File this away under “good to know” kitchen tips. Recently, I made a cooked salad that required fried eggplant cubes. I don’t like frying eggplant. It soaks up oil like a sponge, which means you end up using a lot more oil than you would normally need for other vegetables. The frying process can also be somewhat messy. I decided to roast the cubed eggplant instead, tossing it with a little olive oil and putting it in a hot oven till tender. The results were spectacular. I love roasting other vegetables like cauliflower and beets, so naturally eggplant works the same way. The eggplant developed a natural sweetness in the oven, a depth of flavor I’ve never achieved from frying. Some pieces caramelized on the edges, adding extra flavor. I ate it up like finger food; all it needed was a little salt to offset the sweetness. Of course, you can add black pepper or any number of seasonings during the roasting process to give it a different flavor.
I can imagine all kinds of uses for these delectable cubes of roasted eggplant. So far, I’ve tried substituting it for fried eggplant in cooked salads (like Mooshi’s Eggplant Salad), which works great. I’ve added it to a cold mixed green salad; it makes the salad more filling without adding a lot of calories. I’ve simmered it for a few minutes in curry sauce and served it as a vegetarian entree. I’ve also used it as a pasta substitute. Top the eggplant with marinara or bolognese sauce for a lower carb, gluten free, more nutritious alternative to pasta. My husband likes his topped with a little Greek yogurt, labneh, or tahini sauce. You can also roast eggplant rounds, like I do in this recipe for Vegetable Moussaka. The possibilities are endless!
If you want to roast eggplant for a dip like babaganoush, the process is different. Click here for a complete tutorial.
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How to Roast Eggplant Cubes
Ingredients
- 1 pound eggplant (you can fit up to 2 lbs. eggplant per baking sheet if you want to double the recipe)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
- Optional ingredients: black pepper, your favorite seasonings
NOTES
Instructions
- Peel the eggplant. You can either peel it completely, or leave a few strips of skin on for texture. If you're planning on eating them as-is or using them as a meat or pasta substitute, peel them completely. If you're simmering them in sauce or adding them to a cooked salad, leave a few strips of skin on to help the eggplant keep its shape during cooking.
- Cut the eggplant into 1-inch cubes.
- Place the eggplant pieces in a colander and sprinkle with salt, tossing the pieces with your hands as you sprinkle to make sure all the pieces are evenly coated. Allow the eggplant to stand at room temperature for 30-45 minutes till beads of liquid form on the surface. Rinse the eggplant thoroughly and pat dry. This salting process helps to remove any bitterness from the eggplant. Note-- if you're using younger, smaller eggplants it's pretty rare to get a bitter one, so you can skip the salting to save on time!
- Place a rack in the middle of your oven and preheat to 425 degrees F. Spread out the eggplant cubes on a baking sheet. Drizzle evenly with olive oil and use clean hands to toss the cubes, coating them lightly with oil. Sprinkle the cubes lightly with salt (if you're salt-sensitive, skip this step... the eggplant will already be slightly salty from the pre-salting process). You can also sprinkle them with pepper or your favorite seasoning. Black pepper, red chili flakes, paprika, lemon pepper and curry powder all add a nice flavor... just be sure to season lightly so you don't overpower the natural flavor of the eggplant.
- Place the baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven. Let the eggplant roast for 10 minutes. Take the eggplant out and stir it with a spatula or wooden spoon. Return it to the oven. (Note-- if you have doubled the recipe and are roasting two batches of eggplant on two sheets, switch the sheets between racks at this point). Let it roast for 10-20 minutes longer till the eggplant is tender and some of the pieces are caramelized.
- Remove the eggplant from the oven. Serve warm or at room temperature, or add it to your favorite eggplant recipe. The eggplant is particularly delicious when simmered for a few minutes in your favorite warm sauce (tomato sauce, curry, etc.). Or, you can snack on it plain, like I do... simple, with a touch of salt. Makes a tasty finger food! I also love it drizzled with a little tahini sauce. Yum!
Nutrition
Eggplants are so pretty and so intimidating (to me)! Such a great and easy recipe! The cubes were so tasty, I could hardly stop eating them!
Roasted this with zucchini and tossed it into a ratatouille… yum!
I love it cold with yogurt mixed with garlic over it. Delicious.
Simple and wonderful! My turn out like eggplant chips. I left them in the oven longer and cut them smaller. They were so good.
I made this last night and I added a bag of frozen thick crinkle cut carrots with them. I sprinkled with six pepper and a little kosher salt and drizzled olive oil on them and let them roast! Wow my hubby and I ate the whole thing!
It was such a nice change from having rice or potatoes with our grilled fish.
I made your roasted eggplant tonight. By the time I found your website, I had already sliced the eggplant in 1/2” slices, so I decided not to cube them as the overall sliced volume seemed like it might be about equal to your cube volume. Oh my goodness! This was delicious! Luckily, I only made a small eggplant; because, you weren’t kidding, I ate the whole thing! I have to do this again next weekend if I can still find eggplant. You were also right about paying attention to using too much olive oil. I accidentally did so (darn!); so, I want to try even less next time. Thank you for your posts! I discovered your butternut squash webpage a long while ago and it is my go to. This is now my go to for eggplant. I dearly need to just grab a tea or coffee and spend some time on your site. Please get a cookbook in print! Again, Thank you! This was phenomenal.
Glad it’s helpful Leanna! Have you seen this one? It’s one of my favorite eggplant tips of all time – https://toriavey.com/how-to/how-to-fry-eggplant-with-less-oil/
Thank you! I am definitely going to try this additional link! Luckily, in these crazy days, I was able to find eggplant at the store and grabbed two! I can’t thank you enough! May you and those in your care be safe, sane & well. Counting my blessings and doing something I love – a new eggplant recipe!
Awesome!!
had this with lunch today. Quick, easy and tasty!
Simple and easy to follow directions (especially like the ideas for adding cold or warm to other recipes).
Super easy and delicious, I did double batch one with lemon pepper and one garlic onion powder. Both amazing ! Great on homemade tomato soup.
Delicious, I added balsamic vinegar and black pepper, that’s all and it is so great! Simple too!
Thank you for the great instructions! I made more than I can finish this week – can I freeze half? How would you go about freezing / thawing and using another time?
I am honestly not sure how they will taste when defrosted. Sorry I can’t be of more help!
Fantastic recipe. My family loved it.
I just love the simplicity of this recipe and how delicious it turned out. I would suggest brushing the baking sheet with oil before spreading out the eggplant pieces. Although, olive oil is drizzled over the eggplant and then tossed, some of my eggplant pieces stuck to the aluminum foil I used to cover the baking pan.
Thank you for a great recipe.
I’ve encountered same sticky situation! So, I now use parchment paper!
Hello,
I have four beautiful small chinese eggplant. I’m sure cooking time is shorter but should I keep oven temperature the same? Do you have any suggestions? Using in a vegan bolognese sauce.
Hi Kali, temp would be the same, and the cook time would be the same if cutting the cubes the same size as recommended. Cook time and temp are determined by the size of the eggplant cubes, not the size of the eggplant themselves.