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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Mrs M says
Admittedly, I didn’t follow the recipe exactly, and I over-fried a few slices, but the eggplant came out fine, though a little peppery for my very Western taste. I made it as a supper for myself when I was making something else I don’t like for my two adult daughters. I thought neither of them liked eggplant, so I was safe…Famous last words. The elder daughter exclaimed, “I LOVE fried eggplant!” and gobbled up all she had room for. She says she even likes it cold! Anyway, thanks for the hints on using less oil. Thanks to that daughter, I now even own a non-stick frying pan. Can you tell I don’t much like cooking?
Rick Trimble says
Excellent and so simple!
Nick says
I gotta say, I had reservations about this. I even came back to comment. Just did this and wow. I cannot believe how tasty and NOT MUSHY these are. I used a deep Dutch oven to avoid oil sprays, but other than that the recipe was great.
Fay says
Wow I just made these and they were absolutely beautiful. I followed the recipe exactly. My husband couldn’t stop raving about them.
They will become a regular at my place
Mayme kratz says
Excellent! Just made it last night with a side of pasta and kale.
Monique says
Thank you for posting this way of frying eggplant! I have been a gourmet cook all my life, but this idea has never crossed my path, and I have avoided panfrying eggplant because of all the flour and oil etc. This is a genius idea, you deserve an award for this! It worked perfectly for me, and I had to stop myself from eating it all before using it in the recipe that I had planned.
Louie says
Will try this recipe soon. My husband cuts the eggplant into half-inch thick sticks and breads them with flour, then egg (& milk) and then breadcrumbs. But, but here’s the trick to keeping them from getting soggy with oil — refridgerate the eggplant for at least an hour before putting the pieces into hot oil. Like tempura, the cold causes a barrier so that the coating forms a seal and the eggplant cooks without soaking up oil. Very tasty!
Sylvia reed says
Thank you I will try this great tip
Maryberry says
Just tried this and yes it is wonderful. But…I saved the last four pieces and floured them. They absorbed twice the oil, but OMG Yes, have to admit it, I loved the crunch of the breaded over the filmy texture of the egg-white only. Still, this is a brilliant technique. Can’t wait to use it with parmigiano, moussaka, etc.
Janet says
Thanks Tori for the recipe…My kids love it so much…. 🙂
charlotte minahan says
Love the idea BUT didn’t want to waste the two yolks so I used the whole egg! AND it came out great ! I always hated making eggplants because of the mess ( egg, flour, bread crumbs…). But this recipe even with the whole egg works great – not a lot of oil usage and great eggplant flavor!!
Dat Nguyen says
Thanks for the recipes Ms. Avey … The fried eggplant came out perfect.
Tori Avey says
You’re welcome Dat!
Joyce Elais says
Tori, Can I use this method of cooking eggplant when making moussaka or is this just for eating separately.
Ashley at ToriAvey.com says
Hi Joyce, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. We roast eggplant for moussaka, so we haven’t used this method. If you like to fry your eggplant for moussaka then I think this method would be a great option!
Heather Jones says
Completely impressed! I have been lost for years! Every year I get fresh garden eggplant and I ruin it every time. Egg whites are the key. I did try some with egg whites and bread crumbs, it was ok. Stick to this recipe! Nothing beats it with just egg whites.
Augusta says
Could you use aqua faba instead of egg white for a vegan version?
Ashley at ToriAvey.com says
Hi Augusta, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. We have not experimented with using aquafaba, but I’d be interested to know if it works as well. Please let us know the results if you decide to give it a try!
Andy says
I got the desired results without egg by brushing on a thin layer of gel made from a tiny amount of guar gum or xanthan gum in hot water. Vegan, parve, always in the house (the powder stays fresh for years), costs next to nothing. Also great for frying tempeh slices or anything that sponges up oil.
Ruth Doerr says
Hi. I just picked my first eggplant from my garden today and made your recipe with it. It was awesome. I will be cooking it that way from now on. And it was so easy to do. Thankyou.
Tori Avey says
Fabulous!
FoodJunkie says
I breaded my eggplant but otherwise followed the recipe. I have avoided eggplant because I was never impressed with the taste or texture. However the salting and hot oil fry seems to done the job and I found this quite good. Just a note on the skinny little eggplants favoured in Chinese cooking – I have found them to be invariably and unpleasantly bitter any time I have been served them so I’d suggest salting them.
Adam says
This method did work well and the results were tasty, but man, what a lot of bother for 10 slices of eggplant. And the MESS it made! They spattered like crazy and my whole kitchen was covered in grease, even with a spatter guard. I’d definitely use a very deep pot to make these, not a frying pan. But honestly, I think I’ll just grill a turkey burger next time.
Shawna says
I followed the recipe and used a “THIN layer of egg white.” I took this to mean very thin, but I guess I was wrong. The eggplant soaked up the oil and became a mushy, soggy oil sponge.
Tori Avey says
Shawna, this likely has more to do with oil temperature than the thickness of the egg white. If you follow the instructions carefully with regard to the temperature of the oil, a thin layer should be more than enough to protect the eggplant. I can take a few tries to get the oil temperature just right; once you master it, it will change the way you fry food forever.
Dixie says
Just finished dinner with fried egg plant. It way so good for our first time even eating it. I was surprised how easy it all came together. We will buy another egg plant when we get to the store. Thank you for your tips, I will be back for more of your recipes.
David says
I just tried this (eating it as I type).
It does seem to cut down on oil absorption. Thank you for sharing.
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My experience, for anyone that cares:
1. The egg white goes a long ways. I used two egg whites as directed but for a single (large style not Asian) eggplant I found I had at least half of it left over. At the end I added the two yolks back in and just made a scrambled egg to avoid wasting the eggs.
I am one guy making lunch with one eggplant. Maybe I will try brushing it on thicker next time but I was pretty generous with it.
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2. I used extra virgin olive oil. Only because it was handy. Mild smoking at times due to lower smoke point but it still worked fine. Next time I will try to be better prepared.
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3. I used a stainless steel pan because it cleans easily with a SS scrubber and I don’t like subjecting my non-stick pan to high heat. It still worked fine – no horrible mess to labor over.