If you’ve never roasted eggplant before, you’re in for quite the treat! Whether you’re preparing it for an appetizer, a side dish, a vegetarian snack or as a main dish, tons of eggplant recipes will have you roast it during the cooking process. This guide covers just about every method there is in order to roast eggplant. Just follow these simple steps and you’re on your way to some delicious food!
How To Make Roasted Eggplant In The Oven
Oven-roasted eggplant is probably the most common way how to cook eggplant at home. It’s quick, simple and doesn’t require too much effort to make in the oven.
Oil the eggplant. Smear the unpeeled, whole eggplant with oil.Place the eggplant in the oven. Place eggplant on a baking pan with an edge to catch all the lovely juices. Turn on the broiler and place eggplant close to the broiler.Roast. Roast at 400F until it is soft, about 20 minutes, moving every 5 minutes to a different side.Allow the eggplant to steam. Place eggplant in a paper bag and close the bag. Set it aside for 15 minutes, allowing the eggplant to steam.Peel the eggplant. Hold the roasted eggplant over the baking pan. Quickly peel the eggplant over the pan, letting the pan capture all the juices.Mash the eggplant. Use a fork to mash the eggplant. It is now ready for your recipe.
How To Make Roasted Eggplant On A Gas Stove Top
This method is the messiest of them all because you will have charred eggplant skin all over, but it is possible to roast eggplant on the stovetop. This method for roasting eggplant results in arguably the best char.
Oil the eggplant. Smear the unpeeled, whole eggplant with oil.Char the eggplant skin. Turn on the gas on medium-high heat. Place the eggplant directly on the flame and allow it to char the skin.Continuously flip the eggplant. Keep turning the eggplant on all sides, until all the skin is charred and your eggplant is soft.Allow the eggplant to steam. Place eggplant in a paper bag and close the bag. Set it aside for 15 minutes, allowing the eggplant to steam.Peel the eggplant. Hold the roasted eggplant over the baking pan. Quickly peel the eggplant over the pan. letting the pan capture all the juices.Mash the eggplant. Use a fork to mash the eggplant. It is now ready for your recipe.
How To Make Roasted Eggplant In The Air Fryer
This is my favorite method as all the mess is contained in the air fryer, and you do not need to turn it halfway. So it requires no babysitting, yet you can get that lovely smoky taste we all want.
Oil the eggplant. Smear the unpeeled, whole eggplant with oil.Air fry the eggplant. Place eggplant in the air fryer basket. Set the air fryer to 400F for 15-20 minutes depending on the size of the eggplant.Allow the eggplant to steam. Place eggplant in a paper bag and close the bag. Set it aside for 15 minutes, allowing the eggplant to steam.Peel the eggplant. Hold the roasted eggplant over the baking pan. Quickly peel the eggplant over the pan. letting the pan capture all the juices.Mash the eggplant. Use a fork to mash the eggplant. It is now ready for your recipe.
Can I Roast Eggplant In The Instant Pot?
Why certainly! You can roast eggplant in the Instant Pot as long as you cook the eggplant in a single layer. I actually use this method for my Baba Ghanoush Eggplant Dip recipe as well as my Instant Pot Baingan Bharta recipe, amongst others.
Char the eggplant. Heat the Instant Pot pot, and when it’s hot, put in a few tablespoons of oil. Once it’s hot, put in one layer of eggplant slices.Let the eggplant be! This is the tough part now, do not mess with them until they are properly charred at the bottom. Without this char, you won’t get the smoky taste you need.Add additional eggplant slices. Once these slices char, they will shrink a bit and you can put in some more eggplant slices. At this point, you may need to put in more oil. This thing sucks oil, so just embrace that. Use a spatula or spoon and scrape up the char from the bottom as needed. This took me about 10-15 minutes to get it all charred.Pressure cook the eggplant. Pressure cook on High for 3 minutes, then release pressure quickly.Cook away excess water if necessary. If you have too much water at the bottom when you open it, turn your Instant Pot on sauté and let some of it cook off.
Looking For Some Easy Eggplant Recipes? Check These Out!
Instant Pot Baba Ghanoush Lebanese Eggplant Dip - Quick, flameless, and tastes delicious!Indian Baingan Bharta - Wonderfully smoky and made in your Instant Pot.Malai Baingan - A creamy, spicy, hearty Indian Instant Pot recipe.Tomato Eggplant Soup - A great vegan soup recipe.Instant Pot Eggplant Pasta - One of the best pasta dishes I’ve ever had, and I don’t say that lightly.Roasted Ratatouille Recipe - All the flavor of a traditional ratatouille without all of the work!
Now that you’ve learned all the various ways to prepare roasted eggplant, it’s time to start churning out those delicious eggplant recipes! Let me know what your favorite recipe is in the comments. Also, make sure to share this guide with your friends on Pinterest and Facebook so they can start enjoying roasted eggplant as well!
