Crispy Eggplant Fries
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These eggplant fries are coated in panko and parmesan and baked in the oven until they’re wonderfully crispy. They make a great family-friendly side dish, simple appetizer, or snack. You’ll NEVER guess that they’re made with eggplant!
Eggplant might not be the first vegetable you think of for fries, but it absolutely shines here. With a light coating of panko, Parmesan, Italian seasoning, and garlic salt, these baked eggplant fries turn beautifully crisp in the oven while staying tender and creamy inside. I’ve made everything from carrot carrot fries to zucchini fries, but these are the ones I come back to again and again — the texture is just that good.
They’re also incredibly easy to make. Thick eggplant strips get dipped in egg, then coated in that savory, cheesy breadcrumb mixture before being drizzled with olive oil and baked until golden. The Parmesan adds salty depth, the panko keeps things light and crunchy, and the eggplant softens into that almost silky interior that makes each bite so satisfying.
This is one of those recipes that surprises people. Even our youngest taste testers — who normally turn their noses up at eggplant — happily polish these off. Served straight from the oven with your favorite dipping sauce, they’re the kind of snack or side dish that disappears fast.
Your questions, answered
Can I make eggplant fries in an air fryer? Yes, it’s easy to make air fryer eggplant fries! Bread the eggplant slices as per the recipe, then place them in a single layer in the air fryer basket (making sure they’re not touching) and cook for 15 minutes, turning once. You’ll likely need to cook these in batches.
What kind of eggplant works best for fries? I like to use globe eggplants (also called Mediterranean eggplants) for this recipe. However, if you have access to long, Asian eggplants, they will also work. Skip the small Thai eggplants, as they’re too tiny to cut into French fry shapes.
How long do eggplant fries last? These fries are best eaten shortly after they come out of the oven. If you have any leftovers, you can reheat them in your oven until crispy.
Can I make eggplant fries ahead of time? Eggplant fries can be breaded up to 8 hours in advance and kept on a baking sheet (covered) in your refrigerator until you’re ready to bake them.
Eggplant Fries Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup panko
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (can sub dried oregano)
- ¾ teaspoon garlic salt (see notes)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 medium eggplants (cut into ½ inch strips)
- Olive oil (for drizzling)
Instructions
- Set an oven rack in the top third of your oven. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly coat a baking sheet with oil. In a medium-sized bowl, mix the panko, parmesan, oregano, and garlic salt. In another bowl, whisk the two eggs with a small splash of water.1 cup panko, ½ cup grated parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, ¾ teaspoon garlic salt, 2 large eggs
- Dredge the eggplant strips first in the egg and 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 more oil.2 medium eggplants, Olive oil
- Place the eggplant fries in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, until they are golden and crispy, turning them over once about halfway through baking.
- Serve the crispy eggplant fries with some dipping sauce on the side – see notes for some suggestions.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
More fry recipes
For more inspiration, check out all of my eggplant recipes!
Not understanding the top rack in oven unless we’re supposed to broil and not bake??🧐… please lmk asap as I was just reheating my oven till I remembered the rack level lol.. tyia
And will update my review w pic once cooked.. (sorry dont know iw how else to get ahold of you😬)
Great question, and glad you double-checked before popping them in! The top rack here is just for baking, not broiling, it helps the tops get nicely golden without the bottoms overcooking. Hope they turned out perfectly, and I’d love to see that pic once they’re done! 😊
So yummy, really excellent recipe! One large eggplant worked well with the amount of panko mix. Followed the advice of Momwhocooks for 425 in convection oven since it’s been super hot in Denver. Since my convection oven is small, had to bake the second batch (which were covered in refrigerator) a bit later but they still came out great. Even leftovers reheated the next day were good. Next time I’ll make their size a bit larger since they do shrink a bit. Using one hand for the egg mix, and the other for the panko mix is brilliant!
Sounds like you had the whole system down, and that wet-hand, dry-hand trick really is a game changer for keeping the breading on and your fingers from turning into a panko mitten! Smart move going with convection in that Denver heat, and good to know they reheated well the next day. Sizing them up a bit next time makes sense since they shrink. So glad these turned out great for you.