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This vegan eggplant Parmesan is dairy free but delivers on flavor, starring crispy breaded eggplant slices smothered in a tangy marinara sauce! A plant-based dinner win.
Cozy eggplant Parmesan is one of our favorite recipes of all time, not to mention one of the world’s best meatless comfort foods. So we thought: why not try a plant-based rendition, just for fun?
Why we love this recipe: Turns out, vegan Eggplant Parmesan can have all the flavor of the real deal and be plant-based! Tender eggplant slices are dipped and breaded, then baked until crispy and smothered in a tangy marinara sauce. Top it with your favorite brand of dairy-free cheese. This is a vegan dinner everyone loves in our house (we love watching our kids devour it).
Ingredients in vegan eggplant Parmesan
Eggplant Parmesan (aka eggplant Parmigiana) is a classic Italian dish made with layers of breaded eggplant, cheese, and tomato sauce. It’s known as parmigiana di melanzane in Italian, and comes from the Southern regions of Calabria and Sicily.
For a vegan eggplant Parmesan, you’ll need to replace eggs, Parmesan cheese, and mozzarella cheese to vegan versions. Here are the ingredients you’ll need:
- Eggplant: Use a medium sized eggplant for the best size of rounds. Large eggplant rounds don’t look quite as nice in the dish because the rounds are so big.
- All-purpose flour, oat milk, cornstarch, vegan Parmesan cheese, plain panko, and oregano: These ingredients make the breading for the eggplant.
- Fire roasted crushed tomatoes, garlic, basil and olive oil: Simmer these together to make a quick sauce. It’s loads better than purchased marinara!
- Vegan shredded mozzarella cheese: There are several brands on the market; we used Violife. You can also use homemade!
Vegan cheese brands vs homemade
For this recipe, we used purchased Violife vegan Parmesan and Violife vegan shredded mozzarella cheese. Feel free to use dairy-free cheese alternatives you love!
This recipe would also work well with homemade vegan Parmesan. We have not tested it with homemade vegan mozzarella, but that should work as well. You can also substitute dollops of cashew cream for the vegan mozzarella!
Notes on fire roasted tomatoes
Fire roasted tomatoes make the best flavor in this eggplant Parmesan. This type of canned tomatoes tastes sweet and smoky right out of the can. If you can’t find them, substitute best quality tomatoes with 1 teaspoon sugar and ½ teaspoon smoked paprika. Or, use 1 ½ cups best quality marinara sauce.
Tips for making vegan Eggplant Parmesan
This vegan Eggplant Parmesan recipe is baked, not fried. It takes about 1 hour to make and bake, so keep this in mind in your meal prepping (and review the notes below on make ahead tips). Here are a few notes to keep in mind about the process:
- Place salt on the eggplant for just 10 minutes. Many recipes require you to salt the eggplant for 1 hour, but this is not necessary. Cooks used to do this to remove bitter flavor, but today’s eggplants are bred to be less bitter. Salting does allow the eggplant to release moisture, but that’s not as important with this baked method as with frying!
- Dredge the eggplant in flour, oat milk with cornstarch, and breadcrumbs. Oat milk with cornstarch replaces the eggs that are in standard eggplant Parmesan.
- Bake the eggplant for 20 minutes at 425°F. The hot oven makes them crispy and golden brown: like frying but with no extra oil!
- Layer the eggplant with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese in a baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes until the cheese is bubbly.
Storing leftovers and make ahead tips
This vegan Eggplant Parmesan takes about 1 hour to make, making it difficult to whip up for a quick weeknight dinner. Make it when you have plenty of time, like on a weekend or day off. There are also a few things you can do in advance. Here are a few ideas for make ahead and storage:
- Bake the eggplant slices in advance. This saves about 40 minutes off the timing of the recipe. Refrigerate the slices, then layer the dish and bake the day of making.
- Leftovers store refrigerated for up to 3 days. You can make the entire dish in advance and refrigerate, but it’s so good freshly baked that we recommend the above option for make-ahead. Leftovers store well.
- You can also freeze leftovers in a sealed container for up to 3 months. Place on the counter or in the refrigerator to thaw, or you can place it right into a 375°F oven and reheat until warmed through and the cheese is melted. (If it’s room temperature, you can reheat at a higher temperature, like 425°F.)
More vegan recipes
Vegan Eggplant Parmesan is one of our favorite vegan dinner ideas! Here are few more vegan recipes to put in your arsenal:
- Try vegan mac and cheese or vegan lasagna.
- Mix up vegan crab cakes with vegan tartar sauce.
- Make a crispy tofu bowl or tofu fried rice, or give marinated tempeh a try.
- Whip up tofu broccoli stir fry or vegan broccoli soup.
- Browse our top 50 Easy Vegan Recipes.
Dietary notes
This vegan eggplant Parmesan recipe is vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free.
Frequently asked questions
Salting the eggplant helps draw out excess moisture, which can make it less watery and result in a crispier texture. This recipe requires salting for only 10 minutes before baking.
Absolutely! Panko breadcrumbs are a popular choice for their light and crispy texture, but you can experiment with other options like regular breadcrumbs, crushed crackers, or even almond flour for a gluten-free version.
There are many delicious vegan cheeses available. Look for a brand that melts well, such as Violife, Follow Your Heart, or Miyoko’s Kitchen. You can also try a homemade cashew cheese for a richer flavor.
Vegan Eggplant Parmesan
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6 to 8 1x
Description
This vegan eggplant Parmesan is dairy free but delivers on flavor, starring crispy breaded eggplant slices smothered in a tangy marinara sauce!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds eggplant (about 2 medium large)
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup oat milk
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- ½ cup purchased grated vegan Parmesan cheese, divided*
- 1 cup plain panko (or purchased or homemade breadcrumbs)
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano, divided
- 1 ¾ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 28 ounces fire roasted crushed tomatoes**
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 handful fresh basil, chopped, plus more to garnish
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ cups (6 ounces) purchased vegan shredded mozzarella cheese*
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Cut off the ends of the eggplant and cut it into 1/2-inch slices (to make approximately 18 slices). Sprinkle with ¾ teaspoon salt divided between the slices, and allow them to sit for 10 minutes while you prepare the breading ingredients. (Don’t wipe off any salt or extra moisture.)
- Place the flour on a plate. Whisk the oat milk and cornstarch in a shallow bowl and set it aside. In another shallow bowl, combine the Parmesan cheese, panko, 2 teaspoons oregano, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt and set it aside.
- Dip both sides of each eggplant slice into the flour, then the oat milk mixture, then the Parmesan cheese mixture. Place each slice onto the prepared baking sheets. (Note: This gets messy; you may need to wash or wipe your fingers off after every few slices.) Discard any leftover breading ingredients.
- Place the trays in the oven and bake for 10 minutes, then flip the eggplant and bake 10 to 15 minutes more, until tender and golden brown.
- Meanwhile, make the sauce: In a medium bowl, mix the fire roasted tomatoes, grated garlic, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, chopped fresh basil, and olive oil. Mix well until all the olive oil is incorporated.
- Remove the eggplant from the oven. Spread 1 cup of the tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13″ pan. Add half the baked eggplant in a layer (about 9 slices), then top with 1 cup tomato sauce and 1 cup vegan shredded mozzarella cheese. Add the second layer of eggplant (we like to add them right on top of the first layer to make 9 stacks). Top with another 1 cup tomato sauce and 1 cup vegan shredded mozzarella on each stack. Top with the remaining 2 tablespoons grated vegan Parmesan cheese.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the cheese is melted and browned (or more, depending on the cheese brand). Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then top with additional chopped basil and serve. Store leftovers refrigerated for up to 3 days (or frozen for 3 months); reheat in the oven until warm.
Notes
*We used purchased Violife vegan Parmesan and Violife vegan shredded mozzarella. If desired, this would also work with homemade vegan Parmesan. We have not tested this recipe with homemade vegan mozzarella, but it should work other recipes. You can also substitute dollops of cashew cream for the vegan mozzarella if desired!
**Fire roasted tomatoes make the best flavor: they taste sweet and smoky right out of the can. If you can’t find them, substitute best quality tomatoes with 1 teaspoon sugar and ½ teaspoon smoked paprika. Or, use 1 ½ cups best quality marinara sauce.
- Category: Main dish
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Vegan
- Diet: Vegan
Let us know if you have any questions!