These eggplant fries done in air fryer are just so good that an entire batch disappeared in minutes. It is a really easy recipe. Perfect for snacking or even an appetizer for game nights. You can also serve it as a side.
This recipe is dairy free, egg free and vegan. The coating is crunchy while the inside is creamy cooked eggplant. Yum.
You will also love air fryer eggplant no breading, air fryer mashed eggplant, air fryer bagels, air fryer carrots and cauliflower.
Ingredients
Eggplant: I have used one eggplant that is about 1 lb. or 500 gm. Choose one that is fresh with glossy skin and green stem.
Breadcrumbs: 1 cup of breadcrumbs are used. Panko can be used too.
Nutritional yeast: It is used for a nice cheesy flavour. I have used 3 tbsp. here.
Cornstarch: ½ cup of cornstarch is used to make a slurry.
Spices: Garlic powder, paprika, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and chilli flakes are used with salt in this recipe.
Olive Oil Spray: One tbsp. of olive oil is used to make the breading nice and golden on air frying.
Instructions
Wash and wipe the eggplant. Cut it into half vertically and then cut each half into fries shape of about ½" thickness. Keep aside.
Preheat your air fryer at 360F or 180C for 5 minutes. While the air fryer gets preheated, we will bread the eggplant.
Take a shallow dish and add breadcrumbs and nutritional yeast in it. Add spices like ½ tsp. each salt, pepper and paprika to it and add 1 tbsp. olive oil to it. Mix well.
For cornstarch slurry, take ½ cup cornstarch in a shallow bowl, add spices like garlic powder, Italian seasoning, chilli flakes and ¼ tsp. salt to it.
Add ½ cup water and prepare a smooth runny slurry.
Keep all three together to begin breading.
Now you are ready to bread the eggplant. Dip each fry in the cornstarch slurry and immediately immerse in the breading. Press well so that the coating adheres. Take it out and keep aside.
Quickly bread as many as will fit in your air fryer basket. I needed to do two batches for one medium eggplant.
Place the breaded eggplant fries in the air fryer basket in one layer without crowding.
Air fry at 180C or 360F for about 12-15 minutes till nicely golden brown outside. You can hear the crunch in the basket.
Take out your air fryer eggplant fries and serve hot with a dip or ketchup. Enjoy.
Expert Tips
1. Press the coating nicely so that it adheres to the eggplant well.
2. Don't overcrowd the basket so that the eggplant fries cook well and evenly.
3. Cut eggplant into uniform shaped fries for even cooking.
4. You can do this in advance by half cooking the breaded eggplant in the air fryer and storing in the fridge in an airtight container. Finish the cooking when you have to serve. This way you can make large batches for parties.
5. You can store air fried eggplant fries in the fridge for 2-3 days. Reheat in the air fryer before serving. You can also freeze breaded fries. No need to thaw when you need to cook them. Just directly air fry. You will need to add a few more minutes to the cooking time.
6. Enjoy these delicious vegan air fried eggplant fries.
Here's the recipe card:
Air fryer Eggplant Fries
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 medium eggplant
Cornstarch slurry
- ½ cup cornstarch
- ½ cup water
- ½ tsp. Chilli flakes
- 1 tsp. Garlic powder
- ¼ tsp. Salt
- ½ tsp. Italian seasoning
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Instructions
- Wash and wipe the eggplant. Cut it into half vertically and then cut each half into fries shape of about ½" thickness. Keep aside.
- Preheat your air fryer at 360F or 180C for 5 minutes. While the air fryer gets preheated, we will bread the eggplant.
- Take a shallow dish and add breadcrumbs and nutritional yeast in it. Add spices like ½ tsp. Each salt, pepper and paprika to it and add 1 tbsp. olive oil to it. Mix well.
- For cornstarch slurry, take ½ cup cornstarch in a shallow bowl, add spices like garlic powder, Italian seasoning, chilli flakes and ¼ tsp. Salt to it. Add ½ cup water and prepare a smooth runny slurry.
- Now you are ready to bread the eggplant. Dip each fry in the cornstarch slurry and immediately immerse in the breading. Press well so that the coating adheres. Take it out and keep aside.
- Quickly bread as many as will fit in your air fryer basket. I needed to do two batches for one medium eggplant.
- Place the breaded eggplant fries in the air fryer basket. Air fry at 180C or 360F for about 12-15 minutes till nicely golden brown outside. You can hear the crunch in the basket.
- Take out your air fryer eggplant fries and serve hot with a dip or ketchup. Enjoy.
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