By Lisa Esile, MS,
Simple to prepare, quick-cooking, and with a unique, melt-in-your-mouth creaminess, eggplant is a fantastic ingredient for the vegan cook. Added to stews, curries, and pastas; crisped up as chips; or blended to made a spread, these lightweight beauties are heavyweights when it comes to transforming a meal into something special. Whether you're a novice user of eggplant or an old hand, here are healthy vegan eggplant recipes to enjoy.
To learn more about how to select, store, and use these summertime stars, check out our guide to eggplants.
Vegan Moussaka
This delicious vegan moussaka features earthy potato rounds paired with velvety discs of eggplant layered between a saucy tomato-lentil mix. Top with a creamy, cheesy potato sauce that seeps between the layers to create a mouthwatering casserole the whole family will love.
Roasted Eggplant Gyros with Watermelon Rind Pickles
Baked eggplant and sweet potatoes make a satisfying sweet-and-savory filling in this plant-based take on gyros. Tangy watermelon rind pickles serve as a fresh, creative topper.
Ratatouille Fusilli
The soft, creamy texture of eggplant adds an enticing depth of flavor to this simple pasta dish, while green lentils provide a rich, earthy base.
Thai Basil Eggplant
Transform the eggplant in your fridge into an incredible meal in this quick skillet-cooked dish. Just add mushrooms, bell pepper, and tasty seasonings such as fresh ginger, fresh basil, and soy sauce.
Middle Eastern Pita Pocket Sandwiches
These portable pita pockets are the perfect grab-and-go lunch when you’re short on time but don’t want to skimp on flavor. Stuffed to the brim with sumac-spiced eggplant, bell pepper, and zucchini, you’ll love every bite of this Mediterranean meal. A drizzle of homemade parsley-tahini sauce ties it all together. One happy reader raves, “Delicious combination of flavors and easy to pull together!”
Sichuan Eggplant with Potatoes
In this saucy side dish bursting with umami flavor, silky steamed eggplant and hearty potatoes are coated in a flavor-packed brown sauce featuring fermented black soybeans, fresh ginger, and Sichuan pepper flakes. Note: Fermented black soybeans can be substituted with a mix of adzuki beans and dark miso paste while Sichuan pepper flakes can be swapped out for crushed red pepper.
Oil-Free Zaalouk with Pita
Need a change from hummus? This delicious dip features eggplant, canned tomatoes, a handful of spices, and lemon juice. You won’t be able to keep your fingers out of it! Serve as a dip or spread on bread.
Baba Ghanoush Flatbreads
No roundup of eggplant recipes would be complete without baba ghanoush. The classic eggplant dip serves as a creamy spread for easy homemade vegan flatbreads. Quick-pickled veggie toppings add tanginess.
Air-Fryer Eggplant Parmezzan with Pasta
Turn a simple pasta dish into a fancy one with these crunchy eggplant chips. To make the chips, coat eggplant slices with a seasoned mix of crushed crispbread crackers then cook in an air-fryer.
Our favorite eggplant recipes are the ones that take advantage of the melt-in-your-mouth texture of cooked eggplant. Here, tender eggplant is the perfect complement to nutty chickpeas, tangy tomatoes, and roasted bell peppers. Whether you’re serving these tasty peppers as a main or a side, they’ll steal the show.
Aloo Baingan (Potato and Eggplant)
This comforting dish with authentic Indian flavors features roasted eggplant and potato in a tomato sauce. Keep it simple and eat as a meal on its own, or serve over brown rice or quinoa.
Light Thai Peanut Dressing
Here’s a creative eggplant recipe to use up extra produce: Blend it into a dreamy Thai peanut sauce! Roasted red bell pepper adds earthy sweetness, peanut butter brings creamy nuttiness, lime juice offers a kick of citrus, and sambal oelek punches up the heat profile. Use it as a dip for spring rolls or sauce for soba noodles, or thin it with a little water to transform it into a yummy salad dressing.
Eggplant Rollatini
In this vegan take on an Italian classic, eggplant slices are rolled around a millet-spinach filling then baked in a basil-infused tomato sauce for delectable results.
Easy Turmeric Eggplant Curry
One of our readers' favorite healthy vegan eggplant recipes: Earthy red lentils, creamy baked eggplant, and loads of veggies come together quickly and easily in this one-pot curry that pops with ginger-turmeric flavor. One reviewer writes, "So easy and absolutely delicious, we have this at least once a week."
Roasted Veggie Pasta
What’s more satisfying than a hearty bowl of pasta? This excellent eggplant recipe roasts the purple veggie alongside tomatoes, carrots, red onion, and zucchini to create a savory medley of fresh produce that’s tossed with the warm noodles. Punch up the flavor with thyme, lemon juice, and red pepper flakes for a filling feast that tastes like a five-star meal.
Szechwan Stir-Fry
Cubed eggplant works really well in this Szechwan-style stir fry, adding soft, velvety bites to complement the crunchy water chestnuts and flavor-packed sauce.
Slow-Cooker Ratatouille
Let your slow cooker do all the work in this scrumptious ratatouille. Serve alongside cooked wheat berries; eggplant's rustic chewiness balances out the meal to perfection.
Persian Yellow Split Pea and Eggplant Stew
The star of this delish dish is large, tender slices of eggplant baked with a rich, yellow split pea and tomato-saffron sauce. This recipe will make you feel like a pro!
Preparing eggplant can be as simple as cutting it into slabs, slathering with your favorite seasonings, and roasting in a 400°F oven for 40 minutes until fork-tender, turning halfway through. For seasoning tips and more veggie-steak inspiration, check out our guide: How to Make Veggie Steaks.
Greek-Style Grilled Eggplant-Steak Supper
This vegan Mediterranean-inspired recipe leverages eggplant's meaty quality to delicious effect. A homemade hummus takes it over the top.
Ratatouille Bruschetta
Switch up your standard bruschetta recipe with this delicious homage to French ratatouille. Cubes of eggplant get tantalizingly tender as they’re stewed with tomatoes and zucchini to create a chunky topping for toasted bread. Fresh basil leaves add a delicious herbal garnish to these toasts, which will leave you reaching for a second serving.
This article was originally published on July 6, 2021, and has been updated.
About the Author
About the Author
Lisa Esile, MS
Lisa Esile is an author, illustrator, blogger, vegetable gardener, and whole-food enthusiast with a special fondness for potatoes. She has a master’s degree in human nutrition and is passionate about showing people how to live happier, healthier lives. She is the author of Reach Your Big Calm and the co-author of Whose Mind Is It Anyway? Find her on Facebook.
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