Easy Air Fryer Eggplant Parmesan
Eggplant parmesan fried in Air Fryer for the perfect crispy crust that exactly mimics the deep fried texture. Crusted eggplants topped with marinara sauce and fresh mozzarella cheese. Perfect side dish to try with pasta for a healthy lunch or dinner.
Servings: 4
Calories: 193kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant mine was around 1.25 lb
- ½ cup whole wheat bread crumbs
- 3 tablespoon finely grated parmesan cheese
- salt to taste
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning mix
- 3 tablespoon whole wheat flour
- 1 egg + 1 tablespoon water
- olive oil spray
- 1 cup marinara sauce
- ¼ cup grated mozzarella cheese
- fresh parsley or basil to garnish
Instructions
- Cut eggplant into roughly ½" slices. Rub some salt on both sides of the slices and leave it for at least 10-15 mins.
- Meanwhile in a small bowl mix egg with water and flour to prepare the batter.
- In a medium shallow plate combine bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning blend, and some salt. Mix thoroughly.
- Now apply the batter to each eggplant slice evenly. Dip the battered slices in the breadcrumb mix to coat it evenly on all sides. See the helpful tips section above to do this task perfectly.
- Place breaded eggplant slices on a clean and dry flat plate and spray oil on them. See notes section for details.
- Preheat the Air Fryer to 360F. Then put the eggplant slices on the wire mesh and cook for about 8 min.
- Top the air fried slices with about 1 tablespoon of marinara sauce and lightly spread fresh mozzarella cheese on it. Cook the eggplant for another 1-2 min or until the cheese melts.
- Serve warm on the side of your favorite pasta.
Notes
- Rubbing some salt to eggplant slices ahead makes it leach out the water from the inner cells. This step makes eggplant soft when cooked.
- First, spray oil on the breaded eggplant slices when stored in the plate. Then put the oiled side down on the wire mesh of the Air Fryer. Now spray oil to cover the other side. This way both sides of the eggplant will have an even brown color when cooked.
- I cook the parmesan-crusted eggplants in two batches. Our Phillips XL Air Fryer holds 4 large slices at a time.
- If you prefer meat you will also love this Chicken Parmesan In the Air Fryer.
Nutrition
Calories: 193kcal