A simple yet delicious marinade of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and garlic makes for a flavorful and easy-to-make grilled eggplant, ready in just 20 minutes.
Eggplant is a delicacy. It has a unique taste and texture. It's almost "meaty." In this grilled eggplant recipe, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and garlic combine to highlight the eggplant's flavor. It can work as a side dish, but just like eggplant casserole, it's rich and satisfying enough to serve as a meatless main course. Serve it warm right off the grill or cold, antipasti-style.
Ingredients and Variations
See the recipe card for exact measurements. Here are my comments on the ingredients.
- Fresh eggplant: Look for a firm eggplant with smooth, blemish-free skin.
- Olive oil: If you prefer an oil with a higher smoke point, use avocado oil.
- Balsamic vinegar: Adds a wonderful flavor and promotes caramelization. Please use aged balsamic vinegar. A young vinegar will be too acidic.
- To season: Kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. I prefer garlic powder to fresh minced garlic. It coats the eggplant better.
Instructions
The detailed instructions and step-by-step photos are included in the recipe card. Here's a quick overview.
Slice the eggplant into rounds. Brush the slices with a mixture of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and spices. Save the remaining marinade for later.
Grill the eggplant slices until tender, about 5 minutes per side. If using a dual-contact grill, grill for 5 minutes on the first side and 2 more minutes on the second side.
Brush the cooked slices with the remaining marinade. Serve immediately.
This recipe is simple and flavorful. As an eggplant lover who has tried many recipes, I found this one to be especially good.
Subhash Kini
Read more comments
This recipe is simple and flavorful. As an eggplant lover who has tried many recipes, I found this one to be especially good.Recipe Tips
- When making this recipe, you'll walk a fine line between having the eggplant turn out undercooked or overcooked and mushy. While ideally, you want it just right, it's better to err on the side of slightly overcooking it. Undercooked eggplant is bitter, while overcooked eggplant is delicious, even if its texture is a bit mushy.
- Oven method: You can bake the eggplant in a 450°F oven until tender and browned, for about 10 minutes per side.
- There's no need to peel the eggplant. The peel can be slightly bitter, but the marinade and grilling remove bitterness. Leaving the skin on is pretty! However, if you prefer, you can go ahead and peel it.
- Storage: You can keep the leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for 3-4 days. I don't reheat them. I enjoy them cold, just as I would enjoy antipasti. If you prefer to reheat the leftovers, do so gently in the microwave at 50% power. I don't recommend freezing the leftovers.
Serving Suggestions
I like to serve grilled eggplant with a main course I can also prepare on the grill, such as:
- Grilled shrimp
- Grilled halibut
- Grilled hamburgers
- Grilled chicken breast
- Grilled chicken tenders
- Grilled skirt steak
Sometimes, I serve it with grilled halloumi or stuff it inside a bun (like this cloud bread) for a delicious and filling meatless dinner.
Recipe Card
Balsamic Grilled Eggplant
Video
Ingredients
- 1 eggplant - large, unpeeled, about 1 pound
- 2 tablespoons olive oil - extra-virgin
- 1 tablespoon aged balsamic vinegar - young vinegar is too acidic
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt - or ¼ teaspoon of any other salt, including Morton kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat a grill, a grill pan, or a dual-contact electric grill over medium-high heat.
- Trim the eggplant's edges and slice it crosswise into ½-inch-thick rounds. You should get about 12 slices.
- In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Brush the eggplant slices with the mixture on both sides. Set aside any remaining marinade.
- Grill the eggplant slices until golden brown and fork-tender, about 5 minutes on each side. In my dual-contact electric grill, I grill for 5 minutes on one side, then 2 minutes on the second side.
- Brush the eggplant slices with the remaining marinade and serve.
Notes
- The peel of mature eggplants can be slightly bitter, but the marinade and grilling take care of that. Leaving the skin on is pretty! However, if you prefer, go ahead and peel the eggplant.
- When making this recipe, you'll walk a fine line between having the eggplant turn out undercooked or overcooked and mushy. While ideally, you want it just right, it's better to err on the side of slightly overcooking it. Undercooked eggplant is bitter, while overcooked one is delicious, even if its texture is not ideal.
- You can keep the leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for 3-4 days. I don't reheat them. I enjoy them cold, like antipasti. But if you prefer to reheat the leftovers, do so gently in the microwave at 50% power. I don't recommend freezing the leftovers.
Nutrition per Serving
Save this Recipe!
We'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
We will also add you to our weekly newsletter. Unsubscribe anytime. See healthyrecipesblogs.com/privacy/ to learn how we use your email.
Disclaimers
Most recipes are low-carb and gluten-free, but some are not. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate. Please verify it independently. The carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Please read these Terms of Use before using any of my recipes.
Julian says
Easy. Delicious. Leftovers taste great.
Vered DeLeeuw says
I'm so glad you liked this recipe, Julian!
Subhash Kini says
This recipe is simple and flavorful. As an eggplant lover who has tried many recipes, I found this one to be especially good.
Vered DeLeeuw says
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Subhash! Thank you for the comment.