Easy Fried Eggplant

I love fried eggplant, but I haven't made it in a couple of years because I was taught to deep-fry the eggplant slices, and I try to avoid deep-frying our food. But I was really craving it tonight and found this very easy recipe here. After reading the reviews, I decided to try frying the eggplant in fat-free olive oil cooking spray. Delicious and guilt-free! I used seasoned bread crumbs and parmesan cheese, with salt and pepper added for flavor. Even my picky kids loved it. I'm only sad that my husband - who swears that he's not picky - wouldn't even touch it, because he says he hates eggplant. I'm sure he'd change his mind if he gave this recipe a try!

Cooked for my husband and he absolutely loved it. I even double dipped into the egg again and then dipped into grated parmesan cheese for an additional flavor. This recipe was extremely easy and I will definitely do this one again.

eggplant soaks up oil like a sponge- be careful or your eggplant will be soggy!

The best way to fry eggplant is also the simplest! This was delicious! I left the peels on. I also took the advice of a previous reviewer and added salt and coarse black pepper to the egg. Yummy!

My mother fixed fried eggplant when I was a kid. I didn't care for it then, so I was skeptical. But a friend gave me an eggplant, so I wanted to use it and decided to give this recipe a shot. It was fantastic. I learned that I much prefer thin slices. The eggplant browns quickly, so be prepared to watch it like a hawk. Brown is good; black is not. I didn't burn any, but it was close. As other reviewers suggest, I mixed some grated parmesan cheese with bread crumbs. When finished, make sure you give the eggplant plenty of salt. It was great plain, but in reading other reviews, I'm going to use spaghetti sauce and mozzarella cheese for a nice main course of leftovers. I used the fried eggplant as a side dish today, but as eggplant parmesan, it will work great as a main dish.

I tried this recipe because it looked the easiest, but Oh My... was it ever so tasty. My mother used to hate eggplant until tonight. I did add salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder & seasoning salt to my egg wash and also used the Italian style bread crumbs...and the seller is the fact that my 4 year old won't stop eating them! Yay!

This recipe is basically the way I used to make eggplant but with seasoned crumbs and some added spices. I found it was too greasy but who doesn't love some fat flavor, lol. Eggplant soaks up a lot of oil in frying. Now I preheat the oven to 400 degrees, put alum foil on the baking pans, spray the pans with olive oil, put the breaded eggplant on the pans, spray the top of the eggplant with oil and cook until fork tender. It depends on how thick you cut the slices. Most times 10-15 minutes will do and it still comes out nice and crispy. You still get the flavor of frying without so much fat and this is an easier and cleaner method of oven frying eggplant.

This recipe is a real keeper, the family loved it. I used pre-seasond Italian bread crumbs and olive oil. I needed to turn the heat down and add more oil than the recipe called for.

This was really really good! I have decided to no longer eat meat so I am trying all new things. My only 2 suggestions are that we needed to use more oil and we had TONS of breadcrumbs left over. So next time I will just put oil to cover the bottom of the pan and probably only use 1 cup of breadcrumbs. I had a relatively decent size eggplant also. But the taste was great! I will definetly make this recipe again!

This is the simplest tastiest recipe for eggplant. I love it. I added some salt and coursely ground black pepper to the egg mixture and used Italian bread crumbs for more flavor. EXCELLENT!

Don't get my 4 stars wrong, this was delicious and I turned on 6+ people who had been sworn enemies of eggplant previously to this recipe. HOWEVER, it loses a star for being kind of flimsy and greasy. You want a 5 star fried eggplant? Use buttermilk in place of the egg. Then mix together 1/2 c. parm cheese (out of the shaker, nothing fancy), 2 tbsp italian seasoning, 1 tsp sea salt, and 2 c. cornmeal instead of the bread crumbs. If you want a great crunch, double dip through the buttermilk and cornmeal. Try one w/the bread crumbs and one with the cornmeal and tell me I'm wrong, I dare ya!

There is nothing spectacular about this recipe. It lacks salt, the amount of oil is laughably small, and the cooking time is way too short. You will never fry a whole eggplant in 2 tablespoons oil because eggplant are oil sponges..

If you bread eggplant with flour instead of bread crumbs this will prevent the eggplant from soaking up the oil. Breadcrumbs absorb the oil and stay greasy; but dipping the sliced eggplant in eggs and then flour forms a compliment with the oil which then cooks to become a delicious golden brown crust.

I only give this 3 stars because I feel that you really need to do a couple things differently. 1st you need to sweat the eggplant by sprinkling it with salt and letting it drain in a colander over the sink for at least 20 min. This improves the texture and flavor. 2nd use Italian seasoned Panko instead of plain breadcrumbs. Last, heat olive oil until it shimmers then add eggplant. Done this way, a plain recipe becomes great. My husband normally refused eggplant until I made this. It's a great appetizer served plain or with spaghetti sauce for dipping!

I salted my slices of eggplant for 30 minutes first and then rinsed and dried. I also floured before I did the egg wash and I used italian seasoned bread crumbs. If you follow this recipe exactly you are going to come out with some very bland eggplant no matter how much salt you add at the end. You also need to make sure your oil is hot before you add your eggplant and do not crowd the pan or you will end up with some soggy eggplant. It was good once I added some seasoning!

sOoOo great!!! when I usually make these, I double dip the eggplant. First I dip in the egg, then dip in flour & black pepper, dip again in egg, and then finally dip into bread crumbs. For some reason when I "double dip" the egg plant it comes out even better!

This is yummy, and better with flavored bread crumbs as many suggest. I haven't read all the reviews, but to take away any bitterness, soak the eggplant slices in a single layer in cold, salted water for about 3 hours before preparing. My teens ate this, and asked for seconds, much to my surprise.

*** Dip, bread and refridgerate for 20 minutes - then fry. Bread crumps will stay on the eggplant and not in the pan! As a child I didn't care for this but by the time I was a teen - couldn't get enough. Of course, back then it was fried in butter. I admit I still use butter but with a mix of oil.

This was great! I removed the bitter juice beforehand by heavily salting the slices and letting them sweat for 30 mins, then rinsed and dried before dipping into the egg. For a fun variation, I added a tablespoon of curry powder to the breadcrumbs, and mixed plain yogurt with ground coriander to serve alongside as a dipping sauce.

Well, IMO there is one key thing this recipe doesn't get right and that is to prep the eggplant. You want to lay them out, salt both sides and wait about an hour. Rinse them off completely, then they are ready for your seasoned breading. The salt treatment removes most of the bitterness and allows the sweet flavor to come out. I also never peel my fried eggplant.

Great recipe. My only suggestion is to first dip the eggplant slices into all-purpose flour, before dipping it into the egg mixture. The flour helps the egg adhere to the eggplant, then roll in the breadcrumbs and fry.

I have always "weeped" eggplant & zuchinni by salting after slicing and letting it drain in a collandar - about 20 mins. Then pat dry and rub lightly with olive oil. After that, do what you do. I would agree plain crumbs are probably boring - use spices, but try and stay away from "salts". i.e., garlic salt, onion salt, etc. Best to use powders...

I make this recipe all the time. The only thing I do different is I add Parmesan cheese to the bread crumbs for a little extra flavor. As far as the eggplant being soggy, this really only happens if you don't have the oil hot enough when you add the eggplant. Easy & delicious. Great recipe!

You must add more seasoning (a lot more!) to the bread crumbs and season with salt right after they come out from frying but this is just the base for whatever kind of fried eggplant you want to have. If you want to knock it out of the park add some Szechuan pepper (the numbing kind of spice used at Chinese restaurants) and red pepper flakes.

I cut thin slices and left the skin on. Then salted them and let them drain for 30 minutes to get the bitterness out and make the eggplant softer. Dipped in egg and then a combo of half dry bread crumbs and half shredded parmesan, and fried in light olive oil. This was delicious - best I've had, and very easy.

I like using corn meal with my eggplant and I cut them like long skinny fries. I dip in egg wash then roll in the seasoned corn meal and use very little oil to fry in. They will turn out very crispy and never soggy at all. It is hard for me to fry enough as they come by and snag them as soon as they cool off enough to grab!

Made this gluten free (used almond and coconut flours instead) and fried in a combo of olive and coconut oils instead of canola. Then made them into mini pizzas and baked them! Delish!

Just made this, almost ate my fingers. They are so good. I added garlic powder and a little salt to the egg mixture. Also added garlic powder and black pepper to the crumbs. I made whole wheat cracker crumbs. My husband loved it, will definitively make again.

I make this all the time, but add some pinches of garlic powder, dried basil, and oregano and a little flour to the bread crumbs. Also when they are done sprinkle some grated locatelli cheese on top. They're the best!!! ( don't add cheese to bread crumbs they tend to brown to fast, before the eggplant cooks).

To me this really needed some salt and pepper. It is just too bland.

Did this for a side dish with dinner yesterday, and used Souza'sGirl 'double dip' method. Also did not have canola oil, so used a mixture of sesame and vegetable oils. Worked out fine. Also added a little Garlic Powder and Onion Powder to the bread crumbs. First time I've had eggplant in over 70 years. Seems to be a keeper.

i bake the eggplant in the oven on a cookie sheet i spray it before i put in a 400 degree oven til brown it is better than fried and no grease

After frying eggplant remove to a platter and top with sauted mushrooms and then sliced tomatoes. Salt and pepper the tomatoes and add your favorite dressing. I've been doing this for years and it is yummy

This is a great basic recipe but you definately have to add spices or at least salt. I added Ras El Hanout, which gives it a nice zing, to the flour mixture. I didn´t have breadcrumbs. Unfortunately the flour didnt stick well to the eggplant, so they turned out with "bald patches".

I'm a vegetarian and one of the only things i miss about meat is boneless buffalo chicken wings. This recipe is the perfect thing to make vegetarian buffalo eggplant with, as it is so simple without the Italian flavors. Fry this up as directed and add some crumbled bleu cheese and your own special buffalo sauce (or just plain hot sauce) for a delicious veggie alternative.

I made this w/ plain breadcrumbs---boring. So, I used Italian-style crumbs the next time and they were awesome!!

Easy recipe. Since the eggplant soaks oil up like crazy I made my second batch with spray oils instead and reapplied with each pan full. The flavor was just as good and the eggplant was not as oily. My family preferred it with italian seasoning in the bread crumbs rather than with plain ones.

I used panko breadcrumbs seasoned with some garlic powder and then seasoned the eggplant with lots of pepper and some salt as soon as they were done frying! YUM!! I used these as part of an open faced french bread pesto pizza (cut the bread in 1/2, used pesto instead of pizza sauce, roasted red peppers, fried eggplant, fresh tomatoes and mozzarella- YUMMM!!) Thanks for a versatile recipe!

I wanted to eggplant since i had never had it before and this was delicious! i did my homework on eggplant before i even tried this. after i washed and peeled it, i soaked it in salt water for a few minutes. I drained and added seasoned salt and pepper. i also added some dry wishbone buttermilk ranch dressing to the italian seasoned breadcrumbs. i used enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan and they came out wonderful. I also used some ranch dressing for the dipping sauce. will be using this again!!

One way to keep eggplant from soaking up too much oil is to salt after slicing and let stand for 1/2 hour or so--rinse after, pat dry and proceed with recipe.

I did not like this recipe because all I could taste was bread crumbs. It was really bland. I think it would taste better by dipping the eggplant in egg and flour and adding salt and pepper.

I used flour with water instead of bread crumb. That makes the eggplants more crispy.

I grew up on fried eggplant, and it's so delicious. This is a basic recipe, although I don't know how you can make this with just 2-3 tablespoons of oil--it'll definitely take more. I suggest using olive oil, as it goes so well with the delicate flavor of eggplant. Also, salt on the finished product is a must. How long you cook the eggplant per side is dependent on the heat in the pan, and the thickness of the eggplant. You want the outside crispy, and the inside soft...uncooked eggplant is kind of spongy and yucky. I usually use flour to coat it with instead of bread crumbs, and that is great too. The last time I made it, I used 1/2 plain bread crumbs, and 1/2 Panko (Japanese bread crumbs), and it was really crispy.

Kind of plain on it's own, but a great base for eggplant parmesan. I froze these, and took out a few at a time for a quick meal--throw on a slice of mozzarella, and pour on some store-bought tomato sauce. Great!

I made some modifications as specified by other reviewers (e.g., seasoned the bread crumbs, salted and rinsed beforehand) and it turned out ok. As one reviewer suggested, I also sliced the eggplant pretty thin (e.g., less than 1/4 inch). This turned out too be too thin - for some of the pieces all we could taste was breading. Next time, we'll go a little thicker.

I used Italian seasoned breadcrumbs mixed with some parmesan cheese. Following advice I had read somewhere, I dipped the eggplant in eggs first, then the breadcrumb mixture, then egg again. I think the second dip in the egg makes it a lot better. I didn't add salt, but found it did need some salt. I would suggest slicing the eggplant fairly thin so that it cooks all the way through. I also salted, rinsed and dried the eggplant before cooking as some people suggested--I'm not that familiar with eggplant, so I don't know if it made a difference, but the eggplant was not soggy or bitter, so maybe it helped. Anyway, I was happy with the way the eggplant turned out--I only gave three stars since I varied the recipe. You could probably use the same method to make fried green tomatoes.

Very good and very easy! I have never made fried eggplant, and it couldn't have been easier. To cut down on fat, I used only 1 t of olive oil, just enough to coat the pan. I also used italian seasoned Panko bread crumbs and added a little chili powder for kick and garlic salt. Wonderful!

This was pretty good, but a bit bland. We ended up using pasta sauce over the last ones because we needed something more, since we were having it as a meal. However, as a side dish, the recipe is perfect!

I used italian bread crumbs and mixed in some grated parmesan cheese. These were so good most of them never made it to the dinner table, I was eatting them as they came out of the pan. Will definatley be making again!

My husband and I both liked this....the kids not so much. I used Italian bread crumbs and mixed with parmesan cheese. When I ran out of the bread crumbs I subbed smashed up Ritz crackers w/parmesan cheese which was also very good. Placed eggplant on fettucini with some homemade spaghetti sauce over top. Very good.

Yummy! My kids even loved these. I cut them like french fries, dipped in italian breadcrumbs with grated parmesan cheese, cooked them in EVOO while they were coolin I sprinkled with parmesan cheese.

My family has eate fried eggplant for years, but we always just used flour and egg to batter it and it was good. This made it so much crispier and tastier. thanks, a keeper.

We ate ours over spaghetti! So good!!

Very tasty, very easy. Next time I think I'll try and slice the eggplant very thin to get a little more crisp to it. Also, be forewarned that the slices shed bread crumbs in the pan, which can burn fast. Either use a pan big enough to do the entire eggplant at one go, or have a secondary pan ready to go.

Very easy. I'm very new to cooking with eggplant so I was scared to try. A few tips that I'll be using next time I make this: cut the slices thinner than imagined, maybe 1/4 inch (originally, I cut them about 1/2 in. thick and it was too thick to cook through nicely) I read other reviews about adding spices and double breading, so I did just that. I had 3 bowls, 1 with egg, 1 with flour and spices (salt, pepper, garlic salt) and the third with bread crumbs and italian seasoning. dipped in egg, then flour, then egg again, and finally, bread crumbs. I'm not sure how tasty it would have been had I not added the spices, because that really did influence the taste...

I loved this recipe. Even my picky husband liked it. Because we're watching calories, I used cooking spray and a light breading. I found the eggplant to have a delicate creamy flavor. And so easy! Thanks!

Thanks very much for this simple recipe. I varied this by experimenting with grinding up Italian herb dressing into crumbs (a bit crunchy), which added a nice delicate spice to the eggplant. I might see if I get away with adding spice to the finer plain bread crumb mix, or see if there's a herbal bread crumb mix.

I used the Panko (Japanese Bread crumbs) for a crisper, lighter coating. I also added 1/4 tsp. garlic salt and 1 tsp. Italian seasonings (could use just oregano). This give this recipe much more flavor. To reduce the fat and cholesterol you could use only 1 egg mixed with 2 Tbsp. water.

Use crushed cornflakes for crunchier coating. Salt eggplant and drain on paper towels before frying. Do not crowd in frying pan as eggplant has high water content and won't crisp up right. Season with garlic salt and fresh ground pepper

Simple recipe, tasted great! Nice crispy breading. Love eggplant again! I only use 2 eggs though.

it will be best if you sprinkle first the peeled eggplant w/salt and white pepper before dipping it to egg.this is good and dont forget the temperature of the oil.it is best to check it 1st.good recipe!

This recipe was really easy and really delicious! I used Italian Bread Crumbs and didn't need to add any more spices to it. To garnish the dish, I put slices of tomato on top of each eggplant and served with sour cream on the side. This was my first time cooking eggplant and I'm planning on making this again for my husband again very soon!

This is pretty much how I always made it. I, like some others, used olive oil in place of canola and added more as needed due to the eggplant eating it up. I also added garlic powder, parmesan and romano cheese, and seasoned salt to the Italian breadcrumbs. I had 2 medium eggplants cut into 3/4" slices and used 2 beaten eggs, not 3. We also enjoyed them better with a little warmed spaghetti sauce on the side (kind of like an eggplant parmesan).

outstanding! easy! crispy outside, tender inside! I plan to use the same recipe for zucchini. I did season the egg wash, and used Italian seasoned breadcrumbs. So pleased with the ease and results...yummmm!

I ended up adding italian seasoning and Lowery's seasoned salt. Topped them off with a pinch of grated parm before serving.

excellent! next time I'll try baking in the oven

10-4-11: This was pretty good, but some of the eggplant burned - needs careful attention to the heat.

simple and delicious I followed as others said by dipping the eggplant in flour 1st next egg then bread crumbs. My daughter loved the thinner slices but i loved all the sizes. Great recipe I will be making this again. :)

I don't recall ever eating eggplant. I grew it in my garden for the first time thinking it would be a good treat for my chickens. This recipe looked easy enough to try first and all I have to say is...my chickens will have to wait until next year when I grow extra! I added grated parmesian to plain bread crumbs and sprinkled salt at the end. Unfortunately, I didn't get to dunk in ranch dressing or put tomatoes on top as some others suggested because I gulped it down right at the stove! Definitely cook this again and try some of the other suggestions.

I ended up adding italian seasoning and Lowery's seasoned salt. Topped them off with a pinch of grated parm before serving.

it was okay... but nothing spectacular or really tastey, i used olive oil instead of canola... and used flavored bread crumbs, but, ugh, just boring...

My kids, who do not like eggplant, ate every single bite and asked for more!

Tried this receipe with some fresh eggplant from the garden. I fried them in a little more oil, which made them so crispy. Delicious!!!! I'm ready for some more. Thanks!

As others recommended I added salt to the sliced eggeplant and then cooked as per the directions. I di use Italion bread crumbs (all I had) WOnderful recipe and I will make again!

I finally found a winner! ...After trying several recipes with a continuous "thumbs down", this one we both really like!! It was quite simple to prepare, too... now I just need to learn how to be less messy! ;)

This recipe is perfect, however is best when you use Progressive brand Parmesian bread crumbs. This just adds even more to this simple recipe. When preparing the eggplant, dig the seeds out with a spoon carefully, so not to loose too much of the "good stuff"

Just added a little salt and pepper to bread crumbs and topped with shredded mozzarella. YUM!!

Wonderful, I used Everglades seasoning with plain homemade bread crumbs with a little flour and corn meal.

I just made this! The boyfriend was a little put off by the idea of eating eggplant, but quickly found out he loved it! He couldn't stop eating it, and neither could I. I made a few small changes by adding a tsp. of garlic powder, using the recommended parm cheese, and adding a tbsp of freeze-dried Italian seasoning. I had a garden fresh eggplant, and it was delish! I also used EVOO in place of canola!

Our family didn't care for this. The texture was an issue. I added some seasoning but it still seemed a bit bland too.

The were Wonderful! I have to say I use to just use flour, salt and pepper. I love the taste of using the Italian bread crumbs. Nothing more has to be done if you stick to the Italian crumbs. Oh, I did sprinkle with a little salt after they were cooked but not much. This is the way to go!

Really good, nice and crispy on outside, creamy (not mushy) on inside. I did use seasoned breadcrumbs, mix of olive oil and cannola oil to equal 1/4 inch in skillet and liberal salt after draining on paper towels. Nice change from smothered in tomato sauce and cheese, just plain good!

Tried this with a twist. Used olive oil and seasoned panko bread crumbs. When they were done, I topped them with mozarella cheese, covered till cheese melted. Served topped with pasta sauce. Yum!

Wow, these were good! Add ketchup and a bun for a delicious hamburger; tartar sauce for a fish burger, mayonaise and lettuce for a chicken burger...These were really, really great.

Very simple and my family loved it!

eggplant was great. i will use this recipe again. family enjoyed it.

DE-FRIKKIN-LICIOUS!! SUPER Easy Fried Eggplant is what it should be called. They turned out beautifully and tasted just as good. I didnt peel mine and they were still great.

My husband never has tried eggplant until I cooked this...and he LOVED it! I'm so excited my kids even liked it so much that they ate seconds!

Good basic recipe... agree that plain bread crumbs need a boost.

Loved it EXCEPT, I exchanged bread crumbs for progresso Italian bread crumbs and rather than canola oil, used coconut oil. Great to eat cold, in sandwiches, as a side with pasta and sauce, get creative!

This is very easy and tasty. I would add a little garlic salt the next time but they were still very good. These are perfect to add to a salad or antipasto.

This was good. But you definately need more oil than what's called for in the original recipe. I just covered the bottom of my frying pan with oil and that was perfect.

I guess I'm not an eggplant person: my husband and I thought they were really bland, despite my having added salt, pepper, and a few other spices to the bread crumbs. Wonderful texture, though!

Never had fried eggplant before! Used this recipe, but added salt, pepper, oregano, basil & garlic to the egg mixture! Also, after finished cooking sprinkled parmesan cheese on top! Really good and so easy!!

I made with olive oil. Delish!

This was great! Thanks for sharing. My husband, who claimed to hate eggplant, loved it cooked this way.

I found I had to add more oil, and I agree with the other reviewers about adding spices to the bread crumbs.

Best way to eat eggplant. Just add some salt and spices.

Great! Quick and easy for sure. I used whole wheat flour instead of bread crumbs. And I mixed milk in with a couple eggs to help stretch it (kinda like when making french toast). Then instead of tomato slices, we dipped it in some warmed up marinara. Yummy!!!