• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to footer navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

RecipeTin Eats

Fast Prep, Big Flavours

  • My RecipeTin
  • Recipes
  • Recipes By Category
    • Mains
      • Chicken
        • Chicken mince
      • Beef Recipes
        • Ground Beef (Mince)
      • Pork
      • Lamb
      • Turkey
      • Shrimp / Prawns
      • Salmon
      • Fish
      • Salad Meals
    • Soups
    • One Pot
    • Slow Cooker
    • Sides
      • All
      • Vegetables
      • Show Off Salads
      • Rice
      • Potato
    • Pasta
      • All
      • Pasta bakes
      • Pasta salads
    • Sweet
      • Cake recipes
      • Cupcakes & Muffins
      • Cookies
      • Puddings & Cosy Desserts
      • Bite Size
      • Pies
      • Slices & Bars
      • Frosting & Icing
    • Cuisine
      • Asian
        • All
        • Stir fries
        • Noodles
        • Soups
        • Chinese
        • Japanese
        • Thai
        • Vietnamese
      • French
      • Greek
      • Indian
      • Italian
      • Mediterranean
      • Mexican
      • Middle Eastern
      • South American
    • Dietary
      • Gluten Free
      • Low Calorie
      • Vegetarian
    • Other Categories
      • BBQ
      • Breakfast
      • Burgers
      • Cocktails
      • Party Foods
      • Rice Recipes
      • Roasts
      • Sandwiches & Sliders
  • ✨Party✨
  • Collections
  • About
    • Me
    • Free Recipe Books
    • Contact
    • eBooks
      • The Food Photography Book
      • Chicken Wings Cookbook
    • Food Bloggers Central
    • Nitty Gritty
      • Policy: Use of Recipes & Images
      • Privacy & Disclosure
Home Vegetable Sides

Oven Roasted Eggplant (aubergine)

By:Nagi
Published:15 Jul '20Updated:13 Nov '20
44 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

This is a recipe for how to roast eggplant in the oven so each piece is plump and juicy on the inside, and beautifully caramelised on the outside. Never again suffer through a tray of mushy mess!

Close up of Oven Roasted Eggplant with caramelised edges

Roasted Eggplant

The quickest way to elevate (almost) any vegetable is to roast it. And eggplant is no exception! It’s nothing interesting when raw – pretty tasteless actually.

But when you give it a good blast in a hot oven, it completely transforms. That moment when you bite through the gorgeous caramelised edges and the juicy flesh inside bursts in your mouth… UGH! So good!

Overhead photo of Oven Roasted Eggplant on a tray, fresh out of the oven

Todays recipe is for roasting eggplant cubes. The two other common ways to roast eggplant is cut in half (like boats – here’s a recipe) or sliced into rounds (see this recipe).


What you need for roasted eggplant

Cross my heart, you don’t need anything more than salt, pepper and olive oil to roast eggplant. The caramelisation adds tons of flavour!

Ingredients in Oven Roasted Eggplant

Eggplant roasting problems!

A common problem people run into when roasting eggplant cubes is that they turn into mush before they caramelise. Been there, done that!

The key to fix this is simple:

  1. cut into large pieces – smaller pieces cook too quickly and turn into mush before the outside has a chance to caramelise; and
  2. roast at a high temperature so the surface gets “sealed” and holds in the juicy inside.

The other problem some people have is that when they go to flip or serve the eggplant cubes, the caramelised skin comes off. This happens if:

  1. you’ve skimped on the oil; or
  2. the flip you use doesn’t have a sharpish edge.

So if you’re a roasted eggplant newbie, parchment / baking paper is highly recommended – this will ensure you don’t lose any of that caramelised skin! (Seriously, it will make you cry if it all gets stuck on the pan)


How to roast eggplant

So with that said and done, here is how to cut and roast eggplant:

  • cut into thick 3cm / 1.2″ slices, then cut each slice into pieces to form cubes / rectangles
  • drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper then toss well in a bowl using a rubber spatula
  • spread out on tray and bake at 240°C/ 450°F for 20 minutes, flip, then for another 10 minutes, until the eggplant is super soft and caramelised on the edges

How to roast eggplant

Peeling – if you’re bothered by eggplant skin (which I am not – I don’t find it at all chewy), peel “zebra tripes” down the eggplant like this. If you don’t leave at least some skin on, then the eggplant cubes are prone to collapsing and turning into mush – you need some skin to hold it together.

Bitterness & salting – In the past, the standard preparation method for eggplant including salting the eggplant to remove bitterness. The eggplant of today has largely had the bitterness bred out of it so unless you have a very old, very large one, you shouldn’t have this problem. I never have, and I only salt eggplant for specific recipes (like Greek Moussaka).

However, if you can’t get your head around cooking eggplant without salting it, here’s how: sprinkle the cubed eggplant with 1 tsp salt, toss, leave in colander for 30 minutes. Rinse then thoroughly pat dry, toss with oil and pepper (NO SALT), roast per recipe.

Select eggplants that are firm but have a bit of give, and feel heavy for their size (light = dried out inside).

Close up of fork picking up Oven Roasted Eggplant

Extra flavour and serving Roasted Eggplant

I truly mean it when I say that eggplant roasted with just salt and pepper is so good, you will be completely happy to eat it plain. And that’s certainly the way I serve it most of the time. It’s so juicy, you don’t even need a sauce!

But if you want to jazz it up a bit, here are a few ideas:

  • Thyme (my favourite, pictured below) – 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves sprinkled over. It goes so well with roasted eggplant, makes it taste almost buttery;
  • Parsley, chives or green onions – for touch of freshness and colour (not so much flavour);
  • Lemon juice – squeeze of fresh lemon juice (also great paired with thyme);
  • Balsamic vinegar (tiny drizzle) – pop of tartness is terrific! OR drizzle of balsamic glaze;
  • Dollop of yogurt – creamy yogurt pairs really well with the juicy eggplant flesh;
  • Pomegranate – plus yogurt. Looks spectacular!
  • Sprinkle of parmesan – reminiscent of Eggplant Parmesan.

Plate of Oven Roasted Eggplant

More ways to use roasted eggplant!

And a few other ideas for ways to use roasted eggplant:

  • Dip / spread – Mash it (discard skin) then serve as dip or spread on toast;
  • On toast – Piled on toast slathered with butter (or ricotta) – try this crusty homemade bread;
  • Pasta – Pasta all Norma!;
  • Stirred into curries (the roasting adds so much better flavour!) – try any of these curries but especially Thai Red Curry or Green Curry, this Coconut Curry Sauce; this epic Massaman Lamb Shank Curry. Just stir it in towards the end – it will absorb flavour fast and it will collapse if simmered in the sauce for too long
  • Stuffed into an omelette;
  • Tossed through a pasta salad;
  • Stirred into a stew or soup, like this quick Chicken Stew, this Chickpea Lamb Shawarma Soup, this hearty Beef and Vegetable Soup, Minestrone Soup, Lentil Soup (seriously amazing!) or this Brazilian Coconut Chickpea Stew.

OR in this big, juicy lentil salad piled high with roasted eggplant that I also shared today.

Close up of Roasted Eggplant Lentil Salad

Don’t run for the hills at the thought of lentils – you haven’t tried MY lentil salad yet! It is not your usual bland and boring lentil salad, that’s for sure! – Nagi x


Watch how to make it

Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.

Close up of roasted eggplant cubes

Oven roasted eggplant (aubergine)

Author: Nagi
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Sides, Vegetables
Western
5 from 16 votes
Servings4 - 5 as a side
Tap or hover to scale
Print
Recipe video above. This is a recipe for how to roast eggplant in the oven so each piece is plump and juicy on the inside, and beautifully caramelised on the outside. As oposed to a mushy mess, or shrivelled up and dismal! The key is: large pieces and high oven temp.
Eggplant is actually really bland when raw, but it completely transforms when roasted. You don't need anything more than salt and pepper, but I've added some suggestions!

Ingredients

  • 700g/ 1.2 lb eggplants (2 medium), aka aubergine
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt (kosher / cooking salt, or 1/4 tsp table salt)
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 240°C / 450°F (220°C fan).
  • Line a tray with parchment/baking paper (optional - recommended for first timers so you don't lose the caramelised surface).
  • Cut eggplant into large cubes - 3 cm / 1.2". Place in large bowl, drizzle with oil, salt and pepper.
  • Toss well, spread on tray, roast 20 minutes. Turn, roast for a further 10 minutes - edges should be caramelised, soft inside, but they're not shrivelled up and dismal.
  • Transfer to serving plate. Delicious served plain, but see below for some finishing options.

FINISHING OPTIONS:

  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (my favourite!), drizzle of fresh lemon juice, parsley, chives or green onions (for touch of freshness and colour, not so much flavour), tiny drizzle of balsamic vinegar (pop of tartness is terrific! OR drizzle of balsamic glaze), dollop of yogurt (creamy yogurt pairs really well with the juicy eggplant flesh).

Recipe Notes:

Peeling - if you're bothered by eggplant skin (which I am not - I don't find it at all chewy), peel "zebra tripes" down the eggplant like this. If you don't leave at least some skin on, then the eggplant cubes are prone to collapsing and turning into mush - you need some skin to hold it together.
Bitterness & salting - In the past, the standard preparation method for eggplant including salting the eggplant to remove bitterness. The eggplant of today has largely had the bitterness bred out of it so unless you have a very old, very large one, you shouldn't have this problem. I never have.
However, if you can't get your head around cooking eggplant without salting it, here's how: sprinkle the cubed eggplant with 1 tsp salt, toss, leave in colander for 30 minutes. Rinse then thoroughly pat dry, toss with oil and pepper (NO SALT), roast per recipe.
Select eggplants that are firm but have a bit of give, and feel heavy for their size (light = dried out inside).
 
Keywords: baked aubergine, roasted eggplant
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

Life of Dozer

Some people don’t find lunch at my place very relaxing….

Dozer-shoving-in-when-eating

Previous Post
Gravy Baked Chicken (thighs & drumsticks) – 5 min prep!
Next Post
Lentil and Roasted Eggplant Salad

Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!

Read More

Free Recipe eBooks

Join my free email list to receive THREE free cookbooks!

Related Posts

Potatoes au gratin (Dauphinoise Potatoes) fresh out of the oven

Potatoes au Gratin (Dauphinoise)

Cauliflower Salad in a bowl, ready to be served

Yotam Ottolenghi’s Cauliflower Salad

Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower

Roasted Cauliflower

More Vegetable Sides

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Cooked this? Rate this recipe!




44 Comments

  1. Christina says

    January 13, 2021 at 7:11 am

    5 stars
    I love eggplant but hate the salting process of most recipes. This was so easy and I used it in a salad and it was perfect. My now go-to method for cooking eggplant!

    Reply
  2. Corina Smith says

    January 11, 2021 at 10:18 pm

    I just love this site…i am making your vegetarian lasagna with your spinach and feta salad…and of course your roasted eggplant as a side also…thankyou naji. 😘

    Reply
  3. LANI EBERT says

    January 11, 2021 at 11:45 am

    5 stars
    delicious roasted egg plant! we loved it with the skin left on 🙂

    Reply
  4. Cindy says

    January 3, 2021 at 12:16 pm

    Love eggplant. Usually grill but decided to roast. Better than grilled!! Followed your recipe and cut into large chunks. A sprinkle of sea salt finished it off. Thank you!

    Reply
  5. Emily says

    January 1, 2021 at 11:20 am

    5 stars
    Ahh! So simple, yet outrageously yummy. I discovered my love of eggplant recently (I had no idea what I was missing out on!). This recipe highlights the wonderful qualities of the eggplant itself and will be easy to incorporate into an array of dishes! This will be my go to in the future 🙂

    Reply
  6. Malingose says

    December 31, 2020 at 4:54 pm

    Yummy cookings

    Reply
  7. Sue R says

    December 27, 2020 at 11:38 am

    5 stars
    This is so buttery. Eating it as I type. Husband grew them for us. Just heard him throw his plate in the sink. Guess his is all gone.

    Reply
  8. Lee says

    December 17, 2020 at 9:50 pm

    5 stars
    Yummy. I could have eaten the whole eggplant myself but had to share with my husband and he asked for more!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      December 18, 2020 at 11:56 am

      I know the feeling well!

      Reply
  9. Niomi says

    December 6, 2020 at 10:03 am

    Thoughts on freezing after cooking? I have a nice eggplant that I want to use, but hubby isn’t a fan so was thinking about cooking now and freezing for a night when it’s just me and the kids.

    Reply
  10. Lisa M says

    October 26, 2020 at 7:59 am

    Hi, Nagi
    I’ve been meaning to make this for the last several weeks and finally got the chance last nite. It was yummy. I used one eggplant and after I got it cut up, it looked like a huge amount in the big bowl. But after it roasted and carmelized, it cooked down to about less than 1/2 the original amount! Next time I won’t cut the cubes as small because some reduced to just the skin. It was delicious! Thanks. Lisa M in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

    Reply
  11. girlie says

    October 20, 2020 at 10:38 pm

    just going to ask what other dishes goes with roasted eggplant. thank you

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 21, 2020 at 12:02 pm

      Hi Girlie, I usually use this roasted eggplant in other dishes – see the post and my “More ways to use roasted eggplant!” for ideas & links to recipes. N x

      Reply
Older Comments

Primary Sidebar

Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

Free Recipe eBooks

Join my free email list to receive THREE free cookbooks!

Meet Dozer

Official taste tester of RecipeTin Eats! Meet Dozer
As Featured On

What's for Dinner?

Close up of beef enchiladas in a baking dish, fresh out of the oven

Beef Enchiladas

Butter Chicken served over basmati rice in a bowl, ready to be served

Butter Chicken

Overhead photo of 2 black bowls with Chinese Chicken Salad with Asian Dressing, ready to be eaten

Chinese Chicken Salad

Salisbury Steak recipe in skillet.

Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy

Vietnamese Coconut Caramel Chicken - 7 ingredient magic. The coconut fragrance is heavenly! recipetineats.com

Vietnamese Coconut Caramel Chicken

Fast prep. Big flavours!

Never miss a recipe

Back to Top
  • Related
  • RecipeTin Japan
  • Food Bloggers Center
  • Help
  • Contact Us
  • Image Use
  • Privacy Policy & Terms
Site Credits Developed by Zao © RecipeTin Eats 2021 · All Rights Reserved Back to Top