Crispy eggplant is so tasty and pairs well with many different food profiles thanks to its mild flavor. The sandwiches I will be making all have beautiful flavors already thanks to the vegetables and sauces in them, and therefore crispy breaded eggplant is the perfect addition that will not take away from the flavor profile. It’s like the chicken of grilled vegetables if you will!

I have recently eaten an incredible vegan sandwich that utilized fried eggplant as the main “meat replacement” and it was very delicious. However, I didn’t want to fry all my eggplant slices so this recipe is going to utilize a baked method. Therefore this is a very healthy whole-food-based meat alternative that I highly recommend trying out in your next panini-making adventure! I think you will be surprised by how much you enjoy these recipes.

To see my tips on how to create delicious crispy vegan baked eggplant slices, scroll to the bottom!

Mediterranean Eggplant Sandwich

This vegan crispy eggplant sandwich is a filling explosion of Mediterranean flavors. The crispy eggplant adds that crunch and added savory filler, while the rest of the vegetables pop with flavor in this toasted panini classic. The melted vegan cheese adds that extra sense of indulgence as you bite into a pile of Mediterranean veggies.

Ingredients:

• Bread of choice

• Vegan butter

• Spinach leaves

• Roasted red peppers

• Tomato slices

• Kalamata olives

• Sliced red onion

• Vegan cheese

• Crispy vegan eggplant slices

• Balsamic vinegar

• Olive oil

• Oregano

• Hummus

To Assemble:

• Butter the outside of 2 slices of bread.

• On the inside of both slices spread your favorite hummus. I enjoyed using roasted red pepper hummus but olive or garlic hummus would also work well.

• Add your vegan cheese slices

• Add tomatoes slices, sprinkle with oregano

• Add kalamata olives

• Add red onion

• Add roasted red peppers

• Drizzle some balsamic vinegar and olive oil

• Add spinach leaves

• Enclose sandwich.

• Cook on medium-low on a non-stick or cast iron pan. I like to use a small pan lid to press the panini down here and there. Cook until you have reached the level of toasted brown you want on your bread.

Vegan eggplant parmesan sandwich

Oh wow. This is so freakin tasty and so guilt-free as it’s vegan and completely packed with vegetables that were baked, not fried! And yet, it delivers massive amounts of comfort food goodness.

Crispy bread, loaded with marinara sauce, savory crispy eggplant bites, and melted vegan cheese goodness makes this panini an easy crowd-pleaser. Never forget, that fresh basil leaf elevates it to the next level.

Ingredients:

• Bread of choice

• Vegan butter

• Marinara sauce

• Oregano

• Nutritional yeast

• Crispy baked vegan eggplant slices

• Vegan mozzarella cheese

• Fresh basil leaves

To assemble:

• Butter the outside of your bread of choice

• Add marinara sauce to the inside of both bread slices

• Add a good layer of crispy eggplant slices, sprinkled with additional oregano and nutritional yeast.

• Add your vegan mozzarella cheese

• Add fresh basil

• Enclose sandwich.

• Cook on medium-low on a cast-iron or nonstick pan. Use a small pot lid to gently press your panini.

• Flip every couple of minutes until cheese has melted and bread is a dark toasted golden brown color.

italian Vegan Crispy eggplant Sandwich

This vegan/vegetarian panini is insanely comforting! The crispy baked vegan eggplant pieces commingle seamlessly amongst the other flavors, adding a nice comfort food crunch in every bite. The balsamic vinegar helps the roast peppers and artichokes pop more. While the vegan cheese, mayo, and hummus deliver comforting savory goodness.

Feel free to really load up the toppings on this one, you won’t regret it.

Ingredients:

• Bread of choice

• Vegan butter

• Roast pepper hummus or garlic hummus

• Vegan Mayonnaise (or regular)

• Vegan cheese (or regular)

• Roast garlic cloves (2-3)

• Artichoke hearts (rinsed from a can, I like to slice mine even smaller)

• Roast red pepper slices (pat dry before using)

• Balsamic Vinegar

• Olives (green or black)

• Arugula

• Vegan crispy baked eggplant slices

To assemble:

• Heat a light bit of oil on a cast iron or nonstick pan, keep the heat at medium-low to avoid burning

• Butter outside of bread slices

• On the inside slices spread the hummus of your choice on both slices and vegan mayonnaise on one slice.

• Add your vegan cheese slices.

• Add your roast red pepper.

• Add 1 and a half garlic cloves chopped into smaller pieces.

• Add artichoke hearts.

• Drizzle a good amount of balsamic vinegar all over.

• Add olives.

• Add your crispy eggplant slices.

• Add Arugala.

• Enclose sandwich!

• Put the sandwich on your medium-low heat pan. Use a smaller pot lit to gently press down your panini.

• Flip every couple of minutes.

• Serve with olives on the side if you like!

How to prepare your eggplant for baking

HOT TIPS for the most crispy results

For the sake of this recipe, I opted for a Japanese eggplant!

I chose this eggplant because the round slices won’t be as gargantuan as a regular eggplant. Beyond that Japanese eggplants seem to be less watery in general, which is a characteristic that is nice to have of your eggplant when you are trying to get it as crispy as possible.

You can still choose to use a regular eggplant if that is your preference, I personally don’t think it will turn out as amazing as it would if you were to use the Japanese eggplant.

Salt and pat dry your eggplant slices!

Slice your eggplant into rounds that are about 1/4 inch thick and proceed to lay them out on a drying rack/cooling rack. Once you have laid out your slices, be sure to sprinkle salt over each one of them. This step is in order to help extract extra liquid. The salt draws out the water and it will look like drops of condensation on the slice.

Let your salted slices sit on the rack for about 15 minutes and then pat fully dry with a towel, then flip them and repeat by salting the other side and waiting another 15 minutes (30 minutes total).

To create Your Crispy eggplant slices

Seasoning/ All purpose flower Bowl

In one shallow bowl, you want 1/2 cup all-purpose flour and seasonings of your choice. I like to have fun with it. For this recipe, I combined the following for a chicken, Italian, parmesan vibe.

• Nutritional yeast

• Montreal chicken spices

• Oregano

• Basil

• Onion powder

I’d say I used about a tsp for each but you can go as crazy or muted on the spices as you want! Most recipes simply call for 1 tsp of “Italian Seasoning”. It’s really up to you!

Vegan Egg Bowl

Use 1/2 cup of flaxseed mixed with 1 cup of water. Mix well for about a minute and let it sit for 10 minutes to get its egg-like consistency

Panko Bowl

1 & 1/2 cups of panko

To Assemble your vegan crispy eggplant bites

Take your patted dry slices and dip it in the flour spice mix. Then dip it in the Flax egg bowl, then in the panko bowl, then let it rest on your parchment-lined baking tray!

Repeat until fully done.

To cook your eggplant

Preheat your oven to 395 as you are busy preparing everything. Bake on each side for about 15 minutes.
After 30 ish minutes, you can take them out and set them on your drying/baking rack.

To Store crispy eggplant

After you’ve baked your vegan eggplant slices, they will last in the fridge for up to 5 days. Plenty of time to assemble a few more paninis!

Do not freeze your slices! They will not be crispy anymore after taking defrosting them.