This easy no fry baked eggplant parmesan is the best homemade Italian dinner. Sliced eggplant is breaded and baked till crispy. Then, they are layered with marinara sauce and both mozzarella and parmesan cheeses!
This post was originally published in January 2021 and has been updated for content.
One of my husband's favorite dishes is homemade eggplant parm. We started baking the eggplant in the oven instead of frying and it's our new favorite. Not only is it less messy, but breaded baked eggplant stays super crispy.
Serve this crispy baked eggplant parm with tasty sides, like a bowl of spinach fettuccine, minestrone soup or braided pesto bread!
Jump to:
🍆 Ingredient notes
- Eggplant - Ripe eggplants will have smooth shiny skin that leave an imprint when you lightly press your finger into it.
- Breadcrumbs - Panko breadcrumbs are a Japanese style breadcrumb that are lighter and crispier and work great for this recipe. Regular breadcrumbs can be also be used as an alternative.
- Olive oil - I like using an olive oil sprayer to lightly coat the breaded eggplant before baking. This gives the breadcrumbs a light even coating of oil to help them be extra crispy. If you don't have spray, regular olive oil can be drizzled on them instead.
- Marinara - Either homemade or your favorite store bought marinara will work!
- Cheese - I like using a combination of both mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese for this recipe. The mozzarella cheese adds a creamy taste, while the parmesan adds a nice sharpness.
📋 Variations
- Gluten free - Use gluten free breadcrumbs instead of regular panko breadcrumbs.
- Dairy free - Replace the mozzarella and parmesan cheeses with your favorite dairy free cheese. Final cooking times may need to be adjusted depending on the type of cheese.
🔪 Step by step instructions
First, wash and slice your eggplants into ½ - 1" thick rounds. Lay them on a paper towel or cooling rack and generously salt them. Let them sit for an hour to sweat out any extra moisture and bitterness.
After they have sweated, wash them thoroughly to remove any excess salt, then pat them dry.
Get ready to bread them by scrambling the eggs with water and seasoning the breadcrumbs. Dip the eggplant into the egg mixture first, allowing the excess to drip off, then press them in the breadcrumbs so they are evenly coated.
Spray or drizzle the breaded eggplant slices with olive oil and bake at 400˚ for 25-30 minutes till browned and crispy.
Now it's time to layer! Add some of your sauce to the bottom of a baking dish and top with half of the breaded eggplant slices.
Top with more sauce and half of the cheese. Layer with the remaining eggplant, then sauce and then cheese.
Bake the layered eggplant parm uncovered in a 375˚ oven for 20-30 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
⭐ Expert tips
- Don't skip sweating the eggplant slices. It really helps to make the crispiest slices that have both the best flavor and texture for this dish.
- Make sure to wash off the eggplant slices after sweating them with kosher salt otherwise they will be too salty.
- Allow the excess egg to drip off of the eggplant before adding it to the breadcrumbs. This will help to make sure the breading sticks well.
- Use an olive oil sprayer to make the eggplant slices bake up super crispy!
- Sheet pans may need to be rotated on the shelves halfway through baking to ensure all of the slices brown evenly.
💭 Frequently asked questions
The peel on eggplant is completely edible and does not need to be removed before slicing and sweating.
You do not have to sweat the eggplant before breading it, however it does remove excess bitterness and moisture that the eggplant has. If you do not have time to sweat the eggplant, cut the slices thinner and pat dry as best as you can.
⏲️ Make ahead instructions
- Breaded baked eggplant slices will keep in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. Pop them in the oven for 5-10 minutes to crisp them up before layering.
- Breaded baked eggplant slices can also be frozen on a sheet pan and then transferred to a ziptop bag for up to 3 months. Pop them in the oven for 10 minutes to crisp them up before layering.
- Eggplant parmesan can be assembled ahead of time and then baked later. I don't like assembling it more than 12-24 hours beforehand because the longer the breaded eggplant sits in the sauce, the soggier it will become.
- To freeze eggplant parmesan, simply assemble the entire dish, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you are ready to bake, take it out of the freezer and let it thaw completely in the refrigerator. Cooking times might be longer, depending on how cold the dish is.
- Baked eggplant parmesan with keep in the refrigerator for 3-5 days when stored in an airtight container.
🍅 More Italian recipes
If you loved this recipe for no fry eggplant parmesan, check out these other italian recipes that I know you will love too!
For a quick overview of this recipe, check out my web story for this easy baked eggplant parmesan!
Don't forget! If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and give it a rating. I love to hear from each and every one of you! Tag me on Facebook and Instagram as well! It makes my day to see all of your photos of the food you have made.
Print📖 Recipe
No Fry Baked Eggplant Parmesan
This easy no fry baked eggplant parmesan is the best homemade Italian dinner. Sliced eggplant is breaded and baked till crispy. Then, they are layered with marinara sauce and both mozzarella and parmesan cheeses!
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Sweating Time: 60 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours, 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 2 medium eggplants, approximately 2 pounds total
- kosher salt, for sweating the eggplants
- 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 1 Tablespoon italian seasoning
- 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 large eggs
- 2 Tablespoons water
- olive oil spray or olive oil for drizzling
- 2 ½ cup marinara sauce
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Wash the eggplants and slice into approximately ½" - 1" inch rounds. Lay them on a cooling rack or paper towels and generously salt each side of the eggplant with kosher salt. Allow the eggplant to sit for 1 hour to sweat out any extra bitterness and moisture.
- Once eggplants have had time to sweat, rinse them thoroughly with water to remove any excess salt and then pat them completely dry.
- Preheat the oven to 400° and line two sheet pans with parchment paper or foil.
- Crack both eggs into a shallow dish or bowl with the water and scramble them together with a fork or whisk.
- In a separate shallow dish or bowl, mix together the panko breadcrumbs, italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Working with 1-2 slices at a time, dip the eggplant into the egg mixture and then into the breadcrumb mixture. Make sure to allow the excess egg mixture to drip off of the eggplant before transferring to the breadcrumbs. Press breadcrumbs into all sides of the eggplant to make sure they stick properly to form the crust around the entire eggplant slice.
- Place breaded eggplant slices on the prepared sheet pans and spray or drizzle them lightly with olive oil. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Sheet pans may need to be rotated on the shelves halfway through baking to ensure all of the slices brown evenly.
- In a 9x13 baking dish, spread approximately ½ cup of the marinara over the bottom of the pan. Layer half of the eggplant slices over the top of the marinara. Then spread 1 cup of the marinara over the eggplant and top with 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese and ¼ cup of the parmesan cheese. Repeat the second layer with the remaining eggplant slices, marinara, and cheeses.
- Reduce oven temperature to 375° and bake uncovered for 20-30 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Notes
- Sheet pans may need to be rotated on the shelves halfway through baking to ensure all of the slices brown evenly.
- Make sure to wash off the eggplant slices after sweating them with kosher salt otherwise they will be too salty.
- Allow the excess egg to drip off of the eggplant before adding it to the breadcrumbs. This will help to make sure the breading sticks well.
- Use an olive oil sprayer to make the eggplant slices bake up super crispy!
- Sheet pans may need to be rotated on the shelves halfway through baking to ensure all of the slices brown evenly.
Variations
- Gluten free - Use gluten free breadcrumbs instead of regular panko breadcrumbs.
- Dairy free - Replace the mozzarella and parmesan cheeses with your favorite dairy free cheese. Final cooking times may need to be adjusted depending on the type of cheese.
Make Ahead and Storage Instructions
- Breaded baked eggplant slices will keep in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. Pop them in the oven for 5-10 minutes to crisp them up before layering.
- Breaded baked eggplant slices can also be frozen on a sheet pan and then transferred to a ziptop bag for up to 3 months. Pop them in the oven for 10 minutes to crisp them up before layering.
- Eggplant parmesan can be assembled up to 24 hours ahead of time and then baked later.
- To freeze eggplant parmesan, simply assemble the entire dish, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you are ready to bake, take it out of the freezer and let it thaw completely in the refrigerator. Cooking times might be longer, depending on how cold the dish is.
- Cooked eggplant parmesan will keep in the refrigerator for 3-5 days when stored in an airtight container.
Keywords: no fry eggplant parmesan, baked eggplant parmesan, breaded baked eggplant parm
billie says
the eggplant was too salty as a result of using salt to decrease the water content. It is totally unnecessary and now I have to make the whole thing again for company tomorrow.
Amanda says
Hi Billie! I'm so sorry you thought it was too salty. I haven't ever had that issue making this before. You do need to make sure you thoroughly wash the eggplant off after letting it sweat with the salt to make sure it doesn't get too salty. You can certainly do it without salting it, I just have found it makes it a bit less bitter and a bit less watery.
Sabrina says
Such a hit tonight. I’ll definitely do this one again!
Amanda says
Thank you Sabrina, I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Jamie says
I love my eggplant this way! So delicious!
Amanda says
Me too! Thanks Jamie!
Swathi says
This no fry eggplant parmesan looks yummy. Eggplant is my favorite.
Amanda says
Thank you so much!
Brianna says
This eggplant turned out so light and crispy! One of my favorite Italian dishes.
Amanda says
I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Luca says
This looks so delicious that I can't wait to make it tomorrow!
Amanda says
Thank you, let me know how it turns out for you!
Jeri says
This eggplant parmesan was easy to make, and my whole family loved it! I will definitely be making it again!
Amanda says
Thank you Jeri, I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Tyanne says
Baked and made of eggplant? This is a dream come true!
Amanda says
Thank you!
Seanna Borrows says
Such a great recipe. I will be making this again and again! So good!
Amanda says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it, thank you for trying the recipe!
Emily says
I hate frying so this was the recipe for me. So delicious!
Amanda says
It sometimes can be a pain, thank you!
Oscar says
This eggplant parm recipe was delicious. I made it for a friend's birthday dinner party and it was gone in seconds. Great recipe.
Amanda says
Awesome! So happy to hear that, thank you!