These eggplant fries are perfectly crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and delicious dipped in a homemade curried cashew aioli. And they couldn't be easier to make!
These Panko-Crusted Eggplant Fries are one of my favorite ways to enjoy eggplant. They make a great appetizer or snack. But honestly, I'm guilty of just eating the whole batch for dinner.
These eggplant fries are:
- Simple to make with just a few ingredients.
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Great kid-friendly finger food!
- Ready in under an hour.
Tips & Tricks
Use Baby Eggplants
I used baby eggplant because I find smaller eggplants to be less bitter, so I can cut out the step of salting them. Older eggplant can be bitter too, so buy local if you can because it's spent less time traveling to your grocery store.
Dipping Sauce
It would be a travesty to serve delicious, crispy eggplant fries without a sauce, so I whipped up a Curried Cashew Aioli for dipping. It's kind of the same idea of my Cashew Mayo , except with a heaping teaspoon of sweet curry powder added to it.
If you don't want to bother with the dipping sauce, jarred marinara sauce works too.
Flax Eggs for Baking
Can we talk about the miracle of flax eggs? You might not be able to whip them into an omelet or use them in a quiche, but I've been experimenting with them a lot in vegan baking lately and they work really well. Better than I expected, even.
I rarely have eggs on hand because we just don't eat them very often, so now when I bake something, I usually make it vegan by substituting ground flax and water for the eggs, almond or coconut milk for the dairy milk, and coconut oil for the butter.
Unlike traditional baking ingredients, which I'd have to add to my shopping list, these are all things that I always have on hand nearly all the time - which I guess might be a bad thing because that means I'm eating a lot more baked goods! 😉
So how does flax work as an egg substitute? It's magic! Okay, I'm lying, it's not magic.
I don't really know exactly how it works. But when you whisk ground flax seeds with water and let the mixture sit for a few minutes, it gels up and feels a little bit eggy.
It's not quite as strong when it comes to binding ingredients together, and it can't be substituted for eggs in every recipe (like the aforementioned omelets), but it's a nice, natural way to replace eggs in a lot of different dishes.
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
Panko-Crusted Eggplant Fries
- 3 tablespoon warm water
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
- pinch of salt
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- 2 baby eggplant, about 1 lb
- 1 cup panko
- olive oil mister or cooking spray
Curried Cashew Aioli
- ½ cup raw cashews, soaked in water for 4 hours and drained
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 teaspoon sweet curry powder
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Panko-Crusted Eggplant Fries
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a large baking sheet with oil or cooking spray.
- Whisk together the warm water and flax seeds in a shallow bowl; set aside.
- Cut the ends off of each eggplant, then cut them into thirds lengthwise. Cut each third into fries. (Mine are about ½-inch thick.)
- Stir a healthy pinch of salt and cayenne into the flax mixture. Place the panko crumbs on a plate, then roll each eggplant fry in the flax mixture, followed by the panko crumbs. Transfer the finished fries to the prepared baking sheet and spray the tops with additional oil.
- Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the fries are tender and golden brown on the outside.
- Serve with Curried Cashew Aioli.
Curried Cashew Aioli
- Place the cashews, water, lemon juice, garlic, and curry powder in a food processor or blender. Process until smooth, then season to taste with salt and pepper.
Notes
Nutrition (estimated per serving)
This post was originally published on 22 August 2013.
Kathryn says
I really need to get into this whole flax egg business - I've seen them used a lot in baking recipes but I love the idea of using them for savoury recipes like this too.
Kiersten says
It's really convenient when you don't have eggs on hand! Which is almost all the time for me.
cassie says
I love using flax (and chia) for egg replacement in baking. So brilliant for these fries too. The cashew aioli has me drooling too. Such great flavors!
Archana @ FeedingTheFoodie says
I had no idea you could use Flax seeds as an egg replacement - this opens up a whole new world of possibilities - because I dont like coating things in eggs and then breading them.Brilliant!! thank you so much for the tip.
Kiersten says
I found that using the flax + water mixture was much neater than when I use egg too--the breading didn't stick to my fingers or get clumpy.
Anele @ Success Along the Weigh says
I have making something with a flax egg on my culinary to do list. Thanks for bringing it back to the forefront! 🙂
Kiersten says
Try it! It works! 😀
dixya| food, pleasure, and health says
i have only tried them in baking muffins and bread but its nice to know it works in these fries too. thanks for sharing. curry aioli is totally divine.
Jennie @themessybakerblog says
What a brilliant idea. I just learned something new. These eggplant fries look down right tasty.
Alexis @ Hummusapien says
Messed up my earlier comment-- I roasted a diced eggplant last night and planned on saving half for today…but of course I ate the whole thing in one sitting. I forgot how much I love eggplant! I wish I had seen this post earlier…that cashew dipping sauce looks unreal!!
Kiersten says
No worries, I deleted it for you. 🙂 Isn't eggplant super super low in calories? There are worse things you could eat in one sitting!
Christy@SweetandSavoring says
My husband mentioned again the other day that he's not the biggest fan of eggplant, and I sighed and reminded him how amazing it is grilled with tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. But this! This recipe sounds wonderful! We love fries! And so cool that you were successful with flax eggs!
Kiersten says
Yeah, eggplant just does not get a lot of love, does it? I think it's really tasty!
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
These eggplant fries look so crisp and beautiful.
Davida @ The Healthy Maven says
yum!!! I made a very similar recipe using asparagus and it was delish! Must try it with eggplant. You should link up to Amy @ Long Drive Journey's Veggie of the Month club. This month it's eggplant and the link-up opened today 🙂
Kiersten says
Thanks!
Caitlin says
oh yummy! i love this idea! flax eggs are my favorite egg replacer, too. i just love its gelatinous quality. it IS like magic!
Kiersten says
I've heard chia seeds work too--have you tried that? I keep meaning to, but I'm too lazy to grind them up. My flax seeds are pre-ground! So flax wins.
Salixisme says
omg this sounds seriously good!
I can't use the panko (gluten issues), but I bet I could sub in some coconut in place of it! Making these to go with the burgers tonight!
Kiersten says
Yay, I hope you like them! 😀 I think coconut would go really well with the aioli. My friend Meg at Beard + Bonnet has a DIY gluten-free panko recipe too: http://www.beardandbonnet.com/diy-gluten-free-panko/
Salixisme says
Thankyou, I will check that out.
Ash-foodfashionparty says
These fries look really healthy and love the panko coating.
claire @ the realistic nutritionist says
oh my word. I NEED THESE! I love cripsy eggplant fries.
Christine @ Gotta Eat Green says
Another amazing looking recipe. The aioli sounds amazing..so simple yet it looks so good!
Robyn B | Modern Day Missus says
Yes, I love flax as a substitute - so much better than eggs! Had never thought to use it for crumbing though - good news. 🙂
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
I love eggplant and that aioli sounds so good!
ashley - Baker by Nature says
I just want to move into that first picture and nibble on eggplant fries all day everyday.
Julia says
I've always wondered about the magical transformation of flax and water into an egg replacer. SO interesting and cool! These fries look awesome! I love all things eggplant and the curried cashew aioli sounds wonderful! Perfect for a get together with my lady friends.
Kiersten says
Yeah, I don't really know how it works, but it does! 🙂
Daniela @ FoodrecipesHQ says
Oh gosh I do want to try this cashew aioli... and dip those healthy eggplant fries in it! Great combo.
Kiersten says
Yeah, the aioli is really tasty--my husband ate it with a spoon. 🙂
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com says
You had me drooling at curried cashew aioli. YUM!!
Grace @ FoodFitnessFreshAir says
Ooh, I need to try these flax eggs...interesting! Love the eggplant fries. So much eggplant around lately, and these would be great.
Kiersten says
I know, our farmers market probably has at least a dozen different varieties right now!
BusyWorkingMama says
Now that is one way that someone might get me to eat an eggplant. I love all fruits and vegetables but for some reason I've never much cared for eggplant.
Kiersten says
I think a lot of people don't like eggplant! It's kind of like tofu in that you need to prepare it right and pair it with really flavorful ingredients. 🙂
Joy //FortheLoveofLeaves says
Yum! These look so good! I always bake with flax eggs, but never thought of using them like this! You're so smart!
Kiersten says
Who knew, right?! I was pretty surprised that it worked. 🙂
Natalie @ Once Upon a Cutting Board says
I have the opposite problem - I don't eat that many eggs either but I'm always buying them so I'm eager to use them up in baking whenever I get the chance! I've never experimented with flax eggs before but now I want to try!
Kiersten says
On the rare occasion that I do buy eggs, they sit in the fridge forever! It's a good thing they last so long. 🙂