Looking for a new type of “fry” that’s packed full of deliciousness? You should definitely try making air fryer eggplant fries.
Coated in a delicious breading, these eggplant fries turn out soft on the inside, crispy on the outside, and are great for dipping!
Recipe Tips and Substitutions
Before you tackle this air fryer eggplant fries recipe, have a read through these recipe tips so that you know what to expect!
- You can certainly modify the spices you use in the breadcrumbs to suit your taste preference. However, definitely add some spices – salt and pepper at the very least – or else the breading will be a bit bland.
- We use unseasoned breadcrumbs, but you can also use seasoned Italian breacrumbs if preferred. Just reduce the additional spices you add. We have not made eggplant fries with panko bread crumbs but that would be an option as well if you want a lighter breading.
- You don’t need to bread your eggplant fries but we like the slightly crispiness that the breading adds. If you want to skip the breading, just add some oil and spices to the eggplant fries before air frying them. However, keep in mind that they won’t be as crispy.
- Take your time with the breading station. Breading all the fries can take some time so be patient – we like to wash our hands after every few fries or use a fork or chop sticks while breading. This way, you minimize the amount of wasted breading that “goops” up on your hands.
- Have oil spray on hand – we like avocado oil but canola oil will also work well. Lightly spraying the eggplant fries with oil before air frying them will make them more crispy and brown better.
- You likely won’t be able to air fry all the eggplant fries in one batch as this would prevent them from getting crispy. For best results, make sure to leave a little gap between the individual fries when placing them in the air fryer.
We use this air fryer for our recipes and it has been great.
Step by Step Instructions
To make eggplant fries in the air fryer, you can follow the steps below – with recipe process photos – to see just how we made them.
If you don’t care for visuals, you can skip down to the recipe card to find the details there.
First, wash the eggplant and pat it dry. Then trim the ends of and cut it in half (width-wise).
Now cut the halves into approximately 1/2 inch wide slices lengthwise (see the slices in the back in the picture above). Next, cut these slices into fries that are approximately 1/2 inch thick.
Now prepare your breading station. Place flour in one bowl and the eggs in a second one. Lightly whisk the eggs with a fork.
To the third bowl, add the breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper.
Gently mix until the spices and parmesan cheese is well mixed into the breadcrumbs.
Start by coating an eggplant stick in flour.
Next, roll it in the egg mixture until fully coated.
Lastly, roll it in the breadcrumb mix until fully coated.
Place the raw breaded fry on a plate. Repeat the above steps with all the remaining eggplant fries.
You can either do one eggplant fry at a time or you can coat a bunch of them in flour first, then in egg and then in breadcrumbs – whatever works best for you.
Lightly spray the fries with avocado oil spray.
At this time also preheat the air fryer to 380 degrees Fahrenheit.
When the air fryer is hot, add one batch of eggplant fries. Make sure that there is no overlap of the fries and leave some space between them.
This allows for even cooking and will help with crisping.
Air fry the eggplant fries at 380 degrees for 7-9 minutes total until fully cooked and crispy on the outside.
Flip them halfway through the cooking time (around the 4 minute mark). After flipping, you can spray them with more oil spray if desired.
The exact cooking time can vary slightly by air fryer and the thickness of your eggplant fries.
When the eggplant fries are done, remove them from the air fryer and place them on a cooling rack or plate. Cook the second batch and repeat until all eggplant fries have been air fried.
Serve the eggplant fries with ketchup or another dip of your choice right away. They taste best and are the most crispy when they are warm out of the air fryer – but careful, they might be hot. Enjoy!
Storage Tips
Breaded eggplant fries definitely taste best while they are hot and fresh right out of the air fryer (obviously let them cool for a minute or two).
Otherwise, the breading gets soft and they aren’t as good texture-wise. So ideally you don’t have any leftovers.
However, if you do have leftovers, you can store them in a sealed container in the fridge and eat them within a day or two.
They can be reheated in the air fryder, but they are certainly not as crispy… the taste is still good, though!
Just don’t reheat them in the microwave as this would make them more soggy.
Related Recipes
If you’re searching for more fries you can make in the air fryer, try out some of these tasty creations (all homemade) that are great for snacking, dipping, and enjoying!
- Classic Air Fryer Potato French Fries
- Zucchini Fries in the Air Fryer
- Crispy Air Fried Avocado Fries
- Air Fried Turnip Fries
- Air Fryer Butternut Squash Fries
Air Fryer Eggplant Fries
Ingredients
- 1 eggplant, medium-sized
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2-3 large eggs
- 1 cup breadcrumbs, unseasoned
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, more to taste
- avocado oil spray
Instructions
- Wash the eggplant, then trim the ends off and cut the eggplant in half (width-wise). Cut the half into 1/2 inch wide slices lengthwise (see pictures above), then cut these slices into fries (1/2 inch thick).1 eggplant
- Next, prepare the breading station. Place flour in one bowl and the eggs in a second one. Lightly whisk the eggs with a fork until they are uniform in color. Add the breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper into the last bowl. Gently mix the breadcrumb mixture until well blended.1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 2-3 large eggs, 1 cup breadcrumbs, 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Coat an eggplant stick in flour, then roll the stick in the egg mixture until fully coated, then coat the fry in the breadcrumb mix. Place the raw breaded fry on a plate. Repeat the above steps with all the remaining eggplant fries. Lightly spray the fries with avocado oil spray.avocado oil spray
- Preheat the air fryer to 380 degrees Fahrenheit. When hot, add one batch of eggplant fries into the air fryer in one even layer – make sure there is no overlap of the fries (allows for even crisping).
- Air fry at 380 degrees for 7-9 minutes total until fully cooked and crispy on the outside. Flip halfway through the cooking time (around the 4 minute mark) and spray with more oil spray on this other side if desired. The exact cooking time can vary slightly by air fryer.
- When the eggplant fries are done, remove them and place them on a cooling rack or plate. Cook the second batch and repeat until all eggplant fries have been air fried.
- Serve with a dip (like ketchup) and eat right away – these fries taste best when they are warm out of the air fryer. Enjoy!
Nutrition
This nutritional information has been estimated by an online nutrition calculator. It should only be seen as a rough calculation and not a replacement for professional dietary advice.
