Shop
My
Custom
FREE 5-Ingredient Recipe EBook
GET IT NOWIf you’re looking for the perfect air fryer eggplant, you’ve found it! Those of you that have been here before know that my air fryer is my favorite appliance and eggplant is one of my favorite summer veggies. So a few years ago, I combined them! I added a cheesy, crispy parmesan coating, and it was the best decision. My air fried eggplant is faster than most other methods, but can I just say, that coating is everything. Make it with me and see what I mean!
Why You Need My Air Fryer Eggplant
- Perfectly tender texture – The inside is nice and soft, and the edges are a little caramelized. The texture is most similar to my roasted eggplant, but with browning like my sauteed eggplant.
- Healthier, but still crispy coating – I use the same trick here that I do for zucchini fries, air fryer zucchini, and tuna patties: Use grated parmesan instead of breadcrumbs! It’s naturally gluten-free, and has way more flavor. No, it’s not quite as crisp as actual breadcrumbs, but it’s still absolutely delicious — and healthier.
- Simple, speedy side dish – My air fryer eggplant needs just 4 pantry staples, plus salt and pepper. You don’t need any bowls or pans, and it cooks really fast. It’s an easy, delicious way to eat your vegetables!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ingredients for my air fried eggplant, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
- Eggplant – I recommend small to medium ones, because they are less bitter and not as seedy. If you’ve got larger ones, you’d need to salt them to remove the bitterness — and who wants that? The whole point of an air fryer eggplant recipe is to make it quickly!
- Olive Oil – I use this one. Avocado oil also works great.
- Grated Parmesan Cheese – My secret to that perfect crispy coating without breadcrumbs! You can buy it pre-grated or grate it yourself. Just make sure it’s finely grated, not shredded, because shredded won’t get you that crispy crumb exterior. If you still prefer actual breadcrumbs, you can replace half the parm with them (like my fried eggplant recipe). Once I even made this recipe using almond flour instead.
- Seasoning – You can use my 5-minute homemade Italian seasoning, or just grab store-bought. Make sure it’s unsalted, or your eggplant will be too salty. You can also choose individual dried herbs instead, like basil, thyme, rosemary, or oregano. Feel free to add spices, too, like garlic powder (the extra spice I add most often) or paprika.
- Sea Salt & Black Pepper
How To Cook Eggplant In The Air Fryer
I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Slice the eggplant. Cut it crosswise to make circles, about 1/2 inch thick. Pat them dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture.
- Season both sides. Brush the eggplant with the olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning, and parmesan cheese, in that order.
- Air fry eggplant. Arrange the slices in a single layer in the basket. Cook in batches. The air fryer eggplant is done when it’s soft and the cheese is golden brown. Garnish with fresh parsley if you like.
My Recipe Tips
- Start slicing your eggplant opposite the side of the leafy top. This way, you’ve got more to hold onto while you’re slicing. I always cut off the leafy part at the end.
- Keep the slices uniform. My recipe is based on 3/8 to 1/2 inch thick rounds. This gets you a good balance of coating and tender inside. Slice them all to the same thickness, so that they cook evenly. You can cut them thinner if you like, but keep in mind they’ll cook faster.
- Brush on the oil, or spray for a shortcut. If you drizzle it, I find that it tends to soak into the spongy eggplant very quickly, so it’s not even. When I want a shortcut, I use my olive oil sprayer instead of brushing.
- Add the parmesan cheese last. The salt and pepper stick better when they are first, and the parmesan is a thicker layer, so anything on top of it doesn’t stick much. That’s why I add the parm last.
- For extra browning, spray the parmesan with a little more oil. This is not required, but improves the texture of the “breading”.
- Don’t crowd the basket. Keep your eggplant pieces in a single layer. I usually need a few batches to air fry eggplant that’s average sized.
- I don’t recommend flipping. You can try, but I find that I lose some of the cheese after flipping, so I usually don’t.
- Adjust the time as needed. Different air fryers cook differently, and the time can vary with just slightly thicker or thinner slices. So, poke the eggplant to confirm that it’s very soft. If it’s still firm but the outside is already golden, you can lower the temperature to 320 degrees F and continue to air fry until it’s soft. Trust me, your air fryer eggplant won’t taste very good if it’s firm!
- Prefer to skip the parmesan coating? I think it’s amazing, but you definitely can. The air fryer time would be the same without it.
Storage Instructions
- Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. I don’t love freezing this dish, because the parmesan coating gets soggy.
- Reheat: To crisp up the outside, just reheat the eggplant in the air fryer again. I set the temperature to 320 degrees F when reheating, so they don’t darken more.
Leftover Ideas:
One of my favorite ways to repurpose the leftovers is a makeshift air fryer eggplant parmesan — just layer the slices with marinara sauce and mozzarella. Bake until hot and melty, and finish it off with fresh basil. The same concept works to speed up my eggplant lasagna.
Serving Ideas
I love this air fryer eggplant as an appetizer — just dip it in my marinara sauce (above)! If you want it as a side, I recommend pairing it with a main dish using the same appliance, for less cleanup:
- Chicken – You can’t go wrong with crispy air fryer chicken wings or juicy air fried chicken breast. My family’s fave lately is air fryer chicken leg quarters!
- Seafood – I make air fryer salmon every few weeks, and love it with this air fried eggplant. You can also choose air fryer cod with my Cajun seasoning if you like a kick, or air fryer lobster for a special occasion.
- Beef Or Pork – My foolproof air fryer steak recipe will make you feel like you’re at a steakhouse, but it’s super easy. Or just throw some pork chops in the air fryer for a fuss-free weeknight meal.
My Favorite Air Fryer For This Recipe
It crisps, it roasts, and it evenly reheats — my favorite air fryer does it all. It’s got a roomy basket, and I use it to test all my air fryer recipes.
Air Fryer Eggplant
My easy air fryer eggplant has an irresistibly crispy, cheesy coating! Make it in just 15 minutes, with a handful of simple ingredients.
Remove Ads
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
-
Preheat the air fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
-
Slice the eggplant crosswise to make circles, about 3/8 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut off the leafy end only after you are done slicing, so that you'll have more to grab onto as you slice. Pat the slices dry with paper towels.
-
Brush the eggplant slices with olive oil, on both sides. Sprinkle both sides with sea salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning, and parmesan cheese, in that order.
-
Arrange the eggplant in the air fryer basket in a single layer. Air fry for 10-12 minutes, until the eggplant is soft and the cheese is golden brown. Repeat in batches with the remaining eggplant slices.
LAST STEP: Leave a rating to help other readers, or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram. I’d love to hear from you!
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 4 slices, or 1/4 entire recipe
📖 Want more recipes like this? Find this one and many more in my Healthy Air Fryer Bundle!
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
Add Your Notes Your Notes
Try More Of My Recipes
© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead.
Air Fryer Eggplant
81 Comments
Sarah
1These turned out so crispy and were perfectly seasoned! And the parmesan – yum!
JM_in_VA
1Mine turned out perfectly! Such a simple way to add a special touch to dinner or just eat as a snack. I can envision a lot of variations to seasonings and even using this recipe on other veggies. Thank you for this amazing creation!
Martie Best
1These were fantastic! Now my favorite way to prepare eggplant. I used a grated parmesan / Romano cheese mixture I had bought at Publix, and I really cannot express how delicious they were….interestingly, the second tray in the air fryer was left in for a couple more minutes, and on those, you couldn’t chew the ‘peel’ of the eggplant. 10 min is PERFECT.
Kristyn
1Since finding your recipe, we make this all the time!! My hubby & I love it!! I try to keep eggplant on hand, so I can make these. They go great with so many meals!
mimi morgan
0I was skeptical how these would turn out, but there were great! Crispy goodness. Featuring parm over the bread crumbs is brilliant. I added a bit of cajun seasoning to the salt/pepper and added a few T of panko to the parm. I spritzed both sides w/olive oil so the coating stayed on better.
Wholesome Yum D
0Morgan, I totally get the skepticism… but I’m so glad they won you over! Love your twist with the Cajun spice and panko, and great tip on spritzing the oil. Sounds like a crispy, flavorful win!
Pam
0This was delicious, golden brown and a new staple on our weekly menu.
Wholesome Yum D
0I’m so happy to hear that, Pam! Golden brown and delicious sounds like a win to me. I’m honored it made it onto your weekly menu!
Pam
0So delicious, lots of flavor and crispy. Golden brown and all is gone! A favorite. Thanks for your recipes! Love your books.
Wholesome Yum D
0That’s so wonderful to hear, Pam! I’m thrilled it was a favorite and thank you for the kind words about the books, too!
Claire
0These are so easy and delicious!!! My family loves them!! Thank you!😉
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I’m so glad to hear that, Claire! You and your family enjoy!
Pam
0Love the eggplant but don’t like the skin it was very tough. Will make it again and next peel the eggplants.
Delicious
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I’m glad you loved it other than the skin, Pam! It could be that the eggplants you had were very large and those usually have tougher skin, or could be personal preference. Feel free to peel them next time, but keep in mind the skin does help with structure of the slices.
Jill
0Have had a ton of fingerling eggplant from my garden this year and love this recipe. Even my husband will eat eggplant this way.
Wholesome Yum D
0Happy you found a way to use up all that eggplant, Jill. Sounds delicious!
Maria
0Absolutely super easy, delicious and healthy!!🙏
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Maria! Hope you make this eggplant again soon.
frances claire snodgrass cooper
0love your recipes,,,,so simple, and delicious…..
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Frances!
ogrady575
0Great. Thank you for the recipe.
Roderick Lee Trotti
0these turned out phenomenal.
Roderick Lee Trotti
0Maya, hello. I made this recipe. But what I did do is I used an egg wash and then coated with planko seasoning. Is that okay to do?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Roderick, Yes, feel free to do that if you like!
Sam
0You forgot the all important air fryer TEMPERATURE!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Sam, I did not. It’s 375 degrees F and this is right in step 1 on the recipe card above. Please make sure you read the recipe card so that you don’t miss anything.
Bonnie
0Will this work in an oven type countertop, air fryer? And if so, is the temperature and time the same as your recipe?
Since I’m asking the question, would it be safe to say that air fryer recipes you create will also work in the oven type countertop air fryer.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Bonnie, Yes, all my air fryer recipes, including this one, will work in an oven type countertop air fryer. The temperature should be the same, the cook time might vary by a minute or two.
Sandy
0I tried and ate all of my first batch of ZUCCINI AND YELLOw. They turned out great and were delish.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I’m happy to hear you liked what you made, Sandy! This recipe is for air fryer eggplant, did you mean to leave this review on my zucchini and squash recipe? Or maybe you used this air fryer eggplant recipe but swapped in squash?
Debbie
0Made the air fry eggplant. Loved the seasonings but the sliced eggplant was mushy. Probably won’t make it again.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Debbie, Sorry it didn’t turn out like you expected. The air fryer time can vary depending on exactly how thick your slices are and your particular air fryer. Sometimes even an extra minute or two can make a difference. I recommend checking on them sooner next time. Hope this helps!
Howie
0I don’t have an Air Fryer. Can I use a normal frying pan on the stove?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Howie, If you want to make this on the stove, I recommend making my fried eggplant recipe.
Tegan
0These are so good as a side, or as its own. One of my go to recipes when I don’t know what to eat! I always have the ingredients in the pantry.
Charlene
0Made this tonight and I loved it! I didn’t use Italian seasoning, I forgot it. But they came out great. I think I have to cook them a bit longer, though, mine weren’t crisp at all. Considering it’s the first time I’ve ever cooked eggplant, I consider this a WIN! Thanks for a great recipe!
Lisa
0This is delicious and so easy. I will definitely be making this again. Thank you!
GW
0Leave out the salt, otherwise it is inedible. My Italian seasoning already has salt in it!
I thought these were delicious and so quick and easy in the air fryer. Will make them again soon!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Yes, definitely leave out the salt if your seasoning is already salted. 🙂 Most brands of Italian seasoning don’t have salt added, and my Italian seasoning recipe doesn’t, either. But if yours does, you can skip the salt. I’m glad you liked the recipe otherwise!
Lisa
0The flavor was fantastic! The texture might be improved with longer cook time, cheese added at end, and maybe some prep on the eggplant slices (salt?) to draw out the moisture and encourage a less mushy slice. Addition of marinara sauce recommended!
Babara P Finegan
0I really enjoyed the eggplant recipe.
Judy
0It says to cook it for 10-12 minutes but it doesn’t say what temperature?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Judy, The temperature is in step 1 on the recipe card above. It’s 375 degrees F. I highly recommend reading over the recipe card to make sure you don’t miss a step or ingredient.
Suzi
0Can you use frozen sliced eggplant for this recipe?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Suzi, This recipe is best made with fresh eggplant. I’ve never tried it with frozen, but please let me know how it goes if you do.
Jere Cassidy
0Finally, an eggplant recipe that I love. Thanks for this recipe; it was so easy, and I loved the cheese and spices.
Amanda
0I love how this eggplant turned out! That cheesy, crispy coating is fabulous. I have a ton of eggplant in the garden, so this will be on the menu again for sure.
Mandy Applegate
0You weren’t kidding about the crispiness and that cheese melted on top was sublime – thank you!
Devy
0I love eggplants and this recipe was so easy to make. I had them ready literally in minutes while I was doing my dishes. Love it.
Andrew
0Air Fry at what temperature?????
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Andrew, 375 degrees F. You can find that info in the recipe card right above where you left this comment. I highly recommend reading over the recipe card to make sure you don’t miss a step or ingredient.
rose
0do you think it’s okay if I will not add parmesan?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Rose, Yes, you don’t have to add parmesan if you don’t want to.
Suz
0I made the eggplant air fryer recipe and I thought it was very easy and delicious too. Thank you for your recipe.
Jackie
0Tried these today with vegan Parmesan and it was amazing! TY for the confidence to make such delicious food. Lesson learned—brush or spray oil as I forgot how much and how fast eggplant soaks up oil.
Janice
0This is delicious, however 375 was much too hot in my Ninja Foodi. The parmesan overcooked to point of burning after 8 minutes.
Linda
0This recipe is sooo delicious and easy. I have a garden with lots of eggplants that need using. I didn’t want tomatoe sauce on them. This recipe fit the bill. Thank you for sharing!
Elaine
0Flavor was good, texture was not. It did not get crispy at all. Followed the recipe.
Wholesome Yum A
0Hi Elaine, I’m sorry this recipe didn’t work out for you! Some eggplants hold more moisture than others, and air fryers can act differently depending on how close food gets to the heating elements. You can always try slicing the eggplant, sprinkling with salt, and letting it sit for 10 minutes before rinsing it off and patting dry to make it less soggy. I hope you give it another try!
Meeks
0I made this tonight… and mine came out kinda mushy, but the flavor was so good also I didn’t realize that I was using way to much oil on each slice I didn’t mind the texture anyway. But I’ll try this tip.
Marian
0I have been trying a lot of different food. My air fryer and this recipe were so easy and I had on hand all ingredients. It was simply. Delicious.
J Rogan
0What temp is the air fryer in this recipe? I don’t see one.
Suz
0The recipe said to preheat air fryer at 375.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi John, All of the instructions for are on the recipe card above, including temperature. Make sure you read the recipe card to make sure you don’t miss a step or ingredient.
Natalie
0I think this is my favorite way to eat eggplant! Little ingredients, but super tasty!! Yum!
Amy L Huntley
0I love that you made these in the Air Fryer! The parmesan cheese is perfection!
Sherry
0Can I freeze the slices then reheat in the air fryer? I have a lot of eggplant to get cooked
Jean
0What temperature did you fry it at?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Sherry, The texture will change some after freezing, but this method will work. Enjoy!
Natalie
0Looks crispy and delicious. Yum!
Kristyn
0Ok, I love the crispy outer layer!! This makes a delicious appetizer!! I get tired of the same things, so this is a yummy change!
Linda
0This eggplant recipe is delicious! Love the crunch part and how they’re so easy to make
Delores
0Hi again Maya, I didn’t read the nutrition facts before I sent my first question. I don’t see any sugar in the recipe, does that come from the eggplant?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Delores, No problem! The sugars are naturally occurring from the eggplant.
Delores
0Hi Maya,
This looks and sounds delicious; did you brush the oil only one the one side that you sprinkle the other ingredients?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Delores, Sorry about the confusion, I do recommend oiling and seasoning both sides. The amount of oil and seasonings is the total for both sides.
Paula
0The air-fryer is a staple in our house now. I made these instead of fries and my boys loved them.
Scarlet
0Yes. The eggplant slices turned out perfectly in the air fryer!
Eden
0These were so easy to make! Such a great side dish!