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 tasty 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 (gluten-free for gluten-free)
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs (gluten-free for gluten-free)
- 1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (parmesan cheese), 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, italian seasoning, 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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I tried your zucchini fries and they were a big hit so I'll be making these ASAP.
Those must be scrumptious! What a wonderful idea.
Cheers,
Rosa
I have an eggplant! I usually make some form of Eggplant Parmesan and this is another version I will put in my repertoire. YUM!
Oh 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
Eggplant fries?! Looks delicious!!
This is a timely recipe as I am just discovering a new found love of eggplant. Excellent.
Why do you put them on a rack to bake?
Oh god they look so crispy and inviting…
These 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
Was 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.
This is a great recipe… I might try substituting zucchini or even firm tofu 🙂
Chris: Tip: Get younger, smaller eggplants to avoid the bitterness. I use medium sized eggplants for these eggplant fries.
i like eggplant fries drizzled with honey / yummy
Hi 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!
Trying these tonight – just found your blog via punchfork- made your spinach fritters last week. Yum!!!
Use a Parmesan substitute if you want the dish to be vegetarian ( Parmesan is never vegetarian)
Eggplant my favorite!i don't have an oven can I fry it?
I did zucchini fries the other day and they were so good! I think hubby is trying the same method with eggplant tonight!
I 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!!
Anonymous: I am not sure about frying them as eggplant absorbs a lot of oil.
To 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.
could I use Italian flavored breadcrumbs for this?
Anonymous: 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.
Thank you for sharing this! Made them tonight and they were a big hit! One of my children ate almost half the pan!
Tried it last night. Excellent!
This 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
Just made these, and used them to dip in a roast pepper and cauliflower soup. They were delicious!!! Thanks for sharing.
Tina Jui: Great idea to dip them in the roasted pepper and cauliflower soup soup!
I 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.
deeze were the best
I 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!!
Should the eggplants be salted first to get rid of the bitter taste.
These 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!
Not interested
I used gluten free flour and utilized gluten free crushed crackers instead. Big hit at our house!
This has been my go-to recipe for “Oven Fried” Eggplant for 5 yeras, and was the first time I ever used Panko bread crumbs. I will never use regular breadcrumbs again! -everything Panko touches is golden, crispy and delicious! Rather than slice the eggplant fry shaped, I cut it into thin rounds. I peel first with a potato peeler, then place the rounds in a big collander in as much a single layer as possible. Then I salt each round a little on both sides and set it in the sink to drain. This draws the extra moisture out of the fruit. After 20 -30 minutes you then wipe both sides off with a paper towel. Don’t worry if they turn brown a little while standing because your panko coating will hide this. Eggplants and apples turn brown when their flesh is exposed to air. Now you need not add any salt to the recipe. Just a light touch of salt and pepper after product is baked. Bake as directed on a rack placed on a cookie sheet. If you do not have such a rack, simply flip each round over about half way through the baking time, carefully with a spatula. Divine! And EASY!