Once you try these delicious crispy Air Fryer Eggplant Chips you'll want to make them every week! Great as a snack to have with friends or to serve up as a vegan option for game day. You can customize the spicy crunchy panko crumb to your own favorite flavor combo too! Tastier than French fries, you'll want to make these all summer long!
Make these crunchy air fryer chips (or are they fries?) for a game day, to serve poolside as a lovely snack or as something to nibble on with a glass of something refreshing after a long week.
I love to make healthier snacks in my air fryer, it's so easy to make vegetables even tastier by cooking them in a crunchy coating, like with these Crispy Air Fried Oyster Mushrooms. With root vegetables you can also whip up a super quick snack- like these Air Fryer Parsnip Fries. Or why not try my new favourite, Crispy Air Fryer Green Bean Fries? For the ultimate snacking experience I like to make a batch of my favorite Vegan Sriracha Mayonnaise for dipping!
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🍆Ingredients
You only need simple ingredients for this crispy air fryer eggplant recipe:
- Eggplant (aka Aubergine): Choose a good, firm eggplant that's heavy for it's size and with a glossy skin.
- Panko Breadcrumbs: I like to use panko bread crumbs for their light and crispy texture. You can choose regular bread crumbs if you wish.
- Corn Starch or Potato Starch: combined with water, this helps the breadcrumbs stick to the eggplant. It avoids having to use egg as a binder.
- Nutritional Yeast: I like to add this for a cheesy parmesan cheese style crust. You can omit and just add other herbs if you wish.
- Garlic Powder: For a subtle Italian seasoning flavor.
- Oregano or other dried herbs: I chose oregano this time, however dried parsley, dill, thyme or basil- or even just Italian Seasoning would be delicious.
- Olive oil: The olive oil gets rubbed into the panko breadcrumbs so you don't need as much oil.
- Red Pepper Flakes or chili powder: optional but delicious if you like heat!
- Flakey Sea Salt or kosher salt: Perfect for seasoning!
- Other optional seasonings: See the Substitutes and Variations below for some delicious seasoning ideas you might like to try.
See recipe card for quantities.
👩🍳Instructions
Follow along with this easy recipe for the perfect air fryer eggplant fries!
- Cut the eggplant into fry or chip size pieces.
2. In a small bowl, mix the seasoning and panko together.
3 Then rub the olive oil into the panko bread crumbs. This way you use less oil than regular fries.
4. Mix up the corn starch with water in a shallow bowl, then dunk the eggplant sticks into the corn starch slurry.
5. Coat the eggplant in the breadcrumbs.
6. Lay the coated eggplant fries out in a single layer in the air fryer basket, then cook at 180C/375F for 8-10 minutes, or until the eggplant is soft and creamy and the outer is crisp and golden brown.
If the eggplant isn't quite cooked, pop back in the air fryer for extra time. Serve hot with a sprinkle of salt and spicy vegan mayo, marinara sauce or your favorite dipping sauce.
Hint: Don't make the eggplant chip shapes too chunky or they won't cook all the way through.
🌶️Substitutions & Variations
Here are some ways you can customize this easy air fryer eggplant chips recipe to suit your own tastes:
- Gluten Free: Use gluten-free breadcrumbs in place of the panko.
- Spicy: Add chili powder to taste to the panko mixture
- Onion Powder: Choose onion powder in place of the garlic powder.
- Oil: I use olive oil, however avocado oil, or cooking spray would also work well.
- Fresh Herbs: Elevate the presentation with a sprinkle of fresh herbs before serving.
- Round: Instead of making fry shapes, you can also make this recipe in little round slices. This is especially great if you use a small eggplants.
- Zucchini: why not make air fryer zucchini fries using the same method!
🔪Equipment
This crunchy eggplant fries recipe is designed for an air fryer. I love my Ninja Foodie Grill and Air fryer, so can personally recommend that!
If you choose to oven bake the fries instead, you will need a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
🫙Storage
These crunchy eggplant chips taste best when hot out of the air fryer. You can however make them the day before, and part air-fry them, store in an airtight container , then give them another 5 minutes in the air fryer to finish off. This would be very useful for making game-day or half time snacks!
Top tip
Check the eggplant fries after about 8 minutes in the air fryer as they do vary. They are done when the coating is crispy and golden and the eggplant meltingly tender on the inside.
❓FAQ
For an extra creamy texture sprinkle salt and let the eggplant sit for half an hour. Rinse the eggplant and pat dry before using. You don't absolutely have to do this step, but it can help with texture.
Love Eggplant?
Try these other aubergine (aka eggplant) recipes!
Air Fryer More Veggies!
Use your air fryer to make all these veggie packed recipes:
📖 Recipe
Crispy Air Fryer Eggplant Chips
Equipment
Ingredients Note:
For accuracy, I measure all ingredients in metric as standard, then convert and test the recipe for American cup measurements etc.
(Heads up Aussie and UK readers- your measurements in cups are sometimes different, so please use metric or check you have the correct cup and spoon type!!)
Ingredients
- 500 g (1 lb) Eggplant/Aubergine (approx 1 medium eggplant )
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil (in a spray bottle if you can.)
For the Potato Starch slurry
- 3 tablespoon potato starch (or corn starch)
- 125 ml (½ cups) water
- dash of hot sauce (optional)
For the Panko Coating
- 65 g (1 cups) panko bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic granules
- 3 teaspoon nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon flakey sea salt
- 1 teaspoon chilli flakes (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together the potato starch, water and hot sauce if using to form a slurry. You might need to add more water as you go.3 tablespoon potato starch, 125 ml water, dash of hot sauce
- In another bowl, add all the panko coating ingredients.65 g panko bread crumbs, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon garlic granules, 3 teaspoon nutritional yeast, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon chilli flakes, 1 teaspoon flakey sea salt
- Mix the panko crumbs and seasonings with olive oil. Scrunch well with your fingers to coat the panko in the oil. This creates the lovely golden colour.
- Pre-heat your air fryer to 180c/ 356F and put 15 minutes on the timer.
- Chop the eggplant into fry shapes (about 1cm by 5cm sticks) or into small rounds.500 g Eggplant/Aubergine
- Coat the eggplant chips in the potato starch slurry, make sure they are all covered.
- Then coat the eggplant chips in the panko mixture.
- Add the eggplant chips in a single layer into your air fryer basket and spritz with a little extra oil.1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- Put your eggplant chips into the air fryer and cook for 12-14 minutes. Check, on them then if needed, cook for up to 12-15 minutes. The eggplant chips are done when the coating is golden and turning slightly brown and tender soft inside.
- Serve hot with your favourite dipping sauce!
Video
Notes
-
- Gluten Free: Use gluten-free breadcrumbs in place of the panko
- Spicy: Add chili powder to taste to the panko mixture
- Onion Powder: Choose onion powder in place of the garlic powder.
- Oil: I use olive oil, however avocado oil, or cooking spray would also work well.
- Fresh Herbs: Elevate the presentation with a sprinkle of fresh herbs before serving.
- Round: Instead of making fry shapes, you can also make this recipe in little round slices. This is especially great if you use a small eggplants.
- Zucchini: why not make air fryer zucchini fries using the same method!
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