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Eggplant fries

Eggplant fries

Crunchy. Salty. Dippable. These fries are low-carb's answer to both "eat your vegetables," and "keep everybody happy." Before you know it, the kids will be asking for eggplant. Who knew?
May 29 2017 by , photo by , nutritional review by in Recipes, Side dish, Snack

Eggplant fries

Crunchy. Salty. Dippable. These fries are low-carb's answer to both "eat your vegetables," and "keep everybody happy." Before you know it, the kids will be asking for eggplant. Who knew?
USMetric
8 servingservings

Ingredients

  • 2¼ lbs 1 kg eggplant (2 medium, globe eggplants)
  • 2 cups (8 oz.) 475 ml (230 g) almond flour
  • 1 tsp 1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
  • 2 tsp 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • 2 2 large egglarge eggs
  • 2 tbsp 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted, at room temperature
  • salt and ground black pepper, to taste
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Instructions

Instructions are for 8 servings. Please modify as needed.

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Set aside baking sheet(s), lined with parchment paper.
  2. Cut off the stems and peel the eggplants using a vegetable peeler or sharp knife. Cut into 3" x 1/2" (8 x 1.2 cm) French-fry pieces. Set aside.
  3. In a shallow bowl, stir together the almond flour, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper. Place the eggs and coconut oil in a small bowl, and whisk together until blended.
  4. With one hand, dip several eggplant pieces in the egg mixture, and coat on all sides. Let excess egg drip off, and then use the other hand to lightly coat each piece in the flour mixture. Transfer to the baking sheet(s) and repeat until done. (see Tip)
  5. Place on the middle oven rack and bake for 7 - 8 minutes, turn fries over, and bake for another 7 - 8 minutes, until crispy and golden brown.

Tip!

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38 comments

  1. 1
    Anne
    May 29 2017
    Two family members have serious nut allergies. What is the best low carb replacement for the almond flour to achieve the crispy coating?
    Reply: #2
  2. 2
    Reply to comment #1 by Anne
    Cheryl
    May 29 2017
    People often use crushed pork rinds for crispy coatings.
  3. 3
    Helen
    May 31 2017
    Would these work in an airfryer?
  4. 4
    Linda
    May 31 2017
    Yes! Dry, hot air will make the pork rind coating, even better than an oven would.
  5. 1 comment removed
  6. 6
    Linda
    June 4 2017
    Any ideas for a low carb, nut free and vegetarian replacement for almond flour? Thanks in advance.
    Reply: #40
  7. 1 comment removed
  8. 8
    Robin
    June 14 2017
    I had the same problem as David and Rona. Too bad...
  9. 1 comment removed
  10. 10
    Pam T
    June 25 2017
    I used one eggplant and one egg. I beat the egg a bit and poured it right on the eggplant. Then I did the same with the almond flour,salt and pepper. It was a bit messy but I poured the eggplant onto a baking sheet with parchment paper, spread them out and baked it at 400 degrees. I checked at 15 minutes and they weren't done so I continued to check every 7-10 minutes. I think it was closer to 45 minutes but they were really good, nice and brown and dry in the middle. I turned them over once I saw that the bottoms were browning. I didnt add the coconut oil until I was ready to flip them. We both liked them.
  11. 1 comment removed
  12. 12
    Anthony
    September 25 2017
    I took my time with this recipe, did not try to rush the process and did the following (which led to perfect eggplant fries):
    1. I set aside half of the 'breading' mix once it had been prepared;
    2. I used one hand for dipping the eggplant fries in egg, and the other for dropping the fries onto the breading mix - and I rinsed my fingers now and again if they became too sticky;
    3. When the first batch of breading mix became used up or not suitable anymore for breading, I used the rest that I had set aside.
    I used an entire eggplant and even had different sized fries. I had about 30 fries in total.
    They all came out perfect after no more than 20 minutes baking (and I had even forgotten to drizzle butter on them until late in the baking). Great recipe. I will make it again. I took photographs of my steps in the process and the final result. I wish I could upload them to show you.
  13. 2 comments removed
  14. 15
    cfern
    February 26 2018
    To add a disclaimer,I'm new to the site and to Keto. I do know that if you soak eggplant in salt water it will not turn. The thing is you can only do it maybe over night and cook the next day. The salt also will draw out the water inside the eggplant. So, if you cut it up & lay it on a paper towels sprinkle with salt and let it sit for say 15-20mins. The slices may hold the coating better. I don't know as I am only just now going to the grocery to pick up the eggplant and try. Will repost outcome
  15. 16
    Joanna
    April 7 2018
    I had the same clumpy/messy issues, but have since tried a new approach that doesn't use as much almond flour or egg. I peel the eggplant and then slice it in rounds instead of "fries"; rounds are about 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick. I lay the rounds out on paper towels and salt them lightly. While some of the moisture is draining from the eggplant I make the flour mix- with one large or two small-ish eggplants I can usually get away with one cup of almond flour (actually, I prefer the grittier almond meal for these). I start with one egg- sometimes I've needed a second egg or I've added in some liquid egg whites to supplement.
    I only let the eggplant rounds sit for about 5 minutes or so- enough time to make the almond flour mix and whisk the egg- then I blot the tops with paper towels. I dip each round in egg, shake off the excess, then lay it on a pan lined with parchment paper. Once all the rounds are laid out I dry my hands off thoroughly (very important step to avoid the clumpy almond flour issue). Rather than dipping the rounds in almond flour, I just sprinkle it (with dry hands) on top of all the eggplant rounds. I then flip the eggplant rounds over, dry my hands again, and sprinkle the second side with the almond flour mix.
    I don't drizzle with any coconut oil; I just bake them, starting on the bottom rack. The bottoms are usually nicely browned in 15-20 minutes; I flip them over and cook for another 5-10 minutes (generally they're pretty forgiving even if over-baked a bit). They're now a big hit in my house and much easier (and less messy) to make. Technically they're baked eggplant rounds and not "fries," but still very tasty!
  16. 17
    Connie
    June 28 2018
    OK, I feel dumb but this is my first time cooking with egg plant. I bought two as the recipe states and i have a HUGE bowl of fires. 2 eggs didn't begin to coat the batch. What am I doing wrong?
    Reply: #19
  17. 18
    Amy-Jean Carlzon
    August 5 2018
    Try not to saturate the pieces of eggplant. Lightly dip and let drip. When you beat the eggs, make sure they are light and frothy. Just try it again with a lighter hand. almost shake the excess. When I used to try making chicken cutlets old school style, I would have the same problem and I just practiced this, as per my mom's advice. I would love to know other people's reaction to this problem. I haven't made them yet and will let you know. Just imagining a solution based on my "coating" issues with other dishes. :)
  18. 19
    Reply to comment #17 by Connie
    Amy-Jean Carlzon
    August 5 2018
    The size of the eggplant makes the difference.
  19. 20
    Luz
    August 26 2018
    This is a great recipe. I made it for lunch today, served alongside veg curry, broccoli 'rice' and hard-boiled egg. They turned out delicious. It was messy to start with until I gave up on the stated process and tried it my way. I heated the oven to 200, and heated a baking dish. I beat one egg in a shallow dish. I put half the ground almonds and seasoning in another shallow dish. I put the other half in a third shallow dish. I coated the eggplant in almonds, then egg, then more almonds. I did not do them one by one, no way. I moved them gently around with a big spoon until all the chips were covered and ready to bake. They roasted happily while I was cooking the other stuff.
  20. 21
    David
    August 28 2018
    Just made these tonight. So good and easy to make. They key is to keep your egg light and almond flour dredge clean. 20 minutes at 400 on convection worked great.
  21. 22
    lisa
    September 8 2018
    made the exact , however I think they may have been better if not twice dipped in egg & flour second time...
    the coating of almond flour was to thick , and the eggplant lost in the center...honestly they were not tasty :(
    I guess I'm just to used to the Italian breadcrumbs style, I wanted to like them!! lol
    but there are some great recipes on here!
  22. 23
    Maria Guerra
    October 27 2018
    Made them today. Didn’t really brown or come out crispy. All I could taste was almond flour. A waste of pricey almond flour.
  23. 24
    Jacolyn O'Sullivan
    January 13 2019
    I tried making them again tonight and baked as instrucyed but then finjshed them off in a frying pan with a little butter to make them a bit crispier and really made the difference! I really enjoyed them tonight.
  24. 25
    Selina
    February 21 2019
    So good! The pepper adds a nice kick. I had to double the flour mixture and use 2 more eggs until I realized that double coating them wasn’t really necessary. Take your time. Eggplant is never ending - I used just one and I’ll have plenty left over for more meals. Next time I won’t coat them as much and I’ll cook them longer.
  25. 26
    PMouton
    February 24 2019
    Placed the flour mixture in a ziplock bag and dropped the eggplant in there to coat. Much less mess. I then cooked in the air fryer. Came out nice and crispy!!
  26. 27
    Lyn
    March 22 2019
    These are delicious! Took longer to cook but who cares. We polished these off before the rest of the meal had cooked. Thanks so much for the recipe. I did sprinkle the eggplant with salt and let it drain then patted it dry :)
  27. 28
    Margo
    April 12 2019
    Drop eggplants in the egg mixture and use your hands to rub the egg all over those fries. Then one at a time put the fries into the bowl with the crumbs and shake until coated.
    Then put into the greased pan.
    Convection oven works great with this recipe because of the blowing hot air.
  28. 29
    Dianne
    May 20 2019
    I did not use convection baking but did add 10 minutes. Did not get crispy. Found them too almond-flour heavy. Should have read all these comments before starting. My hubby (non-keto) also enjoyed so that’s good. But how to make with a lighter layer after the egg, just a coating of something?
  29. 30
    Dianne
    May 20 2019
    Forgot to ask how many are in a serving
    Reply: #31
  30. 31
    Reply to comment #30 by Dianne
    Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
    May 21 2019

    Forgot to ask how many are in a serving

    This whole recipe makes 8 servings. For the coating, try crushed pork rinds and some parmesan cheese.

  31. 32
    Monique
    July 6 2019
    I had read all the comments and was a bit apprehensive, but decided to make the fries anyway. I peeled a big aubergine (400 gr) and cut the slices into fries. I beat one egg and prepared around 80 gr of coconut flour ( I didn't have any almond flour). Sprinkled the fries with a bit of salt and left them 10 min. Dried each one individually in a piece of kitchen towel (sounds more labour intensive than it is). A quick roll in the egg, then in the flour (I used a spoon to reduce on messiness). Next, on a piece of oven paper and in the oven (200 °C). I did not sprinkle them with olive oil, but they still came out nice and brown after 15-20 min. Great success for me and I will definitely make them again, since I love aubergine. Tip for the team: give weight of vegetables used in a recipe. One cauliflower or one aubergine could vary quite a bit in weight.
  32. 33
    Tanya
    August 14 2019
    Hi Everyone! I tried one recipe for eggplant fries that uses coconut flour instead of almond flour so I'm using that since I know that the coconut flour tends to soak up excess liquid which is a big plus with eggplant. The best part of coconut flour is that it has loads of fiber which is a big plus for keto dieters. What about half coconut/half almond flour breading? I'll try the the half/half mixture and let you know how it turns out!
  33. 34
    Rachel Glover
    August 24 2019
    I make this often. My tips:

    -cut up eggplant and then salt it and let it rest for 30 min. Then remove moisture on eggplant with (paper)towel now eggplant is ready to use. This trick always has to be done with eggplant recipes to make it tasty or not messy
    -Use coconut flour instead of almond flour
    -double the flour and eggs per eggplant
    -bake 5 min longer

  34. 35
    Connie Dunn
    December 10 2019
    Quit Stressing! There's a fix! Have you ever made zucchini fries? That coating is usually egg and then parmesan. You can add a bit of the almond flour in your coating, but the secret is in using one hand in your egg mix and the other for your parmesan mix. Please note that the parmesan should be the stuff on the shelf in a shaker jar and not the grated stuff in the refrigerator section. Add only a small amount of almond or coconut flour or leave it out altogether...I usually do! Need to skip the egg? Use olive oil instead. Another great way for coating anything is to use a small amount of ranch dressing or mayo...another option is olive oil, but it won't coat as well as egg. If eggs are not an option, try tofu that's been liquified in a food processor, add a bit of water if it needs to be more liquid. However, don't add much water at a time. You can add more water, but you cannot take it out!
    Reply: #39
  35. 2 comments removed
  36. 38
    mccoyruth
    August 17 2020
    I am a culinary trained chef and made these. They were terrible! I think they only way they might be edible is to deep fry them (as you would with fish for this coating). But traditionally flour is for adding moisture in a recipe. I'm really over all the almondness, and I love almonds 😳 Making me feel a bit nauseous to be honest. Plus almond anything is expensive! Pork scratchings would be better. I think perhaps making the keto bread rolls, allowing them go stale, zapping in a food processor to make breadcrumbs might be a better option to try.
  37. 39
    Reply to comment #35 by Connie Dunn
    mccoyruth
    August 17 2020
    Will try your suggestions Connie 👍
  38. 40
    Reply to comment #6 by Linda
    Anna S.
    November 1 2020
    I know this is an old post but maybe it still will be helpful for someone. Really good alternative for such coating is potato fibre or sugarbeet fibre (not to be confused e.g. with potato starch). Unlike psyllium husk or oat fibre they have more coarse texture which resembles bread crumbs. They are known under commercial names Potex and Fibrex, respectively and contain 10-12% of starches and pectins but given these products are feather-light, it makes final carbs count negligible. For the same reason they are quite cheep although it might be hard to get outside of Northern Europe (try Amazon).
  39. 41
    Luke C
    December 28 2020
    For everyone who's having trouble with getting a clumpy mess - this happens when using regular flour too. The best way to tackle it is by using the 'two-hand' method, one hand is exclusively used for coating in egg and the other is used exclusively for the flour. It'll stop you getting clumps of eggy flour all over your hands!
  40. 42
    Shondra
    January 16 2021
    I use egg white with a little water instead of whole eggs. The yolks tend to thicken during the coating process. Egg white coats lightly. My coating usually consists of almond flour, pork rinds, pecorino cheese (sheep milk parmesan that is grated not shredded) and seasoning. I set aside two paper plates. In one plate I put a small portion of the coating so that I can do 1-2 pieces at a time. This way I can keep my remaining coating dry until ready to use. I lightly coat the veggie or meat in the egg white, let excess drip off and then place on top of the coating. I use a fork to shovel coating on top and sides then flip and continue until well coated. I set aside in the other paper plate. I repeat this until everything has been coated. If your finger tips get coated, wash hands before proceeding and start the next batch. I use this method for catfish, pork chops, chicken and veggies. This works every time. What I have learned is that grain free flours do not work well when once they get too wet. And it does take a lot of practice. I hope everyone gives this another try. It is worth taking your time.
    Reply: #43
  41. 43
    Reply to comment #42 by Shondra
    Kerry Merritt Team Diet Doctor
    January 16 2021

    I use egg white with a little water instead of whole eggs. The yolks tend to thicken during the coating process. Egg white coats lightly. My coating usually consists of almond flour, pork rinds, pecorino cheese (sheep milk parmesan that is grated not shredded) and seasoning. I set aside two paper plates. In one plate I put a small portion of the coating so that I can do 1-2 pieces at a time. This way I can keep my remaining coating dry until ready to use. I lightly coat the veggie or meat in the egg white, let excess drip off and then place on top of the coating. I use a fork to shovel coating on top and sides then flip and continue until well coated. I set aside in the other paper plate. I repeat this until everything has been coated. If your finger tips get coated, wash hands before proceeding and start the next batch. I use this method for catfish, pork chops, chicken and veggies. This works every time. What I have learned is that grain free flours do not work well when once they get too wet. And it does take a lot of practice. I hope everyone gives this another try. It is worth taking your time.

    Thanks for sharing, Shondra!

  42. 44
    DEBORAH
    June 17 2021
    I really like ground sesame seeds as an alternative to almond flour.....can grind as fine or as chunky as you want, I find a mix of fine & med grind works great for coverage and some crunchy bits. Mix it with some off shelf stable Parmesan cheese (green can). Great.
    Reply: #45
  43. 45
    Reply to comment #44 by DEBORAH
    Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
    June 17 2021

    I really like ground sesame seeds as an alternative to almond flour.....can grind as fine or as chunky as you want, I find a mix of fine & med grind works great for coverage and some crunchy bits. Mix it with some off shelf stable Parmesan cheese (green can). Great.

    Great tip! Sesame seed flour can be a great sub for almond flour for those who need to be nut free, even in baked goods.

  44. 46
    susan
    January 25
    these were phenomenal! loved the coating/dipping mixture flavor combo

    definitely a keeper

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