If you want inspiration for cooking with eggplant, get ideas from these 25 best eggplant recipes that are easy to make, family-friendly, and healthy.
These recipes will give you many eggplant ideas; think sautèed, baked, stuffed, pasta, soup, salad, and more.
Browse through this list, and take your pick: these vibrant eggplant recipes will satiate and nourish you and add bold flavor to your day.
How to Cook Eggplant
When in season, from May through late September, we eat fresh eggplant in various ways. There are numerous simple and easy ways of cooking them.
Remember to clean and rinse the eggplant before cooking it:
- Leave the skin on and rinse the eggplant or aubergine under running water, but no need to peel the skin off since it's highly nutritious.
- Dry the eggplant before cooking it, especially if you're not using it immediately. Moisture can shorten the shelf life of eggplants significantly, so pad them dry before storing them in the fridge. A raw eggplant stores for 4-5 days in the refrigerator.
We can start cooking the eggplant once the basic cleaning and cutting are done. Choose your favorite recipe from the list below.
Our Best Eggplant Recipes
Grilled Eggplant
We start this list with a summer favorite: charred and tender grilled eggplant.
This BBQ side dish pairs perfectly with chimichurri sauce or tzatziki on the side.
Roasted Eggplant
A tender and hearty way to make a vegetable side dish is roasted eggplant.
Cook this recipe, and you will have a base for so many recipes: eggplant caponata, salad, curry, parmigiana, and so much more!
Fried Eggplant
This fried eggplant recipe is super crunchy outside and tender inside.
It's suitable for vegetarians and vegans too and works well as an appetizer or side dish with a serving of marinara sauce.
Air Fryer Eggplant
Ready in just 15 minutes, this air fryer eggplant recipe is perfect as a side dish and addition to pasta.
You can even serve this tender eggplant recipe on bruschetta as a quick appetizer.
Sauteed Eggplant
Italian sauteed eggplant is a hearty and easy side dish to serve with your favorite main.
The combination of fresh herbs, soft eggplant, and tomato will please everyone around your table.
Breaded Eggplant
A perfect side dish and a base recipe for eggplant parm.
This breaded eggplant recipe makes tender and bready discs of eggplant, perfect with most main dishes.
Mediterranean Farro Salad
Earthy, chewy, and vibrant, this Mediterranean farro salad is packed with veggies and drizzled with a cumin dressing.
It's a wholesome grain and a guaranteed crowdpleaser - perfect for potluck dinners too.
Eggplant Pizza
The eggplants are cut into round slices, roasted, and topped with a rich tomato sauce and melty cheese.
This recipe is a sure hit with picky adults and kids alike as an appetizer or side dish.
Stuffed Eggplant
Tender and soft eggplant with melted (vegan) cheese, fresh tomatoes, pesto and pine nuts.
A wholesome and colorful dinner, perfect for kids and grownups alike.
Zaalouk
Zaalouk is a delicious Moroccan eggplant salad made with tomatoes, garlic, cumin, and olive oil.
Learn how to make it in one pot in about 30 minutes.
Sweet and Sour Eggplant
A perfect side dish with an Asian twist, this sweet and sour eggplant is ready in 20 mins on the stovetop.
Eggplant Bruschetta
Eggplant bruschetta is a delicious appetizer made with tender diced eggplant cooked with a few simple ingredients and served on crunchy bread.
Eggplant Risotto
You can make this risotto dish in just over 30 minutes and serve it for a delicious and comforting family dinner.
The creamy tomato risotto base and small pieces of eggplant make this dish a great way to eat more veggies (and camouflage them).
Chickpea Pasta With Eggplant
This chickpea pasta with eggplant is a healthy and delicious pasta dish.
We make it with diced eggplant cooked in a fresh tomato sauce and add chickpeas, garlic, and fresh herbs.
Eggplant Salad
A versatile and colorful salad: you can serve this vegetable-packed dish as a side or add pasta.
It's a light, healthy, and tasty way of cooking with eggplant.
Eggplant Dip - Baba Ganoush
Endlessly creamy and smooth, this eggplant dip is a perfect dip, spread, and side dish.
Serve it as an appetizer with grilled vegetables, or use it as a healthy spread in a sandwich or pita bread.
Pasta alla Norma (Eggplant Pasta)
Learn how to make this delicious Sicilian eggplant pasta recipe in about 30 minutes with simple pantry ingredients and fresh eggplants.
Eggplant works incredibly well with pasta, tomato, and fresh basil, and this simple dish is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.
Eggplant Soup
We roast eggplant, garlic, and cherry tomatoes in the oven for a sweet, caramelized, and smoky flavor.
Or make this recipe in one pot on the stovetop in just 30 minutes and top it with croutons.
Eggplant Caponata
If you love eggplant, you must try this Sicilian eggplant salad.
Caponata is made of olives, tomato, aubergine, and pine nuts with a sweet and sour flavor.
Eggplant parmigiana
Italian Eggplant Parmigiana is one of the tastiest eggplant dishes ever.
Its simplicity of ingredients, rich flavor, and creamy texture will make you fall in love with this delicious meal.
Couscous with Vegetables
A great way to use veggie leftovers is this eggplant and zucchini couscous with lemon vinaigrette.
Serve it with a side of focaccia bread and a dollop of hummus for a satiating and nutritious meal.
Eggplant Curry
Perfectly tender and roasted eggplant paired with Indian-inspired spice mix and creamy coconut milk.
Serve this rich and flavor-packed eggplant curry with rice and a squeeze of lemon.
Barley Salad
Mediterranean barley salad with roasted vegetables is a wholesome and nutritious plant-based meal with a lemon vinaigrette.
Make it ahead and store it for up to five days in the fridge; it's excellent as a lunchbox and potluck dish.
Thai Red Curry
Better than Asian takeaway, this homemade Thai red curry is an aromatic, creamy, and fresh Asian dinner idea.
We love it with a side of white rice, fresh lime juice, and Thai basil.
Italian Rice Balls
Eggplant-packed rice balls are made with leftover risotto, fried in vegetable oil (or air-fried), and served with marinara sauce.
They're great as a party food, cookout meal, or appetizer, and a true crowd-pleasing dish!
Mutabal (Eggplant & Yogurt Dip)
We end this list with an endlessly creamy dip made with charred roasted eggplant and Greek-style yogurt.
This velvety eggplant spread is a Middle-Eastern recipe excellent on a mezze platter as a starter or side dish.
How to Store Eggplant
Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can eat them cold, at room temperature, or reheat them in the microwave. We do not recommend freezing these eggplant recipes.
What goes well with Eggplant
Eggplant (sauteed, grilled, air fried, baked) is a tasty side dish that pairs perfectly with most sauces and protein. Take your pick here:
- Serve with a sauce: choose between refreshing condiments and dressings, such as basil pesto, hummus, and mustard dressing.
- Use in salads: eggplant is also great to use in salads. Add the air fryer or sauteed eggplant to vegan pasta salad, to this creamy tofu salad, and to quinoa salad.
- Serve next to pasta: serve any of these eggplant sides with one of these pasta recipes.
- Serve with a protein-rich dinner: such as these chickpea recipes, high protein meals, or tofu recipes.
More flavorful vegetable recipes
If you're looking to increase your veggie intake, take a peek at these vitamin-rich vegetable recipes:
- 15 asparagus recipes and how to grill, steam, and bake them to perfection
- 20 cauliflower recipes that are comforting and easy to prep
- 15 fantastic mushroom recipes with dinners and easy lunch ideas
- or any of these vegetable side dishes that make your main meal glow.
For many more side dish ideas, check out our sides category page.
25 Best Eggplant Recipes
Ingredients
- Check each individual eggplant recipe for ingredients required.
- Cook your favorite eggplant recipe
Instructions
- How to store: Keep these meals stored in the refrigerator, ideally in an airtight container, for up to 3 days.
- How to reheat: Warm it up on the stovetop or in the microwave. Before serving garnish with fresh herbs.
Video Recipe
Notes
Nutritional Values
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