These air fryer aubergines or eggplants are soft, spicy, and versatile. You can either cube or slice them, and you can have them simple or glazed.
These air fryer aubergines can become addictive... I can't even count how many times I've cooked them ever since I got my air fryer. They are creamy soft, spicy, hearty, healthy, easy to make, and ready in no time at all.
Aubergines are some of my favorite vegetables. Few others have so much flavor and can be so satisfying when eaten alone. They have a meaty, hearty, smoky flavor that no other vegetable has.
When it comes to eggplants, people either love or hate them, there seems to be no middle way. I love them. I adore them. See some of my favorite recipes, for instance, this incredible Aubergine Spaghetti or the Eggplant Tomato Stew. Not to mention the traditional Romanian recipes, like Vinete or Zacusca, which are the best spreads you could possibly imagine.
Recipe ingredients
Aubergines (eggplants), spices, and a little olive oil.
The best thing about using an air fryer is that you will only need a fraction of the oil you would use when frying eggplants in the pan (or even when roasting them in the oven). I added 1 tablespoon of olive oil because I think they really need a little something. Aubergines and olive oil are a match made in heaven.
If you want to add a little extra, make a glaze and brush the air fryer aubergines during the last minutes of cooking. I used the same glaze for the air-fried ribs; I had some leftovers.
How to cook aubergines in the air fryer?
Aubergine cubes
- If you want to make air-fried aubergine chunks, cut them into 1.5-inch/ 4 cm cubes.
- Mix to coat with 1 tablespoon olive oil, garlic powder, sweet and smoked paprika, a pinch of cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper.
- Cook in the preheated air fryer for 8 minutes, shake well, and continue cooking for a further 5 minutes or until browned and really soft.
Aubergine wedges
- Cut the eggplants into 6 long wedges.
- Mix to coat with 1 tablespoon olive oil, sweet paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Cook for 10 minutes.
- Brush with glaze, and cook for a further 3-4 minutes until soft and slightly caramelized.
Recipe FAQs
No, I rarely do. I love the taste of the peel, that's what makes the vegetable so hearty, it adds a slightly smoky flavor and a bit of extra texture. And it keeps the cubes or slices together, especially since you always have to cook the aubergines until they are really soft.
Not anymore. Salting used to be important when aubergines were bitter. Nowadays, they are breaded to be less bitter, so the salting, waiting, and draining process is not necessary anymore.
Refrigerate leftover air fryer aubergines in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Reheat them in the air fryer for 2-3 minutes. However, I don't bother; I mostly use the leftovers to make sandwiches.
How to serve air-fried aubergines?
- Serve the air fryer aubergines as a side dish for fish, chicken, or meat.
- Make eggplant salad with garlic sauce, Romanian-style. Mix 2 grated garlic cloves with ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard and some salt, and add enough water to make a thin sauce. Toss with the aubergine cubes and adjust the taste with salt.
- Use the air-fried eggplant cubes as a pizza topping.
- Stuff them into pita breads and tortillas or make sandwiches.
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Air Fryer Aubergines (Two Ways)
Ingredients
Aubergine cubes (Note 1):
- 1 large aubergine about 1 lb/ 450 g
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon sweet paprika powder
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika powder
- pinch of cayenne pepper to taste
- fine sea salt and pepper
Glazed aubergine wedges (Note 2):
- 1 large eggplant about 1 lb/ 450 g
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon sweet paprika powder
- fine sea salt and pepper
- ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon ketchup
- ½ tablespoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika powder
- fine sea salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 370°F/ 190°C for 3 minutes (if necessary, it depends on your air fryer).
Cubed aubergines:
- Cut the aubergines into 1.5 inch/4 cm cubes. Mix to coat with 1 tablespoon olive oil, garlic powder, sweet and smoked paprika, a pinch of cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Place in the air fryer basket.1 large aubergine/ 1 lb/ 450 g + 1 tablespoon olive oil + ¼ teaspoon garlic powder + ¼ teaspoon sweet paprika powder + ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika powder + pinch of cayenne pepper + fine sea salt and pepper
- Air fry the aubergine cubes for 8 minutes at the same temperature, shake well, and continue cooking for a further 5 minutes or until browned and really soft.
Aubergine wedges:
- Cut the aubergine into 6 long wedges. Mix to coat with 1 tablespoon olive oil, sweet paprika, salt and pepper.1 large eggplant + 1 tablespoon olive oil + ½ teaspoon sweet paprika powder + fine sea salt and pepper
- Glaze: Mix the Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, ketchup, honey, paprika, salt and pepper to taste.½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce + 1 tablespoon soy sauce + ½ tablespoon ketchup + ½ tablespoon honey + ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika powder + fine sea salt and pepper
- Air fry for 10 minutes, brush with glaze, and cook for a further 3-4 minutes until soft and slightly caramelized.
Notes
- The nutrition is calculated for the cubed eggplants. One serving of the glazed eggplants has 209 calories.
- Glaze: It makes a little more than you need. It keeps well in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
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