Shop
My
Custom
FREE 5-Ingredient Recipe EBook
GET IT NOWPeople often have strong opinions about cooking eggplant. And I get it. I wasn’t always a big eggplant fan, but now it’s right up there with roasted brussels sprouts and sauteed zucchini. When you brush the slices with a generous amount of olive oil, season, and bake them, they get caramelized in the oven and become irresistible! And my roasted eggplant recipe is not only flavorful, it’s also easy as can be, and goes with almost anything. Whether you love this vegetable or you’re on the fence, I hope you’ll try this baked eggplant with me — it might become one of your new favorites!
Why You Need My Roasted Eggplant Recipe
- Sweet, caramelized, and tender – The slices turn out perfectly tender, and you’ll be amazed by the deep caramelized flavor on these slices (my favorite part!). Plus, roasting eggplant brings out its natural sweetness.
- Easy, hands off cooking – I rarely have more than 30 minutes to spend on dinner — do you? This recipe has just 3 basic ingredients (plus salt and pepper), and takes around half an hour. And while I love the crispness of sauteed eggplant, my roasted eggplant is more hands-off, so you can make your main dish while the side dish cooks.
- A healthy favorite – With all the ways you can serve it (see my ideas below), baked eggplant is versatile for all kinds of dinners for your family. And you can feel good about adding a healthy veggie to their plates.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best ingredients for my roasted eggplant recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
- Eggplant – Try to grab the smaller to medium-sized eggplants, as they are less bitter and have fewer seeds. Give them a little squeeze to test their quality—the skin should be smooth and the flesh firm (no soft spots). I usually go for globe eggplants, the kind you see most often around the U.S., but you can bake eggplant of other types, too. In some countries, you might find it labeled as brinjal, melongene, or aubergine.
- Olive Oil – Oil is very important for caramelization and preventing dryness, so don’t skimp. I like cooking eggplant with extra virgin olive oil, but you can totally swap in another heat-safe oil, like avocado oil. For a little zing, mix fresh lemon juice or balsamic vinegar with the oil before brushing it on.
- Seasoning – I usually just stick with garlic powder. (Don’t use fresh garlic, because it will burn.) You can also sprinkle with Italian seasoning or your favorite dried herbs, like basil, parsley, or thyme.
- Salt & Pepper – I use sea salt in all my recipes, but kosher salt works fine.
How To Cut Eggplant
Some roasted eggplant recipes call for chopping it up into cubes, but I much prefer circles. It’s faster, you get better caramelization, and there’s no extra bowl to wash (just season right on the baking sheet!).
To prepare the eggplant, simply slice it crosswise to make circles, about 1/2 inch thick. Try to get even slices, so that they cook at the same rate.
My Tips For Slicing:
- Cut off the leafy end only after you are done slicing. This way, you’ll have more to grab onto as you slice.
- The thinner your eggplant slices, the more caramelized edges you’ll get and the shorter the baking time will be. But, you risk burning if you slice them too thin, so 1/2 inch thick (or slightly less) is a good thickness to aim for. Sometimes I cut them a bit thinner for a quicker cook time.
- Don’t peel the eggplant skin. The outer peel of the eggplant (that pretty purple one!) is totally edible, and it actually helps hold the eggplant together as it cooks. If you’re making a dip like baba ganoush, you’d remove the peel, but for regular roasted eggplant recipes like this one, I always leave the peel on.
How To Roast Eggplant In The Oven
I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Season the eggplant slices. Arrange them on a baking sheet in a single layer (or two if you don’t have room). Brush or drizzle them with the olive oil, and season with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Flip over and repeat the oil and seasonings.
- Roast eggplant in the oven. Easy, peasy! Just cook eggplant until it’s soft, golden, and starting to caramelize. Don’t remove it too soon — wait for that caramelization!
My Recipe Tips
- Should you salt the eggplant? People often ask why I don’t do this when I cook eggplant, and there are two reasons. First, most eggplants today are bred to avoid bitterness. Second, I always get small to medium ones, which aren’t usually bitter. However, if your eggplant is large, it’s more likely to be bitter, so you can salt it if you like. To do this, sprinkle the eggplant slices generously with salt — at least 1 teaspoon of salt per eggplant — and place into a colander over the sink to drain for an hour. (It seems like a lot of salt, but this is necessary for the eggplant to release enough moisture and its bitterness along with it.) Then, rinse with water and proceed with my roasted eggplant recipe as written.
- Should you line the pan? This is a personal decision! I use and love this baking sheet and don’t line it, because the nonstick surface is excellent and it gets me better browning. You can also get great browning by lining with aluminum foil — just make sure you brush or spray the pan with oil to prevent sticking. Parchment paper works, but you won’t get as much browning or caramelization, so it’s not my favorite option.
- Brush on the olive oil instead of drizzling. I used to drizzle (as shown in my picture above), but now prefer brushing because the eggplant soaks up the oil so quickly. You get a more even coating if you brush it on. You can also use an oil mister instead, which is faster.
- Do you flip halfway through? It’s up to you! I’ll be honest, sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t. You do get more even browning if you flip, but I’m often juggling multiple tasks at once, and the baked eggplant recipe still turns out great if I don’t flip it.
Storage & Meal Prep
- Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days. You can even turn them into cheesy eggplant lasagna or mix them into eggplant caponata.
- Meal prep: You can roast eggplant in advance, but I don’t recommend slicing and storing the raw slices, because they will turn brown.
- Reheat: Warm up roasted eggplant in the oven at 350 degrees F. (I use a lower temperature for reheating than for roasting, so that they don’t burn.)
- Freeze: This recipe freezes pretty well. After cooling, freeze the slices on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Once solid, transfer to a zip lock bag and store in the freezer for up to 3-4 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Serving Ideas
This easy side dish goes with so many meals! You’ll find all my healthy dinner recipes here, but here are some of my favorite pairings for this roasted eggplant:
- Chicken – Keep it basic with my baked chicken thighs, crispy drumsticks, or air fryer chicken breast. For an Italian-inspired meal, try my chicken cacciatore or chicken marsala.
- Steak – It’s a less common combo, but I actually like this dish with my tender sirloin steak, filet mignon, or New York strip.
- Seafood – I’ve got lots of fish options, from classics like pan seared salmon (my favorite) or baked cod, to more interesting sea bass, trout, or haddock. For a fancy dinner, baked eggplant is perfect with crab legs, lobster tail, or garlic butter shrimp.
- Lamb – I think eggplant goes really well with lamb, since both are common in Mediterranean cooking. Try my lamb kofta kebab, or if you’re feeling fancy, baked lamb chops.
- Sauce – I usually serve roasted eggplant with marinara sauce on the side, but tahini sauce or tzatziki sauce would also work beautifully.
- Brunch – These go perfectly with my favorite shakshuka recipe!
More Easy Eggplant Recipes
Roasting is one of the best ways to cook eggplant, but I’ve got many other ways! Try some of my others:
Roasted Eggplant (Easy Recipe)
Learn how to cook using the easiest method! My simple roasted eggplant recipe comes out perfectly caramelized and tender every time.
Remove Ads
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
-
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C).
-
Slice the eggplant crosswise to make circles, about 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) thick. Cut off the leafy end only after you are done slicing, so that you'll have more to grab onto as you slice.
-
Arrange the eggplant slices on an extra large baking sheet in a single layer. Brushwith olive oil, and sprinkle with sea salt, garlic powder, and black pepper. Flip and repeat the olive oil, salt, garlic powder, and pepper.
-
Roast eggplant in the oven for 30-35 minutes, until soft, golden, and caramelized. You can flip halfway through if you like, but you don't have to.
LAST STEP: Leave a rating to help other readers, or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram. I’d love to hear from you!
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 4 slices, or 1/4 entire recipe
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
Add Your Notes Your Notes
Try More Of My Recipes
© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead.
Roasted Eggplant
Gratitude Moment
I’m so happy it’s eggplant season! I wait impatiently for it every year.
Sometimes I get so impatient that make this roasted eggplant recipe anyway, even when it’s out of season. At least when I’m lucky enough to find a decent eggplant at other times of year.
Do you have foods like that, where you convince yourself they’re okay even out of season because you like them so much? Do you get them anyway or wait for the season? Let’s chat about it in the comments below!
173 Comments
Gail
0A very tasty recipe. I made my slices a little thicker so I could top it with chilled diced tomatoes with basil.
Henry Montrose
0For the rest of the world, what prey tell is 400 degress, and why not the correct temparatures for fan assisted/ You want us to read, but you seem to think, we are all Americans, why nor be radical and broaden your horizons
Tashia
0I bet you could google the answer in the time it took you to write your snarky comment.
Karen
0Or Henry could look up a temperature conversion. Thank you for this free recipe!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Henry, You’ll want to preheat your oven to 204 degrees C. I list both Fahrenheit and Celcius on the recipe card.
Lillian
0What kind of sauce you used for the dip, what ingredients I need to make this sauce?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Lilian, I served the eggplant with my healthy marinara sauce. I have a couple other sauce ideas in the post above.
Monica
0This is such a great resource for making eggplant! Thanks for explaining it so well!
Elaine
0I love making eggplant as a side to so many of my favorite meals! It adds so much taste to the overall experience! Chicken parmesan is one of them!
Kristine
0Oh my gosh! This was so easy and so yummy! I’ll definitely make these again, thank you!
Krissy Allori
0Yum! I can’t wait to try this.
Alison
0I love this simple recipe for roasted eggplant. I roast eggplant to make babaganoush. It’s so delicious!
Micki
0Yum! These are so good just by themselves! Next time I’m adding them as lasagna layers in eggplant lasagna – I love your idea to try that!
Lauren Vavala
0I’ve only had eggplant once in my life. I think it’s time I try it again because you have made it look SO good!!
Taylor
0So easy and delicious! Perfect for meatless Monday!