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.
Have you made eggplant air fryer dials yet? They are incredibly delicious, and one of the easiest air fryer recipes we’ve made here on The Typical Mom blog.
I have both a Ninja Foodi machine and traditional electric air fryer too. It doesn’t matter what brand or style yours is, the directions below will work just as great.
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.
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- 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.
Fried Eggplant Ingredients
- 2 shallow bowls
- Eggplant – cut into dials
- All purpose flour
- Egg
- Panko bread crumbs
- Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil cooking spray
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 so the food cooks evenly
- Then 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!
Love this eggplant air fryer recipe and looking for others?
- Try air fryer frozen mozzarella cheese sticks!
- You can even make homemade french fries in your handy dandy kitchen appliance in under 20 minutes now.
- Air fryer green beans rock too.
- And if you forget to defrost dinner you can still make air fried frozen shrimp to perfection tonight.
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***** If you LOVED this recipe give it 5 Stars below and let everyone know what you thought about it. 😉
Eggplant Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 1 medium eggplant sliced 1/4" rounds
- 1/2 c all purpose flour
- 1 egg beaten
- 2 c Panko breadcrumbs
- 1.5 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/8 tsp salt
- olive oil spray
Instructions
- Use 3 shallow bowls. Whisk the egg in one, put flour in another and mix Panko breadcrumbs with seasonings in the third.
- Preheat air fryer to 380 degrees for 5 minutes.
- Slice stem end off, discard. Slice into 1/4" rounds. One at a time dip into egg, then into flour, then press breadcrumbs on both sides so they're nicely coated.
- Put into preheated air fryer basket so they're not overlapping, spray lightly with olive oil spray.
- Cook for 8 minutes, flip and spray tops lightly, then cook for another 3 minutes (times will vary depending on how thick they are and how brown you want them).
Danyka says
This recipe was absolutely what I was looking for! I added a few more spices of my own and they came out PERRRFECT! Spraying the Pam cooking spray on the tops was a nice tip because it helped them get a great crunch!
I will be adding eggplant to my regular diet now, so thanks!
Olivia says
I followed your directions by placing the cut eggplant into the egg first, then the flour and then the bread crumbs. The bread crumbs did not stick so I had to go back and put egg back on the eggplant and then added bread crumbs. Kind of a mess.
The Typical Mom says
Yes you do need to gently press bread crumbs on depending on how fine they are. If they’re quite large it may need an extra dip.
Gina says
these were delicious!!!
Jean says
You don’t mention how or when to use the olive oil cooking spray. Do I spray each round, or the rack?
The Typical Mom says
Sorry, added. Spray lightly when in basket so outsides crisp up well.
Carol says
Love it. Will make again.