Air fryer eggplant parmesan (vegan & crispy)

While eggplant parmesan is usually a casserole-style dish, this delicious and crispy version is made in the air fryer.

In restaurants, eggplant parmesan usually isn’t vegan, because of egg in the breading, and dairy-based cheese on top. However, it’s easy to make an egg-free and dairy-free version with a few simple swaps.

In this post:

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.

I like Vegenaise, but it doesn't really matter what kind of vegan mayo you use here. You won't taste it in the dish. It's just acting as a binder.

Panko breadcrumbs: This Japanese-style breadcrumb provides optimum crunch and texture. It can be replaced with standard breadcrumbs or gluten-free, if necessary, to make this a gluten-free entree.

Herbs and seasonings: Dried oregano, dried basil, granulated onion, salt, and pepper. (If you prefer, these seasonings can be replaced with your favorite Italian seasoning blend.)

Vegan parmesan: Use store-bought or homemade vegan parmesan.

Eggplant: Make sure the eggplant looks fresh, smooth, and shiny. You don't want an eggplant that looks wrinkled, cut, shriveled, or damaged.

Use a standard, medium-sized purple globe eggplant. It can be either American or Italian. You don't want a Japanese, Indian, or Thai eggplant.

Oil spray: I usually use avocado oil spray. You can also use a refillable sprayer like Misto.

Marinara: Use your preferred marinara or pasta sauce. 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.

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. 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.

You can make this vegan eggplant parm 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.
• Use gluten-free panko for a gluten-free dish.
• Vary the vegan mozzarella on top, or omit it if you prefer.
• Replace the herbs and seasonings with your favorite Italian seasoning blend.

Vegan eggplant parmesan is amazing with any of the following dishes:

• Pasta with marinara & sautéed mushrooms
• Mediterranean pasta with tomatoes
• Vegan garlic butter noodles
• Pesto pasta with artichokes & chickpeas
• Roasted fennel
• Tomato bruschetta
• Air fryer spaghetti squash
• Avocado caprese salad

It’s also terrific in a vegan eggplant parmesan sandwich!

Store leftover air fried eggplant slices in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep for 3 or 4 days.

To reheat, 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.)

📖 Recipe

Air fryer eggplant parmesan (vegan & crispy)

Author: Cadry Nelson

5 from 5 votes

This easy recipe makes an entree that's both weeknight-friendly and dinner party-worthy. Crispy slices of breaded eggplant are topped with your favorite marinara and a pinch of non-dairy cheese. It comes together quickly in the air fryer. And the leftovers are terrific too!

For a gluten-free option, use gluten free panko breadcrumbs.

One medium-sized eggplant makes about 13 to 16 slices of vegan eggplant parmesan.

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes minutes

Total Time: 27 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 people

Course: Entree

Cuisine: Air fryer, Italian, Vegan

Keyword: air fryer dinner, weeknight meal

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

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.

Notes

Ingredient notes

Use a standard, medium-sized purple globe eggplant. It can be either American or Italian. You don’t want a Japanese, Indian, or Thai eggplant.

If you’d like to make breaded eggplant without sauce and mozzarella cheese, you can remove the slices from the air fryer once they are brown on both sides, about 10 minutes.

If you don’t have access to non-dairy parmesan, no problem. It can easily be omitted from the recipe, and there’s plenty of flavor without it.

If you’re using store-bought vegan parmesan in a block, be sure to finely grate it first.

Storage & reheating

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep for 3 or 4 days.

To reheat, put the breaded eggplant into the air fryer in an even layer. Add fresh marinara sauce & non-dairy cheese to each slice. (It’s okay to put it on top of the sauce & cheese that’s already there.) Then air fry for 5 minutes at 390 degrees or until fully heated and crispy. (For obvious reasons, don’t flip it.)

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Nutrition

Calories: 185kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Sodium: 353mg | Potassium: 396mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 169IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 1mg

Content updated September 19, 2025. Originally published: Sep 5, 2019.