Delicious Eggplant Recipes

Created by Laura Wright
5 from 1 vote

Eggplant is seriously versatile, easy to cook with, and delicious! I have 10 delicious eggplant recipes for you in this roundup. Everything from creamy pasta, stuffed eggplant, a luscious dip, grilled slices of eggplant with tasty sauces, and vegan meatballs, to hearty stews and fresh and flavourful salads.

4 images in a grid show the following: a stuffed eggplant half with a light red sauce, a bowl of creamy beige dip, a chunky eggplant and tomato stew, and slices of grilled eggplant with a brown sauce drizzled over the top.

I used to think that I hated eggplant! When I first went vegetarian as a teen, eggplant showed up in a lot of restaurant menu options. I remember the rubbery slices in sandwiches and the bland cubes of it tossed into mixed roasted vegetable dishes. Surely there has to be good eggplant recipes out there.

Properly seasoned and lovingly cooked eggplant is a beautiful thing! The texture can range from meaty to silky. It plays well with a lot of my favourite flavours: garlic, chili, warm spices, lemon, tomatoes, and herbs. One of my favourite tips for cooking eggplant is to apply salt to dices/slices of it before cooking. This draws some of the liquid out of the eggplant and the resulting texture is so wonderful.

In this roundup, I have a bunch of great options for your eggplant cooking adventures. There are crispy, polenta-coated bites, savoury vegan meatballs, grilled slices with a ginger peanut sauce, a spicy harissa stew, super creamy and luscious dip, vegan meatballs with kale pesto, and a stuffed eggplant that’s served with my favourite sauce of all time!

Hope you can find some inspiration here! Let me know some of your favourite eggplant recipes in the comments too :)

Four images in a grid show the following: eggplant growing from a plant in a garden, slices of eggplant on a cutting board, cubes of eggplant being sprinkled with salt, and a cooked eggplant half being scooped out with a spoon.
An overhead shot of a light red, chunky stew in a braiser style pot. The stew has chickpeas, chunks of eggplant, and chopped herbs on top.

Braised Harissa Eggplant with Chickpeas. The spicy and warm vibes of harissa mesh so perfectly with lightly fried cubes of eggplant. The chickpeas round this stew-like dish out and make it hearty. I love serving this one with some warm millet or a big, crusty piece of bread to sop up the tomato-y broth.

An overhead shot of a creamy beige dip with swirls of olive oil and chopped parsley on top. The bowl of dip is surrounded by pita chips and cut vegetables.

Eggplant Dip with Toasted Walnuts, Lemon, Tahini & Yogurt. This luscious eggplant dip is rich and flavourful with a tangy dollop of vegan coconut milk yogurt in the mix. This dip is naturally vegan (obviously!), easy to make, and just so delicious. The inspiration point for this dip and the eggplant preparation is baba ganoush.

An overhead shot of polenta-coated slices of eggplant with wedges of lime and a little container of agave nectar to the side.

Crispy Eggplant Polenta Bites with Lime. These crispy and golden morsels of eggplant are actually baked! Perfectly accompanied with some lime juice and a tiny drizzle of agave nectar, this recipe is from one of the Green Kitchen Stories cookbooks and it really is the perfect snack to have with a beverage.

Image shows finished plating of a grilled eggplant dish with peanut butter teriyaki sauce.

Grilled Eggplant with Peanut Ginger Sauce. These flavours are just too good together! The gingery and slightly garlicky peanut sauce over the smoky slices of eggplant is finished with fresh bits of mint and basil. This simple, no-cook sauce would be great with grilled tofu and other vegetables as well.

An overhead shot of 3 vegan eggplant meatballs on a white plate with a base of bright green pesto sauce.

Eggplant Meatballs with Za’atar and Kale Pesto. These hearty vegan meatballs come together with sautéed bits of eggplant, almond meal, whole grain bread, chickpeas, and parsley. Perfectly paired with a bright green and garlicky kale pesto.

An overhead shot of a bowl of creamy eggplant pasta that is topped with golden, crunchy breadcrumbs, chili flakes, and fresh bits of dill. There is a fork hanging out of the bowl.

Creamy Eggplant Pasta with Walnuts & Spiced Bread Crumbs. This pasta has so much going on. Creamy and crunchy textures. Plenty of flavour from garlic, warm spices, chili, lemon, fresh dill, and charred smoky eggplant in the sauce. A slightly unexpected pasta dish that is so, SO good!

An overhead shot of a panzanella-style salad on a white, oval platter. The salad is garnished with halved tomatoes and chopped parsley.

Caponata Panzanella. In this recipe, I smash together my love of caponata, that amazing Sicilian eggplant salad/relish with fried bits of eggplant, with panzanella–a classic bread and tomato salad. Even though this recipe was posted way back in 2013, it just works! Eggplant + tomatoes + bread forever.

An overhead shot of a bowl of broth-y vegetable soup that's garnished with toasted cashews and caramelized shallot slices.

Garden Stew with Toasted Cashews and Shallots. Such a beautiful broth-y soup to celebrate whatever vegetables you have on hand! I find this recipe super flexible, but especially loved it with tender pieces of eggplant in the mix. This recipe is from Erin Scott‘s Yummy Supper cookbook!

An overhead shot of a pesto orzo salad with dices of roasted vegetables and chickpeas. The dressing is creamy and bright green. There is a wooden spoon sticking out of the dish of salad.

Pesto Orzo Salad with Roasted Vegetables & Chickpeas. This hearty and flavourful pasta salad is such a crowd pleaser! A nut-free arugula and basil pesto dresses cooked orzo, perfectly roasted vegetables (including eggplant!), and chickpeas. The eggplant pieces in particular soak up the pesto dressing so nicely.

An overhead shot of stuffed eggplant halves on a piece of white parchment paper. They are stuffed with cooked quinoa, herbs, and drizzles of a light red, creamy saice.

Stuffed Eggplant with Sunflower Romesco Sauce. The stuffed eggplant here is a satiating and wonderful vegan main course, but this post is really about the sauce for me. The sunflower seed-based romesco is in my top 3 go-to sauces. I still make it all the time! Perfectly paired with eggplant or honestly anything else.

An overhead shot of one-pan harissa eggplant with pearl couscous, chickpeas, spinach, herbs, pine nuts, and dollops of vegan yogurt. The dish is shown in a cast iron braiser-style pot and a wooden spoon is sticking out.

One-Pan Harissa Eggplant, Pearl Couscous & Chickpeas. This is a hearty vegan dinner that comes together simply. Harissa paste brings a bit of spice to perfectly browned eggplant slices that sit on top of spiced pearl couscous, chickpeas, and spinach. Herbs, pine nuts, and dollops of non-dairy yogurt finish off this hearty vegan meal

An overhead shot shows grilled eggplant slices brushed with barbecue sauce on an oval platter. The slices are garnished with chopped herbs.

Tender Grilled Eggplant Slices with Barbecue Sauce. I am convinced that you could get anyone to eat eggplant with this recipe. The eggplant itself is so succulent–not rubbery at all. And the sticky sweet slathering of sauce is hard to resist! Amazing on a sandwich.

Eggplant Recipes: Grilled Eggplant with Peanut Ginger Sauce

This smoky grilled eggplant is perfect with a flavourful peanut sauce. Plus, check out 9 more eggplant recipes!
5 from 1 vote
Image shows finished plating of a grilled eggplant dish with peanut butter teriyaki sauce.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Resting Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 2 medium eggplants, sliced into 1-inch thick rounds
  • 1 tablespoon sea salt, plus extra
  • ¼ cup natural peanut butter
  • ¼ cup maple syrup
  • ¼ cup coconut aminos or tamari soy sauce
  • 1 clove garlic, finely grated with a Microplane
  • 2- inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated with a Microplane
  • heat-tolerant oil spray, such as avocado
  • ground black pepper, to taste
  • chili flakes, to taste (optional)
  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 sprig fresh mint, leaves thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup roasted and salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Equipment

  • Grill

Notes

  • I used maple syrup as my liquid sweetener, but agave nectar or honey are also appropriate here.
  • This sounds like a lot of salt in the initial step, but you’ll be rinsing most of it off of the eggplant later.

Instructions

  • Set a large colander in the sink. Place the rounds of eggplant into the colander. Sprinkle the tablespoon of salt over the eggplant and toss with your hands to evenly coat each slice in the salt. Let the eggplant rest for 20 minutes.
  • While the eggplant is resting, make the peanut ginger sauce. In a medium bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, maple syrup, coconut aminos, garlic, and ginger. Once you have a smooth and unified sauce, set aside.
  • Preheat your grill to high. Place one clean kitchen towel and a large baking sheet on the counter.
  • The eggplant should have let off quite a bit of moisture. Rinse the eggplant thoroughly, tossing the slices with your hands to get all of the excess salt off. Then, transfer the rinsed eggplant slices to the clean kitchen towel. Pat the slices with the towel until they are completely dry.
  • Transfer the dry eggplant slices to the baking sheet. Evenly spray both sides of the eggplant with the oil. Season the slices with salt, pepper, and chili flakes (if using) on both sides.
  • Place the eggplant slices on the grill. Cook until char marks appear on the undersides, about 3 minutes. Using tongs, flip the eggplant slices over. Continue to cook until char marks appear on the other side and eggplant has softened, about another 3 minutes.
  • Transfer the grilled eggplant to a serving platter. Drizzle the peanut ginger sauce evenly over the top of the eggplant. Garnish the dish with sliced green onions, sliced mint, and chopped peanuts. Serve immediately.
03/09/2021 (Last Updated 22/10/2024)
Posted in: appetizer, autumn, gluten free, grain-free, grill, main course, nut free, quick, refined sugar-free, roasted, salad, sauce, side dish, soup, spring, summer, vegan, winter

4 comments

5 from 1 vote

Recipe Rating





  • Sabrina

    5 stars
    wow, love all of this eggplant inspiration, and so creative like the braised harissa eggplant, love it, thank you!

  • Georgia

    The eggplant meatballs are one of my go to recipies, so glad you posted this! Love eggplant and will try out the rest.

  • Gina

    This post is a work of art…beautiful and inspiring. I want to make everything, but will start with the harissa braised recipe, the stuffed, and the orzo pesto one, to be made over the next two weeks, as local eggplant season is upon us. Merci mille fois! 

  • Kate S

    My favorite eggplant dish is the eggplant Bolognese pasta from your cookbook.  In fact I think I need to make that this weekend.  But the peanut ginger eggplant looks great too, for sure I would add some tofu as suggested.  Yum!