Crispy Baked Eggplant Recipe (2024)

Updated: August 29, 2023 / Posted: January 21, 2013 / By Sujatha Muralidhar This post may contain affiliate links· As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases·

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'Crispy Baked Eggplant Recipe /Easy Crispy Eggplant' is a perfect recipe for snacks/appetizers. The best way of celebrating. Best for use as the main ingredient for makingsandwiches, lasagnas.

Yeah... Celebrating with crispy baked eggplant, I have upgraded to my domain "https://www.pepperbowl.com." Please continue to provide me the same support and assistance.. as usual. It has been an incredible journey from 'pepperbowl.blogspot.com' to 'pepperbowl.com', with the most enjoyable learning curve.

At first, I started my blog just as an album for my newly tried food images, but within a week, I was loaded with many pictures (I can't call them 'photographs' as they served ONLY as proofs of my cooking).

Blogging is pretty addictive and made me think it is a little serious... Ah. This is my story of 'how a blogger has become my Home Page.'

Looking for other vegetarian recipes? Have you looked into homemade baked tortilla recipe or baked hot pocket cookies?

This Delicious crispy baked eggplant is great for an appetizer. It goes very well with sandwiches and lasagna. Etc. If you try this, I'm sure you will repeatedly go in for this exact recipe.

Marinating the eggplant slices in salt releases a bitter black liquid, which changes the texture of the eggplant. This makes them rich in texture and crispy when eggplant slices are baked. Let's go to the recipe now.

How to bake eggplant crispy?

The critical factor that determines the crispy baked eggplant's crispiness is its moisture content. This eggplant becomes soggy when we do not address this issue.

The eggplants tend to be soft and moist after they get cooked. It is because the moisture prevents it from becoming crispy, so our first goal in this recipe is to remove its moisture. There are multiple ways to remove its water; the trusted method I depend on is ‘eggplants sweating.’

What does eggplants sweating mean?

The process of removing the moisture and the bitterness from the eggplant is called eggplant sweating.

Earlier, eggplant sweating was done primarily to remove its bitterness. But the hybrid varieties we get nowadays do not taste bitter, so it does not require sweating either. Forget the good old days; this crispy baked eggplant requires sweating to make it firm and crisp after baking.

Eggplants sweating can be done using salt. For this, sprinkle salt on the eggplant slices. And stack them together, and keep weight on top of them. This pressure helps to remove the excess moisture from the eggplant and makes perfect crispy baked eggplant.

How to serve crispy baked eggplant?

I love to have this crispy eggplant to serve the way it is. The nice crispy breaded crust with a hit of spices makes it perfect to serve as the snacking dish or as the meal's first course. But when doing it for others or yourself on a special occasion, here are some ideas to make easy, crispy baked eggplant ultimately delicious.

Ranch. The creamy texture would be a nice pair to these oven-baked eggplant slices.
Dijon mustard and white vinegar. This adds a nice kick and mild tang to crispy baked eggplant.
Sriracha Sauce. Thinking of making this recipe with a wow factor, serve them with a hot and spicy sauce like this.
Garlic dip. Combine onion powder, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper with melted butter.
Tomato ketchup. This is the classic companion that never fails.

How to make crispy baked Eggplant Recipe

The preparation- The first and foremost step is the same as any other recipe that starts with washing and cleaning. Wash and clean the eggplants well. I wash them with warm water to remove unwanted substances that coat the vegetable.

Other appetizer recipes you may like

Deep-fried cauliflower
Lentil stuffed peppers
Baby potato fry
Mini naan pizza
Spicy appetizer recipes

Printable recipe card

Crispy Baked Eggplant Recipe

‘Baked Eggplant Recipe / Easy Crispy Eggplant’ is perfect recipe is great for snack / appetizer. Best way of celebrations.Best for using as the main ingredient for making sandwiches, lasagnas.

5 from 5 votes

Ingredients

1 eggplant sliced to ¼ inch thickness
5 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon salt or as required
¼ cup water
5 tablespoon bread crumbs /panko bread crumbs preferably-or as needed

Instructions

For prepping

Slice eggplant for ¼ inch thickness.
Spread them apart and sprinkle salt on each slice.
Over chopping board, stack them together vertically, by having 4-6 slices in each stack.
Place a heavy cast iron pan(for its heavy weight) above all the stacked eggplant. Try adjusting the slices to balance the heavy weight pan.
Set it aside 30 minutes.
Take out the pan. Wipe off the black bitter liquid released by the eggplant.
Pat dry the egg plant slices with kitchen towel. Make sure you remove the black liquid.

For dipping

Set two bowl ready.
In the first mixing bowl, add cayenne pepper, cornstarch, salt, and water.
Combine well.
In the second bowl, add bread crumbs.

For arranging

Preheat the over for 350 degrees Farenheit.
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Dip each eggplant slice in the first bowl liquid mixture.
And drop it in another bowl, coat the eggplant well with breadcrumbs.
Arrange them leaving 1-inch space in between.
Make and bake them in batches.

For baking

Bake it for 20 minutes in the 350 degrees in the preheated oven, by flipping them occasionally.
Remove it from the oven, and allow it to cool.
Serve as appetizer.

Notes

This recipe is best suitable for appetizer/snack.
The leftovers can be used to making eggplant lasagnas, casseroles.

Nutrition

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Author Sujatha Muralidhar

**Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided is an approximate estimate only.

Do not forget to check out another recipe for Apple Chips here at PepperBowl.

FAQs

Why isn't my eggplant crispy? ›

Do you salt eggplant before making eggplant parmesan. Yes, salting the eggplant before making eggplant parmesan draws out some moisture. This can help the eggplant stay crisp after cooking because it removes some moisture before it has a chance to create sogginess.

How do you know when eggplant is cooked enough? ›

When it's cooked, “it should turn fully tender, all the flesh should be somewhat custardy. If you have to, hammer it a bit, knock it around, let it start to collapse.” When you're roasting eggplant, like in YuChen's recipe, “make sure you give them enough space so they can cook evenly,” she says.

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What is the trick to cooking eggplant? ›

Slice your eggplant with the skin on (this will help it keep its shape). Brush it lightly with oil. Grill over a hot flame until the flesh is tender and you have beautiful char marks, about 5 minutes per side.

Why is my eggplant still hard after cooking? ›

You mentioned that once they turned out tough and chewy: then they were not cooked fully through. Vegetables are not like meat, which turn rubbery when overcooked. They turn soft rather. Watch out for the opposite as well: Eggplants when cooked for a long time may turn mushy.

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How do you make eggplant super soft? ›

spread out on tray and bake at 240°C/ 450°F for 20 minutes, flip, then for another 10 minutes, until the eggplant is super soft and caramelised on the edges.

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Why is my baked eggplant tough? ›

Undercooking It

Undercook them and you'll be left with a bitter-tasting veggie that has the texture of a cotton ball, says Norton. "Most recipes can accurately predict how much time it will take for eggplants to fully cook. Go for a 15 minute minimum with thin slices of tender eggplant varieties," she says.

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Why is my baked eggplant watery? ›

Not cooking it in enough fat.

The flesh of eggplant is like a sponge — it will immediately soak up any liquid it touches. Drizzle a spoonful of olive oil over cubes before roasting them and you'll see that it's already soaked through the flesh before the baking sheet even gets into the oven.

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Why is my roasted eggplant mushy? ›

Overcooking is a common mistake that can lead to mushy eggplant. Keep a close eye on your eggplant while it's cooking and avoid leaving it on the heat for too long. The cooking time may vary depending on the chosen method and the thickness of the slices.

Do you salt eggplant before or after cooking? ›

Conventional wisdom has you salt the slices to draw bitter liquid out of the eggplant. Once the slices have sat for about a hour, you're suppose to rinse them under cool water to remove any excess salt and then proceed with your recipe.

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What happens when eggplant is not salted before cooking? ›

Sure, the shape and color and size were probably different than the eggplants we eat now, but the most noticeable difference was the flavor. Once upon a time, eggplants tasted incredibly bitter, and salting them before cooking helped to draw out and eliminate some of that astringency.

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Do you leave the skin on eggplant when you bake it? ›

While the skin of a small young eggplant is edible, the skin becomes bitter on larger or older eggplants and should be peeled. When in doubt, the answer to, "Do you peel eggplant before cooking?" is yes, peel it. Use a vegetable peeler or paring knife to remove the skin.

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How long does eggplant take to cook? ›

However, as a general guideline, roasting or baking an eggplant in the oven typically takes about 25 to 35 minutes at 400°F (200°C). Here's a basic method for roasting eggplant in the oven: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Wash the eggplant and pat it dry with paper towels.

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Is it okay to eat eggplant that is brown inside? ›

Answer. Eggplant flesh will have tan to brown colored spots around the seeds. If this is the color you are referring to, it is edible. If the flesh is more brown than white, the eggplant may be spoiling and should be discarded.

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Why are my eggplants soft? ›

A soft texture is a dead giveaway that eggplant has gone bad. A ripe eggplant should be firm to the touch.

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Why does my eggplant feel soft? ›

A good eggplant will have glossy, taut skin. You'll also want to test the texture of the flesh. When buying an eggplant, the flesh should be firm but give slightly when pressed, then bounce back. If your eggplant is soft to the touch, that's an indication that it's beginning to spoil.

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How do you fry eggplant without getting soggy? ›

A thorough pat with paper towels before breading the eggplant is essential to getting rid of that moisture and preventing soggy slices. Next, keep an eye on the oil temperature. Keep the oil at about 350 degrees so that the breading stays crispy, while the eggplant cooks through in the center.

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Is eggplant supposed to be crunchy? ›

The best eggplant is caramelized and crispy on the outside and melt-in-your-mouth tender on the inside. This is achieved by giving the cubes or slices enough room to brown while they cook. If you overcrowd them in the pan or baking sheet, they'll steam instead of brown and you'll never get that caramelization.

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