This vegan eggplant parmesan sandwich is cozy comfort food at its best.
It’s filled with crispy breaded eggplant that's been “fried” in the air fryer. Then it’s topped with marinara, non-dairy cheese, fresh basil, and thinly sliced onion. So saucy and delicious!
A vegan eggplant parm sandwich is kind of like the vegetarian's answer to the meatball sub.
There's all of that rich tomato sauce, and ooey gooey non-dairy cheese, encased in soft bread.
Then for the filling you get crisp-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside eggplant that's breaded with panko & seasonings.
It’s packed with so much flavor and decadence, you’ve just got to hang on, and dig in.
For this convenient weeknight-friendly recipe, I use the air fryer to make the vegan eggplant parmesan. It really cuts down on the time and amount of oil needed.
(Want to make a non-sandwich version? Check out this standalone vegan eggplant parmesan recipe.)
In this post:
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you will need to make this recipe.
Vegan mayo: Vegan mayo works as the "egg" in the breading station to hold seasoned breadcrumbs to the eggplant slices.
Vegenaise is my go-to, but it doesn't particularly matter here since it’s just acting as a binder. You won't taste it in the final dish.
Panko breadcrumbs: These Japanese-style breadcrumbs provide optimum crunch and texture. If you prefer, they can be replaced with standard breadcrumbs.
Herbs and seasonings: Dried oregano, dried basil, granulated onion, salt, and pepper.
Vegan parmesan: Use homemade vegan parmesan or store-bought.
Eggplant: Pick a standard, medium-sized purple globe eggplant. It can be either American or Italian. You don't want a Japanese, Indian, or Thai eggplant.
Choose a fresh, smooth, and shiny eggplant. Avoid any that are wrinkled, cut, shriveled, or damaged.
Oil spray: I use avocado oil spray, but any neutral-flavored cooking spray works here.
Marinara: Choose a thick and saucy marinara or pasta sauce. (Nothing too watery or the sandwich may get soggy.) To keep this recipe vegan, be sure to check that it doesn’t include dairy or meat.
Vegan mozzarella: Trader Joe’s (shown in this post), Miyoko’s, Follow Your Heart, Violife, or Daiya are all good options.
Basil: Fresh basil adds a fragrant, summery flair.
Onion: Thinly sliced white or yellow onion is my preference here.
Buns: Pick a hearty bun that can hold up to this saucy sandwich. A potato bun, pretzel bun, or hoagie bun are all good options.
How to make vegan eggplant parm sandwich
This section shows how to make this recipe at a glance with process photos of the steps. For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.
1. Start by making the vegan eggplant parm. Make a breading station with:
- Medium-sized eggplant, cut into ½ inch slices
- Vegan mayonnaise
- Panko breadcrumbs seasoned with dried oregano, dried basil, granulated onion, salt, pepper, and vegan parmesan
2. Use your fingers to put a sheer coating of vegan mayo on all of the eggplant rounds, almost like you’re finger painting. Coat every side, and then push off any excess.
3. Dip each of the slices into the breadcrumb mixture, coating every side.
4. Put the eggplant slices into your air fryer basket in a single layer. Spray with oil, and air fry at 400 degrees for 12 minutes, stopping once halfway through to flip and spray with more oil.
Don’t overcrowd the air fryer. For optimum browning and easiest flipping, you’ll likely have to cook in batches.
Once the breaded eggplant slices are nutty brown, add spoonfuls of marinara and vegan mozzarella on top of the slices, and continue cooking until the mozzarella has melted.
Remember: Every air fryer runs differently. Times given are a general recommendation and should be tested in your own air fryer. Adjust as needed.
5. Toast burger buns in a skillet, cut side down.
6. Finally, compile the sandwiches by adding vegan eggplant parm to the burger buns, then topping with fresh basil and yellow onion.
Eggplant sandwich variations
You can make this vegan eggplant parmesan sandwich your own by varying the ingredients and uses.
- Use homemade vegan parmesan or a grated store-bought alternative like Violife parmesan. Or if you’d rather not use it, simply omit it.
- Replace the herbs and seasonings with your favorite Italian seasoning blend.
- Before toasting the buns, add a thin layer of plain non-dairy butter.
- Add a schmear of cilantro basil pesto or sun-dried tomato compound butter to the buns.
- Instead of toasting buns in a skillet, cook until lightly browned in the air fryer.
Serving suggestions
Vegan eggplant parmesan sandwiches are amazing with any of the following dishes:
Storage & reheating instructions
For best storing and reheating results, store the vegan eggplant parm separately from the sandwich ingredients.
Store leftover air fried eggplant slices in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep for 3 or 4 days.
To reheat the breaded eggplant, put the refrigerated slices into the air fryer. Then top with additional marinara sauce & non-dairy cheese on each slice, so that it will look fresh on top. Plus, you get that much more saucy, gooey deliciousness.
Air fry at 390 degrees for 5 minutes, or until browned, crispy, and melty. (For obvious reasons, you won’t want to flip it.)
FAQ
No. However, it can be made that way with gluten-free panko and gluten-free buns.
Vegan mayo is very sticky, so it works well to get the breading to adhere. But if you don’t have vegan mayo, try one of these two options:
* Dip the slices in aquafaba, i.e. liquid from can of chickpeas (like I do in my air fryer ravioli recipe)
OR
* Dip the slices in non-dairy milk mixed with a small spoonful of cornstarch (like I do in my air fryer jalapeno poppers recipe)
To keep the eggplant crispy, don’t overcrowd the air fryer basket. Arrange the slices in a single layer with space between them, so the hot air can circulate.
Also, be sure to flip the slices halfway through cooking (or once browned on one side) for even toasting.
Finally, don’t add the marinara sauce and vegan cheese until the slices are crisp and firm.
Definitely! Check out my complete air fryer category for even more ideas.
If you try this recipe and love it, let me know! Leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comment section below. It truly makes my day and is such a help!
📖 Recipe
Vegan eggplant parmesan sandwich in the air fryer
Ingredients
- ¼ to ½ cup vegan mayonnaise (I use Vegenaise)
- ½ to 1 cup panko breadcrumbs (Use gluten free panko for a GF option.)
- 1 to 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 to 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1 to 2 teaspoons granulated onion
- 1 to 2 teaspoons vegan parmesan (Homemade or store-bought)
- Pinch of salt plus more as needed
- Dash of black pepper plus more as needed
- 1 medium-sized eggplant cut into ½ inch slices, top & bottom removed
- Spritz of oil spray
- ½ to ¾ cup marinara sauce
- ¼ to ½ cup vegan mozzarella cheese shreds
- 4 burger buns
- ¼ cup basil leaves fresh
- ¼ cup thinly sliced yellow onion
Instructions
- Start by making a breading station with three plates. On first plate: Put ¼ cup vegan mayonnaise. On second plate: Combine ½ cup panko breadcrumbs, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1 teaspoon granulated onion, 1 teaspoon vegan parmesan, a pinch of salt, and dash of pepper. On third plate: This empty plate is for the eggplant slices once breaded.
- Use your fingers to coat each eggplant slice with a very thin layer of mayo, almost like you're finger painting. (You don't want any mayonnaise dollops. It's just a sheer coating, so that the breadcrumb mixture can stick to the slices.) For easiest breading, I recommend coating ALL of the slices in mayo before moving on to the next step.(If at any point you run out of mayo, add more to the plate as needed – up to another ¼ cup.)
- Dip each slice into the breadcrumb mixture, making sure to coat every side. Once they're breaded, move them to the third plate.(If at any point you run out of panko and seasonings, add the remaining ½ cup panko, 1 teaspoon oregano, basil, and granulated onion, and another pinch of salt and pepper.)
- Put the eggplant slices into the air fryer basket in an even layer. For best browning, don't overcrowd the basket with slices on top of each other. You want room for air to flow all around each slice. (You'll likely need to cook in batches.) Spritz the top of the eggplant slices with oil spray.
- Air fry at 400 degrees for 12 minutes, stopping once halfway through to flip the slices (or once they are nice & brown on top) and spritz the slices with more oil spray. When you've reached the last two minutes of cooking time (at the 10-minute mark), add a spoonful of marinara sauce and a pinch of vegan mozzarella cheese to each slice, and continue cooking. Once the eggplant slices are browned and the cheese has melted, remove the eggplant slices from the air fryer.
- If cooking in batches, air fry any remaining eggplant slices, until all of the eggplant has been air fried. Keep in mind that the air fryer cooks faster when it's hot. So the subsequent batches may need to be flipped earlier or cooked for a slightly shorter time. Keep an eye on them for burning, and trust your judgement when it's looking brown enough.
- Once the eggplant parm is done, bring a dry, large skillet to a medium heat. Put burger buns face down on the skillet, so that they can toast on the cut side. Once they are nicely browned, remove them from heat.
- Compile the sandwiches. Top the bottom burger buns with a few slices of vegan eggplant parmesan, a couple fresh basil leaves, and a few thin slices of yellow onion. Top the sandwiches with the remaining buns.
Notes
Nutrition
Content updated September 19, 2025. Originally published: Sep 16, 2019.
Mandy
Cadry, this sandwich looks and sounds incredible!! I love that you used a pretzel bun…back in the day when I worked at Trader Joe’s, I would pretty regularly buy a pretzel roll. They have such a soft, hearty texture and why I never thought to use it as a vessel for a sandwich is beyond me! The addition of extra sauce and cheese + fresh basil sounds so delicious…I can almost taste it! What a great use of leftovers!
Cadry
Thank you! I love it when the leftovers are as good or better than the original. Aren’t pretzel buns so good? I’m glad they’re becoming more prevalent in grocery stores and that they’re vegan!
Shell
Cad, two notes I’ve made after reading this post: buy pretzel buns and also try Trader Joe’s Italian marinara sauce. And make eggplant parm in my air fryer, of course.
Cadry
Yes, you should definitely get your hands on some pretzel buns. They make them in several different sizes/shapes – burger, hot dog, and slider. I hope you enjoy the eggplant parm sandwich!