After the recent extraordinary success of the crispy baked portobello mushroom fries I was thinking about what other vegetables could be turned into fries and with the abundance of cheap eggplant these days, it seemed like the perfect candidate to try next! I was a bit worried about using eggplant to make fries as eggplant can have a lot of moisture, and no one want soggy fries, but given how addictively good roasted eggplant is, I just have to give it a shot! Once again the recipe for the eggplant fries is extremely quick and easy! You really just need to slice the eggplant, coat it up in the breadcrumbs, parmesan and seasonings and bake it until crispy. (There is really no excuse for reaching for that bag of chips all the way at the back of the cupboard!) As it turns out, I had nothing to worry about as the eggplant fries came out perfectly crispy and golden brown and as you can see from the photos, I have made several batches already! Snacking just got so much better!
Serve with some marinara sauce and turn it into a light meal. With the eggplant, parmesan and breadcrumb coating and the marinara dipping sauce it is almost like
eggplant parmesan fries !
Crispy Baked Eggplant Fries with Marinara Dipping Sauce (aka Eggplant Parmesan Fries!)
Healthy baked eggplant parmesan ‘fries’ in a crispy panko breadcrumb and parmesan coating that are perfect for snacking!
ingredients
- 1 medium eggplant, cut into 1/4 inch thick ‘fries’
- 1/2 cup flour
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated
- 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
- salt and pepper to taste
directions
- Dredge the eggplant slices in the flour, dip them in the egg and then into a mixture of the panko breadcrumbs, parmesan, thyme salt and pepper.
- Place the eggplant slices on a wire rack on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 425F/220C oven until golden brown, about 7-10 minutes.
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jeri says
September 19, 2012 at 9:33 pmI tried your zucchini fries and they were a big hit so I'll be making these ASAP.
Rosa's Yummy Yums says
September 19, 2012 at 9:34 pmThose must be scrumptious! What a wonderful idea.
Cheers,
Rosa
kitblu says
September 19, 2012 at 9:54 pmI have an eggplant! I usually make some form of Eggplant Parmesan and this is another version I will put in my repertoire. YUM!
Cocco says
September 19, 2012 at 10:02 pmOh my Mom, I need try this because I love eggplants and I hate cooking in grease, but I love baked. Wonderful idea to share with friends in home parties
Than fast I do it, I come to say you.
Thank you, from the Caribbean blue
Ashley says
September 19, 2012 at 10:14 pmEggplant fries?! Looks delicious!!
Lisa says
September 19, 2012 at 10:36 pmThis is a timely recipe as I am just discovering a new found love of eggplant. Excellent.
Anonymous says
September 19, 2012 at 11:44 pmWhy do you put them on a rack to bake?
Vimitha Anand says
September 20, 2012 at 6:06 amOh god they look so crispy and inviting…
Lauren @ Part Time House Wife says
September 20, 2012 at 2:06 pmThese look amazing! This is the 2nd eggplant recipe of the day I'm dying to try! Looks like a few eggplants are on the grocery list today! Yummmmm
Chris says
September 20, 2012 at 2:29 pmWas there any need to salt the eggplant to pull out any bitterness? Or was this not an issue?
Either way, it looks like a great recipe.
Greetings from Italy.
Katie @ Oh Shine On says
September 20, 2012 at 2:59 pmThis is a great recipe… I might try substituting zucchini or even firm tofu 🙂
Kevin says
September 20, 2012 at 4:59 pmChris: Tip: Get younger, smaller eggplants to avoid the bitterness. I use medium sized eggplants for these eggplant fries.
skaterina says
September 20, 2012 at 11:47 pmi like eggplant fries drizzled with honey / yummy
Apolita says
September 21, 2012 at 2:45 amHi Kevin,
What other veggies would be good for this recipe? And I wonder if chicken breasts fillet would also be good? I love it cuz it's not fried yet crispy!
kerry says
September 23, 2012 at 8:40 amTrying these tonight – just found your blog via punchfork- made your spinach fritters last week. Yum!!!
Anonymous says
September 27, 2012 at 9:03 amUse a Parmesan substitute if you want the dish to be vegetarian ( Parmesan is never vegetarian)
Anonymous says
October 1, 2012 at 6:37 amEggplant my favorite!i don't have an oven can I fry it?
Margaret says
October 1, 2012 at 7:29 pmI did zucchini fries the other day and they were so good! I think hubby is trying the same method with eggplant tonight!
Anonymous says
October 3, 2012 at 8:13 pmI made these last night and served with homemade tzaziki sauce, too. My non-loving eggplant husband gobbled them up and couldn't get enough!! Absolutely delish!! Easy, easy, easy!!
Kevin says
October 4, 2012 at 1:09 pmAnonymous: I am not sure about frying them as eggplant absorbs a lot of oil.
Shane's Simple Soaps says
October 9, 2012 at 3:33 pmTo the person who asked why they were baked on a rack: the fries get an even browning and don't need to be turned. There is hot air all around them.
Anonymous says
January 16, 2013 at 12:24 amcould I use Italian flavored breadcrumbs for this?
Kevin says
January 16, 2013 at 5:16 pmAnonymous: Italian flavored panko breadcrumbs would definitely work! I have not tried this with regular breadcrumbs and if it does work, they won't be nearly as crispy as the panko breadcrumb version.
Anonymous says
January 27, 2013 at 3:14 amThank you for sharing this! Made them tonight and they were a big hit! One of my children ate almost half the pan!
Natallia Moore says
August 3, 2013 at 10:17 amTried it last night. Excellent!
Anonymous says
September 17, 2013 at 12:07 amThis was excellent! One exception… you didn't specify whether or not to peel the eggplant. I tend to leave them on, unless I am cooking/freezing them, as the skin gets tough. In the future I will peel the eggplant ~ Thanks for a !great recipe
Tina Jui says
February 18, 2014 at 10:06 pmJust made these, and used them to dip in a roast pepper and cauliflower soup. They were delicious!!! Thanks for sharing.
kevin says
February 23, 2014 at 10:12 pmTina Jui: Great idea to dip them in the roasted pepper and cauliflower soup soup!
Anonymous says
February 9, 2015 at 4:06 amI used peeled Japanese eggplants and it just turned out badly, despite following the steps very carefully. I ended up having to fry them to make them palatable, and even then… I'll stick to zucchini next time.
SAVAGESFreeFOREVER says
July 30, 2017 at 7:09 pmdeeze were the best
Dottie Hart says
August 28, 2017 at 9:07 pmI was given an eggplant and have never cooked one before! So I went searching online for an eggplant recipe and this one looks delicious!! It also received great reviews! Looks like I found my recipe… thanks so much for sharing it!!
Judy Goldin says
September 24, 2017 at 9:46 pmShould the eggplants be salted first to get rid of the bitter taste.
Caroline says
March 1, 2018 at 4:59 pmThese were great. I DID salt to draw out the bitterness, and also because I only had regular breadcrumbs, and wanted them to be crispy. I peeled the eggplant, too. Added a quick spray of olive oil. VERY CRISPY and sweet. It was the "girl's weekend" and we were having cocktails, so we went a little nuts. We added a TOUCH of grated white truffle before plating, and served with marinara and a crazy but delicious greek yogurt dip mixed with Knorr Pesto mix. Some of us girls are Weight Watchers, and it fit right into the program. Thanks for this! It will be a go-to for parties!
Judy Goldin says
March 1, 2018 at 6:06 pmNot interested
G B-T says
April 22, 2019 at 9:41 pmI used gluten free flour and utilized gluten free crushed crackers instead. Big hit at our house!