Dipped in this gluten-free batter and baked, eggplant comes out crispy on the outside, soft and creamy on the inside, and it’s perfect on an eggplant poboy sandwich.
When I was creating my last recipe, Oven-Fried Okra, I suspected that the batter I used, a combination of cornmeal and brown rice flour, would make a wonderfully crunchy breading for other vegetables. I lost no time checking that theory out on one of my favorite summer veggies, eggplant. I’m happy to say that I was right!
Dipped in this batter and baked, eggplant comes out crispy on the outside, soft and creamy on the inside, and it’s perfect on what we Louisianans call a poboy–a sandwich on French bread that those from other states might call a sub or hoagie or probably several other names that I’m not familiar with. But to me sandwiches like this, particularly those whose main ingredient is battered and “fried,” will always be poboys because they remind me of the seafood sandwiches I grew up with.
After dressing my bread with homemade vegan mayo and layering it with lettuce and homegrown tomato, I slathered my eggplant with some oil-free marinara sauce, which made it taste a lot like Eggplant Parmesan.
I didn’t have any fat-free cheese sauce on hand, but if I had I would have drizzled a little on to give it the full Parmesan effect. Add some if you have it, but even without, these were some of the best sandwiches I’ve ever made. My husband is already requesting them again!
I know someone is going to ask for a recipe for the bread. Unfortunately, I didn’t make it myself. But I recently splurged on a new bread machine when it went on sale, and I’m working on a recipe for whole wheat buns and baguettes. I’ll let you know as soon as it’s perfected.
Oven-Fried Eggplant PoBoy Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant (approximately 1 1/4pounds)
- 3/4 cup non-dairy milk of choice
- 1/2 cup cornmeal
- 1/4 cup brown rice flour
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt if desired
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne (more or less to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
Instructions
- Peel the eggplant and trim off the ends. Slice it into rounds about 1/2-inch thick. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 400F.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all remaining ingredients and mix well. You should have a batter a little thicker than pancake batter. If it seems dry, add a splash of non-dairy milk.
- Dip each eggplant slice into the batter and turn it to coat both sides and edges well. Holding the slice between two fingers, allow any excess batter to drip back into the bowl, and place the eggplant on the baking sheet. Repeat with as many slices as you can fit on the baking sheet, being careful that they do not touch. (If your baking sheet is small, you may need to make two batches; batter can thicken between batches, so add more liquid if necessary.)
- Place in the oven. After 20 minutes, remove and gently turn each slice–you may have to hold the parchment paper and peel it from the eggplant. Replace and cook until outsides are brown but not burning, about 15 more minutes.
- Serve hot on hoagie rolls or French bread with marinara sauce, lettuce, and tomato.
Notes
Nutritional info is approximate.
In Memoriam
We lost a family member last week–Jazzy, who would have been 10 years old in September. In the early years of this blog, Jazzy made regular appearances, but when Facebook came along, I started posting fewer animal photos here and more over there. I wrote about her life and her loss in her Facebook photo album. It’s been a tough week, but I appreciate all the kind words that people have posted on her album and on the FatFreeVegan page.
This post contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy something through them, I receive a commission that helps support this site. Thanks for your purchase!
Ashleigh Whitworth
July 20, 2015 at 4:32 pmThis Looks amazing! Do you think you could do it with green tomatoes?
Susan Voisin
July 20, 2015 at 4:38 pmSure! I think it would be great on any vegetable. I already have a “fried” green tomatoes recipe, but I think this would be better.
Wende
July 20, 2015 at 5:16 pmawwwww..so sorry for your loss..I know all too well how it hurts..I’m new to your blog..I will have to follow your links to look at the photos you shared..I bet Jazzy had a great life..your recipes or surely going to help mine become better..I’m glad I found you..an look forward to making several things I’ve seen here..
susan
July 20, 2015 at 5:45 pmThank you for this recipe, I will definitely try it!
I am very sorry about your doggie.. I have a little old one that I adore, and am cherishing every moment that we have together. It never seems long enough that our furry babes are with us.
Danielle
July 20, 2015 at 7:35 pmSusan, I am so sorry to hear that you lost Jazzy.
I think these sandwiches look terrific. I’ll definitely make them soon, since I love eggplant as well. I might add some slices/rings of red pepper, some sweet onion, and a few lengthwise slices of cucumber. Hey, perhaps I could even batter and bake some onion rings and have them on the sandwich also.
Okay, now I’m making myself hungry!!
Lorna
July 20, 2015 at 10:36 pmI made this tonight and it was seriously good! I had an eggplant I picked from the garden today and was wondering what to do with it when I saw this email. I only had one Japanese eggplant so I had leftover batter and I decided to do what another reader (Danielle) suggested. I did a leftover half onion (especially good!), a leftover half zucchini and a cucumber. It was all very delicious! I will make eggplant this way every time now. It tasted like a hushpuppy, but without all the fat! I used rice milk and since I didn’t have any rice flour, I used chickpea flour. I wish I could post a picture because they turned out so pretty. I did not make it into a sandwich, I just ate them right off the pan!
Ruth
July 21, 2015 at 2:12 amI’m sorry to hear about Jazzy, Susan. I’ve know how much it hurts when we lose a furry member of the family.
I loved this recipe and so did my family. I made it for supper tonight, but instead of serving it as a poppy with marinara, I served it Vietnamese style as a bahn mi. Delish!!
Alice
July 21, 2015 at 8:40 amThere are so many different types of eggplant – it’s a new food for me, and very confusing. Would you mind posting a photo of the eggplant so we can tell what kind to get? Thank you!
Susan Voisin
July 21, 2015 at 8:48 amI used the large eggplants that are common in most grocery stores in the U.S. Here’s a link to a photo: http://drosengarten.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/bigstock-Eggplant-8008491.jpg
Alice
July 22, 2015 at 10:41 amThanks!
Anca
July 21, 2015 at 9:41 amI’m so sorry for your loss xx
Lori
July 21, 2015 at 8:11 pmSusan-I’m so sorry for your loss of your precious dog, Jazzy. I will keep you and your family in my thoughts & prayers.
clair zhan
July 22, 2015 at 11:43 amI love fried eggplants! definitely will give it a try, I might do a eggplant parmagian tho :p
Kristy
July 22, 2015 at 5:22 pmSo sorry to hear about Jazzy. I definitely know how hard that is.
This recipe looks so good! I am thinking I will attempt “fried” pickles with the batter too! : )
Ivy
July 22, 2015 at 11:14 pmI never cared much for eggplant but the pictures looked so delicious, I had to give it shot. Made this tonight and it came out WONDERFUL. I followed the recipe and topped with vegan mayo, lettuce, tomato, and marinara as you suggested. My omni-husband happily gobbled his sandwich down whilst formulating aloud all the other toppings he could AND would put on his next time. It’s officially a hit. I love your website – I have made a handful of your recipes and every single one has been incredible. You’ve helped make my vegan journey that much more delicious. Thank you.
Lastly, condolences and RIP Jazzy. She looks like a good girl and a happy kid. 🙂
Teri Lissy
July 22, 2015 at 11:18 pmWow – this sounds so delicious I am ready to make it right now!! It’s after 9:00 PM so I will wait till tomorrow, but it won’t be easy! Thank you so much!
I am new to blogging and would appreciate any input, advice and feedback from you, since you are such a professional! I have Multiple Sclerosis and use art as therapy. Endless thanks for your time! Teri
Kristin
July 23, 2015 at 4:47 pmSo sorry for your loss, Susan. Dogs really are family members that never grow up, never stop needing us and love us unconditionally. I hope your memory finds only the happiest moments of Jazzy’s life with you.
(Ps. Recipe sounds awesome. Will try soon!)
Bonnie
July 25, 2015 at 7:45 pmBread Makers! I see a birthday to me present coming up. I see the link to your bread maker, is it still on sale? $243 Or is that the regular price.
Susan Voisin
July 25, 2015 at 8:46 pmThat’s the regular price, though I have seen it for $5 less. If you don’t need the gluten-free setting, there is a less expensive model of the same brand you might consider. I love mine!
Bonnie
August 6, 2015 at 10:26 pmThanks Susan! My husband is teasing me and saying he bought me a dog treadwheel… But my mouth is watering for fresh cinnamon bread, or onion bread or zucchini bread… I really shouldn’t have bought the bread Machine Cookbook. I’ll be sorry if I can’t use it.
Felicia@Ingredient1
July 28, 2015 at 4:29 pmSeafood poboys are a classic, but it is so great to see this healthy, vegan, equally delicious alternative with eggplant, one of our favorite vegetables! What’s your secret for keeping the baked eggplant crispy?
Patricia
August 2, 2015 at 11:01 amThis recipe is outstanding! I made it as written but I added a little extra salt and smoked paprika to the batter and I cut the circles of eggplant in half to better fit my rolls. My husband thought they tasted a little like BLTs! The eggplant was so crispy and delicious; these will probably be made every week in our house. Your recipes are always winners for me and I want to thank you for your hard work and creativity.
So sorry for the loss of your beloved Jzzy.
skubitwo
August 2, 2015 at 7:43 pmVery sorry to hear about Jazzy. We have lost two pets in the last year. It is always sad.
Loved your eggplant in this batter. I think I will try it again with paprika instead of red pepper, just because one of my family likes less spicy.
Can you freeze these? Any recommendations to keep them from getting “squooshy”?
Lydia
August 3, 2015 at 8:47 amI made these last night and they were delicious! I had a little batter left over so I sliced a couple of dill pickles, dipped and baked along with the eggplant. They were every bit as good as the unhealthy deep fried version.
Bonnie
August 4, 2015 at 7:01 pmMy husband is, shall we say, not too adventurous with anything made with eggplant. Many many years ago, when we were newlyweds, I cooked an eggplant. I don’t remember how I prepared it, but from that point on he’s avoided eating eggplant. This was over 35 ago! Since then, my skills have improved a lot. I’ve prepared eggplant many ways for myself since then, and could not convince him to eat it again. That is, until tonight. The kitchen is vegan now, and I’m trying lots of ways to eat healthier. I made the oven-fried eggplant today. He was skeptical, but he tried it. And he LOVED it. I’d say we have a win-win situation here. Thanks!
Connie
August 4, 2015 at 10:33 pmMy son and I both really enjoyed these. I substituted whole wheat flour for the brown rice flour and it worked fine. I did add a little more soy milk because it seemed a little thick.
I had mine on Whole Food’s sperlonga bread with the marinara and lettuce. My son doesn’t like tomatoes so he had his with some pesto spread on it. He even liked it plain.
Thanks for another yummy recipe!
PollyS
August 5, 2015 at 3:24 pmLooks delicious! I think your coating would work for “fried” green tomatoes, too!
I have been making a lot of bread this summer in my bread maker. I made up a great recipe and have been using it for bread, rolls, and buns. It’s super easy too. That’s probably why I’ve been making it so often. My son is so happy. He loves homemade bread.
Here it goes:
2.5 cups whole wheat flour (I grind mine, but I’m sure store bought would work too)
1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons dry yeast
( You may need an additional .5 cup whole wheat flour, depending on what grind of flour you use)
Add it all to your bread maker and knead about 8 minutes until a ball forms. It will be slightly sticky. Just flour your hands and your board when making buns/rolls. Allow to double, then punch down and make your rolls.
If you are making a loaf, just run your machine on the quick setting. I’ve found that if I use the longer setting the bread sours a little. Which isn’t a bad thing, just not what I want for every loaf of bread.
PollyS
August 5, 2015 at 3:25 pmOpps, forgot the water! You’ll need 1.5 cups warm water.
Jenny
August 8, 2015 at 10:13 pmJust opened your webpage so I could copy and paste the address to share on a savings group I belong to on Facebook and what a treat! This pic opened up on my page and it looks AMAZING! I can’t wait to try it. Thanks for all your kitchen experiments that you share. I’m going to try this with an asian inspired sauce – probably soy, chilli, garlic, ginger and coriander leaves, maybe a touch of maple syrup?, maybe some vegan “oyster” sauce (it’s made from mushrooms and tastes just like the other version but it’s more planet friendly).
Thalia
August 9, 2015 at 10:30 pmThese sandwiches look so great.. and definitely put any vegetarian sandwich I have made before to shame. Yum!
Leo Sigh
August 12, 2015 at 2:22 amThese look great and I’m thinking would probably work just as well with zucchini (which I just bought and am trying to figure out what to do with). May just try that tonight.
And I always wonder why people go on about vegan being ‘restrictive’. I’ve been vegan for six months now and don’t feel restricted at all, especially when I can eat things like this recipe 🙂
Thanks for it and thanks for your vegan mayonnaise recipe which I just found and am going to make tonight.
Emily
August 13, 2015 at 1:28 pmMade these and forgot to peel the eggplant, but it didn’t matter, it came out amazing anyway. Looking forward to making this again and with more types of veggies! We put them in sandwiches and ate them off the pan, and my 20 month old liked them too!
Carol Irving
August 21, 2015 at 6:54 pmSusan, these looked great and I wanted to like them. They are still in the oven baking. The batter would not stick to the eggplant! Did anyone else experience this? I did the best I could to get the batter on there. And I will report back once they come out of the oven.
Susan Voisin
August 21, 2015 at 7:18 pmI’m sorry to hear that, Carol. The batter can be very tricky to get the right consistency. If it’s too thin, it runs right off the eggplant. Too thick, and it clumps up. It can be hard to get the right balance of wet and dry ingredients, and that sounds like what happened here. If you try again, dry the eggplant slices well and check to see that the consistency is a little thicker than pancake batter.
Becky
July 17, 2016 at 4:34 pmHi, I measured my flours, spices first. I used Atta flour an Indian flour that is tricky. Then I slowly added Almond milk to the batter until the batter would stick to the eggplant. I agree with Susan! You have to play with recipe to get the proper consistency. Good luck. And thanks to the someone who suggested using this batter for onions rings.
Susan, recipe. Thank you.!
James Wood
August 26, 2015 at 12:40 amI read many vegan blogs but your blog is fantastic. I myself running my owned Mexican restaurant in Corona. Always like to read good blogs like your. I appreciate your love for these lovely pets. Thanks for posting such kind of post with us.
Karoline
August 29, 2015 at 3:05 pmI’ve been quietly following your site for some time now. It’s been very helpful to me in reconstructing my food program. I’m so very sorry you lost your little girl. We lost our rather “big” but nonetheless beloved baby girl, in June of this year. I KNOW what you’re going through, and grieve with you.
Nancy Nurse
September 1, 2015 at 2:39 pmHi Susan, I’m trying to find a recipe for an amazing eggplant that I tasted recently in Paris… the eggplant was done in lots of oil I assume and was inside a Falafel Sandwich with cucumbers, hummus, garlicky sauce and it was absolutely amazing, but of course, I can’t seem to find a really great recipe for the oil-free eggplant. Which of your recipes for eggplant might match those?
Susan Voisin
September 1, 2015 at 4:38 pmI think this recipe would be the best for any sandwich. But, you know, with falafel, garlic sauce, and hummus, I can’t imagine any eggplant NOT tasting great!
Nancy Nurse
September 1, 2015 at 2:50 pmOh, Susan, how sad that your little girl has gone to Heaven. I know the pain all too well. Sending much love and light your way.
Susan Voisin
September 1, 2015 at 4:36 pmThank you, Nancy! I was momentarily confused because my daughter just left for college, and I’ve been depressed. When I saw your message, I thought at first it was about her! It’s been doubly hard losing Jazzy and sending my daughter off to college at about the same time, and I appreciate your condolences.
Matthew Allen
September 2, 2015 at 2:46 amOh my these were amazing. We used Japanese eggplant, because it was the only really fresh eggplant I could find. My newly transitioned boyfriend called these the ‘vegan version of chicken nuggets!’. I can say this will be a regular recipe! Thanks Susan, your website has been my go-to!
I wonder how these would taste tossed in a sauce? I tried this amazing schezwan eggplant dish that was fried, but I’m on a quest to recreate it!
Matthew Allen
September 2, 2015 at 2:47 amand, I’m so sorry for your loss. It isn’t easy when we lose a furry family member 🙁
Gail
September 9, 2015 at 3:48 pmI love this batter, Susan! Did the eggplant first – yummm. Then I tried it on some green tomatoes – win………& broccoli, cauliflower, oyster mushrooms & jalapeño peppers. Works well with all of them, but my favs would have to be the oyster mushrooms(go figure?) & the jalapeños. This will definitely go into regular rotation, so thx so much for your creativity.
Denise
September 9, 2015 at 6:36 pmThis is delicious and easy to make. I make it up, keep in the frig and then reheat in the toaster oven. We serve on sourdough buns with red onions, green peppers, calumet olives and pasta sauce. Very satisfying!! Thank you.
Neal Sims
October 27, 2015 at 4:05 pmI’m so sorry for your loss. Dogs give unconditional love and they are part of our families. We lost both of ours last year so we understand what you are feeling.
Luci
January 19, 2016 at 8:35 amPOBOYS! I loved these when I was in New Orleans last year, but I was a meat eater then and kinda figured that ship had now sailed but… oh my, these look good! Do you know what the equivalent bread roll would be in the UK?
Chen
March 14, 2016 at 9:29 amI made these yesterday and they were delicious! I used whole wheat pastry flour and added just a little more splash of soy milk. I also added about 1/8 tsp of Old Bay seasoning and used very little of salt. I put them in Trader Joe’s whole wheat lavash wrap with ketchup and mustard because I didn’t have any marinara. Heavenly!
Ruby Springs
April 17, 2016 at 3:53 pmI recently prepared the oven fried eggplant and it was delicious. My husband loved it also. I plan to have slices in the refrigerator to warm and eat without the brea
d, instead I will put artichoke antipasto spread on the slices. It is so good. Thank you.
Proud Vegetarian
June 18, 2016 at 4:14 amI’m likely going to make this and substitue corn meal with coconut flour because it kind of serves the same purpose as cornmeal but has much more fiber in it. I love coconut flour
betsey riedl
July 17, 2017 at 10:09 amThis looks amazing, and I’d love to try it. But I can’t find brands of rolls or bread that are fat free. Which brands do you use?
And I’m sorry about your pooch passing away. Make yourself some comfort food – I know you know how!
Susan Voisin
July 17, 2017 at 11:02 amI just read labels in the deli department until I find an acceptable bread. A lot of times, the traditional french bread is vegan and oil-free. I don’t use the branded, packaged kind, except for Dave’s Killer Bread and Ezekiel.