Luckily for us, eggplants have a long season in Australia so there are plenty of opportunities to work eggplant recipes into your culinary repertoire. Unleash the vegetable’s smoky, earthy flavours in a charred eggplant dip (we have three variations), or in our barbecued eggplant salad with goat’s curd, mint and pomegranate.
For longer cook times, the Sichuanese fish-fragrant eggplant braise will have your lips tingling with lingering spice, while our popular, hearty eggplant parmigiana looks impressive, and tastes just so. Need a quick fix for your eggplant recipe cravings? We recommend the eggplant stir-fry with tamarind, or the stew of okra, turmeric and eggplant. Come picnic season, we make a bee-line for Danielle Alvarez’s summer vegetable tian (featuring eggplant, of course).
Here are our very best eggplant recipes that are guaranteed to please.
Crisp eggplant schnitzel with yasai itame
Crisp, panko-crumbed eggplants are perfectly paired with a Japanese yasai itame.
Oregano eggplant with freekeh, feta and dill
A winner for picnics and bring-a-plate events.
Smoky eggplant dip with charred bread
You can’t go wrong with homemade dip. Go the extra mile and make your own flatbread, too.
Giovanni Pilu’s crumbed sardines with pecorino and eggplant purée
All the crisp and crunch you could want.
Jacqui Challinor’s smoked eggplant and pomegranate salad
For lovers of eggplant.
Tony Tan’s eggplant, coconut and tamarind sambal
A sambal that hits all the right sour and spicy notes.
Spiced eggplant and chickpea fatteh
This fragrant and savoury Middle Eastern breakfast dish is just what you need to shake up your morning routine.
Sweet and sour eggplant skewers with coconut and kale sambal
Influenced by Sri Lanka, this punchy sambal shifts tangy vegetarian skewers into holiday mode. Add fish or chicken to dial up the protein.
Spiced eggplant katsu sandos
This Japanese-inspired eggplant sandwich recipe makes for a great vegetarian lunch.
Eggplant tabbouleh salad with grilled peaches and pomegranate
This inventive dish reimagines the traditional tabbouleh salad, pairing the savoury aromat of za’atar with the sweetness of grilled peaches and fresh pomegranate.
Vegetable moussaka
Our vegetable-heavy spin on the cheesy Greek classic.
Stuffed eggplant with shredded chicken and mozzarella
A comforting eggplant recipe that epitomises the big-flavoured goodness of Greek home cooking.
Carrot and chilli fritters with eggplant pickle and yoghurt
These fritters are the perfect way to get your five serves of vegetables in. Packed with carrot and served with natural yoghurt, these little beauties are a dinnertime champion.
Harissa-roasted lamb rump with pomegranate and eggplant
Elevate your next Sunday lunch with this simple Middle Eastern twist on the classic roast.
Palisa Anderson’s gaeng keow wan gai (Thai green chicken curry)
Drop that takeaway menu. Once you’ve tried making curry paste from scratch, you’ll never look back.
Eggplant and pineapple curry
Perfect for any weather, this eggplant and pineapple curry is warming for the winter months but won’t make you sweat during summer.
Smoky eggplant with sumac onions
This recipe makes cooking eggplant to that perfectly soft and gooey texture foolproof – pricking and charring the eggplant leaves it tender enough to spread on a crusty piece of bread.
Dainty Sichuan’s fish-fragrant eggplant (Yu xiang qie zi)
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for fish-fragrant eggplant (Yu xiang qie zi) by Dainty Sichuan in Melbourne.
Tony Tan’s eggplant and broad beans with soy-sesame dressing
You love eggplant but you’re short on time. This is the recipe for you.
Dry curry of lamb and eggplant
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for dry curry of lamb and eggplant.
Good Luck Pinbone’s Sichuan chilli eggplant with wood-ear fungus
“The spicy eggplant at Sydney’s Good Luck Pinbone is one of my favourites. Would you get the recipe?” – Susan Ridge, Bowral, NSW
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Capitano’s caponata
A vegan Italian dish with a deep, layered umami base that’s rich like a stew.
Barbecued eggplant salad with goat’s curd, mint and pomegranate
The eye-catching vegetable dish you need for all your future barbecues.
Hanuman’s eggplant pachadi
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for eggplant pachadi by Hanuman restaurant in Darwin.
Calamari with spiced eggplant
For a fast and easy midweek dinner, barbecued calamari does the trick.
Bone marrow with pickled eggplant salad
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for bone marrow with pickled eggplant salad.
Pork and eggplant salad with salted chilli
Australian Gourmet Traveller fast recipe for pork and eggplant salad with salted chilli.
Brent Savage’s coal-roasted eggplant with black garlic
A smoky, textural, all-eggplant affair.
Sichuan braised eggplant
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for Sichuan braised eggplant.
Butter-fried bread with eggplant and herbs by René Redzepi & Nadine Levy Redzepi
René Redzepi & Nadine Levy Redzepi recipe for butter-fried bread with eggplant and herbs.
Spiced lamb with eggplant salad
Australian Gourmet Traveller fast recipe for spiced lamb with eggplant salad.
Lau’s Family Kitchen’s eggplant stuffed with taro
Australian Gourmet Traveller and Lau’s Family Kitchen Chinese entree recipe for eggplant stuffed with taro
Roast eggplant, ’nduja and scamorza
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for roast eggplant, ’nduja and scamorza by Bourke Street Bakery After Hours in Sydney.
Analiese Gregory’s flatbread with miso eggplant and urchin
Everything tastes better on flatbread. Even sea urchin.
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Victor Liong’s grilled eggplant with sesame, cumin and chilli
A fragrant eggplant dish by Lee Ho Fook’s head chef that recalls the cooking styles of Dongbei and Xinjiang in northern China.
Shane Delia’s poached chicken salad with harissa, eggplant, spring onion and tahini
Double dressing? In one corner, the nuttiness of the Maha East chef’s tahini dressing; in the other, the one-two spicy punch of the harissa and lemon.
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Charred prawns, eggplant and chickpeas with roast tomato vinaigrette
A simple but elegant dish that works beautifully as either a main or a side.
Burrata with char-grilled eggplant
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for burrata with char-grilled eggplant.
Eggplant, tofu and sugarsnap peas with ginger and soy dressing
A light, refreshing salad that sings with Asian-style flavours.
Grilled eggplant salad with lentils and sesame yoghurt
Australian Gourmet Traveller fast recipe for grilled eggplant salad with lentils and sesame yoghurt.
Longsong’s eggplant salad with shallots and salted ricotta
The smoky flavours of coal-roasted eggplant are complemented by ricotta salata and sweet golden shallots in this stand-out salad by Longsong chef David Moyle.
Palisa Anderson’s yum makeua (grilled eggplant salad with prawns)
Fire up the barbecue for maximum flavour.
Smoky eggplant and walnut dip
It’s baba ghanoush, with a little twist.
Smoky eggplant and capsicum dip with pita bread
Cross baba ghanoush with muhammara, and the result is this smoky dip that you’ll proudly take to your next party.
Blue Nile’s Ethiopian eggplant dip
Served with mountain bread, the smoky eggplant flavour of Blue Nile’s Ethiopian eggplant dip is the perfect way to start your evening.
Charred miso eggplant with nori and sesame
Nasu dengaku is one of Japan’s most popular exports for a reason. Get ready to fire up that grill.
Chickpeas with steamed eggplant and almonds
Steaming eggplant gives it a lovely silky texture and makes a lighter alternative to frying. The dressing can be made with a curry paste for extra spiciness. Begin this recipe a day ahead to soak the chickpeas.
Quick okra, eggplant and turmeric stew
Very ripe tomatoes make all the difference in our okra, eggplant and turmeric stew. Serve with bread or on a grilled fillet of fish.
Christine Manfield’s eggplant sandwich
Christine Mansfield shares a theatrical eggplant sandwich recipe from her Paragon days in the early 1990s, a vegetarian endeavour with goat’s cheese, capsicum, pesto and a balsamic vinaigrette.
Prime-rib minute steak, spiced eggplant and lemon couscous
Seared rib-eye steak is paired with Middle Eastern flavours in this fun dish designed to share.
Warm eggplant zaalouk with spiced lamb skewers
You don’t need a grill or barbecue to get perfect gooey eggplant.
Eggplant parma jaffles
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for eggplant parma jaffles.
Stir-fried eggplant with sweet tamarind sauce
Recipe for stir-fried eggplant with sweet tamarind sauce | Gourmet Traveller
Dan Hong’s crisp eggplant with fish-fragrant sauce
Fish-fragrant sauce doesn’t actually have any fish in it, but its sweet, sour and spicy elements are traditionally used to cook Sichuan fish dishes and give this dish its name.
Roast eggplant, tomato and basil spelt pasta
A generous sprinkling of pangrattato and whole leaves of basil add plenty of interest to this vegan pasta.
Papoutsakia
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for papoutsakia.
Danielle Alvarez’s summer vegetable tian
It works as a delicious side or can hold its own as main.
Eggplant parmigiana
There’s a little labour involved in frying the eggplant slices before layering them, but the result is worth it.
Eggplant lines
Miznon chef Eyal Shani is at his finest in this simple eggplant recipe with an unusual presentation.
Burnt honey and teriyaki Japanese eggplant
This smoky eggplant recipe pairs miso with an irresistible burnt honey teriyaki glaze.
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