Grilled Eggplant
Updated Apr 28, 2025
This grilled eggplant is sliced into rounds, seasoned simply, and cooks in 10 minutes. Drizzle with a garlic lemon herb sauce after cooking for more flavor.
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Add Eggplant to your Grill!
This simple grilled eggplant recipe is a great addition to so many main meals because it’s easy to prepare, looks so pretty on the plate and tastes so good!
Grilled eggplant doesn’t get enough love and it’s too bad because eggplant is low in calories, high in fiber, and has a meaty texture that makes it great to throw on the grill and make you feel so full and satisfied. Try it as a main or side dish!
Happy Grilling!
– Yumna
Grilled Eggplant Ingredients
- Eggplant: When picking out eggplant, you want to look for ones that are firm and heavy for their size. Avoid any eggplant that is bruised or has brown spots because usually it means they are older.
- Oil: I use olive oil, but you can also use avocado oil or vegetable oil. Fair warning, eggplant is very absorbent, so be sure to use just enough oil and go straight to the grill once you’ve added the oil. You do not want to let it sit.
- Seasoning: For the actual grilling, I just use a little black pepper on top of the olive oil. You’ll salt it first to remove some of the water so you don’t need to add extra before grilling.
- Sauce: To keep the herbs from burning off, I like to drizzle a “sauce”, which is really like a seasoning blend, on after the eggplant is grilled, consisting of chopped parsley, lemon juice, fresh garlic, dried oregano, and crushed red pepper.
How to Grill Eggplant
Grilled Eggplant Recipe
This grilled eggplant is sliced into rounds, seasoned simply, and cooks in 10 minutes. Drizzle with a garlic lemon herb sauce after cooking for more flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 medium eggplants
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1 lemon juiced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
Instructions
- Place the eggplants on a cutting board and slice it into ½ -inch rounds. You’ll typically get about 10 slices from each eggplant.
- Transfer the eggplant slices to a baking sheet and sprinkle salt on both sides; let them rest for 30 minutes. Then dab the eggplant to remove the released moisture.
- Brush both sides of the eggplant with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle the black pepper on top.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, chopped parsley, lemon juice, garlic, oregano and crushed red pepper.
- Heat the gas grill to medium-high (around 400°F). Make sure the grates are clean and lightly oiled to prevent sticking.
- Place the eggplant directly on the grill. Cook for about 4-5 minutes per side without moving, until the eggplant becomes tender and has grill marks without burning.
- Remove from the grill and transfer to a platter. Drizzle the olive oil parsley sauce on top.
Notes
Storage: I recommend serving the grilled eggplant as soon as you make them. However, if you do have leftovers, you can store them in the fridge in an airtight container for a couple days.
Original Recipe
2 medium eggplants
1 tablespoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon black pepper
chopped parsley for serving
Toasted pine nuts for serving
Instructions
Slice eggplant into ¾” thick slices either lengthwise or crosswise.
Place the eggplant slices on a baking sheet, salt the eggplant on both sides, then apply another clean paper towel on top of the eggplant; let it rest of 30-45 minutes. Then dab the eggplant to remove any excess moisture.
Combine the olive oil, garlic powder and black pepper in a small bowl. Use a brush to spread the olive oil mixture on both sides of the eggplant.
Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Grill for 5 minutes on one side without moving. Then flip the eggplant and grill for 3-4 more minutes.
Serve with toasted pine nuts, fresh parsley and yogurt, if desired.
1 tablespoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon black pepper
chopped parsley for serving
Toasted pine nuts for serving
Instructions
Slice eggplant into ¾” thick slices either lengthwise or crosswise.
Place the eggplant slices on a baking sheet, salt the eggplant on both sides, then apply another clean paper towel on top of the eggplant; let it rest of 30-45 minutes. Then dab the eggplant to remove any excess moisture.
Combine the olive oil, garlic powder and black pepper in a small bowl. Use a brush to spread the olive oil mixture on both sides of the eggplant.
Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Grill for 5 minutes on one side without moving. Then flip the eggplant and grill for 3-4 more minutes.
Serve with toasted pine nuts, fresh parsley and yogurt, if desired.
Nutrition
Serving: 0.5egglant, Calories: 163kcal, Carbohydrates: 17g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Sodium: 881mg, Potassium: 591mg, Fiber: 8g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 274IU, Vitamin C: 22mg, Calcium: 43mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
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Recipe Tips
- Salt the eggplant to remove excess moisture. This technique is something I always do when cooking with eggplant because of its high water content. To avoid soggy eggplant after cooking, I highly recommend salting the eggplant and allowing it to rest and release its moisture.
- Leave the skin on. I like to keep the skins on the eggplants when grilling because it helps to hold the shape of the eggplant when grilling. If you prefer though, you can peel off the skin.
- Use a broiler if you don’t have a grill or grill pan. This recipe works great under a broiler. Once the broiler is preheated, place the eggplant on a sheet pan coated with cooking spray or lined with parchment paper. Broil for 2-3 minutes, then flip and broil for another 2-3 minutes; watch it closely, so it doesn’t burn.
- Cut the eggplant slices to an even thickness so they cook evenly. If they are different thicknesses, some will be overcooked, and others will not be cooked all the way through.
- Don’t add any more oil to the eggplant than the recipe suggests. Eggplant is very absorbent, and it can become very greasy if you add too much oil.
Serving Ideas
Comments
Really liked this! We all enjoyed it so much!
So glad to hear it. Thank you!