For some reason, eggplant used to intimidate me. Its floppy texture, neutral taste, and seemingly over-involved cooking methods made me think it would be something I’d never master.
I was wrong.
Since getting my hands on my first eggplant last year, it’s become one of my absolute favorite fruits (yes, fruit, even though it’s a vegetable in my book).
Two of my absolute favorite recipes utilizing eggplant have been my Cashew-less Vegan Queso and my Eggplant and Caramelized Onion Dip. It’s neutral flavor help it absorb flavors extremely well, and depending on how you cook it, its texture is extremely versatile – from super creamy to super crisp.
And in this little gem of a recipe, it’s crispy to the max.
This recipe was inspired by one of my favorite food bloggers, Izy from Top with Cinnamon. It’s straight out of her beautiful new cookbook, Top With Cinnamon.
Although it’s not a vegan cookbook, it has a lot of recipes that can be easily adapted to a vegan diet. And when I laid my eyes on her crispy aubergine pesto pasta, I knew it was the one for me.
This recipe took a few tries to get just right sans egg, but I think I’ve done it (simply)!
It requires just 10 ingredients, employs easy methods, and takes a little more than 1 hour from start to finish. It is a little bit more involved than some savory meals I’ve cooked, but it’s one that John and I both love and crave, so it’s worth the extra time and effort!
I think you guys are going to LOVE this recipe! It’s:
Comforting
Crispy
Warm
Rich
Flavorful
Saucy
Delicious
Satisfying
& Simple!
I knew this recipe was a winner when I served it to John and he literally went back for seconds before I could! I love it when happy meal discoveries like that happen.
If you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it as much as we did! As always, tag us on Instagram with #minimalistbaker or Twitter @minimalistbaker if you do. Cheers!
Vegan Eggplant Parmesan
Ingredients
EGGPLANT PARMESAN
- 1 medium eggplant (as narrow as possible)*
- 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (or other flour of choice - GF for gluten-free eaters)
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs (GF for gluten-free eaters)
- 2 Tbsp vegan parmesan + more for serving (or sub 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast)
- 1 tsp dried oregano (or 2 tsp fresh)
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup unsweetened plain almond milk (or other neutral milk)
- 1 tsp cornstarch
PASTA + SAUCE
- 8 ounces pasta (such as linguini, but any kind will do, including veggie noodles or gluten-free)
- 2 cups marinara sauce
Instructions
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Slice eggplant into thin rounds slightly less than 1/2 inch thick, and sprinkle each side liberally with sea salt. Arrange in a circular pattern in a colander and place in the sink to draw out the bitter taste of the eggplant.
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Let rest for 15 minutes, then rinse and arrange on a clean absorbent kitchen towel. Top with another clean dish towel and lay a baking sheet on top. Place something heavy on top, such as a cast iron skillet, to thoroughly dry for at least 10 minutes.
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In the meantime, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (204 C) and line a baking sheet with foil and spritz with nonstick spray. Also, if making pasta, bring water to a boil in a large saucepan.
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Prepare your dipping stations by placing almond milk + cornstarch in one bowl; flour in another bowl; and bread crumbs + sea salt + oregano + vegan parmesan (or nutritional yeast) in another bowl.
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Once thoroughly dry, dip eggplant slices in flour, then almond milk mixture, then breadcrumbs. Arrange on the baking sheet and pop in oven to bake for a total of 20-30 minutes.
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IMPORTANT STEP: While the eggplant is in the oven, bring a large skillet to medium heat. Once hot, add 2 Tbsp olive oil (or sub canola or grape seed) and pull 3-4 eggplant rounds out of the oven at a time and sauté to give them extra crisp and texture. Cook for ~2 minutes on each side (or browned) and then return to oven to continue crisping. Do this in batches until all rounds are browned.
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While eggplant is browning in the oven, prepare marinara. I prefer adding my tomato sauce and spices to a serving bowl and microwaving to warm, but you could also heat it on the stove. Set aside.
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Once done cooking, drain pasta and cover with a towel to keep warm. Set aside.
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To serve: Plate pasta and eggplant slices and marinara in a dish as a dipping sauce. Additional vegan parmesan cheese makes an excellent topper.
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Leftovers don’t really reheat well, so it’s best when fresh. See notes for additional tips on crispy eggplant!
Notes
*EGGPLANT TIPS!
- Buy a narrow eggplant - the really big wide ones don’t get as crisp!
- Don’t skip the salt / drain step - it really helps draw out the bitterness.
- Once coated, make sure you get the eggplant in the oven as quickly as possible so it doesn’t sit there absorbing any excess moisture.
*Loosely adapted from the Crispy Aubergine Pesto Pasta from Top with Cinnamon’s new Cookbook!
- Really press down on the eggplant after rinsing to ensure you get all of the water out you can.
- Although it’s an extra step, browning the eggplant in the skillet in addition to baking yields the crispiest result!
Nutrition Per Serving (1 of 2)
- Calories: 748
- Fat: 9.3g
- Saturated fat: 1.6g
- Sodium: 1900mg
- Carbohydrates: 141.4g
- Fiber: 15g
- Sugar: 20.9g
- Protein: 28g
Hi, I'm Dana! I am a food stylist, photographer, creator of the Food Photography School and author of the 31 Meals Cookbook and Everyday Cooking.
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Ooooh I have always wanted to try this, and I love that you used panko breadcrumbs, which make it nice and crispy! When my runs start increasing to more than an hour, I will start needing that pasta fueling, without eating calorie bombs, this will be a great one to add to the lineup :)
This would be the PERFECT fuel for an active runner. And yes! The panko makes this dish crispy and magical. Hope you love it, Tina!
Can’t believe this recipe is vegan! Wow. Eggplant use to scare me too, although I never tried it I thought I would hate it. Wrong! It’s delicious. Wonderful. The perfect flavor. Grew 3 eggplant in this year in my garden and make egg parm with it but I would love to try your vegan spin. It looks marvelous =)
Good for you! I’d love to have a garden someday and if I do, eggplant is high on my list! Hope you love this recipe, Laura!
I can’t wait to get my hands on Izzy’s new book, but this looks like a fabulous adaptation!
You’re gonna love her book!
I live for eggplant. But I totally get the whole intimidation thing. I think half the problem is that it’s called ‘eggplant’ and not aubergine… doesn’t the latter sound prettier?! This recipe looks fab and I can’t wait to read Izzy’s book! Beautiful Dana! xx
YES Aubergine. The Brits say it better (as with so many other things, no?). Thank for the kind words, friend! You’re the sweetest.
Yum! I used to be intimidated by eggplant to but now love love love it! I find it makes a nice and hearty sub for meat in recipes! I can’t wait to try this recipe – eggplant parm. is one of my favourites! I actually have an eggplant in the oven right now to make your eggplant mac and cheese this evening! :D Will let you know how it turns out :D
Ah yay! The eggplant mac n cheese is delish. If you like that one, you’ll love this recipe!
Yes, Dana. YES. Last month I made an eggplant parmesan which was fabulous but not vegan. I was really wondering how to get a good binder without the egg and you are a genius! Your eggplant mac and cheese was absolutely delish and I’m sure this will be too. I’ve got to try that vegan parmesan!
Glad I could be of help! Hope you love this recipe, Leigha!
I am not a fan of egg plant because of that squishy texture. You seemed to fix that, thank you! I will have to give this a go. It looks delicious!
Yes, if preped right, there is no squishy texture. Ny hubby thought the same until I made it the correct way.
I LOVE eggplant parmesan and having been wanting to find a vegan version. Thanks so much for creating and sharing this!
Of course! Let me know if you give it a try!
Ok, I LOVE this post! Eggplant is SO intimidating/ tricky to work with, so I am beyond excited that you fixed that with this awesome looking recipe! Can’t wait to try!
Amazing! I don’t buy eggplant too often, but I have to try this recipe, it looks soooooo good!
Hi there! Long time reader, first time commenter. I just wanted to say that I was super happy that this recipe popped up in my inbox a few seconds ago! I was planning on making something eggplant-y for dinner but couldn’t decide on what. Now I know!
If anyone hasn’t signed up for email notifications, they should! :)
Love hearing from first time commenters! Thanks for saying hi, Cece. I hope you love this recipe. Let us know if you give it a try!
Yum! Perfect recipe for a meatless monday in our house! I’ve never tried cooking with eggplant, but you make it look so approachable!
Thanks Jennifer! Let us know if you give it a try!
Great timing! We have a ton of eggplant from our garden, and last night I was looking for a way to use it. I scoured Pinterest for a vegan, gluten-free eggplant recipe with little luck. I will give this one a try!
Thanks Beth! I hope you give this a try! Jealous of your eggplant situation!
I’ve been dying to try an eggplant recipe and since my little one is a major spaghetti (or anything involving marinara sauce) lover, this will be my first!
This version is so easy!!! Gah! Eggplant parm is a staple in my house, but I feel like I go through a lot of unnecessary steps. Need this!
Eggplant parm is the only way I like eggplant. Love this vegan version!
Eggplant Parm was on last nights menu and your post was found right before I went grocery shopping! Served it over spaghetti squash! I cooked the eggplant slices on a cooling rack placed atop a baking dish which allowed the air to circulate the the slices got nice and crispy!
First, you are my most favorite food blogger ;) Second, I so love this post and can’t wait to try it! I’ve been a vegan for eight months now and you have been extremely helpful with this most amazing lifestyle. Eggplant has always been intimidating and confusing though so I look forward to mastering it :)
Definitely setting some time aside to make this over the weekend! I have such a hate-love-hate relationship with eggplant, and I’m running out of ideas with all these CSA box eggplants!
i was going to make eggplant parmesan a few nights ago, but all the recipes i came upon looked so complicated… this is such a great find after being deterred ! i love the idea of the “double” cooked eggplant.
I also used to be scared of eggplant but now I love it, I think because I’d never had it cooked well in a dish before and the texture scared me. I love making a pasta with a creamy aubergine-tomato-cashew cheese sauce, but up until now I’ve never made eggplant parmesan! However I just made my favourite vegan parmesan from Artisan Vegan Cheese so I think I’ll try this soon!
Caitlin, have you been buying Miyoko’s Kitchen vegan cheese online yet? It’s amazing! I also use her book Artisan Vegan Cheese, but these are made by Miyoko and her staff and shipped all over the US. Excellent for all occasions!
I am desperate to try it, Maggie! Unfortunately they don’t ship overseas (yet!) and I’m based in London, but I’m back in the US for Christmas so I’m definitely ordering a big shipment to my parents’ house and testing it out! Any particular flavours you’d recommend?
You can skip all the preparation of eggplant if you use Japanese or Chinese eggplants. Just smaller rounds, but then you don’t need to use salt, weights, paper towels, etc. Just FYI. Great recipe.
This is really good to know! I bought Chinese eggplant to try this recipe. I have never cooked with eggplant so your comment was perfect timing! Thank you.
Fabulous. Tried this tonight. Made everything from scratch (inc marinara sauce and cashew Parmesan cheese). It came out great! Thanks! Easy peasy and totally delicious. And, yah, I totally get the step of skillet browning the eggplant. Nice touch!
This was soooo good! We are not big eggplant eaters in our home, but this may have converted us!
Also, we did reheat leftovers for lunch. I just kept the eggplant stored in a single layer, wrapped in the foil I had baked it on. The next after noon, I spread the foil back out and warmed the eggplant in the oven and then threw it on top of my pasta and sauce- and it was still amazing (and crispy!!)
I had this recipe for dinner tonight and all I can say is WOW! Just WOW! Honestly, one of the best dishes I’ve ever had! I made it for dinner for my fiancé and I, and he absolutely loved it!
Frying the eggplant while it’s baking is pure genius! Just loved everything about it!
Thank you so much!!
Love it! Thanks for sharing, Eva!
I just made these for lunch and I really liked the taste and texture of the eggplant. I used old whole wheat toast for the breadcrumbs (plain white toast didn’t crumble) and that worked really well. Also subbed oat milk for almond milk and thyme for oregano because I didn’t have any.
I think I’m gonna make these again as a side with hummus and some lentil / Arabic salad. :)
Thanks for the inspiration!
I made this a few weeks back… About to make it gain on Tuesday. It was so good! I had never made eggplant parmesan before, and this made it so simple! Thank you for being so awesome!
Ah yay! So glad you liked it, Kris!
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I can’t wait to give it a try. As a vegan, there’s nothing I miss more than Eggplant Parmesan. I stopped making it/buying it as an Ovo/Lacto vegetarian when I became aware that mozzarella contains rennet from animal corpses. I’ve tried different vegan eggplant recipes but could never get the bread crumbs to adhere to the eggplant slices. I’m hopeful that this will be the recipe that reunites me with crispy fried eggplant.
So never had eggplant parm before in my life – but this was AWESOME! I love your recipes and have made probably over a dozen over the past few months. Thank you for your blog! Love it!
Whoop! Glad you enjoyed it, Janine. Thanks for sharing!
I am gearing up to make this right now. I’ll tag you on Instagram <3
I was a bit skeptical starting this recipe…I wasn’t feeling very motivated, but I had an eggplant on the verge of death that I needed to use up. This recipe did not disappoint! I was amazed at how good it was with so few ingredients, and so similar to a traditional eggplant Parmesan. Very satisfying. I had a pot of Chloe Coscarelli’s simple marinara in the fridge, and it was the perfect complement. This is now my go-to eggplant recipe. Thank you!!!
This turned out SO GREAT!!! Two things I changed up that might be helpful to try
1) instead of putting them on a cookie sheet, i put metal cooling racks on the backing sheet and the slices on that…no need to flip and they don’t get soggy! I do this for zucchni fries as well. Nothing worse than losing breading when flipping!
2) We try to keep the oil to a minimum so instead of taking them out and pan frying (which i will do for special occasions no doubt) I just sprayed a little bit of cooking spray on top and turned the broiler on low toward the end. Just keep an eye out so they don’t burn!
Awesome recipe, as usual. Thank you!!
Hi ,
New Vegan the past 6-7 months and I love your site and all the wonderful recipes I’ve
seen. This is a Favorite for me since I am Sicilian. The Vegan Parm is the Bomb :-) Has anyone tried to freeze this and have it reheat well? love this recipe thank you some much for all the hard work that goes into your recipes, keep them coming!!!!
Regards
Kelly B.
Giiiiirrrrllll you are a Wonder Woman!! This was ABSOLUTELY the most delicious eggplant parm I have ever had! Who knew almond milk could work with it so well! Anyway I just wanted to say that I admire you so much and you have helped my vegan journey become SO MUCH EASIER! Thank you!!
Yay! So glad you loved it, Bayaan!
Made this tonight. It was Easy, Delicious, and Fairly quick to make! I used real parm because I didn’t feel like making vegan parm, but I think it would be great with it too!
Do you think this will work just as well with zucchini? Would the salt step be necessary?
Not sure as I haven’t tried it, but check the comments as I believe others have tried it! I think the salt step wouldn’t hurt, but it also wouldn’t be as necessary. Good luck!
Made this wonderful dish tonight! I am pretty new to the vegan lifestyle and so far it has been a cinch because of wondeful recipes like this. My non vegan family enjoyed it as well. I will definitely check out more of your recipes. Thanks so much!!
I made this last night and it tasted wonderful! I thought I was pretty much done with Italian dishes when I went vegan last year, so I was delighted to enjoy such a rich pasta dish for dinner.
I’ve made this recipe about 100 times. It’s one of my favorite meals! I also have made it for non-vegans/vegetarians, and they LOVE it too!
I’m thinking about making “fried” zucchini using a similar process of putting it in the oven and pan-frying. Do you think it could work? Any advice would be welcomed!
So great! Thanks Kris. I do think it would work with zucchini! If you try it, let me know how it goes!
Just made this recipe and WOW. By far the best meal i’ve ever cooked. This was so tasty we ate it all. I have never been a big fan of eggplant but after this recipe it became one of my favorite.
THANK YOU
So great! Thanks for sharing, Kim!
Thank you so much for this recipe – it is SO GOOD! I have been vegan for a little over a month, and am learning new ways to cook meals, so i can keep my former meat-eater hubby happy, or at least accepting of the change. I must say this is one of the best recipes I have had so far – and my husband loved it too! The “cheese” mix works great, and the technique of baking, then sautéing till crispy, then re-baking, works wonders with the eggplant. And the prepping with the salt, rinse, etc., really does take all of the bitterness out. I served it with a handful of slightly wilted fresh spinach on the side to green up the plate, and a few pieces of bruschetta. I wish I could give it 6 stars! YUMMY! Thanks again, for this, and so many other of your recipes!
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing, Diane!
What a delicious recipe! Even though I had to swopped some of the ingredients for things that were non vegan-like, it all came together in the end. I think I may have to feature this recipe on my blog, as soon as I master great food photography skills like you! My friends would love this healthy meal.
Keep up the excellent tasty work!!
Wow! Made this today for my recently turned vegan husband. It was a win! So easy! A little time consuming, like any eggplant parmesan recipe, but the taste was awesome. Worth the time! No need to use dairy to make a great tasting eggplant parm. I used my tomato sauce recipe and another vegan parmesan recipe because I’ve been making my own vegan parmesan for a little while now. Thank you for sharing. :)
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing, Jamie!
Thank you for this recipe! It was fantastic!!! I used spaghetti squash instead of pasta to lighten it up a bit and it was wonderful. :) Thank you for sharing your recipes!
Great idea! I’ve been meaning to try it that way, too!
Thank you so much for this recipe. Until now I have found myself averting my eyes in the produce section every time I pass the taunting eggplants. I could never seem to tame the texture and bitterness in the previous recipes I’ve tried and felt like I was the only vegetarian on the planet that despised eggplant. Enter you amazing eggplant parmesan. Delicious & crispy doesn’t even cover it! I loved loved loved this meal! It was filling without being too heavy and pleased even my four year old picky eater. This recipe will officially be in rotation around here :) Thanks again :)
what about using flax egg to make the coating for the breadcrumb to stick? Instead of the cornstarch/almond milk mixture?
I tried that and it made them soggy :(
THIS… WAS… SO… GOOD!
This recipe is the Bomb! I made it with Japanese eggplant which worked great. Also the vegan Parmesan is awesome!! I have been a vegetarian for many years and a vegan for almost 2 years and stopped using the store bought vegan Parmesan, I don’t typically care for any of the vegan cheeses I just don’t use them. But this recipe will change that I love it , THANK YOU !
Every recipe I have tried of yours is really yummy :)
I am definitely going to try this! I saw the note about getting the coated eggplant in the oven right away so they don’t absorb too much liquid. Why not just coat enough eggplant rounds to fit in the fry pan, then put them in the oven after? This way you won’t have lots of coated eggplants sitting around absorbing all that liquid. If you coat the eggplant in stages then you won’t have to put them in the oven right away and keep taking a few out for frying. I guess this way, you would probably have to wash your hands in-between stages.
This was really good! I was looking for an eggplant parmesan recipe without eggs since we were out, and found yours. I had to cook longer at a little lower temp. at my elevation (5,100′) and I cheated and used real parmesan. It was a great way to use an eggplant from our garden. Thanks a bunch!
I made this and loved it! My man had two portions. I did make a few tweaks to make it work with my supplies though. Arrowroot instead of cornstarch, no oil or frying, and I used oats for everything. Made oat milk, blended them for oat flour, and processed them into crumbles. It turned out delish and I think a major part was the coating. I liked it really spiced up; I added fresh basil and other dry Italian spices as well as more nooch! Yum. Thanks for the great recipe!
I was skeptical about anything with eggplant, but this is AMAZING! Super crispy, nice chewy inside, and bonus points for being vegan. Thanks for this!
I made this tonight and it was delish! I served it over creamy polenta instead and my family loved it. I have four (vegan) kids and they all liked it. My four year old had seconds. It really turned out well and was a nice way to get the kids to eat and enjoy eggplant. Thanks for the wonderful recipe! I will be making it again for sure.
I have made this two times already and I LOVE it!! I think I might start eating it every week! I was so scared to use eggplant and I never had it before but now it’s my favorite!
I made this for lunch today and now I cannot stop thinking about it! I have tried eggplant Parmesan in the past, but didn’t do the salt or pushing the moisture out. Don’t forgot those steps because it helps make the eggplant nice and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. This recipe is dangerous! I might be making this many time a week!
P.S. the vegan parmesan recipe is amazing! That is the one thing I miss the most after going vegan and that vegan parmesan is sooo good it tastes better than the real thing!
Ah yay! Thanks so much for sharing! So glad you enjoyed it, Sarah. xo
This was really good! My carnivore brother in law loved it too! Yum!! Making this again!
I made this last night and for my first vegan meal preparing myself it turned out FANTASTIC!!, this recipe was very very delicious even my non vegan friends loved it. I made way too much pasta though so today im going to make a vegan alfredo sauce and cook the rest of the leftover eggplant I have. Although I was very nervous cooking with eggplant for the first time it came out perfect. I will definitely be making this again, thank you so much for the recipe!
Absolutely LOVE this recipe. Made it last night for the first time…and I made a double batch. Good thing, as I ate more than one of the eggplants myself. Brought the rest to lunch today and popped them on my George Foreman grill. They “toasted” up very nicely and were perfect as leftovers.
Thank you so much for this recipe. Eggplant Parmesan is one of my all time favorites and where I “fail” as vegan as I’ll order it at a restaurant without the cheese (I know they probably use egg) because I love the taste so much. Now I can successfully make it at home (and maybe faster the 2nd time around) and satisfy my craving. Thanks again!
Yay! SO glad you enjoyed it, Jennifer! thanks for sharing!!
I was very excited about trying this recipe, so I’m sorry to give a less-than-glowing review. The eggplant meat came out soggy and greasy—maybe because it wasn’t clear when in the process to fry it—and the skin was tough to cut and impossible to chew. :( Maybe the eggplant? Maybe the cook? Second eggplant recipe that’s been a disappointment this week, so I think I’ll give up on it at this point!
House sitting in Costa Rica so not having a traditional Thanksgiving this year and instead made oven roasted chicken and served it with this eggplant parmesan! YUM!
This was so good, I have to make it again soon. Perfect texture and flavors and I skipped the whole frying thing and just baked the eggplants in the oven. Thank you for all of your versatile recipes! 5 stars!
I just ran out of milk, I do have some aquafaba (brine from canned chickpeas ) can i use as a egg substitute? I’ve used it in other recipes. Thanks
Give it a try! Let me know how it goes!
I’ve heard that chia seeds and water makes a good egg substitute for baking, I don’t know about as a batter. Haven’t tried it yet
I can’t even say how I came across your site,Dana, but whadda blessing! Oh yeah, I had an eggplant, but not a clue as to what to do with it, so I googled & there you were, to the rescue… All I did was follow your instructions and WOW, your Eggplant Parmesan is fantastic !!! I even smiled as I cleaned up after us… I have subscribed & my next step is to download your beautiful cookbook… As I enter my 8th decade, my newest hobby is cooking and I have elected you, Dana, as my guide… BTW, your fantastic photography is worth the cost of the your cookbook….
I loved it
This was a terrific recipe. I make a few substitutions to make the recipe gluten free as well as vegan. I replaced the flour with ground almonds, the bread crumbs with ground flax seed and the noodles with spaghetti squash. It turned out beautifully. I am always looking for good vegan and gluten free recipes and was great. I will definitely do it again.
Dana,
I have used many of your fabulous recipes, and have never been disappointed. I recently went to the Olive Garden and ordered this dish (sans cheese), and decided to make it at home.
My girls (11 & 7) didn’t like OG version, but went back for seconds of yours!
Definitely a hit in our household.
Please keep posting. You are an inspiration to all vegan cooks out there.
Thank you so much,
Darcey
Hi Dana!
Thank you so much for this recipe! Even being vegetarian, I love your vegan adaptations and use them when I’m low on ingredients ( which is all the time) or need a lacto/ovo break. This was delicious; I had to use coconut milk instead of almond, and flax seed flour but it turned out fine. My five year old, carnivore bf and I all loved it. You saved dinner!
Thanks so much,
Page
Just finished making this, it was perfect. So crispy without hiding that unique eggplant flavor. It was hardly any work but tasted amazing. I was worried that it would taste funny because I only had sweetened almond milk, but you couldn’t tell at all.
We used this recipe to make eggplant parmesan sandwiches with kite hill vegan ricotta and marinara, and it was SO GOOD. This eggplant breading technique came out so well. We are going to see if we can simplify it without compromising the results though, because it was a little time consuming and we are lazy. The flour before the almond milk seems important.
THESE WERE DELICIOUS! Thank you for the recipe! After briefly frying, I added the marinara sauce on top with added vegan cheese, then left back into the oven to melt! They turned out great.
This was super good! Thank you for the recipe. I made 2 small amendments. First, I ran out of bread crumbs so used corn tortilla crumbs to make up the difference, maybe about 1/4 cup. Second I added garlic, because I love garlic. Pretty minor changes from what I see others do.
Other than that I followed the recipe exactly and it is fantastic. Eggplant cooked up perfect, crispy outside with a soft melty inside.
We will be making this again for sure.
Is it possible to brown all the eggplant discs just before putting them in the oven to bake? I’m not sure at what point during the baking process to do this step. Thanks.
This was very delicious! Made for dinner tonight. Thank you for the recipe.
Hi there! I am making this tonight !
I bought an eggplant and wanted to learn how to integrate it in a dish.
You said to add the eggplant to the oven; but then to heat a skillet and fry eggplant in batches.
How long did you have the eggplant in the oven before frying a batch?
Thank you & Namaste.
I decided to give eggplant one more chance with your recipe! Couldn’t believe how good it was!!Guess I’ll still be buying it although these came fom my next door neighbors garden. Thanks so much!!
I decided to give eggplant one more chance with your recipe! Couldn’t believe how good it was!!Guess I’ll still be buying it although these came fom my next door neighbors garden. Thanks so much!!Oh and I didn’t have Panko so I threw whole wheat bread crusts in my blender, perfect!
i was able to successfully reheat this by putting the eggplant back in the skillet with a little olive oil for two minutes on each side and then sticking them in the oven set to broil on a baking sheet with foil for two minutes on each side as well. just as delicious as last night! keep the delicious recipes coming :)
Thank you for sharing this recipe! This was the best eggplant recipe I have ever used. My husband doesn’t like eggplant and he said he really liked this one and he would eat it again. My teenage daughter who never has had eggplant had three helpings because she loved it so much. No bitterness at all. Wonderful!!!
My breading always falls off :( what am I doing wrong?
Hmm, it is tender, but it should stick! Not sure!
Amazing!!! I have always thought eggplant was too mushy. Not anymore! This was great. Thanks so much.
after reading your recipe my feeling its making is very easy, so i will try it in next Sunday.
This is incredible! I love all your recipes, but this one warranted my first comment. SO GOOD. Thank you! You have really helped me in becoming and staying vegan since Jan 1st.
My husband and I loved this recipe! I love eggplant Parmesan. It’s one of my favorite foods. I wanted to make this because it’s lighter and vegan! My husband likes eggplant parm, but he gets kind of sick of it after one day (which sucks when there’s a whole dish of it to eat). He LOVED this recipe. He said he preferred this recipe to traditional eggplant parm. I highly recommend it!
Do you put water in the sink so the colendar has something to rest in? Or do you put the eggplant in the colendar and put the colendar in an empty sink? How does that draw out the bitterness?
Thank you for this recipe. I made it for my girlfriends last night. Great with a cab, we finished the bottle and extra crispies on the stove (rare for three petite lightweights to even dream of seconds.)
I made the eggplant tonight and it was soooo delicious. Thank you for all your great recipes. This is the best vegan meal I have had since changing my diet two months ago. I’m going to make often!
This is so good and I hate eggplant!
Way too salty.
I followed directions and made sure to rinse all of the salt off of the eggplant but when I tasted the fully cooked product the salt was shocking!
Very disappointing
I absolutely loved this recipe! I am not an eggplant lover, but this was seriously delicious! My hubby even had 3 servings it was so good! Thank you! Have you tried freezing these to make it even easier for a weeknight dinner? Just curious as I’d love to be able to cook this even quicker during the week. Thanks again!
I was just wondering about a serving size, I am journaling with My fitness Pal and not sure what a serving size to put in. One cup or how many ounces to enter. I made the Vegan Parmesan Bake.
Thank you
Made this tonight and it was so delicious! Even my 10 month old devoured tiny little pieces, and this was his first time trying eggplant. I would agree, it is more involved than most of the meals I prepare, but it’s definitely worth it.
This dish is spectacular and so delicious. It’s certainly worth the effort, the best eggplant parmesan I’ve ever had! I used plain bread crumbs, otherwise I followed the recipe. I’ll absolutely be making this again and again.
This is the best eggplant parm I have ever had. Seriously.
Great recipe for a beginner. I have made it twice. Could use more sauce or spice. .
I cooked this recipe tonight and was wary of having eggplant (tonight was my first time ever eating it). However, once I took a bite I didn’t want to stop munching on it. A++ Recipe. Thank you for posting it!!
This was the most awesome dish Ive made since becoming a gluten free vegan!! It’s one that is definitely in the front of my recipe box now! Thanks so much Dana!! Please add this to your next cookbook! :)
If you peel the eggplant you will lose a lot of the bitterness. I still salt and drain tho, to get rid of excess liquid. And personally I would just fry the slices, no baking too, it’s just easier! Thanks for the recipe I didnt know what to use instead of egg to bread the slices.
Ok so I was seriously out paying complete attention when I made this and accidentally baked the naked eggplant and cooked it on the stove…didn’t get crispy, shocker! Then I went back and really read the directions…oops! Baked them again with the coating on it…ROCKSTAR! PS- the naked eggplant was amazing all on its own sans breaking too.
I tried these tonight and they were way too salty! Should I have rinsed them after sweating them?
Yes! Rinse after sweating. Then pat dry thoroughly.
This was fantastic! I even sort of burnt my first batch on the stove, but they were still delicious. And once I adjusted the heat, they turned out perfectly. Your vegan dishes are life savers for my husband and I (recent converts.) I can’t wait to get your cookbook in the mail! Thanks so much!
Your vegan cashew parm has changed my life. My family uses a double batch every two weeks.
Did a double batch of the eggplant for the first time tonight. Did some as directed with flour and panko and some using crushed gf cracker crisps. (I accidentally double the cheese and loves the extra flavor.) Ran out of time trying to get everything on the table at the same time for our family of 8, so I skipped the frying. Spritzed with oil and baked until golden. Absolutely amazing and still crispy! I was shocked when the kids asked for seconds!
One extra eggplant in the fridge waiting to be turned into cheese sauce.
Have loved every MB recipe I’ve tried!!
Thanks for helping me veganify my traditionally just vegetarian eggplant parm in a last minute Christmas crunch! I finally made the leap to vegan this year and while I’ve been making dairy-free parm for years, just realized last night, oh shoot, the eggs! What ever will I dip my eggplants in? The almond milk/corn starch (and the baking before a quick fry tip) worked perfectly. Hope you had/are having a wonderful holiday. Looking forward to looking around your site for more yummy dishes!
Ok, i have had eggplant parm fails before but since every one of the recipes I try from this site is a hit with all 3 kids and has made cooking fun again i thought, “heck, why not give it a try!” and now i have another new recipe in the rotation, children that don’t hate eggplant and a full husband. Life is good, thank you yet again!! This is my favourite site :)
Hello! Been a Vegan for over 2 years and LOVE it! Wanted to prepare eggplant for Christmas along with the traditional meal and saw this recipe! I followed the directions and my meal was a BIG HIT! Everyone enjoyed it, even the meat eaters! I used Vegan Parmesan and whole wheat pasta! I made a simple Marinara sauce from scratch and added Baby Portobelloes to it! VERY PLEASED with the dish! In fact I’m preparing it for New Year’s Eve! I really appreciated the eggplant prep tips.
I loved this! It was the first meal I ever cooked completely by myself, and my family loved it. Very easy, very delicious!
Am making this for the third time tonight because we LOVE it! Also served it at a family gathering and it was devoured. Thank you for giving us so many amazing recipes Dana! You are a blessing to a new vegan. I am having your World’s Easiest Cinnamon rolls for dessert tonight as well, leftover from a couple days ago. Thank you thank you thank you!
I made this tonight and my husband,who is not an eggplant lover, was completely blown away! It’s delicious! I didn’t have corn starch on hand so I substituted it with 3tsp of flour and it worked really well. Thanks for sharing!
Awesome recipe! The eggplant is perfectly crispy on the outside with just the right amount of tenderness inside. Mmmm.:)
My non-vegan grandparents had nothing but compliments.:)
WOW!! I used the nutritional yeast instead of the vegan parmesan and melted cheese on top towards the end… came out better than I’ve had in any restaurant before. I’m obsessed with eggplant now! I knew I wasn’t going to be able to eat it all at once so I battered all of the eggplant, cooked what I was going to eat then ad then refrigerated the rest; they still came out fresh when cooked! Thank you for this fantastic recipe!
Thank you for the recipe! It would have been delicious if it wasn’t so salty. I’m not sure if I didn’t rinse it well enough or what happened but I had to toss it, boo! Any suggestions are welcomed :).
Thank you so much for this recipe! Made it tonight and it was awesome. Hubby is not an eggplant fan so I fixed him a chicken breast using the same method and baked them together (we are not vegetarians). Both were great. I will be making this again!
Made this last night and it was awesome!! Even my eggplant-dubious partner loved it, and it’s now on the regular list. ;) I will admit that I skipped sweating the eggplant – I have had bad experiences with bitter eggplant in the past, so I always taste a raw slice to check before I start cooking, but I don’t often come across bitter eggplants in Brisbane. Not quite sure what the deal is with that, as I remember getting them as a kid. I also subbed in fresh rosemary for oregano (cuz I didn’t have any), but it turned out brilliantly! Thanks so much for sharing. =)
Just made this for dinner tonight (my first recipe with eggplant ever!) and WOW this was delicious. I used egg instead of almond milk and cornstarch, and had to add more olive oil for every fry (I couldn’t get the browning without a full layer of oil in the pan) but overall major success! Thank you for making this so easy to follow :)
This recipe was the BOMB!! My son and I loved it! I doubled the recipe and used both parmesan cheese and nutritional yeast. Also used flax milk for the milk mixture. It was crispy and delicious!! Will definitely be making again!!
This recipe was AMAZING and easy. My whole family loved it, even my husband who said he doesn’t like eggplant because it is too mushy. I did the step for added crispiness and it turned out great. I will be making this many more times. Thanks!
Absolutely splendid! I don’t typically like Italian food, but couldn’t stop eating this! My husband and I ate the whole pan in 2 days. Yum! THANK YOU!
This was amazing. We made sandwiches out of it and I added some bocconcini balls. I immediately emailed my friends and attached a link to this recipe. Thanks!
This is fabulous!!! I ‘ve made it a few times and we really enjoy it. Thank you for sharing. xoxo
If you are an eggplant fiend, run to make this. If you are not, RUN to make this! The method of pressing the eggplant to further remove residual moisture worked brilliantly well. The final product was beautifully crisp and crunchy. Leftovers made a wickedly good sandwich filling, sauce and all.
Made this tonight and it was amazing. I used to be addicted to the trader joe’s frozen eggplant parmesan but too many ingredients in it for me! This is a new favorite! The browning in the pan really made it extra crispy and delicious.
Thank you for this recipe. I made the Vegan Eggplant Parmesan this evening. It came out looking just like the pictures and tasted great. I substituted Italian seasoning (containing basil, oregano, marjoram and thyme) for the oregano, and I used brown rice flour in the first dipping bowl. After dipping all of the eggplant, I had leftovers in the dipping bowls. Rather than discard them, I combined all of the leftover dipping ingredients and squeezed them into a miniature loaf which I baked with the eggplant. This loaf turned into a tasty little biscuit.
I made this tonight (with a few tweaks to the spices since I’m not a HUGE fan of nutritional yeast so used a lesser amount) and it was delicious! Thank you so much! My kids and eggplant-suspicious husband loved it too!
I’ve made this twice this week! Oh my gosh – it’s so incredibly good!
I made this tonight but I skipped the olive oil part, because I’m an oil free vegan and it turned out great, anyway! Still crispy and still tender in the middle. I was quite pleased. So pleased in fact, that I made another dinner that same night for my daughter and her boyfriend who came to visit. Wow! Thank you for this recipe.
Try white eggplant, the taste is so light. It’s also easy to grow.
Amazing!! All my kids devoured it! Thank you!!
This recipe is fantastic!
Do follow the tip on salting and toweling off the eggplant. The most important tip is to “par-cook” the eggplant slices after salting and patting dry. This step cooks out more of the water from the eggplant and helps to achieve fantastic results.
I did not have enough panko so I added some ground almond meal to make up the difference of the panko measurement and added 1 TBSP of nutritional yeast to the crumb mixture.
This is the BEST preparation I have seen for eggplant, I cook professionally and am a Sous Chef at a fine dining restaurant. I will adopt this as my go-to recipe for eggplant.
Thank you for experimenting with this Dana!
Ohmygahhhhhd, this is AMAZING. I didn’t even want the pasta. I just wanted like 14 eggplant rounds.
(Also cheated and used real Parmesan)
I have made this twice in one week and am in love. My new favourite vegan recipe!!!! Can you use the batter bowls with asparagus or zucchini?? Thanks for the amazing recipe!!
I made this tonight, and wow!!! Why make any other eggplant “Parmesan” recipe?! My husband and I (plus our four little ones) are doing vegan for a month and we all loved this dinner! Perfecto!
I made this last night. Instead of frying the eggplant I used olive oil instead of the nonstick spray I and it created the crunch without having to fry them. I didn’t have any cornstarch so I just used flour. They came out DELISH! Thanks for the recipe!
Dana-
This is such a delicious dish! Thank you so much for sharing! We recently went vegan for a month to try to help my migraines, and although it didn’t help, we found some great recipes, many of them here on your blog, but this by far is our very favorite, and it’s in our regular dinner rotation now. The kids wolf it down, and so do we. Although we’re back to a more flexitarian diet with occasional meat and dairy now, this recipe is still going to be made often- so happy it won us over on eggplant, which is a vegetable we’d never liked before. Thanks again for sharing it. Yummy, yummy, yummy!
Janis
I noticed your comment and wanted to add- be sure to watch sulfites/sulfates, nitrates, and MSG. I went vegan to help with my migraines and it wasn’t until I but the first few things that I really noticed a difference!
Absolutely loved this recipe, I’ve never made this before and it turned out perfectly. I followed the directions and it turned out better than I hoped.
I just made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! I made homemade whole wheat breadcrumbs and did lentil pasta with fancy mushrooms with the eggplant. The only thing was the eggplant tasted REALLY salty because of the first step. Any suggestions?
Hi! You could leave the salt out or add less!
I made this today with lentil pasta. I broiled the eggplant for 3 minutes at the end and it is nice and crispy. Thanks for the recipe!
When do you add the panko on?
Hi! On The eggplant! Check out step 4 and 5!
I made this with my son’s girlfriend, and it was amazing!!! I only had fat eggplant, as that was the type of eggplant it was, so I cut it in very thin slices, maybe 1/8″. Cassandra doesn’t particularly like eggplant, but she really liked this! I also put some pesto on my noodles. It gave them a little color and kept them from sticking, because I served everything separately and let everyone put the ingredients together on their plate. That way, the eggplant stayed crispy until ready to eat!
I made this a few days ago, I am vegan. Absolutely amazing buttt one this that was a bit over powering, and I’m not sure what I did wrong but the eggplant was very very salty from the salting step. I thoroughly raised the slices. I’m not sure what went wrong but other then that tasty! :) thanks so much❤️
This is one of my absolute favorite recipe’s! In fact.. I use a lot of your recipes and just recently got your cook book for my birthday! yay!
But this one makes my mouth water every time I think of making it. (not a lot of vegan meals make my mouth water… but this one does!!)
Anyway… I have made this quite a few times now. My only dilemma… when I am taking the eggplant out of the oven to fry in a pan and brown… I find that it doesn’t brown up very well unless I use a LOT of oil. Because the panko mix is so dry. It just doesn’t brown with out that oil. and then it soaks the oil right up. Am I the only one who experiences this? Is there something I could be doing differently so I don’t use so much oil in the fry pan? I like to get it really good and crispy on the outside, since the inside is so soft.
Any advise you have would be much appreciated! I’ll be making this for my parents in a few days and thought Id inquire about that part.
Thanks so much!
Just finished scarfing down this meal. It was amazing! Best vegan meal I’ve had.
I absolutely loved this dish! Texture and taste was SO yummy. Thank you :)
Made this tonight for dinner and WOW!!! So delicious!! Even my “I hate everything considered Vegan” boyfriend loved it and was proven wrong! Definitely a new favorite, thank you!
I have never made eggplant and have to say this was great! Loved it!!
I love eggplant and make it often, with different approaches. This recipe is EXCELLENT. Yes, a little more involved than I tend to do, but the results are worth it and I will definitely make this again. The crispness and flavor of the eggplant were perfect.
Delicious ! Tried it and loved it.
Went to the farmers market and there got some really good eggplants . Was wondering if the I could make a nice big batch and freeze them. Do you think reheating and serving would be just as delicious ?
Hi! I plan on making this for my family ASAP, but could I maybe crisp up the panko covered eggplant before they go into the oven? I’ve had not so fun experiences taking things out of the oven and then putting them back in
Hi Harini! The final product may not turn out as crispy, but that should work!
This was SO delicious!! That extra step of frying each piece of eggplant was definitely the kicker – they turned out so crispy and flavourful. Thanks for sharing Dana!
I found this recipe on a Google search and it did not disappoint. My kids loved it and went back for seconds. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes now ?
This was so amazing. I never thought I liked eggplant. We can’t get enough of it. I’m newly vegetarian on my way to vegan and my husband is newly vegan so your recipes have been so helpful and on point. I want to bring the eggplant to my aunt’s for christmas so we have something compliant to eat. Any thought on how it would travel. Or how to reheat. I was thinking of making it the day of just sort of keeping it warm and bringing it over and heating up the sauce. Or do you have an idea?
Thanks again for all your recipes! I tell everyone about this site.
Hi! One day should be ok, but it may not be as fresh!
Absolutely loved this recipe. The combo of pan searing and baking is perfect–our eggplant was super crispy, and the coating was wonderful.
We served it with some quinoa tossed in marinara sauce, and it was a very satisfying dinner.
Turned out Great! Loved it?
I’m just playing around with eggplant. Your recipe was a hit! I made a sweet potato tomato sauce to pair with the eggplant. I’m trying different vegetables that I would never have tried before to make. I’m going to try Brussel sprouts next.
I love this recipe! Definitely one of my favs
I must admit that I was intimidated and skeptical about this recipe, however it turned out to be very delicious. I made a mistake by mixing the flour with the panko and seasoning, yet it was still very good. The eggplant was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. I will definitely make this again. Since I was making this for the first time, it took more time to make than I had planned. I am sure it will be quicker now that I know what to do.
I am now a fan of eggplant!! Follow the tips to make it just right!! Love! Thank you!
I broiled it at the end instead of switching back and forth to the frying pan and reduced some more steps! Also I put a cooling rack over a cookie sheet and it made it crispier and I didn’t lose as much breading. Love this meal!! Thanks!
Thanks for sharing your changes, Lori! Glad you loved the eggplant parm!
This recipe is AMAZING. We went vegan about a month ago, so I’m new to all of this. My husband said this is the best thing I’ve made EVER. Thank you SO much for sharing your recipes! :)
Took us probably 2.5 hours to make but was so totally worth it. Turned out amazing! We made cashew mozzarella and basil pesto to blob into the parm rounds before they went into the oven for the last few minutes. Served it with spaghetti marinara. A++
subs: plain cashew milk, hemp seed flour, tapioca flour for cornstarch, spaghetti squash- only because it’s what I had on hand. Normally try to cook without oil but did use olive oil. Followed your suggestion of oven frying & pan frying. Grew up only pan frying eggplant for parm. This was a game changer. Added oven crumbs to the squash. So delicious! Omni husband went back for seconds :D ! Definitely a new favorite. Thank you for sharing. 10 stars **********
Absolutely delicious! It’s a bit of a process but so worth it in the end! Definitely a new favorite! Thank you for sharing !
After being served more awful eggplant dishes at weddings/events than I could count, I was avoiding it completely, but decided to give it a go with this recipe. I’m so glad I did! This was amazing. So crispy and delicious!
Glad you loved it, Andrea!
Extra crispy. When I was done, I ate some eggplant pieces by themselves fresh out of the oven. Yum. I’m
Made this and it took longer than expected but it was worth it! Mine didn’t brown as well as I would have liked them to in the skillet. I used my cast iron skillet and the extra crumbs were burning faster than it was browning the eggplant. Before I took the eggplant out of the oven I put vegan cheese on top to melt a bit and it was great!
Yes, it is just vegetables!
I have an egg allergy and have tried many different ways to bread fried food…this recipe makes the best vegan chicken cutlets that I’ve ever had!! Thanks for the recipe! Five stars for sure! Oh yeah, the eggplant comes out good too.
I’ve made this, but I didn’t bother salting the eggplant. I’ve read several articles online that say as long as the eggplant is young and firm salting is not necessary. So I skipped that part and the eggplant turned out great!
For the eggless dip, I’m wondering if you could replace the water/cornstarch mix with an aquafaba/cornstarch mix instead? Thanks for yet another great recipe :)
Hi Maria! We haven’t tried, but give it a try! Let us know how it goes!
Delicious !! This is my first time making a dish with eggplant. The vegan bake is awesome I’m lactose intolerant so I skipped on the cheese, however; the dish came out wonderfully cooked .
I made this dish with some cook liberties, overall, I think the recipe was amazing…but I would suggest updating the tip to sprinkle “generously” with sea salt, to just sprinkle. I usually do not cook with salt at all (possibly why I am a little more sensitive) I sprinkled with Sea salt and just thought even after washing it off and letting it dry it was a little salty. Other than that, thanks for sharing the tip as Eggplant is often bitter and I never knew the trick. I am thinking that I will use, slightly less than a sprinkle and I am sure it would be fine. My egglplant was devine!
Eggplant parm has always been my favorite dish, pre and post-vegan days. I made this last night (followed it to the letter) for a friend who never had eggplant in any form and it was PERFECTION! The best eggplant parm I have tried, and my friend said it was the best thing she EVER had. Thank you so much! Mangiare!
Yay!
Thank you for an awesome recipe. I had no cornstarch, so I subbed almond flour. Did not measure, just gradually added to thicken but not thicken too much. Like suggested in another comment, I used a cooling metal rack to lift when baking. And I had forgotten the salt part before first rest, but did it, and rested again and rinsed. I had read the warning to do to avoid bitterness. Might have browned more by airing more. I have never eaten egg plant. It turned out golden brown, but I was still a bit afraid to try. Once I took a bite, I quickly ate it all. Wonderful texture, it was very much like the flavor I remember. All about the spices. I used a garlic, basil pasta sauce which I think helped. The egg plant had no aftertaste, and really surprised me.
The only thing was it made over 10 pieces. I ate only 2 and was full. You had mentioned it does not reheat well. So after letting it completely cool off I packaged and put in the fridge. Will take out and bake each serving, maybe use four to make a mini layered pasta casserole. Hubby would not even try it, and i am stuck eating the rest. So maybe suggestion would be to look for recipies that call for eggplant that saves and do this along with another the first night. Saving the reheatable one for tomorrow’s lunch. Not sure if even possible. Definitely worth trying. No longer intimidated by cooking or eating eggplant. Thank you for sharing.😄
Incredible! Tried the Nutritional Yeast option and it was so tasty. Thank you for a great vegan recipe!
Great recipe. Got the texture and crispiness I was looking for (note: I used Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer in the almond milk mixture). So gooooood. Thanks.
My family of meateaters LOVED this recipe! Thank you! I never liked eggplant this much. Crispiness was perfect!
Woot woot!
I am planning on making this tonight, but I would like to freeze some single layered on a cookie sheet as as soon as I am done breading the eggplant. So I hope it works… Also, has anyone used carton coconut milk with the cornstarch?? I’m more worried about the flavor being compromised.
Almond milk? That’s not listed in the ingredients. How much almond milk?
Yes it is! 1/2 cup should do :)