The roasted eggplants in air fryer is an easy, quick, and light recipe, perfect for summer. In a few minutes, you will get roasted eggplants that are soft inside and slightly crispy on the outside, ideal to serve as a savory side dish, as a base for a light eggplant parmigiana, to prepare a delicious eggplant pie, or as an appetizing appetizer, such as the eggplant rolls with bacon and scamorza. A great classic of summer cuisine, roasted eggplants are always a guarantee of taste. I usually prepare them in the traditional oven, simply seasoned with salt, oil, vinegar, and a pinch of chili, as in my recipe for spicy eggplants. But when I’m cooking for just one or two people, the air fryer becomes the perfect ally: no long preheating times, reduced cooking times, and minimal energy consumption. For this version, I seasoned the roasted eggplants with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, salt, fresh mint and parsley, and chili. But you can customize the recipe to your taste with oregano, basil, marjoram, minced garlic, or enrich it with aromatic sauces like chimichurri or salmoriglio, for an even more fragrant touch. The roasted eggplants in the air fryer are not only a quick and healthy solution but also a versatile base for endless summer preparations!
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 2People
- Cooking methods: Air frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer
- Energy 172.59 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 12.26 (g) of which sugars 7.10 (g)
- Proteins 2.09 (g)
- Fat 14.41 (g) of which saturated 2.07 (g)of which unsaturated 0.19 (g)
- Fibers 6.09 (g)
- Sodium 198.99 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 80 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for roasted eggplants in the air fryer
- 1 black oval eggplant (medium, about 400 g)
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 bunch parsley
- A few leaves mint
- 1 dried chili pepper (optional)
Tools
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Air fryer
- Air fryer paper
- 1 Oil sprayer
How to roast eggplants in the air fryer
To prepare the roasted eggplants in the air fryer, start by washing and drying the eggplant. Slice it into pieces about half a centimeter thick (1). Line the basket of the air fryer with the appropriate paper and arrange the eggplants next to each other. If they don’t fit, you can overlap them slightly, as I did (2), but they will need to be turned halfway through cooking.
Brush them with a little extra virgin olive oil (3). If you have one, you can use an oil sprayer. Lightly salt them and cook them in the air fryer at 356°F (180°C) (no need to preheat it) for about 15 minutes. If you have not managed to fit the eggplant slices in a single layer but have overlapped them, to achieve uniform cooking, it is necessary to turn them halfway through cooking. When they are golden (4), turn off the air fryer, take them out and let them cool.
If you want to serve them as an appetizer or side dish, prepare a fine chop of parsley, mint, and chili. Arrange the roasted eggplants in layers on a tray and season with a drizzle of raw oil and the herb and chili chop. You can serve the roasted eggplants in the air fryer immediately or let them marinate for a few hours in the refrigerator
Storage
The roasted eggplants can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 days, sealed in a glass container.
Tips and Variations
If using black oval eggplants or purple striped ones, there is no need to salt them. The long black ones, less suitable for this preparation but ideal for frying, need to be salted to drain, with a weight on top, for at least 30 minutes. Then they must be rinsed and dried.
