“Fried” Eggplant Air Fryer Recipe

This eggplant air fryer recipe is so good! Lightly breaded vegetable snacks or a side dish that will make you buy this purple veggie way more often. 

Air Fryer Fried Eggplant

I have both a Ninja Foodi machine and traditional electric air fryer too. It doesn’t matter what brand you have, the directions are the same for them all.

NOW you’ll be able to get that great crispy deep fried taste with just a light spray of oil. No submerging or extra calories needed to get that great crunch!

First grab one of these babies from the store….

Eggplant Air Fryer Recipe

If you don’t know what to look for you should just choose a medium size. Feel around the outside and make sure there isn’t a soft or mushy spot.

Think of it like a big bell pepper kinda’, as far as the texture. If there’s a wrinkled or soft area you don’t want that. Nice and firm and not too large.

What are the benefits of eating eggplant?

They are actually rich in a number of important nutrients and high in antioxidants. 

• It is said that this vegetable may reduce the risk of heart disease and promote healthy blood sugar control.

If eaten simply without breading it could help with your weight control and may have cancer fighting benefits as well.

Ninja Foodi Eggplant

Before you go any further, make sure to LIKE our air fryer recipe Facebook page here.

There you’ll get a new meal or snack to try each and every day. All will be simple and include “normal” ingredients found at your local grocery store.

• I think this large purple vegetable is highly underrated and overlooked. If you’ve been intimidated to try and cook it you’ve gotta’ try this!
• It is similar to our ever popular air fryer zucchini chips but with a new veggie.

Air Fryer Eggplant

1. 2 shallow bowls
2. Eggplant – cut into dials
3. All purpose flour
4. Egg
5. Panko bread crumbs
6. Italian seasoning
7. Salt and pepper

Olive oil cooking spray will make it ultra crispy.

We will with the eggplant sliced into 1/4 inch slices. Make sure each piece is the same thickness. They will likely be different sizes as the top is generally narrower than it’s base but that is okay.

Should eggplant be peeled?

Generally it is said that yes you should because the skin can be a bit bitter but in this case we didn’t.

Since it is sliced this way there is very little on each piece and the breading masks any negative flavors.

Then a quick trip into the flour to coat the outside and into the egg it goes.

• Next you’ll want to dip your air fryer eggplant into your seasoned breadcrumb mixture so each piece is nicely coated.
  • you could add a bit of grated parmesan cheese into the mix too for more of an eggplant parmesan taste

I always like to preheat my machine for 5 minutes at the correct temperature beforehand so the food cooks evenly.

Eggplant in Air Fryer

Lay them into your air fryer basket in a single layer so they’re not overlapping. This will ensure you get that crispy crunchy fried eggplant texture.

• Set to 380 degrees for 8 minutes, then flip to the other side for a 3 minute cook time. This will give the ultimate air fried crunchy texture on both sides.
• Remove when they are golden brown to your liking and enjoy as is or with some marinara sauce for dipping.

How do you know when a mini eggplant is ripe?

Ideally you should pick them when skin is glossy. Dull fruit indicates that it may be over ripe already.

Both under and over ripe picks tend to taste more bitter. Pick white eggplants before skin turns yellow

Could you make gluten free fried eggplant? Yes you could use a gluten free flour and alternative bread crumbs like these instead. That way everyone can love on them together!

Eggplant air fryer recipe

And if you forget to defrost dinner you can still make air fried frozen shrimp to perfection tonight.

If you love this then we have a few more goodies you need to try out next:

• Try air fryer frozen mozzarella cheese sticks!
• Our air fryer eggplant parm is done in bite sizes similar to this but not breaded.
• You can even make homemade french fries in your handy dandy kitchen appliance in under 20 minutes now.

Air fryer green beans rock too. You may not believe it but my kids love these so much they’ll eat an entire plate as a snack.