Easy oven roasted eggplant prepared two ways! Roasted drizzled with oil, or baked, breaded in a mix of crispy panko bread crumbs, herbs, and spices. Use this eggplant recipe to make a delicious dinner side dish, eggplant parmesan, or even a Stardew Valley-inspired veggie burger! Including tips and tricks for perfect roasted aubergine.

I used to hate eggplant, but then I met Michelle. She changed my mind completely and introduced me to how wonderful eggplant (also known as aubergine) could taste.

Plus, roasted eggplant is an essential part of eggplant parmesan, and who doesn’t love eggplant parmesan. Yum!

First – a big thank you to Michelle for changing my mind about eggplants. I was complaining one day at work about how much I hated eggplant and had never had good eggplant (this must have been about 10 years ago, when I was working in a shop). Michelle, a very experienced vegetarian home cook who routinely did lots of pickling and advanced cooking (she even made her own cheese!) pulled me aside and said – no, you’ve got it wrong. Let me tell you how to make perfect roasted eggplant. So, thank you very much Michelle!

This recipe is pretty straightforward, but I also wanted to answer some basic questions that often come up about roasting eggplant, so here’s everything I learned about eggplants that I ever used to wonder. I hope this helps!

What is the secret to cooking eggplant?

The secret to cooking eggplant is letting it sweat. Eggplants are nightshade vegetables and have some natural bitterness in them. Salt draws out the bitterness and excess moisture from the eggplant.

After washing off the salt 20 minutes later, simply cook the eggplant with oil, salt and any other seasonings you like until they begin to caramelize. About 45 minutes at 375˚F does the trick, give or take.

You’ll be rewarded with delicious, melt-in-your-mouth eggplant. It’s so incredibly good over rice with some curried meat and sliced mango. Mouthwatering initiated just thinking about it.

Why do you salt eggplant before roasting? How do you make roasted eggplant not bitter?

You generously sprinkle salt all over your eggplant slices in order to draw the bitterness out of the eggplant. Simply salt your eggplant slices and sit them aside to “sweat”. You’ll notice little beads of liquid appear all over the slices, as if they were really “sweating”.

Not only does the salt sweating make the eggplant less bitter, but it can also make it more tender and amplify its natural flavours. What’s not to love about that!

Do you sprinkle both sides of eggplant with salt?

Yes, sprinkle salt on both sides of the eggplant slices. Drawing out the bitter moisture is serious business.

How long to salt eggplant before roasting?

I’ve found about 20 minutes of sweating to be ideal. You can do as little as 10 minutes if you’re in a rush though, or up to an hour if you’ve got extra time!

The longer they sweat, the better they will taste – though I wouldn’t sweat them much past an hour, in all honesty. I don’t know if sweating longer than an hour would have any ill effects on taste or eggplant texture, but who wants to sit around waiting that long for an eggplant? I certainly don’t.

Do I rinse eggplant after salting?

Absolutely, rinse the salt off. Otherwise it will be way way way too salty! Just run them under the sink tap and rub both sides, then pat them dry using paper towel or a clean tea towel.

What happens if you don’t salt eggplant before cooking?

Then, alas, you will have potentially bitter eggplant. Sad face. Just commit to it – it’s part of the process.

Also, the salt draws out excess moisture. So, if you don’t salt sweat your eggplant slices, you could potentially have soggy eggplant, or really oily eggplant. Eggplant has a tendency to absorb a ton of oil. Be weary of this. Even after salting, I only brush the eggplant slices with oil right before I put them in the fully preheated oven.

Do you keep skin on eggplant when roasting?

Yes you really should! That’s where the most nutrients can be found and where all the flavour lives! Don’t take the skin off, please. Otherwise you’ll just be left with greenish cooked goo….

That being said, sometimes the skin of ginormous eggplants can be unpalatable. If you’re buying one from the store, you can probably leave the peel on. If it’s some colossal beast of an eggplant – a prize winner from a farm that’s the size of a golden retriever dog, maybe peel it.

Super old wrinkly eggplants should also be peeled, although I would use it in a curry, soup or stew if it’s that old. Don’t roast it. Always choose firm eggplants for roasting.

Why is my eggplant still bitter tasting?

Either the eggplant didn’t sweat with the salt long enough, wasn’t roasted for long enough, or was just a bad eggplant with super thick dense skin. Just roast it longer, honestly (or peel it next time).

You can also try breading your eggplant next time. If it’s a super bitter eggplant, do the usual salt sweat, rinse and pat dry, then dip the slices into beaten egg, then toss them in the breadcrumb coating. Follow with an ample roasting period in the oven, checking so they don’t burn. This should severely cut down on any bitterness.

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Roasted Eggplant

Ingredients

Basic Roasted Eggplant

• 1 large eggplant (or 2 small eggplants)
• 2-3 tbsp canola oil , avocado oil, or sunflower oil
• 2-3 tsp salt, for sweating the eggplants

Optional Breadcrumb Coating

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• ¼ cup flour
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• ½ tsp ground sweet paprika
• ½ tsp onion powder
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Choose nice, firm eggplants. Slice the eggplants into ¼ inch thick rounds or planks. 
2. Lay the slices out and sprinkle salt on them. Flip the slices over and repeat. Let the slices sit for 15-20 minutes to “sweat”.
3. Rinse the slices off and pat them dry using paper towel or a clean tea towel.

4. Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Line two shallow baking trays with baking parchment. 
5. Add the eggplant slices to the baking trays. If desired, add the breadcrumb coating. 
   • Basic Roasted Eggplant (No Breading)
     • Place the slices on the trays. Once the oven is fully heated, paint the slices on both sides with oil until well coated. Do this right before baking or the slices will absorb the oil too early.
   • Breaded Eggplant
     • Prepare 2 bowls or plates for the breading ingredients. Add the beaten egg to one plate. To the other plate, add the mix of panko breadcrumbs, flour, herbs, and spices. Line the plates up next to your baking trays. 
     • One by one, dip the eggplant slices in the beaten egg, then coat them on both sides with the breadcrumb mixture. Add the breaded slices to the baking tray. 
     • Repeat this process until all the eggplant slices have been breaded and added to the trays. 
6. Roast the eggplant slices at 375˚F for 30-40 minutes, or until brown and tender on both sides. Flip them over half way through cooking for even browning.

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Roasted Eggplant Variations & Uses