Air Fryer Eggplant Parmesan is one of those dishes that just may turn out to be the best snack or side dish ever!
Lightly seasoned and breaded slices of eggplant are air-fried to crispy perfection and served alone or with your favorite dip or sauce! It will be so hard to resist this simple yet flavorful dish.
A Quick & Healthy Way to Make Eggplant Parm!
- This version is quicker and easier than a traditional eggplant parmesan.
- Air fryers cook food with hot, circulated air using less oil and fats for healthier dishes without sacrificing flavor.
- Make this easy eggplant parmesan recipe as a last-minute snack or a savory side. Air fryers deliver consistently good results for all kinds of foods.
- Serve just one or serve them stacked up to make an impressive dish garnished with fresh basil leaves!
- Don’t forget to serve with freshly made garlic bread and a bright, tangy salad like this classic Caesar.
What’s in Eggplant Parm?
EGGPLANT Sweet and tender eggplant is a perfect companion with sauce and cheese. There are roughly 11 different varieties of eggplant, however the most common is the purple Italian eggplant. Choose ones that are firm (not squishy), and have a uniform color.
BREADING This recipe has the traditional egg-based breaded coating made with Italian seasonings.
SAUCE Use a homemade marinara like this Easy Marinara Sauce or use any store-bought variety.
How to Make Air Fryer Eggplant Parmesan
Much like chicken parmesan, this dish needs is easy and packed with flavor.
- Slice eggplant. Mix breadcrumbs mixture.
- Place flour in one bowl & eggs in another.
- Dip eggplant slices in flour, eggs, & then in the breadcrumbs.
- Spray each side of the eggplant. Cook in the air fryer (as per the recipe below).
- Top each slice with marinara & Mozza. Cook until cheese is melted.
Leftovers?
- Keep eggplant parmesan in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheat slices in the air fryer with a dollop of extra marinara and a little extra mozzarella cheese.
- Freeze leftover eggplant slices between pieces of parchment paper in a covered container for up to 1 month.
- Thaw in the refrigerator and reheat in the air fryer with fresh marinara and mozzarella.
More Eggplant Recipes
- Eggplant Rollatini – so elegant yet easy!
- Roasted Eggplant – perfectly seasoned
- Easy Grilled Eggplant – a healthy Summer side dish
- Baked Eggplant – baked until golden crispy
- Eggplant Parmesan – oven baked
Did your family love this Air Fryer Eggplant Parmesan? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Air Fryer Eggplant Parmesan
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant or two small
- ⅔ cup seasoned bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese grated
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ cup flour
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 cup marinara sauce plus additional for serving if desired
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- fresh basil or parsley for garnish optional
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 380°F.
- Slice eggplant into ½" slices and dry with a paper towel.
- Mix bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder in a medium bowl.
- Place flour in another bowl and whisked eggs in another.
- Dip the eggplant slices in the flour, then the egg, and finally into the bread crumb mixture.
- Spray each side of the eggplant with cooking spray and place in a single layer in the air fryer basket.
- Cook for 5 minutes then flip the slices over and cook for another 4-5 minutes.
- Place marinara sauce and shredded cheese on top and cook for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted.
- Garnish with fresh parsley or basil and serve with additional sauce if desired.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course air fryer, Appetizer, Entree, Snack
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Made this tonight. Eggplant straight from the garden. It was delicious! All the flavor and so much less oil! Wonderful!!!
Ooooo, garden eggplant! Delicious.
it came better than my expectations & it is first attempt to make it in air fryer. with light crunch.
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
I am wondering how the best way to freeze the slices would be. Do you think cooking and then freezing, or freezing first? Thanks
We’ve tried freezing leftovers but haven’t tried freezing them before so I can’t say for sure. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out Terri!
Followed recipe exactly and got a crisp on the outside, tender on the inside result! And no salting of the eggplant beforehand to draw out moisture, just patted dry with paper towels. Terrific! And pretty dang fast as well!
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Carol!
so good! I will definitely make this again. I also added more spices to the breadcrumb mixture (onion and garlic powder). I did use a larger eggplant so I didn’t get many out of it. I think next time I will get a few smaller ones.
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Maddie!
Thanks for all the air fry recipes. Air frying isn’t just done in a counter-top appliance any more, though. My whole oven does air frying! I could air fry a turkey, if I wanted to.
It is a nice recipe. Thx
Worked perfectly! Thanks so much. Made it gluten free.
So glad you loved it Susan!
This is great! I made it with one small change…lower temp 370 and 6 mins on each side. Great and easy!
I had to cook on 400 to get it to brown, also added minutes. I think I would cut thinner also
Thanks for the feedback, Bonnie! You can definitely cut them to your preference, if cutting thinner just be careful not to overcook them!
Hi, so you dont have to dry out the eggplant first? Just slice and go? Awesome!
No need to salt or dry out the eggplant, just dab it dry before dipping.