C) for 15 minutes. Pause and toss at midway at 7 minutes. Remove once cooked thoroughly. Sprinkle some fresh herbs or some parmesan (not a vegan option). However, this recipe is vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, soy-free, and not breaded.

Air fryer tips to make perfect eggplant (air-fried)

I have a 4.5 qt 1400 w air fryer that cooks fast (I feel). Check for the size of your air fryer and keep a check on how it cooks. Not all air fryers cook the same way.

You can remove the box and check the cooking pattern in between. Unlike the oven, there will be no harm or any loss of hot air. If you are not sure, keep a check every 2 - 3 minutes after 10 minutes mark. If you have a large oven air fryer, that may take a little longer, up to 18 - 20 minutes.

Also, if you cook in batches, reduce the timer by 2 - 3 minutes after the 1st batch. In 1 batch, you can make 2 to 3 eggplants together, as we don't need single-layer placement for this recipe. But keep tossing if you are making in more quantity.

Recipe Card for Air Fryer Eggplant

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