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Air Fryer Eggplant

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This easy recipe for air fryer roasted eggplant is a delicious and healthy side dish. It is simple to make and is a quick, easy and healthy way to prepare eggplant.

Eggplant is a delicious vegetables that has lots of health benefits. It is rich in vitamins and minerals and is full of antioxidants.

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But it isn’t the easiest vegetable to prepare. It doesn’t taste good raw and it has a tendency to soak up oil if you are roasting or frying it, which kind of contradicts its healthiness.

I love to use my air fryer to quickly prepare healthy vegetables, like air fryer green beans and air fryer delicata squash. Eggplant is another vegetable that is extra tasty when made in the air fryer, because the high heat browns it with little oil.

air fryer eggplant on a plate ready for serving

Why You Will Love Healthy Air Fryer Eggplant

  • Cooking eggplant in the air fryer is just about the fastest way to prepare it.
  • You can cook the eggplant with only 1 Tablespoon of oil.
  • It is naturally gluten free, keto friendly, low carb and vegan.
  • You don’t have to peel the eggplant.
  • It is crispy outside with a tender creamy flavor inside.
  • There are only three ingredients
eggplant on a cutting board

Ingredients

  • Eggplant – You can use almost any kind of eggplant to make air fryer eggplant. Big thick Italian eggplant or small and skinny Japanese eggplant – it doesn’t matter.
  • Olive oil – I prefer olive oil. You could also use coconut oil or vegetable oil like canola.
  • Salt – Most vegetables taste better with a little bit of salt.

Step by Step Instructions

1. Prepare

Wash the eggplant and cut it into cubes about 1 inch in size. You don’t need to peel the eggplant unless you want to.

cubed eggplant

You could also cut the eggplant into round, horizontal slices, but that makes it more difficult to fit an entire eggplant into the air fryer basket in one batch. So I generally cut it into cubes.

2. Season

Put the eggplant cubes in a bowl and drizzle the olive oil over them. Then add the salt and toss to mix everything.

I don’t think eggplant really needs much extra seasoning before cooking. You could add some garlic powder if you like garlic though.

3. Cook

Put the eggplant in the air fryer basket. It doesn’t have to be a single layer, but make sure the basket is not so full that the air can’t circulate.

eggplant in air fryer basket before cooking

Cook the eggplant at 400 F for 10 minutes. Take the basket out and shake it after 5 minutes to make sure everything is well distributed. The eggplant will shrink down as it cooks.

eggplant in air fryer basket after cooking

How to Serve

When the eggplant is done it will be brown on the edges and look like the cubes of eggplant have been squished a bit.

I love to sprinkle red pepper flakes on my eggplant before eating it, because it makes it taste amazing. I don’t like to add the red pepper until serving though because my kids don’t love it as much as I do!

closeup of roasted eggplant on a plate

If you have leftovers store it in the refrigerator for a few days. You can reheat the leftovers or just add them to a soup or eggs.

I think leftover spicy eggplant tastes amazing on homemade pizza, too. Sometimes I make this recipe just so I have eggplant for my pizza!

Frequently Asked Questions

Don’t I need to salt and drain the eggplant before cooking it?

No, salting and draining eggplant is not needed. Eggplant used to be bitter, and this was a way of reducing the bitterness.

But the eggplant that is grown now has been bred not to be bitter. So salting and draining it would just be a waste of time and effort.

top view of air fryer eggplant

Find More Air Fryer Vegetables Recipes

closeup of roasted eggplant on a plate
4.25 from 33 votes

Air Fryer Eggplant

Published By Anne
This easy recipe for healthy air fryer eggplant is a delicious and healthy side dish.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Servings: 4
Print Save Rate Pin

Ingredients
 

  • 1 medium eggplant
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder optional

Instructions

  • Cut the eggplant into cubes. There is no need to peel it.
  • Put the cubes in a bowl and toss with the oil, salt and garlic powder.
  • Put the eggplant in a single layer in the air fryer and cook at 400 F for 10 minutes. Shake the basket halfway through.

Video

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Nutrition Information

Serving: 1g | Calories: 80kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 266mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g

Nutrition facts are estimates.

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plate of air fryer eggplant
anne

Hi, I’m Anne!

I love to cook and I want to share my recipes with you. I believe cooking should be approachable and fun, not a chore. I want to make simple recipes using everyday ingredients that you can make again and again, whether it is for a busy weeknight, a summer cookout or a special dessert. Read more...

1 thought on “Air Fryer Eggplant”

  1. It would be helpful to address air fryers that have racks rather than a basket. This recipe is better suited for a basket and you can’t shake racks.

    Reply

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