Vegan eggplant parmesan in the air fryer

Vegan eggplant parmesan feels decadent and comforting all at once.

Cutting through the crisp exterior and into the creamy center & saucy top is pure pleasure. It almost puts me to the mind of vegan mozzarella sticks.

While eggplant parmesan is usually a casserole-style dish, it is so easy to make in the air fryer! It is a lot less oily than pan-fried versions.

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 a plant-based version with a few simple swaps.

In this post:

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.

Herbs and seasonings: Dried oregano, dried basil, granulated onion, salt, and pepper. If you’d 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: Miyoko’s, Follow Your Heart, Violife, or Daiya are all good options.

Start by cutting a medium-sized purple globe eggplant (American or Italian) into ½ inch slices. Don’t worry about peeling it. The peel is edible. (Cut off & discard the top with stem and base.)

Now it’s time to make a breading work station. On one plate, put vegan mayonnaise.

On the second plate combine the following:

• Panko breadcrumbs (For a gluten-free option, use gluten-free panko!)
• Dried oregano
• Dried basil
• Granulated onion
• Salt
• Pepper
• Vegan parmesan (Homemade or store-bought)

Dip the slices into the mayo, and coat every side. Then push any excess mayo off of the slices.

It should be the sheerest of coatings. It just needs enough on it to make it sticky. You don’t want dollops of mayo.

(I recommend coating all of the slices in mayo first before dipping in breadcrumbs, because the mayo part requires both hands. It’s not as easy to do one hand for wet ingredients & one hand for dry ingredients like you’d usually do at a breading station.)

Next dip all of the slices into the breadcrumb mixture. Make sure to coat every side.

Eggplants vary in size. So you may need to add extra breadcrumbs & seasonings to your plate if the one you’re breading is on the larger side.

Move the eggplant slices to your air fryer basket.

(You want one even layer of eggplant slices in the basket. Depending on the size of your basket & eggplant rounds, you’ll probably be able to fit about 4 to 6 slices. So you’ll definitely have to cook the slices in batches.)

Spray the eggplant slices with oil. Then set the air fryer to 400 degrees for 12 minutes.

Stop halfway through (or whenever they are toasty brown on top) to flip the slices. Spray that side with oil and continue cooking.

At the 10-minute mark (or whenever they are nutty brown on top), add spoonfuls of your favorite marinara sauce on top of all the slices and a pinch of non-dairy mozzarella. Then let the slices continue cooking for the remaining two minutes.

(If you’d prefer to have breaded eggplant on its own without sauce & non-dairy cheese, you can stop at the 10-minute mark, and remove the slices if they seem done enough for you.)

When the non-dairy mozzarella is melty & the eggplant slices are brown around the edges, the vegan eggplant parm is done.

Continue air frying the remaining eggplant slices. Keep in mind that the air fryer is now hot. So the remaining slices will cook a little faster. Keep an eye on them, so they don’t burn.

You can make this vegan eggplant parmesan 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
• Roasted fennel
• Tomato bruschetta
• Air fryer spaghetti squash
• Avocado caprese salad

It’s also terrific in an eggplant parmesan sandwich!

Store leftover vegan eggplant parmesan 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. For obvious reasons, you won’t want to flip it.

Here are more air fryer entrees that are guaranteed to please.

• Vegan lasagna for one
• Vegan arancini (Italian rice balls)
• Vegan taquitos with jackfruit
• Baked taquitos with sweet potatoes
• Crustless mini vegan quiche

📖 Recipe

Vegan eggplant parmesan in the air fryer

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 16 slices of 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

• ▢ ½ cup vegan mayonnaise (I use Vegenaise)
• ▢ ½ cup panko breadcrumbs (Use gluten free panko for a GF option.)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried basil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon granulated onion
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vegan parmesan (Homemade or store-bought)
• ▢ Pinch of salt
• ▢ Dash of black pepper
• ▢ 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 grated vegan mozzarella cheese

Instructions

• ▢
  Start by making a breading work station with two plates. Put the vegan mayonnaise on one plate. On the other plate, combine panko breadcrumbs, dried oregano, dried basil, granulated onion, vegan parmesan, a pinch of salt, and dash of pepper.
• ▢
  Coat each eggplant slice with mayo. It should be the thinnest of coatings. You don't want any mayonnaise dollops. It's just a sheer coating, so that the breadcrumb mixture can stick to the slices.
• ▢
  Then dip each slice into the breadcrumb mixture. Make sure to coat it with breadcrumbs on every side.
• ▢
  Put an even layer of slices into the air fryer basket. 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. Depending on the basket size & eggplant slice size, you'll probably be able to fit 4 to 6 slices. Spritz the top of the eggplant slices with oil spray.
• ▢
  Put the basket into the air fryer. Set it to 400 degrees for 12 minutes. Stop halfway through to flip the slices (or when they are nice & brown on top). Spritz the slices with oil spray again. Then continue air frying for four more minutes, or when the other side of the slices are nutty brown. At 10 minutes, add a spoonful of marinara sauce and a pinch of vegan mozzarella cheese to each slice. Then cook for the remaining 2 minutes. Remove the eggplant slices from the air fryer.
• ▢
  Continue air frying the eggplant in batches 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

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 when 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.

Eggplant parmesan reheats well. Keep it in a covered container in the refrigerator until you’re ready to eat it. Then put it into the air fryer in an even layer in the basket. 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. (For obvious reasons, don’t flip it.)

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Nutrition

Calories: 276kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 461mg | Potassium: 378mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 159IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 1mg