The Best Air Fryer Eggplant Parmesan (quick & easy!)
Making air fryer eggplant parmesan is my new favorite way to cook eggplant! It makes it so crispy on both sides and is such a fast and easy way to make it.
This is the perfect gluten-free and vegetarian date night dinner. You only need a few ingredients and it's ready in under 30 minutes.
In the mood for more recipes like this? Try my Keto Parmesan Crusted Chicken (Air fryer), The Best Air Fryer Acorn Squash with Garlic & Parmesan, or my One Pan Italian Zucchini with Sausage.
What do you need to make air fryer eggplant parmesan:
- 1 large eggplant
- 2 eggs
- gluten-free bread crumbs
- grated parmesan
- Italian seasoning
- marinara sauce
- fresh mozzarella
Substitutions:
To make dairy-free/vegan leave out parmesan and add additional breadcrumbs
No marinara? Try using a pesto sauce or bruschetta instead
Want to add protein? Add cooked ground beef or ground turkey to the marinara sauce
Over the Spoon for:
- Full of fiber, vitamin C, and folate
- An easy vegetarian dinner
- A healthy comfort food
How to make:
- Cut and salt eggplant.
- Dip eggplant slices in egg mixture, followed by bread crumbs/parmesan mixture, making sure to fully coat.
- Air fry for 8 minutes, flipping half way through.
- Serve stacked with warm marinara, fresh basil or parsley and additional parmesan or mozzarella.
How to bake eggplant in the oven instead:
- Allow eggplant slices to absorb salt for about 20 minutes before breading to allow them to crisp more in the oven.
- Bake at 400 for 30 minutes on a large sheet pan, flipping halfway through.
- If serving with mozzarella add shredded or whole mozzarella to eggplant slices directly after coming out of the oven to allow melting
- Serve with marinara and fresh basil!
How do you store eggplant parmesan?
Store in a the refrigerator without added marinara or mozzarella cheese.
To serve, either broil the eggplant in the oven or air fry for another 2-3 minutes at 375 to keep the crispy factor. Then add warm marinara and mozzarella cheese.
Unfortunately, these do not freeze well.
I hope you are Over the Spoon for this recipe!
It is my goal to inspire you to create healthy and easy meals.
It would mean the world if you could leave a review or a star rating below!
Air Fryer Eggplant Parmesan
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant
- ½ tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon water
- ½ cup gluten-free bread crumbs
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- 2 teaspoon italian seasoning
- 1 ½ cups marinara sauce
Optional
- ¼ cup fresh basil or parsley
- ½ cup fresh mozzarella
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Cut eggplant into about ½ inch slices and add a pinch of salt to the center of slices to absorb excess moisture, set aside for about 5 minutes.
- In a shallow bowl, whisk 2 eggs with 1 tablespoon water.
- In a separate shallow bowl, combine ½ cup bread crumbs with ½ cup grated parmesan and 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning.
- Dip eggplant slices in egg mixture, followed by bread crumbs, making sure to fully coat.
- Air fry for 8 minutes, flipping the eggplant with tongs half way through (it may take a few batches of frying depending on size of air fryer)
- Serve stacked with warm marinara, fresh basil or parsley and additional parmesan or mozzarella.
Delicious! I used my home grown eggplant and homemade salsa, topped with melted mozzarella cheese , what a wonderful meal! I have plenty more plants on the vine and will be using this wonderful recipe throughout the summer.
Thank you for sharing!! I am so glad to hear that!
Who knew that eggplant could be so yummy and easy! Now this is one of my favorites!