Whole Eggplants in Air Fryer: Eggplant Salad
Whole eggplants in air fryer, ideal for multiple uses, are prepared quickly, without smoke and odors, are easily peeled and make up a great healthy side dish: vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free
With these eggplants cooked in the air fryer, I quickly prepared a healthy and tasty side dish: eggplant salad!
In summer, these eggplants make an excellent cold and light summer side dish, but they are good to enjoy all year round.
The advantages of cooking in an air fryer are many: you don’t have to preheat the oven, cooking is more rapid, economical, and healthy (very few fats are needed), you don’t dirty many pots and pans, it doesn’t produce smoke and odors. Light, vegan, and vegetarian recipe.
The air fryer also allows you to get cooked eggplants that are dry, not watery and appetizing.
When purchasing eggplants to verify they are fresh, check that the flesh is firm and the skin shiny; if they have wrinkled, dull, and soft parts, then it means they are wilting.
Eggplants can also be frozen raw. Once cooked, they are stored in the fridge well sealed in an airtight container and can be kept for 3/4 days.
Please note that the temperature and cooking times of the air fryer are generally indicative because much depends on your type of fryer and the size of the eggplants, however, the recipes on my Blog are all previously and rigorously tested by me, so they are more than proven.
You might also be interested in:
Stale bread fragrant in air fryer, crispy outside and soft inside. Ideal for bruschetta and croutons
- Scialatielli Aumm Aumm with eggplants and fiordilatte. Very easy Caprese recipe.
- Neapolitan Fried Eggplant Sandwiches, stuffed with salami and fiordilatte.
- Conchiglioni with peppers and fried eggplants. Family recipe
- Neapolitan Eggplant Parmigiana! Original family recipe
- Summer Cannelloni Pie, in eggplant turban. Step by step recipe
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Rest time: 5 Minutes
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 2People
- Cooking methods: Air frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons, Summer
Ingredients for Whole Eggplants in Air Fryer Salad
- 2 black oval eggplants
- as needed extra virgin olive oil (cold pressed, spray)
- 1 garlic (whole)
- as needed parsley
- as needed chili powder
- as needed fine salt
Tools
- Bowls of various sizes
- Air fryer Cosori, large (5.7l) even cooking
- Air fryer paper perforated
- Air fryer paper trays without holes, very thin
- Grill reusable, scratch-resistant
Steps for Whole Eggplants in Air Fryer Salad
Wash the oval eggplants and poke them with a fork, if desired, spray them with a little oil and salt.
Place the whole eggplants in the air fryer basket.
Set the air fryer to “Manual” and program the eggplant cooking at 320°F for 20 minutes and then at 356°F for 10 minutes (a total of 30 minutes). Let them rest for 5 minutes.
Place the cooked eggplants on a cutting board, cut them in half lengthwise and with a fork extract the pulp, trying to remove the seeds.
Remove all the pulp from the eggplants and place them in strips in a bowl,
I seasoned the eggplants with a little extra virgin olive oil, garlic, chili, salt, and parsley, mix and serve as a side dish (you can also puree them with a mixer to make a spread).
Personally, I find them delicious enjoyed with warm stale bread croutons, first soaked quickly and then cooked – always in the air fryer – for about 11 minutes at 356°F.
You can use the type of seasoning you prefer, for example: garlic, salt, oil, a drop of vinegar, basil (or parsley or mint), chili (or black pepper).
Shopping Tips!!!
Personally, I am very satisfied with the Cosori Air Fryer, with 5.7-liter capacity basket, 13 functions, optimal hot air circulation that makes foods: crispy outside and soft inside
A healthier way of cooking, because it separates and captures excess fat (healthy and tasty dishes and up to 97% less fat). It halves cooking times compared to a conventional oven, with significant economic and time savings. Finally, the individual components are all easily removable and dishwasher safe. Highly recommended!
These disposable air fryer paper trays,without holes don’t dirty the fryer, but the hot air circulates anyway because they are very thin. They are also oil and water-resistant, non-stick, don’t burn, and can also be used in a regular oven.
I often also use this handy perforated baking paper for air fryer, non-stick and easy to clean, can also be used in a regular oven.
Also, if you want to keep your air fryer clean and at the same time protected from scratches and abrasions (e.g., from tongs), these reusable, heat-resistant non-stick grills are very useful.
To make chickpeas crunchier, I sprayed this handy extra virgin spray olive oil, cold pressed, of excellent quality, with built-in spray dispenser.
You can purchase all the items I recommend above on Amazon at a great price, just click directly on the corresponding links.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Can eggplants be fried whole in the air fryer?
Yes.
What does cold-extracted extra virgin olive oil mean?
Cold-pressed oil is a superior quality extra virgin olive oil, produced according to EU legislation on the matter.
Air fryer baking paper: which one to choose?
If you use the air fryer for foods that drip (like batter), it’s better to use WITHOUT holes baking paper (the paper is very light, and air and heat circulate anyway). If the foods to be cooked in the air fryer are dry and don’t drip, it’s better to use hole baking paper.
What to use to keep the air fryer clean without scratching it?
Reusable non-stick grill, heat-resistant, for Air Fryer.
