How to Fry Eggplant with Less Oil – Learn to fry eggplant slices perfectly golden crisp without getting soggy or oil-soaked. Healthier frying method for eggplant.
Do you love fried eggplant, but hate that it soaks up oil as it cooks? For years I avoided cooking eggplant slices; they really slurp up oil like a sponge. I replaced fried slices with roasted eggplant pieces in many dishes (those roasted pieces are great, by the way!). But there are times when we crave the taste of fried eggplant.
Well guess what? You CAN fry eggplant in oil without it turning soggy or greasy! The secret? Egg whites! Hey, it works for pie crust, doesn’t it??
I’ve run through the basic concept below. This method has consistently given me perfect, golden brown slices of fried eggplant while minimizing the amount of oil needed for a great result. The only thing you need to watch out for is splattering… wear an apron, and be aware that in the first 60 seconds of frying there may be a few little splatters here and there.
Those of you who love eggplant will adore this recipe. If you try it, let me know how it works for you! One more tip… I love to serve the fresh, hot fried slices topped with tahini sauce and a sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley. Toasted pine nuts are a nice touch as well. Highly recommended!
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How to Fry Eggplant with Less Oil
Ingredients
- 1 pound eggplant, about 1 medium
- Salt and pepper
- 2 large egg whites
- Oil with a high smoke point for frying (grapeseed, avocado, and peanut oil work well)
NOTES
Instructions
- Slice the eggplant into 1/2 inch rounds. Place the rounds in a colander and sprinkle them with salt (sea salt, kosher salt, any kind of salt will work). Make sure each eggplant round has a thin sprinkling of salt on it. Let the slices sit for 20-30 minutes until beads of liquid form on the surface. This process helps to remove any bitterness that may be present in the eggplant. Note that if you're using smaller eggplant pieces here, like Japanese eggplant, they are very rarely bitter and likely will not need salting. I usually use a medium-sized eggplant in this preparation because I like the size of the slices it produces for frying.
- Rinse the eggplant pieces thoroughly to remove the salt. Pat dry and spread out on a cutting board. Sprinkle the eggplant slices lightly with salt. The salt from the colander will be mostly gone after rinsing; if you're salt sensitive, you can skip adding salt at this point and add to taste after frying. Sprinkle the slices lightly with black pepper (also optional, but recommended). Whisk the two egg whites in a small bowl for about 60 seconds. Brush the seasoned eggplant slices with a THIN layer of egg white, making sure the entire white surface of the slice is coated. Turn the slices and brush the other side with another thin layer of egg white, so all white surfaces of the slices are covered with egg white.
- Heat 1/4 inch of grapeseed oil in a nonstick skillet over medium until hot enough for frying. The ideal temperature for frying eggplant is about 365-375 degrees F. The best way to monitor the temperature is to use a deep fry or candy thermometer; or, you can drop a small piece of bread into the oil. If it takes 60 seconds to brown, the oil temperature is perfect for frying. Heat up the oil while you're brushing the eggplant slices with egg white to save on time!
- Place 3 slices gently into the hot oil (do not cook more than 3-4 slices per batch, or the oil temperature will drop). Careful, it may splatter a bit, especially during the first minute or so of cooking. Let the slices fry for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown.Remove slices from the hot oil and drain on a drying rack or paper towel.
Nutrition
tried this recipe?
Let us know in the comments!
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Deirdre Ten Eyck says
Love eggplant
Ena Grimm says
Looks great can’t wait to try it.
Pat says
Great tip, Tori! I’m going to try it with some of my Asian dishes. Thanks for sharing.
Avo Sarkisyan says
I love eggplant
Sheila says
Love eggplant but highly allergic to eggs. Hopefully their is an alternative that can achieve the same result.
Love your recipes and the history corner. Bravo Tory!!
Ozzie Neustaedter Ben Ezra says
hi from israel ! do you have a moussaka recipe without cheese – i am lactose intolerant so maybe you have some suggestions. thanks in advance.
Tori Avey says
Ozzie no cheese-free moussaka, but I think you would love this: https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/2014/04/spicy-smoky-ratatouille-casserole/
Ozzie Neustaedter Ben Ezra says
thanks
Moro says
Hi Ozzie,
You can try the Egyptian mousaka instead the Greek one. We basically fry the eggplant and green long sweet pepper and few green chilies. The we prepare a ground beef with onions and tomatoes ( kind of a ragu sauce). For assembly we put half of the fried eggplant and fried peppers as a layer in an oven dish, the we put the beef tomato ragu (all except for some sauce without beef) the we layer onto ℗ the last half of the fried eggplant and pepper. We then spread on the top the tomato sauce (we put aside from the ragu in earlier step) and put some fresh tomato and pepper slices. We back it in hot oven till sauce bubbles and Browns from the top. Cheers and with health
See, No Cheese ?
Rina C. says
Why only egg whites? We coat the eggplant with the yolk and the white for generations (Turkish/Jewish culture). The outcome is the same, and less of a waste of eggs.
Tori Avey says
Hi Rina, the whole idea of coating the eggplant in egg white is to provide a barrier between the oil and the eggplant, in order to keep the oil from soaking into the eggplant– this makes it a lighter option to simply frying the slices. A lot of people will prefer the egg whites because it is a lighter, lower calorie option to using whole eggs. However, using the yolk is also an option. 🙂
Mark says
@Rina C: See differences between while and yolk:
http://happyforks.com/egg/white/1074
http://happyforks.com/egg/yolk/7629
0.17 g vs 26.54 g of fat per 100g
But what the most important, yolk has lots of cholesterol, but white none.
Carole Dee Stark says
WOW! Thank you! One of my all-time most favorite foods!
Sara Flynn says
Yum-I love eggplant
Valerie Dominianni says
To use less oil I fry mine in the oven
Cynthia Dodge says
Thanks for this!! 😀
Sheldon Renaissance Kirschbaum says
Love this. I sent it to my daughter in-law and my wife. Which means I will make it for them.
Ginnette Powell says
come to mama!
Brenda says
In the south of Spain they serve fried eggplant with a drizzle of honey. It’s surprisingly delicious as a tapas dish!
Patricia Cachia says
Looks good!
Anne Marie Stabile says
Once again you are my heroine!
Joyce H Reiss says
I love eggplant but always hated all the oil it needed. This sounds great.
Sharon Stone says
Can’t wait to try this, thanks!!!
Reb Lee says
Thanks , will try this recipe!
Mary Mackenzie Tharp says
My mom used to pickle fried eggplant and then make sandwiches. Yum !