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!
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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!
Is 1229 kcal for the entire 4 servings or for one serving?
My question also. Further, the carb count is way off, otherwise this would NOT be keto friendly.
This is a good recipe. No need to salt eggplant when grilling. The only tweek I made is to mash the marinade ingredients with a mortar and pestle to extract more flavor and added a bit of balsamic vinegar to the marinade.
I don’t have a grill. Would it be possible to air fry the eggplant? Thank you for any reply!
I wanted to know the same question, Norma. It sounds delish!
This recipe is so good. I ate some as appetizers and also added Marinara and cheese and baked it. Absolutely delicious even more the next day
Skip the salting process. We made this and it was good, but too salty for my taste
This is an amazing way to use eggplant. I join a CSA every year and run out of ideas. This was delicious. The first time, I did dip the eggplant, but the first few pieces soaked up SO much, I know I used way more than the recipe called for. I didn’t re-dip it either. The second time I made it, I just brushed the marinade on with a pastry brush. It worked great. These were even good reheated !
Excellent recipe BUT not enough oil for all the eggplant. Suggest 3/4 cup oil for 2 eggplants.also I suggest you mash the garlic into the oil with the herbs.
I made these, but instead of parsley and oregano, I used basil and a little crushed red pepper. They were delicious!
Grilled eggplant recipe was easy used half the amount of salt Then grilled thateggplant chard some Roma plum tomatoes and sweet Vidalia onions turn into a red sauce and created a beautiful grilled eggplant Parmesan
Use the herb mixture After sweating the eggplant Used half the salt that was called forturned it into our summer grilled eggplant Parmesan also jarred the onions and tomatoes before making the sauce came out Delicious