Crispy Eggplant Fries with Chipotle Aioli

These easy to make Crispy Eggplant Fries are insanely delicious. They are coated in panko and parmesan and oven baked till crisp. They're perfect as a simple, family-friendly side dish recipe or game day appetizer. You'd NEVER guess that they are made with eggplants!

This is the 18th Throw Back Thursday post here on TEM, and I honestly have no idea what took my so long to bring back these Crispy Eggplant Fries. They're frickin' amazing!

If it's your first time here for these #tbt posts, it is the once a month when I dig through the archives to find a recipe to remake, rephotograph, and reshare with you. Usually, the recipes I share have terrible old photos attached to them. This month, the photos weren't all that bad. I must have been having some beginners luck when I picked up my camera that day back in May 2012. Even so, the photos needed an update.

I remember loving the recipe when I first made it. I swore to myself that I would always and forever eat eggplant fries every day for the rest of my life. Then life happened. New recipes needed to be created. New favorites were found. Somehow along the way, these eggplant fries got buried and (shame on me) forgotten.

Never again!

What sounds like a seriously strange recipe, is actually totally delicious. Have you had zucchini fries before? Ya, these are WAY better. Like, five hundred thousand times better. And I like zucchini fries!

After you cut the strips of eggplant into fry-like wedges, you dip them in egg then coat them in panko and parmesan. They get quickly broiled in your oven and come out as crispy, cheesy, bites that you can dip in mayo or ketchup just like a regular French fry.

Only these are so much tastier than any potato fry I've ever eaten.

Can you promise me you'll make them? Even my eggplant-not-loving handsome man was all over these. I'm pretty sure that if you hide the fact that they're eggplant from a skeptic they'll try to steal yours off your plate when you're not looking.

Original post date: May 16th, 2012

Crispy Eggplant Fries? Yep, you read that correctly. You've heard of zucchini fries, or mozza sticks or even jalapeño poppers, right? Eggplant French Fries are along the same lines, but even tastier. In my opinion, they're better than any regular French fry I've ever eaten.

When Grace Wilders asked me to review her cookbook 57 Easy and Delicious Eggplant Recipes I thought, “57 eggplant recipes!? Is that even possible?” I like eggplant, but coming up with 57 different eggplant recipes seemed like quite the feat. Until now my eggplant repertoire has been limited to baba ganoush and eggplant parmesan.

Even though the 57 Easy and Delicious Eggplant Recipes are laid out in three sections from easiest, medium difficulty, and more complex, none of the recipes are overly difficult. Make sure you try the Greek Yogurt Eggplant Salad and the Olive and Eggplant Spread, both are delicious. Unfortunately, there are no photos to entice you to make the recipes. It's a shame since every recipe I've made I enjoyed and will definitely make again. On my list to try are the Fried Eggplant “Meatballs” and the Eggplant Bacon, both are vegetarian and sound amazing.

Video: How To Make Crispy Eggplant Fries:

Crispy Eggplant Fries with Chipotle Aioli

• Author: Kristen Stevens | The Endless Meal
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins
• Total Time: 20 mins
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Category: Appetizer
• Cuisine: American

★★★★★

4.7 from 11 reviews

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Description

These easy to make Crispy Eggplant Fries are insanely delicious. They are coated in panko and parmesan and oven baked till crisp. They're perfect as a simple, family-friendly side dish recipe or game day appetizer. You'd NEVER guess that they are made with eggplants!

Gluten FreeVegetarian

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Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 2 medium eggplants, cut into (1/2-inch) strips
• 1 cup breadcrumbs or panko (gluten-free, if needed)
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 2 eggs
• Olive oil, for drizzling

Chipotle aioli:

• 1/4 cup real mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon pureed chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• Small squeeze of lime juice and a pinch of sea salt

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Instructions

1. Set an oven rack in the top third of your oven. Preheat the oven to the highest temperature. Lightly coat a baking sheet with oil.
2. Stir the chipotle aioli ingredients together in a small bowl.
3. Mix the breadcrumbs, parmesan, oregano, and garlic salt in a medium-sized bowl. In another bowl, whisk the two eggs with a small splash of water.
4. Dredge the eggplant strips first in the egg then in the breadcrumb mixture. (Using 1 hand for the egg and the other for the breadcrumbs makes this a lot less messy) Place the eggplants on the oiled baking sheet and drizzle with a little oil.
5. Place the eggplants in the oven and broil for 5 minutes. Turn the eggplant fries over and broil for another 4-5 minutes, or until they are crispy and brown. Keep a close eye on them if your oven broils at more that 500 degrees.
6. Serve with some chipotle aioli on the side for dipping.

The original photos of these Crispy Eggplant Fries:

If you’re interested in learning a few tricks that I did to improve my food photography, check out the posts 10 Food Photography Tips for New Food Bloggers and The 10 Best Food Photography Props to Improve Your Food Photography and The Food Photography Equipment I Use.