This is a recipe for how to roast eggplant in the oven so each piece is plump and juicy on the inside, and beautifully caramelised on the outside. Never again suffer through a tray of mushy mess!
Roasted Eggplant
The quickest way to elevate (almost) any vegetable is to roast it. And eggplant is no exception! It’s nothing interesting when raw – pretty tasteless actually.
But when you give it a good blast in a hot oven, it completely transforms. That moment when you bite through the gorgeous caramelised edges and the juicy flesh inside bursts in your mouth… UGH! So good!
Todays recipe is for roasting eggplant cubes. The two other common ways to roast eggplant is cut in half (like boats – here’s a recipe) or sliced into rounds (see this recipe).
What you need for roasted eggplant
Cross my heart, you don’t need anything more than salt, pepper and olive oil to roast eggplant. The caramelisation adds tons of flavour!
Eggplant roasting problems!
A common problem people run into when roasting eggplant cubes is that they turn into mush before they caramelise. Been there, done that!
The key to fix this is simple:
cut into large pieces – smaller pieces cook too quickly and turn into mush before the outside has a chance to caramelise; and
roast at a high temperature so the surface gets “sealed” and holds in the juice inside.
The other problem some people have is that when they go to flip or serve the eggplant cubes, the caramelised skin comes off. This happens if:
you’ve skimped on the oil; or
the flip you use doesn’t have a sharpish edge.
So if you’re a roasted eggplant newbie, parchment / baking paper is highly recommended – this will ensure you don’t lose any of that caramelised skin! (Seriously, it will make you cry if it all gets stuck on the pan)
How to roast eggplant
So with that said and done, here is how to cut and roast eggplant:
cut into thick 3cm / 1.2″ slices, then cut each slice into pieces to form cubes / rectangles
drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper then toss well in a bowl using a rubber spatula
spread out on tray and bake at 240°C/ 450°F for 20 minutes, flip, then for another 10 minutes, until the eggplant is super soft and caramelised on the edges
Peeling – if you’re bothered by eggplant skin (which I am not – I don’t find it at all chewy), peel “zebra tripes” down the eggplant like this. If you don’t leave at least some skin on, then the eggplant cubes are prone to collapsing and turning into mush – you need some skin to hold it together.
Bitterness & salting – In the past, the standard preparation method for eggplant including salting the eggplant to remove bitterness. The eggplant of today has largely had the bitterness bred out of it so unless you have a very old, very large one, you shouldn’t have this problem. I never have, and I only salt eggplant for specific recipes (like Greek Moussaka).
However, if you can’t get your head around cooking eggplant without salting it, here’s how: sprinkle the cubed eggplant with 1 tsp salt, toss, leave in colander for 30 minutes. Rinse then thoroughly pat dry, toss with oil and pepper (NO SALT), roast per recipe.
Select eggplants that are firm but have a bit of give, and feel heavy for their size (light = dried out inside).
Extra flavour and serving Roasted Eggplant
I truly mean it when I say that eggplant roasted with just salt and pepper is so good, you will be completely happy to eat it plain. And that’s certainly the way I serve it most of the time. It’s so juicy, you don’t even need a sauce!
But if you want to jazz it up a bit, here are a few ideas:
Thyme (my favourite, pictured below) – 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves sprinkled over. It goes so well with roasted eggplant, makes it taste almost buttery;
Parsley, chives or green onions – for touch of freshness and colour (not so much flavour);
Lemon juice – squeeze of fresh lemon juice (also great paired with thyme);
Balsamic vinegar (tiny drizzle) – pop of tartness is terrific! OR drizzle of balsamic glaze;
Dollop of yogurt – creamy yogurt pairs really well with the juicy eggplant flesh;
Pomegranate – plus yogurt. Looks spectacular!
Sprinkle of parmesan – reminiscent of Eggplant Parmesan.
More ways to use roasted eggplant!
And a few other ideas for ways to use roasted eggplant:
Dip / spread – Mash it (discard skin) then serve as dip or spread on toast;
On toast – Piled on toast slathered with butter (or ricotta) – try this crusty homemade bread;
Eggplant Parmigiana – Eggplant layered with rich tomato sauce, basil, and parmesan cheese, all topped off with stretchy, gooey mozzarella. Oh yeah!
Pasta – Pasta alla Norma!;
Stirred into curries (the roasting adds so much better flavour!) – try any of these curries but especially Thai Red Curry or Green Curry, this Coconut Curry Sauce; this epic Massaman Lamb Shank Curry. Just stir it in towards the end – it will absorb flavour fast and it will collapse if simmered in the sauce for too long
Stuffed into an omelette;
Tossed through a pasta salad;
Stirred into a stew or soup, like this quick Chicken Stew, this Chickpea Lamb Shawarma Soup, this hearty Beef and Vegetable Soup, Minestrone Soup, Lentil Soup (seriously amazing!) or this Brazilian Coconut Chickpea Stew.
OR in this big, juicy lentil salad piled high with roasted eggplant that I also shared today.
Don’t run for the hills at the thought of lentils – you haven’t tried MY lentil salad yet! It is not your usual bland and boring lentil salad, that’s for sure! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Oven roasted eggplant (aubergine)
Ingredients
- 700g/ 1.2 lb eggplants (2 medium), aka aubergine
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt (kosher / cooking salt, or 1/4 tsp table salt)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 240°C / 450°F (220°C fan).
- Line a tray with parchment/baking paper (optional – recommended for first timers so you don’t lose the caramelised surface).
- Cut eggplant into large cubes – 3 cm / 1.2″. Place in large bowl, drizzle with oil, salt and pepper.
- Toss well, spread on tray, roast 20 minutes. Turn, roast for a further 10 minutes – edges should be caramelised, soft inside, but they’re not shrivelled up and dismal.
- Transfer to serving plate. Delicious served plain, but see below for some finishing options.
FINISHING OPTIONS:
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (my favourite!), drizzle of fresh lemon juice, parsley, chives or green onions (for touch of freshness and colour, not so much flavour), tiny drizzle of balsamic vinegar (pop of tartness is terrific! OR drizzle of balsamic glaze), dollop of yogurt (creamy yogurt pairs really well with the juicy eggplant flesh).
Recipe Notes:
Life of Dozer
Some people don’t find lunch at my place very relaxing….
Turned out great. I didn’t turn my cubes because I’m lazy and a rushed cook, and they did turn out a little burnt on the bottoms so that is a necessary step but if you skip it you won’t be that upset. I put it on top of Alfredo with some sautéed mushrooms. Great veggie meal.
I had some eggplant sitting around that I had intended to use for another recipe but ended up making something else. This was a perfect side for what I was making tonight – except I had to make an adjustment. Not sure if it’s for everyone but I didn’t have any olive oil so I ended up using sesame oil and will probably always do so if I cook eggplant this way again.
Oh wow that sounds yummy! N x
The egg plant is delicious,cooked them in the oven first time.
Nagi, this recipe for roasted eggplant deserves 100 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ . I have been cooking & baking for decades & this is by far my favorite result of trying a recipe for the very first time. I roasted just one eggplant & I ate it all in one sitting. I am incorporating more & more vegetables to our meals & I am ecstatic to add this dish to our menu. Thank you so much! 🌷
Yea!! N x
I don’t like eggplants! I DIDN’T like eggplants until I found this recipe. For some reason went to the grocery store yesterday and so randomly bought an eggplant! Now what to do with it?
I am addicted. This recipe is really, really yummy! Thank you for sharing it!
Love it!! Eating it as we speak! I actually did one eggplant and a few carrots. Added dry thyme to the salt, pepper, and olive oil and made a dipping sauce with butter and lime juice! Yum! This will definitely be on the dinner rotation!
This recipe is the easiest and tastiest eggplant I have ever made…ever. I have been making eggplant for 25 years the wrong way! Thank you for this simple recipe. Even my kid eats it now.
Don’t forget Imam Bayildi! I use roasted eggplant cubes with the other ingredients, and it’s much more convenient than eggplant boats. Also eggplant chutney. Major yum!
This is the third time I’ve made this. I love it! I eat it alone as a side dish or toss with pasta and spaghetti sauce. I’ve always peeled eggplant but this way it really tastes good with the skin on it.
I cooked eggplant 🍆 before but by far this was the best recipe. My husband and I couldn’t stop eating it.
Thanks so much and it was so easy. The tips was great.
I found this recipe AFTER I sliced the eggplant thinner than recommended. I did salt & let them sit for about an hour to release extra liquid & I think that made up for thin slices. I brushed avocado oil on both sides, cooked them a little longer & sprinkled with thyme, pepper & lemon. Girl! I ate the entire pan in one sitting! Most pieces were nice & crispy, so flavorful! Thanks for this wonderful recipe!
wow
I am so glad you liked it Rosanna! N x
OMG OMG OMG
best way to eat eggplant.
I add spices like garlic powder and onion some cayenne for spice. but wow changed my life 🙂
I did the same! Added ginger, cayenne, garlic & onion powder & roasted multi colored bell peppers & marinated tofu with it, tosssed w/ a spicy tamarind sauce!
I used coconut amino‘s. A dash of that and Asian cooking vinegar.
Sesame oil. And a little Himalayan salt.
Delicious! Cooked mine in an air fryer. Eight minutes and then shook it.
Went another eight.
My husband and loved the recipe the first time I tried it.
Tonight the skin turned out hard and chewy. I followed the same recipe both times.
What went wrong?
I will definitely try to improve it again.
Delicious roasted eggplant. Two things –
1- recipe calls for 1.2 pounds. That the total weight of the 2 eggplants? right?
2- Wouldn’t it be better to drizzle the oil over the eggplant after it’s in the baking pan? When adding it in the bowl it gets soaked up immediately. (I did add it to bowl though, and it came out great!).
thank you.
Cooked this last night, wonderful!
Easy, delicious recipe–I served drizzled with a chermouli sauce, so good!
Does the recipe work with Japanese eggplant?
Yes it should but you will need more of them as they are smaller. Just be sure to cut to the correct thickness. N x
Super easy & super tasty. Thanks again Nagi. Really fab!!
Adore this eggplant recipe!! Perfect every time!
Made this tonight. It came out a little burnt – I think 15 mins on first side would have been fine. Still pretty yummy though! I love eggplant and will be making this again.
Yes ovens can vary a bit. So glad you enjoyed it Silvia! N x