If you are a fan of crispy bread eggplant, then you will love this eggplant of air frying. This recipe is easy to prepare in minutes with less oil than deep frying or frying in a pan. It is also vegan friendly and can be easily made gluten free with just one change! Perfect as is, with the addition of marinara, or make it Parmesan style.
If you want crispy eggplant without drowning it in oil, air frying is definitely the way to go.
I actually remember learning to make eggplant parmesan from my father and having to constantly add oil to the pan because it is simply absorbed into the eggplant.
Then there was the amount of paper towels needed to blur those suckers so they wouldn’t be so greasy.
Oh, the good old days …
Oh, who am I kidding about ?!
These are the good days now thanks to the magical invention of air frying!
It can cook anything from frozen foods like sweet potato alexia chips, to vegetables like carrots from air frying to favorites like tofu salt and pepper and more!
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Ingredients you will need
- eggplant
- Aquafaba – This canned chickpea liquid replaces the eggs traditionally used to make eggplant bread. Learn more about aquafaba here.
- Panko bread crumbs – can be used gluten free if needed; I used Ian’s brand.
- Italian seasoning
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Olive oil spray – Be sure to use a non-aerosol type, without propellants, to prevent damage to the non-stick finish of your air fryer. You can also use a A bottle of Spritzer And fill it with your own oil if you prefer.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make eggplant bread in air frying
Peel the eggplant and cut into round slices ובי inches thick.
Mix the bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper in a plate.
Add the aquapa to a small, shallow bowl.
Dip each slice of eggplant in the aquapa followed by the bread crumb mixture.
Place on a plate and continue until all the slices are coated.
If your air fryer brand comes with a raised plate / tray, be sure to put it in the basket.
Lightly grease the crispy or bottom plate of the air frying basket with the oil spray.
Add the eggplant slices to the air fryer in one layer.
Depending on the size of your air fryer and your eggplant slices, you may need to work in groups.
Mine took 4 sets in my 5.5 liter Fry air ninja.
Lightly spray the top of the eggplant slices with the oil spray and fry in the air for 3-5 minutes on each side until browned and crispy, turning once.
Note that this will take less time with each repeat batch.
tips
- Do not cut the eggplant slices too thick or they will not be crispy, but also do not cut them too thin or they may start to curl while cooking. We find that ¼ “is the perfect thickness.
- We like to peel the skin because we feel it becomes crispier without it, and we prefer the taste without it. But if you want, you can leave the skin.
Ideas for submission
This crunchy eggplant is delicious on its own, but it is also delicious with the addition of marinade / tomato sauce or some vegan ranch sauce.
It’s also perfect on your favorite pasta with some vegan sauce and parmesan (I used Thrive Market brand) And / or a tablespoon of vegan ricotta on each piece like almond ricotta, cashew ricotta or sunflower seed ricotta.
It also goes well with roasted spaghetti pumpkin plus some sauce.
Can I make it for frying Parmesan eggplant?
Yes, it’s easy to turn this eggplant into a recipe!
Once the eggplant has finished frying in the air, simply pour a little marinade or tomato sauce over each slice of eggplant, top with a few slices of vegan mozzarella and continue to cook for another 2 minutes to melt the cheese.
Feel free to use traditional mozzarella if you do not avoid dairy products or are not vegan.
Storage and reheating
Keep sliced eggplant in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
It is recommended to reheat the leftovers with a 350 degree Celsius air fryer for a few minutes until thoroughly warmed.
Common questions
Instead of an egg, we used aquapabe (the liquid found in a box of chickpeas) to dip the eggplant so that this fried eggplant would be vegan friendly.
It takes about 6-10 minutes to fry in the air one serving of slices of eggplant bread in a 390 degree Celsius air fryer.
recipe
Eggplant Air Fryer
If you are a fan of crispy bread eggplant, then you will love this eggplant of air frying. This recipe is easy to prepare in minutes with less oil than frying in a pan. It is also vegan friendly and can be easily made gluten free with just one change! Perfect as is, with the addition of marinara, or make it Parmesan style.
Component
- 1 eggplant (About 14-16 ounces)
- 1 ¼ Goblet Ordinary pampered bread crumbs (Use GF if necessary; I used Ian’s brand)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¾ teaspoon Fine sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
- 6 tablespoon Aquapaba (In liquid form)
- Aerosol-free olive oil spray without propellants
Instructions
-
Peel the eggplant (if desired) and cut into round slices ¼ inches thick.
-
Mix the bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper in a plate.
-
Add the aquapa to a small, shallow bowl.
-
Dip each slice of eggplant in the aquapa followed by the bread crumb mixture. Place on a plate and continue until all the slices are coated.
-
If your air fryer brand comes with a raised plate / tray, be sure to put it in the basket. Lightly grease the crispy or bottom plate of the air frying basket with the oil spray.
-
Add the eggplant slices to the air fryer in one layer. Depending on the size of your air fryer and your eggplant slices, you may need to work in groups *.
-
Lightly spray the top of the eggplant slices with the oil spray and fry in the air for 3-5 minutes on each side until browned and crispy, turning once. Note that this will take less time with each repeat batch.
(Please see the post above for tutorial photos for this recipe)
Equipment / tools offered
Remarks
The nutritional information presented is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. Accuracy is not guaranteed. The information presented should not be construed as a substitute for the advice of a professional nutritionist.
Note that the diet was calculated without olive oil spray and does not include aquapabe as there is limited information about its nutritional composition. as per This Healthline article, Aquapaba adds about 3-5 calories per tablespoon.
diet
Calories: 104JNF | Carbohydrates: 21P | protein: 4P | Oil: 1P | Saturated fat: 1P | fiber: 5P
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