Crispy breaded eggplant fries in air fryer or made in Ninja Foodi are delicious! They are fun vegetable French fries even your kids will love to snack on. If you loved our air fryer eggplant parm recipe this one will be a hit too.
We made air fryer eggplant French fries the other day and they didn’t last long. Even my girls gobbled them right up. If you love easy air fryer recipes but looking to try something out of the box this is always a winner with dinner.
Ok so we will share 4 different methods with you. The first is if you wanted to cook eggplant slices you’d slice this purple vegetable into dials. We did this and called them air fryer eggplant chips. Super good, same great flavor but a bit easier to prep since we don’t remove the skins at all.
Ninja Air Fryer Eggplant Fries
Use your AirWave, Cosori air fryer or if you want to make with your multi function Ninja Foodi recipe that works great too. The latter will need the lid that is attached with the round basket that came with the machine. Use the air crisp button on the front.
Can you make fries out of eggplant? Yes, you just cut into sticks like you see here and bread each one with breadcrumbs or Panko with seasonings, then we air fry to crispy instead of deep frying because it is healthier and just as crisp as Ninja foodi French fries.
Ingredient Notes
A large whisked eggs will coat the outside and allow the breading to stick nicely. If you need an egg-free version you could brush the outsides with mayonnaise.
I like to use light panko breadcrumbs instead of Italian style, but those will work. There is a gluten free variety to this if needed too or you can just skip and season lightly like our turnip fries.
Some grated parmesan cheese is optional but adds a lot of flavor to the outside so I highly recommend that you add that in.
I like to use a Chinese eggplant or 1 medium eggplant to make each batch of these. I slice it into sticks that are finger sized or so. Just make sure that they are all the same thickness so they cook evenly to crispy.
Do you have to peel eggplant?
Yes you don’t want to eat the skin, it is tough. Use a vegetable peeler to remove it all before slicing into sticks the size you want so you don’t lose a lot of the vegetable inside but the skin will slide off this way easily.
The directions for how to bread the outside are the same whether you use a baking sheet or your air fryer basket. If you have followed my blog for any length of time you know how I love all my small countertop appliances. Have
And then when done you’ll want to season with salt and pepper to taste. For dipping sauces I would suggest either ranch or our sriracha mayo dip.
Do you need to blanch eggplant?
If you want a milder flavor then you should for a quick minute. For this one we did peel and cut the eggplant into thin strips, about 1/2″ thick and 4″ long. You could leave the outside on but realize that it does bring a bit of bitterness unless you blanch vegetables real quick first.
How Long to Cook Fried Eggplant Fries in Air Fryer
Once breaded the vegetable fries will need to air fry for 5 minutes cook time. Then you will need to flip to the other side and cook another 4-5 minutes or until crispy on outside and tender inside.
Now these do take longer than frozen sweet potato fries air fryer let’s say because those are already made, but processed.
Can you make eggplant fries ahead of time?
When it comes to crispy foods that are breaded you are really going to get the best texture when eaten right away. If you absolutely must make it like an hour or so ahead of time I would set on a baking sheet in a single layer, in the oven on low.
Air Fryer Fried Eggplant Fries Recipe
Equipment
- 1 air fryer
- 2 shallow bowls
- 1 knife
Ingredients
- 2 large Eggplant, chinese used or 1 medium eggplant
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 pinch salt, to taste
Instructions
- Peel skin off and then slice the eggplant into thin strips, about 1/2" thick and 4" long. In a shallow bowl, beat the eggs. Set aside.In a second shallow bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese and seasonings. Dip the eggplant strips into the egg, then dredge in the breadcrumbs.
- Preheat air fryer to 380 degrees F for 5 minutes. Spray basket with non stick spray and place coated fries inside in one single layer. Spray tops with olive oil spray and cook for 5 minutes. Flip to the other side and cook another 4-5 minutes or until crispy on outside and tender inside.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How do you store leftover eggplant?
If you cooked too many of these you can crisp them later on in the evening but beyond that they don’t keep super well. The breading will become a bit wet if you store in the fridge overnight. Although you can somewhat liven them back up in the air fryer it isn’t super appetizing again.
Instead it is better to freeze eggplant sticks before adding the panko breadcrumbs and then coat when you are ready on a later date.
