Air Fryer Eggplant Fries are easy to make and ready to eat in 10 minutes with only a few ingredients like bread crumbs, egg, and milk that you may already have on hand!
These crispy, breaded eggplant strips are a delicious alternative to regular “fries” when you want something healthier as an appetizer or to serve alongside a juicy hamburger!
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Why You’ll Love These
- A healthier option for french fries – When you have a craving for french fries but you’re trying to eat healthy or looking for more veggies to get in to your family’s dinner, substituting these eggplant fries can come to the rescue!
- Easy to make – Not only do these have the perfect “crunch” but they’re easy to make and can quickly be made on a busy weeknight, to serve alongside your favorite dinner recipe or to serve as an appetizer for a party!
Do you have to Soak the Eggplant Before Frying?
No! If you were frying traditionally in oil, then you may want to, as soaking the eggplant in milk will fill the porous holes, not allowing oil to sink in.
Is Salting Eggplant Necessary?
Nope! It used to be recommended to salt eggplant before cooking to remove excess liquid but it’s not really necessary anymore.
Do you have to Peel the Eggplant?
It’s not necessary and we left the skin on for this recipe because it’s edible. However, if it’s a tough peel, you may want to but I found it really easy to leave it on for these and didn’t mind the texture of the peel.
How to Season
It doesn’t take much to season these, and feel free to mix things up a bit if you prefer! We like sticking to the simple combo of grated parmesan cheese, and garlic salt.
However, seasonings like seasoned salt, Italian seasoning, garlic pepper and onion powder make great additions too!
🍆 How to Make Air Fryer Eggplant Fries
- Wash, dry and slice the eggplant in to ½ inch circles
- Laying the circles flat, cut the circles in to strips, about ½ in. wide.
- In two different small dishes, pour bread crumbs in one dish. In the other, mix together the egg and milk.
- Dip the fries in to the egg/milk wash and then in to the breadcrumbs, making sure the fries are completely coated.
- Place the fries in to the air fryer basket (in a single layer) and cook at 400° for 10 minutes.
- Serve warm with your favorite dipping sauce!
Dipping Sauces for Eggplant Fries
These definitely don’t have to have a sauce to dip them in but it does make for a great combo if you have a fun option to serve with them! Here are our favorite dipping sauces:
- marinara sauce
- spicy aioli
- ranch dressing (try our jalapeno ranch!)
- ketchup
Tips:
- If you’re looking for a recipe without breadcrumbs, for say a “keto” or low-carb option, try using pork rinds!
- You can also use panko crumbs instead of breadcrumbs if you prefer.
- I tested out this recipe, dipping the eggplant in butter and then coating them with breadcrumbs but it resulted in a softer, more “soggy” texture that I wasn’t a fan of. The egg/milk wash gives it more of a crispy texture.
- In my air fryer, there was no need to flip. If you find that your eggplant fries do not cook evenly, feel free to flip them halfway through.
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Recipe
Air Fryer Eggplant Fries
Equipment
- air fryer
Ingredients
- 1 medium eggplant
- 1 cup bread crumbs
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon garlic salt
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup milk skim, 2% or whole
Instructions
- Wash, dry and slice the eggplant in to ½ inch circles
- Laying the circles flat, cut the circles in to strips, about ½ in. wide.
- In two different small dishes, pour bread crumbs in one dish. In the other, mix together the egg and milk.
- Dip the fries in to the egg/milk wash adn then in to the breadcrumbs, making sure the fries are completely coated.
- Place the fries in to the air fryer basket (in a single layer) and cook at 400° for 10 minutes.
- Serve warm with your favorite dipping sauce!
Notes
- If you’re looking for a recipe without breadcrumbs, for say a “keto” or low-carb option, try using pork rinds!
- You can also use panko crumbs instead of breadcrumbs if you prefer.
- I tested out this recipe, dipping the eggplant in butter and then coating them with breadcrumbs but it resulted in a softer, more “soggy” texture that I wasn’t a fan of. The egg/milk wash gives it more of a crispy texture.
- In my air fryer, there was no need to flip. If you find that your eggplant fries do not cook evenly, feel free to flip them halfway through.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
Journa Liz Ramirez says
It’s my first time making these eggplant fries in the Air fryer, I’m glad it turned out so crispy and flavorful. I served it alongside our family’s favorite pizza and gravy, incredibly delicious!
Kristyn says
I am going to make sure I always have eggplant on hand, so I can make these!! So yummy & my kids actually love them!! Definitely a new favorite!
jess says
I love this so much, and this will become a more regular thing dish that I will make! thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe