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Vegan eggplant parmesan in the air fryer

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Text: Vegan eggplant parmesan in the air fryer. Bowl of breaded eggplant & pasta.

Vegan eggplant parmesan is a dinner party-worthy dish that comes together quickly in the air fryer. Eggplant slices are coated in panko, seasonings, and non-dairy parmesan. After getting crisp in the air fryer, marinara sauce & vegan mozzarella are added until warm & melty.

Plus, you can make vegan eggplant parmesan ahead of time. Then just reheat it to maximize time with your guests. It’s also great for weekly meal prep.

Vegan eggplant parmesan with pappardelle & fresh basil in bowl.

There are two problems with ordering eggplant in restaurants.

One. If you get it in a stir-fry, it’s often fried and swimming in oil. Eggplant sucks up oil like a sponge. That makes for a lunch that just sinks in your stomach like a rock.

Two. If you want to order it at an Italian restaurant, it’s often dipped in egg, coated in breadcrumbs, and then covered with dairy-based cheese. Obviously, this is not an option for vegan diners like myself.

It’s for those reasons that I love cooking it at home in my air fryer.

It’s great for making an easy air fryer eggplant dip (a.k.a. baba ganoush) that’s ready in a lot less time than cooking in the oven or on the grill.

And it’s super convenient & a lot less messy to make breaded and “fried” vegan eggplant parm right in the air fryer.

Just a couple spritzes of oil are involved. So it won’t get water-logged with oil. Oil-logged? But it’s still beautifully crispy on the outside.

You can have it breaded on its own. Or add a spoonful of your favorite marinara and a pinch of non-dairy mozzarella to melt on top.

Slices of eggplant parmesan on plate & fork spearing into them.

Cutting through the crispy slices with your fork into the beautifully creamy center & saucy top is pure pleasure. It almost puts me to the mind of vegan mozzarella sticks.

And yes, you can eat the eggplant skin too!

How to make this recipe

Cadry holding eggplant.

Get a medium-sized purple globe eggplant. Either an American or Italian eggplant is fine.

Cut off & discard the top with stem and base. Then cut the remaining eggplant into ½ inch slices.

Now it’s time to make a breading work station

Eggplant is a pretty dry vegetable inside. (Actually, it’s a berry, botanically-speaking!) So it doesn’t require cornstarch or flour for extra dryness like vegan fried green tomatoes do. That means you’ll only need two plates on your work station.

On one plate, put vegan mayonnaise. It’s going to be your “egg” in this breading station to hold seasoned breadcrumbs to the 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.

On the second plate put panko breadcrumbs, dried oregano, dried basil, granulated onion, salt, pepper, and shredded vegan parmesan. (For a gluten-free option, use gluten-free panko!)

I use Violife parmesan. Then I finely grate it with a microplane zester. If you don’t have non-dairy parmesan, it’s no problem to omit it. There’s plenty of flavor without it.

Hand dipping eggplant slice into mayonnaise.

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.)

Hand dipping eggplant into seasoned breadcrumbs.

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.

Now move the 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.)

Breaded eggplant slices with marinara and non-dairy cheese in air fryer basket.

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.

What to serve with it

Serve it with your favorite pasta with marinara & sautéed mushrooms, sautéed spinach, or an easy spinach salad.

It’s also amazing in an eggplant parmesan sandwich!

Eggplant parmesan sandwich on flowered plate.

How to reheat it

Vegan eggplant parmesan works terrifically well for leftovers.

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.

Bowls of pasta with eggplant parmesan slices.

Vegan eggplant parmesan with pappardelle & fresh basil in bowl.

Vegan eggplant parmesan in the air fryer

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.
5 from 3 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Entree
Cuisine: Air fryer, Italian, Vegan
Keyword: air fryer dinner, weeknight meal
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 27 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 276kcal
Author: Cadry Nelson

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise (I use Vegenaise)
  • 1/2 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 grated vegan parmesan (I use Violife & zest it with a microplane zester)
  • Pinch salt
  • Dash black pepper
  • 1 medium-sized eggplant* cut into 1/2 inch slices, top & bottom removed
  • Spritz Oil spray
  • 1/2 to 3/4 cup marinara sauce
  • 1/4 to 1/2 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, grated 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.
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.)

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
Tried this recipe?Tag @cadryskitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #cadryskitchen!

Here are more air fryer entrees you’ll enjoy:

  • Vegan lasagna for one
  • Vegan arancini (Italian rice balls)
  • Vegan taquitos with jackfruit
  • Baked taquitos with sweet potatoes
  • Crustless mini vegan quiche
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Posted On: September 5, 2019
Comment: Leave a Comment

About Cadry

Cadry Nelson is the writer, photographer, and recipe creator behind Cadry’s Kitchen, a vegan food & lifestyle blog started in 2009. Through approachable recipes, vegan travel guides, and down-to-earth discussions on the social aspects of being vegan, Cadry shows that living a vegan lifestyle is deliciously uncomplicated. Cadry has been featured on NBC News, Mashable, Today, Reader's Digest, Yahoo, Delish, Shape, and Huffington Post.

Comments

  1. Mandy says

    September 6, 2019 at 10:04 am

    Eggplant Parmesan was one of my absolute favorite dishes from my pre-vegan days!! And sadly, I haven’t had it since….and another sad thing…I STILL don’t have an air fryer 😂 but this recipe is really pushing me to bump it up on our household wishlist! Look at those perfectly browned slices! This looks amazing! Such a great idea to use vegan mayo for the “egg” and I love that you use Violife parm!!! We’re pretty much hooked on all of their cheeses! Can’t wait to see how you build a sandwich with this 😊

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      September 9, 2019 at 8:59 am

      Thank you, Mandy! I’m betting this recipe would work in the oven too. I’d put the eggplant slices on parchment paper, and then bake for about 10 minutes on each side in a 400 degree oven. Let me know if you try it!

      I’m a big Violife fan too! Right now my vegan cheese drawer is loaded with their mozzarella, parmesan, and feta!

      Reply
  2. Susan says

    September 6, 2019 at 6:49 pm

    I love eggplant, but I too have found that eating out it is a very hit or miss process. Lots of oily, soggy, sadness out there. I tend to make it at home instead. Using mayo for the binder is really clever!

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      September 9, 2019 at 9:01 am

      Yes! I’m glad you’re in agreement with me about the trials of having eggplant in restaurants. It sometimes is just parcels of oil. I got the mayo binder idea from Becky of Glue and Glitter. She did it for breading tofu, I think? So smart! Mayo really works for its stickiness, and it’s easy to just spoon what you need out of the jar.

      Reply
  3. Shell says

    September 16, 2019 at 12:59 pm

    5 stars
    I’ve never tried eggplant parmesan, but have always wanted to. This sounds like a great item for my air fryer! I love how each piece looks nice and crispy!

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      September 17, 2019 at 8:25 am

      Thanks, Shell! They get nice & crispy along the outside. You’ll have to give it a whirl sometime.

      Reply
  4. Nikki McKenna says

    February 6, 2020 at 5:28 pm

    5 stars
    Awesome. Super crispy and so much easier than traditional eggplant parm. I made it with gluten free panko crumbs!!!

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      February 10, 2020 at 1:21 pm

      That’s so nice to hear, Nikki! I’m glad you enjoyed it, and good note on the gluten free panko. Thanks for the great feedback!

      Reply
  5. Leslie P says

    November 9, 2020 at 7:53 pm

    5 stars
    These are amazing! I ate them straight as air-fried eggplant and they were fantastic. I love using veganaise as the base to hold the crumbs on. Genius! Thank you!!

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      November 10, 2020 at 8:00 am

      I’m so glad to hear that, Leslie. Thank you for the great feedback!

      Reply

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Welcome

Hi, I'm Cadry Nelson. I'm the recipe creator, writer, and photographer behind Cadry's Kitchen.

Cadry's Kitchen is a vegan food blog featuring comfort food classics. Most recipes are ready in about 30 minutes.

Contact me at cadryskitchen@gmail.com.

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