Crispy Air Fryer Eggplant Rounds
This air fryer eggplant is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside! Coated in a crispy parmesan-panko breading, it cooks through in just 5 minutes, and is great served as a snack or a side dish.
Prep Time20 minutes mins
Cook Time10 minutes mins
Total Time30 minutes mins
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Diet: Low Fat
Servings: 4 servings (see note 1)
Calories: 208kcal
- 1 eggplant
- ⅓ cup all purpose flour see note 2
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup parmesan cheese shredded
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
Slice eggplant- After washing and patting dry, slice eggplant into ¼ inch thick rounds.
Prepare breading mixture- In three shallow bowls, add the 1) flour 2) beaten eggs and 3) panko, parmesan cheese, oregano and salt.
Bread the eggplant- Place the eggplant in the flour. Turn to coat several times until the eggplant is fully coated in flour. Use tongs to gently shake off excess.Next, place in the egg mixture. Use a second set of tongs to carefully turn the eggplant until it is fully coated in the eggs. Hold it above the plate to allow excess egg to drip off.Lastly, place in the parmesan/panko mixture. I find it easiest to use a spoon to gently press the breadcrumbs onto the egpplant, then turn it over a few times until fully coated.Place breaded eggplant slices on a clean plate and repeat with remaining slices until they are all coated. Cook- Heat your air fryer to 400°F. Spritz the breaded eggplant slices with oil and arrange in the air fryer in a single layer. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the slices are golden brown and crispy *see note 3
1- 3-4 eggplant rounds per serving
2- you should be fine to replace all purpose flour with gluten-free or almond flour
3- depending on the model of air fryer, you might want to flip them over; Philips air fryer had good circulation on both sides without flipping, whereas Cosori was better when flipped.
Storage & reheating
- Cool completely, then store in an air tight container (be very gentle when handling to avoid knocking the breading off)
- Heat air fryer to 350°F. Add eggplant rounds (carefully) to the basket, and fry for 3-5 minutes, until warmed through and breading is crispy again.
Serving: 3rounds | Calories: 208kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 90mg | Sodium: 635mg | Potassium: 351mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 251IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 208mg | Iron: 2mg