These Garlic & Herb Grilled Eggplant are my favourite vegetable to barbecue. They are tender in the middle with slightly charred edges and are coated in a delicious garlic and herb oil which gives them so much flavour. 
Grilled vegetables are my go to side dish for any summer barbecue. They are incredibly easy to prepare, go with just about anything, and can be made in advance. While most people grill zucchini, peppers and onions, my absolute favourite vegetable to grill is eggplant.
Unfortunately grilled eggplant (or melanzane, aubergine or brinjals depending on where in the world you are from) can be a tricky vegetable to cook. Too much oil and they become slimy, cut too thick and they have an unpleasant chunky texture.
It took me a trip to Italy where I spent time watching the way the locals prepared it before I finally learned how to grill eggplant.
How to make this grilled eggplant:
- It all starts with salting which is meant to draw bitterness out of the slices. I find that salting is required for larger “meaty” eggplant, and is a step that can easily be skipped for the smaller sized ones.
- The next step is to quickly dip them in a mixture of olive oil, herbs and garlic which helps stop them from drying out when grilled.
- After grilling, toss them back into the oil and herb mixture again which gives them added flavour.
Why you will love these grilled eggplant:
- They are tender in the middle and develop a nice char on the edges
- By dipping the eggplant slices into the garlic and herb oil before grilling, they absorb a lot of the oil which gives the eggplant so much flavour
- Unlike other grilled vegetables such as zucchini, these grilled eggplant last a few days in the fridge without becoming mushy. The leftovers are incredibly versatile and can be enjoyed in a variety of different ways (see more below)
- They are low carb and tick the majority of healthy boxes including Keto, Whole30, Vegan, Paleo and SCD Legal
Ways to serve the grilled eggplant:
- Serve warm as a side dish
- Serve cold as part of an antipasti platter or chopped up and added into a salad
- Use as a base for bruschetta topped with pesto, prosciutto or any of your other favourite bruschetta toppings
- Use two thick slices as “buns” for burgers. They are especially delicious with Greek lamb burgers
Love grilled vegetables? Here are a few other grilled vegetable recipes you might enjoy:
- Charred Broccolini with Lemon Tahini Sauce
- Grilled Asian Asparagus & Scallions
- Grilled Portobello Mushrooms with Walnut Arugula Pesto
- BBQ Cauliflower Steaks with Chimichurri
- Asian Grilled Eggplant
If you make this recipe let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”S1OtsN0c” upload-date=”2022-06-14T19:45:48.000Z” name=”Roasted Eggplant.mp4″ description=”” player-type=”default” override-embed=”default”]
Grilled Eggplant with Garlic & Herbs
Ingredients
- 2 eggplants
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic crushed
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Cut the eggplant into 1/4 inch thick slices and generously salt each slice. Let them rest for about 15 minutes so that the salt can draw out the moisture and bitterness. Wipe each of the slices with a paper towel to remove the salt and moisture.
- Preheat the barbecue to medium heat
- In a large dish combine the olive oil, garlic, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper. Place each of the eggplant slices in the dish, flipping them over to ensure both sides are covered in oil.
- Grill for approximately 6 minutes per side until golden in colour with grill marks. If the eggplant slices become dry and stick to the grill, brush them with more oil.
- Once the eggplant is tender and cooked. Remove from the grill and return back to oil, herb and garlic mixture in the pan. Flip once so that both sides are coated before transferring to a serving platter. Spoon any of the excess herbs & garlic overtop before serving. The eggplant can be enjoyed hot or at room temperature and will last for up to 4 days in the fridge.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried This Recipe?
Leave a comment below and let us know how it was!
This is so salty. I followed the directions but ruined my eggplants
Yes. Ours was too salty. I recommend skipping that process
Delicious 😋
Great flavoring but way too salty. I should have read the comments about the salt level. I would recommend only lightly salting the eggplant and not adding salt to the oil dip if you’re a low sodium person. I love the herbal flavor and will try it again w/ less salt. thanks for sharing.
Wow my family like it
Very good! A keeper!
It was delicious. I served it as a side with pasta with marinara sauce. My husband who usually likes his eggplant covered in breadcrumbs and cheese also loved it. This will be my eggplant recipe from now on. Yum!!!
OMG! We love eggplant in parmisian, in ratatouille and we’ve had it grilled before…but this was above and beyond.
I forgot to take a picture but it was beautiful before I brought it to the table…then it was gone! Served with a bunch of other grilled vegies, vegi -burgers and a tomato salad.
Grease on top of Grease. Only dip once, cook longer. I cooked at the recommended times and the inside was not cooked. Has potential to be a good recipe but cut back on the Grease and cook longer.
Hi Brian I saw the recipe for eggplant on the grill and I’m wondering w all the oil ,how can I avoid the whole grill not going up in flames? The recipe mentions grill marks, so I know it’s not on foil!
This tasted amazing!
I did this recipe using slender Japanese style eggplants and I took your own advice regarding salting the slices for small eggplant..;NONE. They were great. A few were a bit oily perhaps and next time I’ll probably brush the oil & herbs on the slices instead of soak them. Overall however, VERY GOOD!
I fixed this and even my vegetable hating husband liked it and said I could fix it again. After reading the other posts about the saltiness, I rinsed the slices and blotted them with paper towels before the oil dip. I also used less salt in the oil. (I don’t usually add salt to my veggies so I’m sensitive to it.) I also lightly grilled tomato slices to add to the eggplant, along with a bit of diced onion and feta cheese. Heavenly!! (Sorry I forgot to take a picture.)