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Air Fryer Eggplant Parmesan is a great way to add great flavor to your weeknight dinner. Slices of eggplant make this classic dish a little bit more healthy and a whole lot more delicious.
The whole family is going to love this air fryer eggplant recipe because it’s a simple way to enjoy a meatless Monday. Introduce the kids to crispy eggplant, and get ready for them to want even more! This just might be a new favorite way to add breaded eggplant into your meal planning rotation.
When it comes to air fryer recipes, this crispy air fryer eggplant parmesan recipe is crazy good – and crazy simple. The best part of this dish is that air frying creates a super fast cooking time as well!
Love this dish? You might also love these air fryer chicken meatballs made with marinara and parmesan cheese. They’re so good and can be served several different ways.
Ingredients:
- Eggplant – You’re going to want to make a quarter inch slices.
- Eggs – Used as the main binding agent for the eggplant rounds.
- Italian seasoned breadcrumbs – The perfect mixture to coat a slice of eggplant.
- All-purpose flour – Adds texture and crispiness as you dredge eggplant slices.
- Grated parmesan cheese – Perfect for adding flavor.
- Garlic powder – You could use onion powder as well.
- Kosher salt
- Ground black pepper
- Marinara sauce – Like Prego’s marinara sauce, makes the full recipe and great for dipping sauce.
- Shredded mozzarella cheese – The perfect melty cheese.
How to Air Fry Eggplant Parmesan
- Prepare the Air Fryer basket with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Whisk the eggs in a medium shallow bowl. Set aside.
- In another medium shallow bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, flour, parmesan cheese and seasonings.
- Rinse and pat dry the eggplant, then cut into slices, about ¼ inch in thickness.
- Dredge each slice of eggplant into the whisked eggs, then into the flour and breadcrumb mixture.
- Place each piece in the prepared air fryer basket, without stacking or overlapping pieces.
- Air fry at 370 degrees F for 16-18 minutes. Flip slices halfway through air frying. Slices should be crisp and golden brown.
- Leave eggplant in the air fryer basket, and evenly sprinkle mozzarella cheese over each piece of eggplant.
- Return basket to air fryer and continue air frying at 370 degrees F for an additional 1-2 minutes until cheese topping is melted.
I make this recipe in my Cosori 5.8 qt. air fryer or 6.8 quart air fryer. Depending on your air fryer, size and wattages, cooking time may need to be adjusted 1-2 minutes.
Variations
Combine panko with the breadcrumbs – The thick slices of eggplant are also great with a panko mixture! Once you dip them in the egg mixture, the panko is perfect for sticking to the eggplant skin.
Use almond flour – If you want to dip eggplant slices in almond flour, do so! You can make these breaded eggplant slices versatile.
Use tomato sauce – Marinara is delicious, but tomato sauce and cheese are good, too.
Pair up with a protein – Why not make this into an air fryer chicken parmesan dish? Add some cooked chicken, and you’re set!
Add more Italian seasoning – Add more flavor and taste to your bread crumbs. You can also add fresh basil!
How to Serve
Be sure to scroll to the recipe card below for step-by-step instructions. This easy air-fried eggplant is served simply by removing it from the basket of your air fryer and adding some cheese and marinara to the top of the eggplant!
How to Store
If you have leftovers, consider yourself lucky! You can easily enjoy this flavor and taste it again. Let the slices of eggplant cool down, and then store them in an airtight container. Keep chilled in the fridge until you’re ready to eat. For the best results, eat within 1-2 days.
To reheat, use your air fryer or microwave – either option.
FAQs
I do! The skin of eggplant cooks to be really soft and tender, so leaving the skin on isn’t a problem at all. The biggest thing to keep in mind is that you need to make sure that you clean the outside of the eggplant really well.
Eggplant naturally has a ton of water. To help remove some of that excess moisture, you can actually add a tad bit of salt to every slice. This will help to pull out moisture so that they get nice and crispy when they’re cooked.
You can also cut the eggplant and put the slices in between two clean paper towels. This can help to pull out some of the moisture as well. Just make sure that you’re careful with this, as you don’t want pieces of the paper towel sticking to your eggplant parm!
Yes, you can. Cooking it in the air fryer means that you need to be careful so that you don’t burn the eggplant. Just pay attention to the cooking time, and you should be just fine.
More Air Fryer Recipes
- Air Fryer Eggplant
- Air Fryer Stir Fry
- Air Fryer Cauliflower
- Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan
- Air Fryer Parmesan Brussel Sprouts
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Air Fryer Eggplant Parmesan
Equipment
- 1 Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 1 eggplant, medium
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
- ⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ cup marinara sauce
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Prepare the Air Fryer basket with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Whisk the eggs in a medium shallow bowl. Set aside.
- In another medium shallow bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, flour, parmesan cheese and seasonings.
- Rinse and pat dry the eggplant, then cut into slices, about ¼ inch in thickness.
- Dredge each slice of eggplant into the whisked eggs, then into the flour and breadcrumb mixture.
- Place each piece in the prepared air fryer basket, without stacking or overlapping pieces.
- Air fry at 370 degrees F for 16-18 minutes. Flip slices halfway through air frying. Slices should be crisp and golden brown.
- When eggplant slices are golden and crispy, leave them in the air fryer basket. Spread a small spoonful of marinara sauce on top of each piece. Then evenly sprinkle mozzarella cheese, (about 1-2 teaspoons) on top of the sauce.
- Return basket to air fryer and air fry at 370 degrees F for an additional 1-2 minutes, until cheese topping is melted.
Notes
Top Tips
Make sure to add the eggplant slices in a single layer to the air fryer basket. If you overcrowd them, they will have excess moisture and not crisp up. Don’t make this mistake! Make sure to have the egg bath in a separate bowl. This way, the mixture doesn’t become too gunky as you dip it, and it’ll be less of a mess to clean up. If you have remaining eggplant slices, store them in an airtight container to air fry up the next day! This is a great side dish, and this air fryer eggplant parmesan recipe can easily be made again quickly with leftovers.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
