Roasting eggplant brings out a whole new dimension to this versatile kitchen staple. In this post I will walk through the best methods for roasting a whole eggplant on a gas range, grill, or in the oven. The techniques each results in smoky, tender eggplant pulp that is full of flavor.
The eggplant, also known as aubergine, has been cultivated in India for over 4,000 years. Eggplant is a fruit– in fact it is technically a large berry, although most cooks generally consider it a vegetable. The oldest surviving mention of the fruit dates back to the 5th century in a Chinese agricultural work called Ts’i Min Yao Shu. It later made its way to Persia in the 4th century CE, where it eventually became firmly rooted as a major part of the Middle Eastern diet.
Eggplant is an affordable, healthy dietary staple that can be prepared in numerous ways. During a second Jewish expulsion from Spain and Portugal in 1580 (when the two countries united under one crown), eggplant became known as the “Jew’s apple” because of its frequent usage in Sephardic Jewish cuisine.
Once you know how to roast an eggplant, there are a number of dishes you can make with it. In this post I will share my favorite methods for roasting eggplant, along with some tips for ensuring a tasty result every time you roast.
Recipe Ideas for Roasted and Charred Eggplant
Eggplant Tahini Basil Crostini
I prefer roasting eggplants on the gas stove or grill. Roasting on an open flame imparts a delicate smoky flavor into the eggplant flesh. If you do not have a gas stove, you can also roast it in the oven. Both methods are described below.
Other Ways to Cook Eggplant
How to Cook Eggplant with Less Oil
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How to Roast Eggplant
Ingredients
- 1 whole eggplant
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, as needed
NOTES
Instructions
Roasting Eggplant on a Range (Recommended)
- Wash and dry eggplant. Pierce it a few times with a fork to vent. Important - for any of the cooking methods outlined below, make sure you pierce with a fork-- otherwise you could end up with an exploded eggplant!
- If you have a gas range, you can roast it directly on top of the range. You might wish to protect your gas range burner with a layer of foil, which makes for easier cleanup. The eggplant will weep a bit as it roasts, leaving charred bits and goop on the range.
- Place eggplant directly on top of the gas range grate. On my gas stove, I usually turn the flame to medium.
- Allow eggplant to roast over the flame for 20-30 minutes, giving it a quarter every 5 minutes as it cooks. The larger the eggplant, the longer it will take to roast. Smaller eggplants (like Japanese eggplants) will roast faster. When finished cooking, remove from oven and proceed to "Peeling Your Eggplant."
- If you have an electric range, or if you want to protect your gas range from the mess, you can use a grill pan to roast the eggplant. A grill pan will protect your stove from the drips of roasted eggplant juice. Here is the one I use - Grill Pan.
- Prepare grill pan according to instructions. My pan requires a bit of water to be placed in the circular chamber. Preheat grill pan over medium heat; brush lightly with oil if it is recommended for your pan. Pierce the eggplant a few times to vent, then place on the preheated grill pan.
- Roast the eggplant for 40-50 minutes, giving a quarter turn with a pair of tongs every 5 minutes or so, until the eggplant is charred and collapsing. Check water level about halfway through cooking if your grill pan requires it. When eggplant is tender, charred and collapsing, remove from grill pan and proceed to "Peeling Your Roasted Eggplant."
Roasting on a Grill (Recommended)
- If using a grill, light gas or coals and preheat the grill to medium heat before you begin to roast.
- Allow eggplant to roast over the flame for 20-30 minutes, giving it a quarter every 5 minutes as it cooks. The larger the eggplant, the longer it will take to roast.
- When eggplant is tender and collapsing, remove from grill and proceed to "Peeling Your Roasted Eggplant."
Oven Roasting Method
- Place a rack 8-9 inches beneath your oven's broiler and preheat the broiler. Lightly grease a baking sheet with cooking oil. Wash and dry eggplant, then pierce a few times with a fork to vent. Place on a baking sheet under the broiler and let the eggplant roast for 20-30 minutes, giving a quarter turn every 5-7 minutes.
- Eggplant is finished roasting when it is soft, tender and collapsing. Remove from oven and proceed to "Peeling Your Roasted Eggplant."
Roasting Salted Eggplant Halves
- If you encounter a bitter eggplant, you will want to halve it and salt it prior to cooking. The method for salting is described below. Once salting is complete, this is the way you roast it. Place eggplant halves flesh-side down on a lightly greased baking sheet (so the flat cut side is directly against the baking sheet).
- Roast 8-9 inches underneath the broiler for 20-30 minutes until the eggplant halves are charred and the halves are beginning to collapse. The larger the eggplant, the longer it will take to roast. Smaller eggplants (like Japanese eggplants) will roast faster. Remove from oven. Check the eggplant flesh to make sure it is soft, roasted, and caramelized throughout. If any parts looked light-colored or undercooked, return to the oven to roast for a few minutes longer.
- Scoop out the roasted pulpy flesh from each half and place it in a bowl. Discard the charred skin. There will be some residual smoky juice that collects in the bowl; you can drain it off or blend it into the eggplant, depending on the flavor you want to achieve (see Eggplant Roasting Tips, below).
Peeling Your Roasted Eggplant
- Once the eggplant is very tender and collapsing, remove from heat with tongs and place it on a cutting board. There will be some residual smoky juice that collects on the board; you can drain it off or blend it into the eggplant, depending on the flavor you want to achieve.
- Slice the eggplant open. Scoop out the roasted pulpy flesh and place it in a bowl. Discard the charred skin. The eggplant will be quite soft, and you may need to peel off a few small bits of skin by hand. I'm not super careful about it; I find that a few charred bits actually enhance the smoky flavor, which we find desirable.
- Once the eggplant is separated from the charred skin, you are left with perfectly tender, roasted and smoky eggplant flesh, which can be used to make baba ghanoush or a variety of purees and dips.
Nutrition
tried this recipe?
Let us know in the comments!
Thanks my mother made the eggplant with chopped green peppers and olive oil and a little vinigar. It was used as a dip. I would like a recipe with tomatoes if you have one.
That Is the way I make eggplant salad or relish! I use small grape tomatoes, they are generally sweeter, and I personally don’t want big chunks of tomato, I usually cut them in half and add them 2 the almost finished dish, (use as many tomatoes as u feel comfortable with), I also add a little dash of liguid smoke, vinegar, salt and pepper 2 taste, olive oil, and after tasting, I might add just a touch of sugar,
IT ALWAYS TURNS OUT DELICIOUS. .
Thanks! Will try that
Can you eat the eggplant plain after roasting or do you have to make something else out I it?
Hi Lisa, you can eat the eggplant plain– my husband and I sometimes make a main course out of simple roasted eggplant when we want a dinner that is light on calories. It’s pretty boring all on its own, though, and the texture after roasting is somewhat mushy (it doesn’t bother us, but others may object). I would suggest dressing it up with some sort of sauce, at the very least. We like ours with sriracha (spicy) sauce, or tahini sauce with fresh chopped cilantro or parsley.
Excellent tips!! thank you
Thank you. I love eggplant but knew the smokiness needed to come from roasting. I will be trying this tonight on the grill. Do you have any recipes with curry?
Thank you so much for sharing your gas-range roasting method!
Do you broil with the oven door open or closed? It looks like your eggplant is about 4 inches from the broiler – is that about correct? Does this method tend to smoke up the kitchen?
My gas grill tends to cook at about 550 degrees F with the lid closed and all 4 burners on high – do you leave your lid open or closed?
HI, One way to avoid bitterness is remove all the seed pods after roasting. The bitterness is in the seed. Also, choose male eggplants instead of females. Finally, I find the best flavor comes from the long slender Japanese style eggplant, they have less seed and tend to be less bitter. Master this roasting , smoky technique to make Ajvar, and other Pepper/Eggplant blends. Enjoy.
Thanks so much for this tutorial. I’ve roasted peppers on the stove and never thought of using the technique with eggplant. This is perfect because I did not want to turn on the oven, and the result was a fantastic, very smokey eggplant.
So happy you liked the technique Diana! I roast eggplant this way 2-3 times per month, at least. So healthy and yummy!
I found a Lebanese restaurant near where we live and it does the best Baba I’ve ever tasted! I’m so excited I’m going back for dinner tonight, I want to try everything on the menu! I can never get that smokey flavour at home but I have an electric hob (yuck) and I don’t have a grill. I’ve tried the broiler oven but it’s not the same.Guess I will have to just eat out more often, yay!
Good morning. Thank you for the recipe, it sounds so simple. Now, let me ask you:
I used to be able to get a roasted eggplant dip with a tomato-based sauce, not baba ganoush, at Pesach time. Do you have any good recipes for that ?
thanks,
Aaron
There are many tomato-eggplant dips, I actually have a few recipes. I’d need more details– was it on the sweet side, salty, or spicy? Did it have bell peppers in it?
well, that figures lol it’s been a couple of years since I was able to find it, but I remember it being on the sweeter side, large chunks, but no peppers in it. perfect on Tam Tams.
I would welcome any recipes you have, including spicy and salty. I have eggplant growing in the garden and would love to have a variety of recipes of a warm weather treat.
So that’s the secret! Now I can try eggplant casserole. The only times I ever had it was in a cafeteria back in Colorado. That’s just too long!
Thanks!
Sounds yummy!
I roast an eggplant or 2 approximately every other week. I share some with my parents after chopping it up with a touch of olive oil if it’s on the dry side. It makes a great salad dressing and has a lot fewer calories and is much healthier than the store’s bottled dressings.
We roast it weekly here on the home front. My husband likes it as a light meal with a bit of salt and sriracha chili sauce. Super spicy, but oh so good!
Hi Karin — could you elaborate a little on how you make the roasted eggplant into a salad dressing? I’m winging it right now. Creaming it up in my bullet and about to add some garlic and a teeny amount of olive oil. Any other seasoning? THis sounds intriguing. Thank you in advance.
Thanks for the tips. I’m looking forward to that smoky flavor mine has lacked so far. I’m also looking forward to tomorrow’s recipe. Thanks!
Wonderful. Then what do you do with it?
I’ll be posting a recipe for baba ghanoush (roasted eggplant dip) later today, Victoria.
well how unique..I never knew to do this….great
Hope you get a chance to try it Betty. 🙂
Hi Greg– try roasting it a little longer than you normally do. I’ve found that the smoky flavor tends to develop over time, so the longer you roast it the smokier it will be. Let it roast 5-10 minutes longer than you normally do and see if that helps. 🙂
Adding a few cloves of crushed garlic does wonders for this dish. We have it regularly with bread or pittot.
I struggle with trying to achieve the smoky flavor. I’ve tried oil, no oil, hot, cool, split in two, whole. I’ve tried indoors and on a wood grill. Occasionally I get that deep smoky flavor, but usually I get a tender and pleasant eggplant but lacking in smoky flavor. Any idea about what helps the smoke flavor to develop?
I find that the smoky flavor comes from the charred outer skin. If you like the smoky flavor which i Do for my Bahba Ganoosh . Make sure the skin chars a little or alot….
good luck.
Thank you so much…now all I need is a recipe to use the eggplant in.
Yeah! Tomorrow I’ll post my baba ghanoush recipe. 😉