Mini Crispy Eggplant Pizzas

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Platter of Mini Eggplant Pizzas for a healthy gluten-free vegan appetizer

Who likes eggplant? (Unite!)

Who likes pizza? (OK, seriously, who isn’t raising their hand?)

Who’s stoked about combining the two? Me!

Let’s do this!

Coating sliced eggplant in batter for making crispy Mini Eggplant Pizzas

This 10-ingredient dinner or side is adapted and inspired by my Crispy Gluten-Free Eggplant Parmesan, only I took it a step further by adding pizza sauce and vegan cheese!

The base starts with thinly sliced eggplant (the thinner the better), which is then dipped in gluten-free flour, almond milk, and finally a crispy breading comprised of cornmeal, vegan parmesan cheese, and gluten-free bread crumbs.

Once they’re breaded, simply sauté on both sides until golden brown and then bake in the oven until crispy. All that’s left to do is top with a little red sauce and vegan cheese of choice and bake again until hot. And voila! Eggplant pizza.

Baking sheet filled with crispy eggplant slices for Mini Eggplant Pizzas
 


We hope you LOVE these mini pizzas! They’re:

Crispy
Cheesy
Saucy
Versatile
Flavorful
& Uber delicious

These pizzas would make the perfect side on Italian night or main when paired with hearty greens or our Best Vegan Meatballs! We especially love how crispy they are and that each bite includes plenty of hearty red sauce and vegan cheese!

If you’re into pizza, also be sure to check out our Easy Vegan Pesto Breadsticks, Easy Vegan Pizza, Butternut Squash Veggie Pizza, and Mini Portobello Pizzas!

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!

Platter of Mini Eggplant Pizzas topped with vegan macadamia ricotta and fresh basil leaves

For those looking to skip the breading process or make eggplant pizza on the grill (see below), we’ve got you covered! See alternative options in the notes!

Plate of Mini Eggplant Pizzas topped with green onions, vegan ricotta, red onion, and more

Crispy Gluten-Free Eggplant Pizzas

Crispy 10-ingredient eggplant pizzas that are gluten-free and vegan! Cornmeal and vegan parmesan crusted, baked till crispy, a delicious side or main!
Author Minimalist Baker
Print
Platter of our flavorful Vegan Eggplant Mini Pizzas
4.96 from 22 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 16 (Slices)
Course Entrée, Side
Cuisine Gluten-Free, Italian-Inspired, Vegan
Freezer Friendly 1 month
Does it keep? 2 Days

Ingredients

WET INGREDIENTS

  • 1/2 cup unsweetened plain almond milk (or other neutral dairy-free milk)
  • 1 Tbsp cornstarch (you can try subbing arrowroot starch, but we haven’t tested it)

FLOUR COATING

  • 1/2 cup gluten-free flour blend
  • 2 Tbsp cornstarch (you can try subbing arrowroot starch, but we haven’t tested it)
  • 1/8 tsp sea salt

CRISPY COATING

EGGPLANT

  • 1 whole long, narrow eggplant (sliced into 1/8th inch rounds // skin on)
  • 4 Tbsp neutral cooking oil (like avocado or melted coconut // divided)

TOPPINGS

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (204 C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Also, prepare your dipping stations by mixing together almond milk and cornstarch in one bowl; gluten-free flour, cornstarch, and sea salt in another bowl; and gluten-free panko bread crumbs, cornmeal, vegan parmesan cheese, and sea salt in another bowl (see photo).
  • Next, dip eggplant slices in flour mixture, then almond milk mixture, and then breadcrumb mixture and arrange dipped rounds on a clean plate or baking sheet.
  • Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add 2 Tbsp oil (30 ml // as recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size). Let the oil heat for 1 minute. Then add 4-5 eggplant rounds at a time and brown for ~2-3 minutes on each side or until light golden brown. Then add to the prepared baking sheet and add baking sheet to the oven so the eggplant can start baking.
  • Continue browning eggplant in batches until all rounds are browned and in the oven, adding more oil to the cooking pan as needed. Turn heat down if eggplant rounds are browning too quickly.
  • Bake eggplant for 15-20 minutes or until crispy and golden brown, flipping once around the halfway mark to ensure even baking. Prepare sauce, vegan cheese, and any other toppings at this time (optional). Set aside.
  • Remove eggplant from the oven when crispy and golden brown. Top with a little red sauce, vegan cheese of choice, and any other toppings, such as mixed vegetables. Bake for another 5-7 minutes or until cheese is lightly golden brown. Enjoy as is or garnish with red pepper flake, fresh basil, or vegan parmesan cheese.
  • Best when fresh. But you can store completely cooled eggplant (that hasn’t had any sauce or toppings added) covered in the refrigerator up to 2 days. Reheat on a baking sheet in a 350-degree F (176 C) oven until hot. You can also freeze UNCOOKED coated eggplant slices in a single layer and store in a freezer-safe container up to 1 month. From frozen, sauté on both sides until golden brown. Then bake in a 375-degree F (190 C) oven until hot, crispy, and golden brown. Top with desired toppings and then bake again to warm toppings – about 5 minutes.

Video

Notes

*For non-crispy eggplant pizza that’s quicker and doesn’t require breading, simply slice eggplant into slightly thicker 1/2-inch slices and drizzle both sides with avocado or olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Grill either side on a hot grill or grill pan (or broil in the oven on medium on both sides) until grill marks appear and surface is lightly golden brown. Transfer eggplant to a baking sheet and top with desired amounts of sauce, vegan cheese of choice, and any other desired toppings. Then bake at 400 degrees F (204 C) until hot and the toppings are slightly browned – about 7 minutes. Enjoy.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with 1 tsp vegan almond ricotta per slice and without optional ingredients.

Nutrition (1 of 16 servings)

Serving: 1 (Slices) Calories: 104 Carbohydrates: 11.5 g Protein: 2.1 g Fat: 5.9 g Saturated Fat: 0.7 g Sodium: 186 mg Potassium: 168 mg Fiber: 2.3 g Sugar: 2.1 g

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  1. Betsy says

    I also decided to skip the browning so just sprayed with avocado oil and baked at 425 for about 20 min, flipping halfway through, before adding sauce and some Miyoko’s mozz for another 5 or so. Will make again and again!!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Yumm! We’re so happy you enjoyed! Thanks so much for the lovely review, Betsy! xo

  2. Rachel says

    What a great recipe! I normally only like eggplant in specific dishes, but I must say that this is one of those dishes.
    I’m vegetarian so I used regular parm for the coating and cheese to top the pizzas and skipped the frying and went right to the oven. They browned up nicely. I also really enjoyed the texture of the eggplant – its such a nice change from the bready-ness of a wheat-based crust. Highly recommend!!!!

      • Ann says

        Really enjoyed this eggplant recipe! And so did my 3 year old! I don’t follow a vegan diet so I used flour, cheese and milk. Topped 1/2 the pizzas with mozzarella and 1/2 with ricotta along with mushrooms and olives. Thanks for a great eggplant recipe.

  3. Lauren says

    Super Yummy! I’m not gluten or dairy free, so I used regular flour and regular cheese, which worked great. Heated these up for leftovers 2 days later on the griddle, and they were just as good, if not better. (Used Trader Joe’s pizza sauce on these– super good.) Great recipe!

      • Natalia says

        This recipe is amazing! As soon as my husband and I took a bite out of our pizzas we just immediately looked at each other in disbelief and proceeded to devour the entire thing! Seriously, this dish was truly delicious. I’ll have to include it into our family’s meal rotation. Thanks!!

  4. PA says

    Perfect Crispy Eggplant slices! So good!! Although to save some time, I may skip the browning step and go straight for the oven next time and see what the result is. Thanks

  5. Erin says

    These were so delicious!! I don’t think I will ever have regular pizza on dough again. I had the extras for lunch today and they reheated perfectly! Thank you so much!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Erin! Thanks so much for the lovely review!

  6. Sue Centra says

    We made these without the cornmeal and they were still crunchy and delicious! Will definitely make again.

    Oh and we skipped the frying step and baked in a 450 oven instead.

  7. Megan says

    This was delicious! Baked it until the higher minute range and they turned out nice and crispy. Thanks for including videos (and keeping them short and sweet) for your recipes. They are super helpful! :)

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Thanks so much for the lovely review and feedback, Megan! We are so glad you enjoyed these! xo

  8. Alexandra says

    These pizzas are SOO delicious!!
    I used coconut milk and arrowroot starch and had no issues following the directions exactly.
    Thanks for the deliciousness!

  9. Julie says

    Delicious! Definitely time consuming, but worth it. Loved that I didn’t have to spend time drying out the eggplant

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      I think that would make it less crispy and not work quite the same, but if you give it a try, report back!

  10. Lauren says

    Made this for dinner tonight and it was so so good! A bit time consuming because you can only fit so many slices in a pan to brown at once but even making all the extra toppings, it took just over an hour and that’s not bad! And the final product is worth it! I’ll make these again.

  11. Jas says

    Oh my god! Made these for dinner this evening without the vegan cheese topping, but with sautéed mushrooms. YUM!! Got through way more than I was planning to ??

  12. Kaitlin says

    Hi! These look so delicious and I plan on making them this week! Do you think using either almond flour, coconut or cassava flour would be ok for the flour coating?

  13. Cassie Autumn Tran says

    I used to eat eggplant this way as a teenager! The only difference is that I wouldn’t use the flour blend or cornstarch. I’m sure these would taste like small eggplant Parmigianas–absolutely to die for!

  14. Judy says

    I made this 2 nights ago and I can’t stop thinking about it. It truly was fantastic. I am only going to comment on the “base” bc anybody who makes any kind of pizza is going to top it to their liking. I followed the instructions to the letter for the base and I couldn’t love it any better. The outcome was a delicious surprise to me. It was soft & marvelous on the inside & it was over the top crunchy on the outside. There is no doubt that this is a keeper bc I know that I will make this over & over again. Thanks Dana!

  15. Lisa says

    Tried this recipe tonight, except I used zucchini instead of eggplant. I’m not vegan or gluten free, either, so I used regular parmesan cheese and flour. They turned out amazing!

    I love your recipes and look forward to move delicious dinners. Thank you!

  16. Kylie says

    First, I want a mini Dana to live in my kitchen. You’re so creative and all of your recipes that I’ve tried have worked out amazing. My non Vegan friends are always impressed.

    I wanted to ask, in your original Vegan Eggplant parmesan recipe you go to a lot of trouble to dry out the eggplant slices, salting and pressing them. In the gluten free updated versions since, you don’t include these steps. Are they unnecessary?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Kylie! So kind. So yeah, I now consider them unnecessary for my eggplant recipes! Too time consuming for too little reward. Hope that helps!

  17. Tami says

    You are amazing… I’ve been following you for the past 18 months now, and am never surprised with what you come up with. So creative – thanks for helping me on my plant-based journey!

  18. Nan says

    First, I didn’t think your vegan eggplant parmesan could get any better and then you go and make eggplant pizzas!!! They turned out amazing. Crispy, tomato saucy deliciousness. We added roasted red bell peppers, sundried tomatoes, marinated artichoke hearts, and olives. This is a keeper in our home. Thank you for sharing your culinary talents with us.

  19. Phoenix Perry says

    Ok, first off this is great, however it took me an hour to get it made. I think if it’s in your normal arsenal, it’d take 30 minutes. There are 3 other recipes hiding inside this one. If I did it again, I would just put some oil in the baking pan and use store bought vegan cheese and sauce. It would not be as good, but it would be quicker. We added artichokes on top.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      Thanks for the feedback, Perry! The DIY vegan cheese and tomato sauce are definitely steps that are optional but hopefully can be done when the eggplant is baking. Thanks for the feedback! Glad you enjoyed it!

  20. Briann Clagg says

    How do you recommend cooking the veggies first? I plan on putting olives, broccoli, mushrooms, and peppers.
    Thank you!
    Briann :)